mayor was to outlaw vaping in the business district,” says Lavorata.“We were going to do a family-friendly downtown.” COLLABORATION AND LEADERSHIP: THE KEYS TO PROGRESS Lindenhurst’s progress is the result of more than just planning, it’s rooted in a leadership style defined by collaboration and humility. Mayor Lavorata leads with a team-first philosophy, “I cheated. I put a lot of people around me that knew more than I’ll ever know,” he says with a smile. “I always looked at guys who did the right thing and created the kind of environment that we would want to create in our own village.” From Deputy Mayor RJ Renna to Village Administrator Joe Barone and Village Clerk Katie Schrader. Lavorata credits his staff with driving the village’s transformation. “This place could run on autopilot, the best thing I could do probably is stay out of the way and let them do their jobs.” The spirit of collaboration extends beyond Village Hall, longstanding divisions with external partners have been replaced by meaningful alliances. “In the prior administrations, the Chamber and the village didn’t get along very well. It was always like a competition, which made no sense,” Lavorata explains.“Now…we are inseparable, and it does make for a heck of a lot more progress than what we saw in the past.” 7 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 07 LINDENHURST, NY
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