Ridgewood Resident Scott Burton Suffers Fatal Heart Attack

Ridgewood resident Scott Burton, who served as Orangetown, New York's director of Environmental Management and Engineering, suffered a fatal heart attack late Sunday morning.

Burton, 41, of Spring Avenue, was on vacation with his wife and three children in Ludlow, Vermont.

"It's such a tragedy," said Orangetown Councilman Michael Maturo. "He will be thoroughly missed. I can't imagine his family. My heart goes out to them."

Burton was an associate director with Pfizer before being appointed to take over the Rockland County town's sewer department in September of 2010.

"It's a huge loss," Maturo said. "We worked so hard to bring in such good talent and such a good guy. He turned around a program and a (sewer) project that were floundering in less than a year."

Maturo said that one of Burton's strengths was improving morale within the department, pointing to an event Burton put together earlier this year.

"He had a three-hour lunch thing for his department," Maturo said. "He invited just the electeds and everybody (in the department) with their families. It was a great, casual thing. Nobody from the DEC or the media. He gave out awards. He had fun with the guys. Everybody was having a ball. That's the sort of thing we are losing."

Burton was also well-known in the Ridgewood Somerville community, Dad's Night and as a coach in youth sports.