On Wednesday, April 17, 2024, Greenwood Lake Mayor Matt Buckley announced his resignation “to allow a new mayor to appoint individuals who will serve the community effectively” he declared in a prepared statement delivered to Village residents.
While Buckley had served for over a year his tenure had been marked by significant achievements. Like many life-long laker residents, he was always concerned about cleaning up the lake and preventing it from eutrophication– the accumulation of nutrients that could overwhelm the water and throw it out of balance. He had acquired weed harvesters and had deployed them and other initiatives that would address the lake integrity. He had also laid the groundwork for the preparation of the parks for the coming summer season, had prepared the ballfields for expanded parking and concession services, had continued the work on the water quality filtration program to bring it into compliance with the NY State regulations, and had helped to consolidate the planning and zoning departments facilitating a more comprehensive construction review process. In his statement, Matt thanked “the dedication and hard work of the village employees, the chief and police department, the trustees, and all the residents. I had hoped to initiate much-needed changes within the village and had begun that journey.”
Mayor Buckley had recognized early on that some of the changes that he had implemented, together with the Village Trustees, would not be necessarily welcomed with open arms. Nevertheless, he was not deterred. He went on to say that “Although I was enthusiastic about making positive changes for the village, I have learned that I am not a politician. I am proud of the projects I was able to accomplish over the past year, which could not have been done without help from Brendan Kolesar and the countless volunteers who stepped up with no questions asked and without fanfare. I have to personally thank Tony Romanish – Walls and Patio, Richie Brennan – White Tail Tree Service, Duncan McCarthy – McCarthy Landscaping Plus, Russell Pysner- Greenwood Lake Tree Service, and Frank Lotito – Emerald Point.
During an executive session that took place during a scheduled Village Board meeting on Waterstone Road, presided over by Deputy Mayor Kelli Kelm, a new, provisional mayor was announced: Trustee Thomas Howley, the current liaison to Police Dept, Municipal Water, Public Safety, Fire/Ambulance, and Public Works. Howley will now assume the role of Mayor for the balance of the year, as Chief Executive Officer, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Village Manager, and Budget Officer; as well as the liaison to Police Dept, Municipal Water, Economic Development, GWL Coalition, Admin/Finance/Budget, and Greenwood Lake Commission Register.
