Friday, April 11, 2025
Vol. 102, No. 15
Garden City O ffice Agent of the Month
$1
March 2025
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Run for Tomorrow PAGE 22 n Recruit NY PAGE 44
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New mayor takes seat, trustees assigned to new roles
SENIOR SMILES
BY RIKKI MASSAND
The Garden City Girls Lacrosse team secured another impressive victory over Farmingdale last week on its home turf, dominating the field with a 17-goal performance. See page 60.
On Monday night, April 7, 2025, Edward T. Finneran was sworn in as the new mayor of Garden City, culminating a journey that began nearly a decade ago with his volunteer work for the Garden City Central Property Owners’ Association (CPOA), where he led meetings at the senior center. Finneran, an experienced attorney originally from northern New Jersey, officially stepped up from his role as village trustee during the Board of Trustees’ annual reorganization meeting. His ascent followed an uncontested election held on March 18. In his remarks, Finneran expressed gratitude to his fellow Board members and the residents who supported his candidacy. He was first elected as a trustee in 2023. Like his predecessor, Mayor Mary Carter Flanagan, he ascended to the mayoralty after serving a two-year term on the Board. Finneran began his speech by thanking his wife, Mary, “who See page 56
School budget includes updates Village Board approves $71 million budget to curriculum, technology BY KASSARA MCELROY
Garden City Public Schools has introduced a proposed $137,760,845 million budget for the 2025–2026 school year, reflecting a 2.82% increase— about $3,773,479 million—over the current year. The proposal will be put to a public vote on May 20. The budget is divided into
three main categories: program spending accounts for 75.56%, capital expenses make up 13%, and administrative costs represent 11.64%. While capital and administrative spending were previously reviewed, the Board of Education’s recent discussion focused on the program portion—the largest and the one most directly tied to student learning and support.
One of the key areas of investment is in Pupil Personnel Services (PPS), which will expand following a district-wide K–5 literacy review. This expansion includes updates to curriculum and assessments, along with staff training aligned with New York State’s revised learning standards. The district also plans to strengthen inclusive See page 56
BY RIKKI MASSAND
The Garden City Board of Trustees approved the village budget for fiscal year 2025–’26 at its annual Reorganization meeting on Monday night, April 7th at Village Hall. As adopted by the Board of Trustees, the total village budget for the year starting June 1, 2025 through May 31, 2026 is $71,228,931, “less the appropriated surplus of $3,311,230, less the estimated revenue of $12,220,208. Mayor Edward Finneran noted the balance that will be raised through local Village of Garden City taxes (the tax levy) in the amount of $55,697,493 as the sum “required to meet the proSee page 28
GC Kiwanis hosts St. Pat’s Day Luncheon PAGE 42 A new tradition of service and leadership PAGE 54