Mayor Mullen Honors Community Members with Commendations

At a recent Village of Pelham Board of Trustees meeting, Mayor Mullen presented the Mayor’s Commendation for Excellence in Civic Service to community members whose service has strengthened and enhanced our collective civic life.

The honorees include Jeff Watkins and Jessica Solomon, outgoing original members of the Village of Pelham Council on the Arts. Their work to launch this important council will “endure beyond the terms of their service,” said Mayor Mullen. “Within months of its creation, the council launched our first annual Juneteenth celebration, installed a mural downtown, hosted performances in our park, and helped organize a new plaque to honor Mickey Schwerner. And it’s only grown from there.” Watkins was honored for his leadership on the Steering Committee for Policing and Inclusion. 

Current and former members of the Climate Smart Communities Task Force (CSCTF) were also honored for their efforts, and outgoing co-chair Gabrielle Sasson was commended for her leadership on the CSCTF and the Sustainability Advisory Board. Their collective efforts helped earn the Village its Bronze-Level Certification as a Climate Smart Community in September by installing its first of five public EV Charging Stations in Pelham’s downtown, replacing all street lights with energy-efficient LEDs, benchmarking the energy use of Village facilities, launching a Food Waste Recycling Program, and partnering with Sustainable Westchester on a host of initiatives, including the EnergySmart Homes and Grid Rewards campaigns, Solarize Pelham, and the Community Choice Aggregation Program. 

The Village of Pelham Mayor and Board of Trustees are excited and proud to honor these volunteers. May their service remind us that we all share responsibility for Pelham’s future and are co-creators and stewards of the place where we live.

Full List of Honorees:

Marc Burgess

Ella Burns

Yenna Chan

Kate Doebler

Heather Eliezer

Melissa Eustace

Sam Farrell

Kevin Fleming

Kevin Healy

Richard Heller

Maryanne Joyce

Lucia Lavallee

Nadine LeeSang

Tai Montanarella

Lindsay Preftakes

Anna Riehl

Harry Ross

Gabrielle Sasson

Ben Smyser

Jessica Solomon

Bill Springer

Heather Valade

Jeff Watkins

Tom White

Debbie Winstead