Leaders' New Year's vow: On-time meetings

New Year's resolutions might be made to be broken, but so far the top elected officials in Oyster Bay and Glen Cove are keeping their promises to start meetings on time.

In recent years the Oyster Bay Town Board and Glen Cove City Council have routinely started their meetings 20 minutes or more after the scheduled time.

Town Supervisor John Venditto and Glen Cove Mayor Ralph Suozzi last month vowed to start promptly, come January.

As the clock was about to mark 10 a.m. yesterday, Venditto and the board members rushed in and took their seats for their first meeting of the year.

Venditto immediately asked the town clerk to take the roll call and led the Pledge of Allegiance.

Resident Larry Sklar of Jericho, who attends most meetings, yelled "congratulations" for the on-time start.

"Let the record reflect the meeting started 30 seconds before the scheduled time," Venditto noted.

He said later that getting to Town Hall and into the meeting room on time "was very difficult for me."

He awoke earlier yesterday, Venditto said, and left his home a half-hour before his usual 9:30 a.m. departure.

He added that he cut short his normal pre-meeting chatting with neighbors, patrons at Dunkin' Donuts and town employees.

In Glen Cove, Suozzi said that "we didn't wait for the new year" to start meetings more punctually.

The Dec. 27 council meeting started at 7:35 p.m. -- just five minutes late. And Monday's 2 p.m. inauguration session started on time, he added.

"We've very much improved," Suozzi said.