My turn Jesse Dwyer 'A wake up call' for Greenwood Lake

It is with great honor that I sit here before you, as Mayor of the Village of Greenwood Lake. Although the challenges that we, the Village Board and staff at Village Hall, have before us are mounting, we are prepared.

We find ourselves leading the village with new opportunities, new ideas, a new style of government and, ultimately, with new and reinvigorated leadership.

I think this last election was a wake-up call for the village. The rain, wind and snow could not hold back nearly 1,000 voters from coming out to the polls. Whether you were inspired to support me, Trustees Howley and Kelm or former Mayor Moore, we witnessed civic participation the likes of which this village has never seen before.

I am excited to begin working at Village Hall as mayor with our outstanding clerks; village employees; re-elected Trustee, now Deputy Mayor, Kelli Kelm; newly elected Trustee Tom Howley; newly appointed Trustee Ed English; and Trustee Sara Cox.

• I am thrilled to announce the appointment of John Buchkeit as our village attorney. I have known John for many years, and there is no doubt in my mind that he is the best choice to serve as our village attorney. John received his undergraduate and graduate degrees from West Point Military Academy and Columbia Law School, respectively. He served in the U.S. Army, retiring as a major and has previously served as our village attorney for eight years. Above all, John is a village resident who has a stake in our community’s success, just like the rest of us.

• As mayor, I will partner with the Village Board to expand tourism in an effort to stimulate much needed economic development.

• I will continue to pursue long-term sustainable solutions to rehabilitate our lake.

• I plan to leverage my experiences growing up in the village to develop opportunities for our youth to be more physically active, socially involved and engaged in our community.

• As mayor, I will commit myself to running a village government that provides exceptional services at a price our taxpayers can afford.

• I encourage members of the public to join this village board as we seek to strengthen our community. This board will operate unlike many others we have seen in many years. We will operate with a clear sense of cohesiveness, harnessing the individual strengths of each trustee, enabling them to work for the village.

• We will work hand-in-hand with all of our great organizations – both civic and religious - with residents, with seniors and with our youth.

• We will be a board that is committed to the betterment of this great community, to make progress that is long-lasting, cost-effective, and tailored to the residents of Greenwood Lake.

And now, before we begin this journey together, I would like to thank the three most important people in my life and the sources of motivation: my mother Linda, my beautiful wife Colleen, and our daughter Emma Rose.

Finally, I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for giving me this opportunity to serve as our village mayor. Your confidence is truly inspiring and humbling, and I will do my utmost each and every day to prove myself worthy of your trust and support.

Together, we will rediscover, and strengthen all that Greenwood Lake has to offer. I look forward to working with you all, as a team, for the future of our great community.

Jesse Dwyer was elected mayor of the Village of Greenwood Lake last month.