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Whelan Park reopens to the community By MADISoN GUSlER mgusler@liherald.com
Tim Baker/Herald
The Village of Malverne, with help from the Whelan family, as well as local and state officials, cut a ribbon officially reopening the newly renovated Whelan Park at a ceremony on Sept. 4.
Dozens of Malvernites were joined by state, county and local officials to celebrate the grand opening of Whelan Park last week. The Sept. 4 celebration followed the soft opening of the park on July 23. Village residents and visitors can now enjoy walking and biking along a new scenic pathway, bringing their dogs to the park and tossing a ball around on the renovated fields. “It was incredible to watch this facility transform from what it was to what it is now,” Deputy Mayor Scott Edwards said. Edwards and many other attendees recalled playing Little League baseball at Whelan Field as a child, when the field was little more than an undeveloped lot. Attendees said they were impressed by the ConTinued on Page 3
Tom Martini named Malverne’s new chief of police By MADISoN GUSlER mgusler@liherald.com
Thomas Martini, who has served in the Malverne Police De par tment for nearly 30 years, was recently named its new chief of police, replacing John Aresta, who retired in December after 18 years in that position. Since January, Martini, 50, has served as the department’s probationary chief and was officially sworn in as police chief on Aug. 25, with additional swearing-in ceremonies taking place at the village board meeting last Wednesday. “If you don’t know Tom,”
State Sen. Patricia CanzoneriFitzpatrick said, “he is not only very bright, very professional, he’s one of the nicest, most compassionate people you will ever find. And that is a beautiful combination for a chief to lead us.” Martini, a Malverne native, was 21 when he joined the department in 1997 after passing the civil service exam. He was inspired to join the force after seeing the impact local officers had on the village, including his uncle, retired Sgt. Vin Morris. Following in his uncle’s footsteps, Martini was promoted to sergeant in June of 2012, and
later to lieutenant in May of 2018. “Every day brings something different,” Martini said about his career on the force. “Some days you’re responding to a call with people that are on a bad end of things, and other days you’re dealing with people having good experiences. “You have to think on your feet, be flexible,” he continued. “In law enforcement, in general, you have to be able to assess situations and react properly in a short amount of time. There are a lot of aspects that go into making a good police officer, and there is no real road map to it. Every situation
is different.” Martini will oversee the force’s 23 police officers, handle administrative work, craft policies and form procedures for the department. The village’s police officers mostly respond to quality of life concerns, but are prepared for all situations, working with local schools, religious centers and
community groups to keep the village safe. “We’re more of a community-oriented police department — just keeping Malverne safe,” he said. M a r t i n i n o t e d t h at t h e entire police force consists of current or former residents of the village, creating a unit ConTinued on Page 23