David Collins appointed to Lindenhurst Village board

A lifelong Lindenhurst resident has been appointed to the village's board of trustees.

David Collins, 43, earlier this month was chosen to fill the seat of former trustee and Deputy Mayor RJ Renna, who was elected in November to the Suffolk County Legislature. Collins will serve on the five-member board for the first time at a full meeting next week.

A 26-year veteran of the Lindenhurst Fire Department, Collins has lived his whole life in the village, graduating from Lindenhurst High School in 2000. While new to a trustee role, Collins is no stranger to leadership, having served as the fire department’s chief from 2023 to April of this year and held numerous positions in the department. He was hired as the village’s emergency management officer last summer.

Mayor Mike Lavorata told Newsday that village officials have been interviewing candidates for the position “on and off” since Renna, 34, won the Republican primary for the legislature seat in June.

“Basically, what we were looking for was someone a little younger, who could jump right in and pick up where RJ left off and someone who knows the community,” Lavorata said. “His name kept coming up as a really good choice.”

Lavorata said Collins, whose mother worked as his secretary for a time, will serve as a liaison with the fire department.

“We’ll have someone on the inside who knows if we need to go one way or another with a new truck versus repairs,” he said. “He can be very helpful for the taxpayers with that.”

Fire and rescue protection spending makes up the largest part of the village’s budget, with $2.9 million allocated in the current $19.1 million budget.

Trustee Maryann Weckerle, whom Lavorata appointed deputy mayor after appointing Collins, said this is the first time a member of the fire department has served on the board in nearly 30 years. Weckerle, who was deputy mayor from 2017 to 2023, said she has known Collins for 30 years.

“He’s just a very calm, level-headed individual who listens and tries to collect all the facts before making a decision or offering an opinion and I think that’s an important quality to have on a village board,” Weckerle said.

Collins, who will earn $12,000 a year, will serve until March when he will run for the term's remaining two years.

An electrician with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 3 in New York City, Collins said he is excited to serve on the board and just wants to make sure the village “continues to be a great place to live.”

“RJ did a tremendous job for the village, he had a good vision and I really want to keep that going,” he said.

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.