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ARDSLEY, N.Y. Peter Porcino, Ardsley deputy mayor and trustee, will become the villages mayor next year. He will replace Jay Leon, who decided to step down.
Porcino is running unopposed as a Democrat. Running with him for village trustee are Larry Nardecchia Jr., whose two-year term as trustee finishes this year, and Nicole Minore, who serves in the parks and recreation commission and is replacing Porcino on the village board. Both are also running unopposed.
Porcino, 60, was born in Long Island and is a longtime lawyer in a Manhattan firm. Married with two children, he has been living in Ardsley since 1986. After serving on the Board of Architectural Review (1996 to 1999) and Zoning Board of Appeals (1999 to 2005), he became trustee in 2005 and deputy mayor in 2006.
Considering that he has been in the village government for so many years, its not a surprise that most of his priorities, listed in a document he issued with Nardecchia and Minore, are to continue, improve, and renovate things already in place.
Among the projects he plans to carry on are, for example, the ongoing improvements in Route 9A. Its obviously something we want to see the fruitions of, he said.
Others are the sidewalk between Farm Road and McDowell Park, for which the village already has a grant, and the countys rehabilitation of the Ashford Avenue bridge, slated to start in 2014.
Just make sure the county stays on its schedule, Porcino said. But there are more drastic changes Porcino considers making, such as creating space for cars to park for a longer time and for people to walk in the downtown area.
People cant just park and linger, he said, adding that, if they could, maybe the village would attract different kinds of business, such as entertainment and department stores.
He also wants to redesign the village website and increase the number of subscribers to the village's email list, which is approximately 500, he said.
Its not easily navigated. Find useful information there is difficult, he said of the website.
As for why Leon is stepping out, Porcino said that his job at Time Warners marketing department is demanding more from him. Another reason is the time he has spent in the office.
He has been mayor for six years, Porcino said. It takes a lot of work. Porcino will soon find out how much.
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