Montebello Elementary Students Take Over Airmont Village Hall

The Village of Airmont had not one, but FIVE Mayors serving its residents today. The winners of the Mayor For a Day contest, sponsored by Airmont Mayor Philip Gigante, joined him at Village Hall to learn more about public service, local government, and community involvement. Students at Montebello Elementary School submitted posters (grades K-2) and essays (grades 3-5) in order to win the chance to serve as Mayor for a Day. Due to an overwhelming number of entries, two winners were chosen from each category: Drew Kastin (Grade 1) and Leah Murray (Grade 2) won for their posters, while Jordan Leurbourg (Grade 4) and Ava Wanamaker (Grade 5) submitted the winning essays. All of the entries received, including the winning submissions, are currently on display at Airmont Village Hall.

The day began with a private "Mayor's Briefing" in Mayor Gigante's office, where he and his fellow mayors discussed their agenda for the day. Next Mayor Kastin, Mayor Murray, Mayor Leurbourg, and Mayor Wanamaker were given a tour of Village Hall by Mayor Gigante, introducing them to the Village Staff members and learning about what each department does for the residents of Airmont.

Next, the Mayors presided over a Joint Work Session in the Village Meeting Room. Mayor Gigante read a status report detailing the many positive accomplishments of the past year, including road paving, repairs, the approval of energy-efficient street lighting, and the careful budgeting that allowed the governing body to keep taxes flat while maintaining a high level of services for Village residents.

Each of the Mayors took turns discussing their ideas for ways to improve the community. Mayor Kastin said he would focus on road safety, work on job creation, and would like to see more food trucks in the area. Mayor Murray wants to clean up and beautify the school gardens, save electricity, raise awareness in our schools about what teachers can do to help kids with allergies, and plant more trees. Mayor Leurbourg said that he would work to protect the community and keep our schools safe, and suggested that the schools offer additional programs and educational field trips for its students. Mayor Wanamaker also championed the idea of creating an After School Program for children of working parents, and suggested the Camp Scuffy site as a place that could accommodate numerous activities, such as swimming, tennis, and dance.

The mayors reviewed other suggestions that were made by students from Montebello Elementary School, including stricter rules governing cell phone use while in school, and creating a Recycling Team to encourage students and other community members to recycle more.

Next, Mayor Gigante and the other Mayors had "brainstorming session"on ways to improve safety along the Route 59 corridor, as a precursor to the Rt. 59 Community Workshop that is being hosted in Airmont later this evening.

After receiving Certificates of Distinction for their contest entries, Mayor Kastin, Mayor Murray, Mayor Leurbourg and Mayor Wanamaker assisted Mayor Gigante in signing certificates for all of the students who participated in the contest. They ended their day with a pizza lunch for the mayors and their families at the Airmont Senior Center, along with Montebello Elementary School Principal Dr. Teresa Ivey.

The Mayor for a Day Contest was first proposed by Mayor Gigante last year, and piloted with students from Cherry Lane Elementary School. Mayor Gigante plans to continue the popular program later this year with students from Suffern Middle School and Suffern High School.