Cantwell Thankful for 32 Years with Village

The Village of East Hampton paid one final adieu to Larry Cantwell on Wednesday.

"Today is a day in that Larry is hanging up his title as Village Administrator," Mayor Paul F. Rickenbach Jr. said. "Remembering his tenure, I recalled a consummate public official whose professional acumen, sage advice, and doing the right thing for the public always came through, tempered with good common sense."

After 32 years, Cantwell retired, though he won't stay out of the public realm for long; he is running on the Democratic and Independence tickets for East Hampton Town supervisor.

Several residents took to the podium to thank Cantwell for his years of service.

Steven Tekulsky, a former fire department chief and a good friend of Cantwell's who is running for Town Justice on the Democratic ticket, called it the "We love Larry farewell tour."

The village held a dinner for Cantwell in June, but he announced his retirement in October giving the village board ample time to find a replacement. Rebecca Molinaro joined the village in May, while Cantwell started to cut his hours.

"If I skip this one does it mean it doesn't happen?," Deputy Mayor Barbara Borsack joked as she read aloud the resolution officially approving Cantwell's retirement.

The board approved his retirement with a payout of $99,342.50 for accrued time.

During the meetings, the last of the village's fiscal year, Molinaro was also given the title of Village Administrator at an annual salary of $95,000.

"We're excited to have Becky on board," Borsack said.

Cantwell said that the board will be as proud of Molinaro as they have shown they are of him.

He said he was grateful for the 32 years he worked for the village, crediting all of those he's worked with, from the board to fire department and EMS volunteers.

"In many ways the Village of East Hampton is a model for small village government and it starts in some ways with the village employees," Cantwell said. "The village is really blessed with carig, dedicated employees who go above and beyond."

"To them, I can only say thank you," he said. "To the extent that I've been successful, in many ways that's a result of village employees whom I had the pleasure to work with over the past 32 years."