Editor:
My name is Lugene Maher, and I am pleased to announce my intention to run for trustee of the Village of Warwick for a five-year term beginning April 1, 2022.
The Village of Warwick has been home to me and my family for the past 38 years. My husband and I were drawn to Warwick and immediately felt at home in the village, welcomed by neighbors and merchants alike. Over the years, I have been involved in a variety of community organizations and local activities, most recently as a board member of the Warwick Lions Club and the Orange County Medical Reserve Corp. During the nearly four decades I have resided in the village, I have kept informed and become actively involved with specific projects, feeling compelled to share my opinion, concerns, and solutions, with a particular focus on safety, land use and the infrastructure supporting our Village.
When I think about the qualities and experience of a trustee, first and foremost is integrity - being honest and having strong moral principles. Board members are stewards and with this stewardship they are entrusted by their community to assure the careful and responsible management of our village – a community worth caring for and preserving.
My extensive professional experience in the field of public health, with over a decade of that experience as a leader in business management and operations, has prepared me well for the role of trustee having gained the critical skills necessary to handle a range of issues on diverse projects in planning, finance, regulations, personnel matters, and infrastructure.
Being a trustee is not an individual role. It is about moving a community in the right direction as a leader, a listener, and a communicator, adding value through collaboration, formally and informally, with the citizens, merchants, mayor and board members. You must have a willingness and desire to reach out to the people in the community, ask probing questions, and actively listen.
Deliberating and voting on matters of concern to the community is an important job and should be guided by the mission of serving everyone in the community. I recognize this requires learning and researching, keeping an open mind, exercising good judgement, and assessing an issue or project with public discussion and the community’s views. For me, the most important aspect of the role of trustee is to make well-informed, practical, and logical decisions that are financially responsible and that comply with local and state laws, and to do this with transparency, civility, and respect.
As your trustee of the Village of Warwick, I will lead by example, be responsive to your inquiries, welcome public participation, respect divergent opinions and work toward incorporating the community’s thoughts and concerns to develop a unified perspective for our village.
The Village of Warwick election is March 15, 2022. I encourage all village residents to vote. As I launch my campaign, I look forward to speaking with you and answering your questions. Thank you.
Lugene Maher
Warwick