My service to our village as trustee has provided me with a unique perspective of what qualities are necessary to be a good trustee.
This year, there are not one, but two vacant trustee seats, and fortunately, our village has two people whose service and experience demonstrate them to be trustees in the making. I am very honored that both Bobby Shannon and Bonnie Parente have agreed to join our team.
Bobby Shannon’s career in East Williston started as a paperboy delivering to homes along High Street and Bengeyfield Drive. Through his contracting company, Reality Roofing, and his many volunteer positions, he has continued serving our village personally and professionally. Bobby and his family, with the help of many residents of the Willistons founded the SunWise Campaign of the Rotary Club, dedicated to the memory of his late mother, Diana Shannon, who lost her life in a battle with skin cancer.
To date, the SunWise campaign has educated over 16,000 local children and their parents on the practice of sun-safe habits and avoiding the risk of skin cancer. This program has been a pure labor of love for the Shannon family and Bobby’s commitment and contagious enthusiasm to this cause demonstrate his unique ability to work tirelessly to get the job done. I am confident that Bobby will bring this same level of dedication to serving our Village as a trustee.
Bonnie Parente is the product of an environment where public service, hard work, and personal commitment were the most prized values instilled by her family. Bonnie is a local Girl Scout Leader who has been involved with scouting for nearly a decade. In addition, Bonnie already serves our Village as a member of the Zoning Board of Appeals and will bring her expertise in public sector human resources management to the Board of Trustees.
As a Village Trustee serving for the past 13 years, I know first-hand the effort involved in keeping our village the beautiful place we all call home. During my tenure as trustee, the community efforts of Bobby and Bonnie have not gone unnoticed and I would say they have participated in a lengthy and public interview process. It is without reservation or hesitation that I say their dedication, ability and proven record of running both large and small organizations makes them perfect candidates to serve our village as trustees.
Yes, both Bobby and Bonnie have finance degrees and law degrees, but more importantly, they have the proven ability to make sound judgments and work together in ways that will complement our board. They each bring very different skills and independent views combined with a readiness to share best-practices from their organizations that will benefit our Village. I urge you to please give us the honor of your support by voting for the three of us – David E. Tanner, Bobby Shannon, and Bonnie Parente – on March 15 at the Village Hall from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m.
It has been my greatest honor to serve our village and hope that you will allow me the privilege of continuing to serve assisted by these two fine residents.
David E. Tanner
Candidate for mayor
Village of East Williston
