Dear Lake Grove Residents,
As we begin the next 50 years as an Incorporated Village, I am very confident about a positive future.
The formula for success has worked well in the past and has provided us with the wisdom that we need going forward.
Through the years of being an elected official and a public servant, I am quite aware of the importance of the relationships that you establish and maintain with other municipalities and layers of government. We have built strong alliances with the other Villages, the Town of Brookhaven and Suffolk County officials to provide for shared services that save taxpayer dollars by not duplicating services and expenses. We have Inter-municipal agreements and cooperative bidding processes that give us better purchasing power for contracting and equipment.
Going forward, we must expand on this theme and continue to work together as one, without giving up our individual identity. While working together benefits us all, it is important to keep a keen sense of why we incorporated as we did 50 years ago. Our local laws and codes must provide for what we believe is best to sustain and improve our quality of life issues. We must decide what is important to us as a community and legislate accordingly. Local laws which in many cases are more defined and enforced protect what we and those before us worked so hard to establish.
Villages are a level of government closest to the people. The Village has three boards each consisting of five members. The Village Board which is made up of the Mayor and four Trustees, the Planning Board, and the Board of Appeals. Each board plays a vital role in protecting our way of life and standard of living. Our local laws give us the authority needed to do just that.
We, your Village officials, are not political figures. I consider us to be public servants. While we might not always be in concurrence with each other, we always find common ground for the good of the Village. There is no place for politics at this level. I have worked with the Village Board for many years now and I am proud to call each member a colleague and a friend. That’s what makes it work so well. Most are all too aware of what occurs at other levels of government when camaraderie and solidarity do not exist.
A result of working together is the continuance of the positive trend. The Village has no debt. I am proud to say that while we have maintained a budget within the tax cap regulations for many years, we are still fiscally sound and continue to provide a high level of services.
My goal is that together, we carry this positive movement into the next 50 years. I will continue to work with all of my colleagues for as long as I can to bring that goal to fruition. It has been a pleasure to work collectively with all of my colleagues on the Village Board and with both of our other very competent and qualified boards.
As always, thank you for your continued support and allowing me to serve our outstanding Village.
Robert (Bob) Scottaline
Mayor
Incorporated Village of Lake Grove