Q&A with Amityville Mayor-elect Michael O'Neill

When Amityville Trustee Michael O’Neill is sworn in Monday night, he will become the 30th mayor in the history of the village, after winning election last month.

Among his early priorities are keeping the budget as tight as possible and addressing traffic safety on Route 110. But, he said, "There are so many positive things going on in the village right now that I just need to continue guiding it."

O’Neill replaces Dennis Siry, who was term-limited out after eight years.

“I just hope I left the village in better shape than I found it,” Siry said.

For his successes in office, Siry pointed to the development of the AvalonBay apartments, which were completed last year. He said they led to renewed downtown improvement efforts and the state awarding $10 million in Downtown Revitalization Initiative funds.

Siry also said he was proud of the upturn in the village’s finances: Its bond rating, which was a notch above junk status when he was trustee, is now at A2.

Siry said he’s happy O’Neill is taking over the helm.

“He’s a levelheaded thinker,” he said. “He listens to people and is open to new ideas. Plus he has the experience as trustee and he knows the history of the village.”

O'Neill, who served six years as trustee, defeated two other contenders in last month's mayoral race. The mayor serves a four-year term and is paid $14,000 annually.

Newsday spoke with O’Neill about his next steps. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

What will be your top priority when you take office?

The first big thing is we’ve got a budget hearing coming up [on April 28], so putting the final touches on the budget. My goal is to be as fiscally prudent as possible and get as close to a zero percent increase as we can. Tied into that is we’ve got a police contract that expires in June. I’m confident that we’ll be able to work through the whole negotiation process and come up with something that’s fair and equitable for both the taxpayers and the PBA.

What’s next for the village’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative efforts?

The biggest part is working with the [state Department of Transportation] on traffic calming on Route 110. There are good things happening in the village, but if we don’t address the safety of the traffic, it’s all for naught. Then there’s the facade program. We’ve gotten through most of the heavy lifting with the state on that and that should start happening within the next couple of months. People will start seeing the results of the grant. There was this misconception that the state gave us $10 million and we’re sitting on it.

How do you prevent misconceptions such as those?

I think everyone in the world can communicate a whole lot better and we’re no different. That’s one of the things I will work on, whether it’s through a mayor’s message that is emailed or some other vehicle.

What are the challenges ahead?

There’s no need for any major shake-up in any department. There is a lot of grant money, so I want to make sure that we are smart in how we proceed and whatever the projects are, that we’re very conscious in how we’re spending the money.

What are some projects that you want to work on?

I want to concentrate on the beach. We need to work on getting grant money to make sure the infrastructure can be improved. The softball field down there could use a little TLC, the soccer fields too.

Some residents have complained about AvalonBay’s size and problems with its fire alarm system. How do you feel about adding more housing complexes to the village?

I’m not looking for any large-scale development but I would advocate for owner occupancy, whether that’s a small or midsize development. With AvalonBay, part of it was growing pains. . . we have to let Avalon settle in before we really see the true impact. Smart growth doesn’t necessarily mean no growth, it just might mean slow growth.

What would you say to those residents who didn’t vote for you?

I have heard the concerns raised by the other candidates so I’m aware that I need to listen to those concerns and take them into account when I’m leading the board in decision-making. I have confidence in my ability to manage and move things forward, but I know I don’t have all the answers.

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.