Lindenhurst mayor resigns, new one to be chosen Tuesday

Lindenhurst Mayor Tom Brennan has resigned, and a replacement will be chosen Tuesday at a special village trustee meeting.

Brennan was elected to his fourth term in March. He submitted a letter of resignation Monday, giving up the position as of Feb. 23. Brennan told a Newsday reporter in January that he was unsure whether he would be able to complete his term — which runs to March 2020 — due to health reasons. He has had two strokes in recent years and said he had been advised by his doctor to step down.

Brennan has been hospitalized since Feb. 20 for undisclosed reasons. Deputy Mayor Mike Lavorata, first elected to the board in 2004 and appointed deputy mayor in January 2014, has served as acting mayor.

The village board will vote Tuesday on a replacement to serve the remainder of this year, Lavorata said. An election will be held in March 2018 to fill the post for the remaining two years of Brennan’s term.

Lavorata said he hopes to continue to serve as mayor and would like to run for the remainder of the term in 2018.

“It is a bit sudden, but I am ready for the challenge!” Lavorata wrote in an email. “I am confident that I will fulfill Mayor Brennan’s agenda with some new ideas of my own.”

The meeting is at 6 p.m. at Village Hall.

By Denise M. Bonilla

denise.bonilla@newsday.comdenisebonilla

Denise Bonilla has worked at Newsday since 2003 and covers the Town of Babylon, including the villages of Lindenhurst and Amityville.