Massapequa Park's new mayor appointed unanimously

The Village of Massapequa Park has a new mayor.

Deputy Mayor Jeffrey P. Pravato was appointed to the position in a unanimous vote by the board of trustees at Village Hall on Monday night. He replaces James Altadonna Jr., the mayor since 2001. Altadonna was sworn in as Oyster Bay Town clerk earlier this month.

"I grew up in the village environment and that's what I want to keep," Pravato said. "You can come into town and know everybody shopping here. When I think of small-town America, I think of Massapequa Park."

Pravato has been a trustee since 2002. He works on Wall Street, he said.

He said he plans to continue work that Altadonna began, including road improvements and beautification projects.

In his first act of business, Pravato appointed Trustee Teresa Spinosa as deputy mayor.

Spinosa said she will focus on fiscal responsibility and will work to "keep taxes at a minimum." She added that attracting a hospital to the village is high on her agenda, since residents have no emergency room in the immediate area.

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One trustee seat on the five-member board remains vacant, but a replacement likely will be appointed at the next meeting, Pravato said.

"Mayor Altadonna was a mentor to me," Pravato said. "We'll miss him, but I hope he'll come to visit."

Pravato will serve the remainder of Altadonna's two-year term, until the next election in March 2015.

Altadonna replaced Steven Labriola as town clerk. Labriola resigned in February to become chief of staff for Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos.

Altadonna drew a salary of $10,146 as mayor.