Bill Hendrick Will Be Next Lynbrook Mayor

Lynbrook Deputy Mayor Bill Hendrick will be appointed to the mayor's seat at the end of this year, the village board announced Monday.
   
Hendrick, a village trustee for nearly 20 years, will take over for Mayor Brian Curran, who will join the state Assembly in January.
   
"We have a tremendous replacement in our deputy mayor," said Village Trustee Hilary Becker at Monday's village board meeting. "We are really, really blessed to have a deputy mayor with that kind of experience to be filling the shoes as our mayor."   
   
Village Attorney Peter Ledwiith explained that Curran must first step down before the board can appoint his successor. Curran said his stepping down will take place at the Dec. 20 village board meeting, with his last official day as mayor being Dec. 31. Hendrick will take over at that point.
   
After that, Hendrick has the sole responsibility of selecting a replacement for his seat on the board, though that person would not automatically be named deputy mayor. Hendrick said he would discuss any potential candidates with the rest of the board.
   
"If I didn't have the support of the whole board, I wouldn't be doing it," Hendrick said after the meeting. "We'll work together. I need this board very much because they are just that good."
   
Hendrick said he hopes to continue the board's mission of moderate expansion of taxable property, such as the Lynbrook movie theatre, which the board has expressed an interest in renovating. He also said he'd be sensitive to residents' concerns, as many of them are struggling through the sluggish economy.
   
"We have to keep taxes down … people are hurting," he said. "The way to do that is by good management and through good expansion — reasonable, smart expansion."
   
Hendrick served as village trustee from 1989-1993 and from 1995 to the present. He currently works as an attorney. He is one of the founding members and current chairman of the Lynbrook Expo Committee, and a member of the Lynbrook Elks,  Knights of Columbus, Ancient Order of Hibernians, and a past president of the Lynbrook Republican Club.