SOMERS, N.Y. - There were hugs, handshakes, and heartfelt tributes all around at Thomas A. Garrity Jr.’s last hurrah as councilman.
The love and appreciation on display at the Town Board meeting Thursday, Sept. 11, was hardly surprising considering that the lifelong Somers resident had held that position of great responsibility for 18 years.
The list of Garrity’s civic contributions to the town is actually much longer.
He previously served on the local planning and zoning boards and has been a member of the Somers Lions Club for nearly three decades and a volunteer with the Boy Scouts of America.
Garrity’s two children, Tommy and Brenna, born during that long tenure, are now young adults. They and his wife, Ann, have been -- he said through grateful tears that emotional evening -- his biggest cheerleaders.
(A Republican, he had been cross endorsed by Democrats, Independents, and Conservatives.)
Garrity announced this past summer that he was stepping down from the town post due to his vastly increased responsibilities as the new director of municipal, community, and business relations for Avangrid, New York State Electric & Gas's parent company.
Previously, he was able to pop into every office at Town Hall, aka The Elephant Hotel, at least once or twice a week to catch up on the goings-on.
The folks there were more than colleagues, they were friends, he said.
Because his new gig involves lots of traveling, Garrity found himself doing that less and less.
“And that’s not fair to the town of Somers,” he explained Thursday, adding: “Somers is No. 1 in my heart; it always has been.”
Garrity’s roots run deep.
He went through the Somers school system, has lived in the same house for 59 years, and grew up with Robert Scorrano, who is now town supervisor.
“There’s something about being in Somers. I love the parks. I love Independence Day. It’s just the people,” he said.
Garrity also loves King Kone, Somers’ iconic roadside ice cream stand, but “don’t tell” his wife, he quipped.
The Town Board is hoping to appoint Garrity’s replacement by October, the start of budget season.
Because there are two years left in his four-year term, that appointee would have to run again in the fall of 2026 if they wanted to stay put.
After heaping praise on Garrity for his “deep knowledge of town issues,” his “wise counsel,” and his unwavering dedication to community service, board members presented their departing compatriot with a framed proclamation from the county’s Board of Legislators declaring Monday, Sept. 15, "Thomas A. Garrity Jr. Day" in Westchester.
His name will be up in lights on the Westchester County Center’s “Jumbotron” that day, proudly noted Councilman Richard Clinchy, a Democrat and close personal friend who’s been on the board as long as Garrity has.
The town had a proclamation of its own for Garrity.
Tuesday, Sept. 30, will be Thomas A. Garrity Jr. Day in Somers and promoted on the digital billboard at Reis Park.
“We’re proud of you here in town and thank you so much for your years and years of service and your institution knowledge,” said Scorrano, adding: “We appreciate everything you’ve done for us.”
But wait there was more, joked Clinchy.
Garrity was also given an engraved crystal award and a GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) medal -- a nod to NFL great Tom Brady’s handle.
On the back it read: “Tom Garrity Somers Town Board Hall of Fame.”
Asked to wear it for the rest of the meeting, he did so proudly.
State Sen. Peter Harckham and state Assemblyman Matt Slater, who were busy with Sept. 11 duties, sent their regrets, promising that two more proclamations were on their way.
When it was Tom’s turn to speak, he was equally as generous with the accolades.
“Somers is blessed. The staff here is second to none. Many of them have been here as long as I have, or longer,” he said.
Among those he mentioned by name were town clerk Patty Kalba, assistant town clerk Linda Verderame, highway superintendent Nick DeVito, receiver of taxes Michele McKearney, and town attorney Roland Baroni.
Very thankful for his board mates, Garrity said that as members of a bipartisan team that has the “best interests” of the town at heart, they are a powerhouse.
“You can lean on each other when there’s something you don’t know because everybody up here has a different skill set. Mine might be planning and zoning because I served on those boards. Richard (Clinchy) is very environmental. Bill’s (Faulkner) is very conscientious about community service. Tony (Cirieco) is the numbers guy.”
Clinchy -- one of his “very best friends in the world” -- had been especially helpful in the past year while Garrity was preparing to take the next step in his journey.
“He was my confidant. I could call him at any time and he would have an answer. I could vent. I could do all that,” he said.
Placing his hands protectively on Scorrano’s shoulders, Garrity declared that he’s “going to be supervisor for years to come.”
“He came in. He immediately got engaged in ALL of the important topics. I love him. Again, he reaches out and he keeps us involved,” he said, vowing to do everything in his power to “help all these people stay up here because they mean the best for Somers and they’re doing the best for Somers.”
Council members serve for four years; supervisors for two.
Scorrano, Cirieco, and Faulkner, all Republicans, are running for re-election this year. Scorrano is unopposed. Democrats Thomas E. Lamb II and Donald L. Frum are challenging Cirieco and Faulkner for spots on the board. McKearney, who is cross-endorsed, is also seeking re-election.
Garrity also fondly evoked the name of former supervisor Mary Beth Murphy – now Hastings-on-Hudson’s village manager—because she had mentored him when he first came aboard.
Being a councilman requires more than just showing up; it means actively engaging with the community on many levels, he opined.
And sometimes – like with every job that’s in the public eye -- things can get rough and tough.
“I’d like to say I enjoyed every moment of it, but ...," he said, pausing. "I have enjoyed the VAST majority of it,” he said.
Promising that while he may no longer be a councilman, he’s not going anywhere.
As for his legacy?
“I like to think that I left Somers a little bit better than when I got here,” Garrity said, confidently adding as he looked at his now-former colleagues: “I know that we’re going to continue on that trajectory.”
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