James Gagliano isn’t the first trustee to make the transition to mayor, but he is the first since former Mayor Edward Moulton, Jr. did it 30 years ago. A month into his new position, the new Cornwall-on-Hudson mayor has quickly learned his responsibilities as chief executive differ from that of a trustee, but Gagliano hasn’t shied away from leaning on the expertise of his department heads and the deputy mayor to help him make decisions.
“It’s never important to know what you know,” Gagliano said, drawing on his experience from his previous careers. “That’s inconsequential. What’s extremely important is understanding what you don’t know. I have wide gaps in what I do not know. Understanding what I don’t know, which is a wide aperture, and being humble about that and talking to the folks who are the professionals, that’s been one of the biggest things I’ve learned here.”
In just a short time, Gagliano has quickly realized 30 percent of his job is the mechanics of running the village and meeting with his department heads. The other 70 percent is spent solving or finding solutions to resident issues.
To help him get acclimated, Gagliano has been meeting with the remaining four living mayors: Charles Obremski, Moulton, Joe Gross, and Brendan Coyne. He wanted to hear from each of them and find out what they’re hearing on the streets. Gagliano met with his predecessor last week and invited Coyne to sit on the Donahue Farm committee. Aware of the bad blood between administrations, Gagliano was able to bring all four mayors together on the morning of May 4.
As mayor, Gagliano maintains an open door policy, unless he’s in a private meeting, and encourages any resident to stop in if they see his jeep in the Village Hall parking lot. He’s typically in the office between 7:30 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Upon entering his office, visitors will immediately be struck by the inviting and homey feel of it. On the wall adjacent to the door is a flat screen television. Adorning the rest of the space are paintings of John Gould’s “Eagles over West Point” and a rendering of the Village Bandstand by Paul Gould. There’s also a painting of Prima Pizza where every Sunday Gagliano’s family would pick up a meatball sub and pizza. The room is decorated with sports memorabilia including a signed Matt Ryan Atlanta Falcons helmet, as well as a collection of bobbleheads. There’s even one sharing the mayor’s likeness from his days on CNN, a gift from his daughter.
Upon the desk which originally belonged to Mayor Moulton, is a small stack of papers. These contain the issues brought to his attention by residents whether it be a question about a water bill or traffic ticket or concerns about a pothole. Rather than a nameplate, Gagliano has a placard which reads, “Help me get to yes.”
“I wanted people to come in and be able to feel like they can sit down, be comfortable, and talk to me whether they’re complaining about something, pointing something out, or asking for assistance. This is where horse trading goes on. This is where we get to yes. This is where deals are brokered.”
Over the last month, Gagliano said some of his best conversations with residents have been with those who didn’t vote for him in the election. Whether they’re a supporter or not, the mayor wants to hear what’s important to all his constituents.
“I’m not looking to appease this base or appease this constituency. I want to find that sweet spot and do the right thing for as many people in the village, knowing I may make decisions which might piss people off.”
Although his tenure has just begun, Gagliano is already looking to the future after one term, possibly two, in office – his goal is to leave the village in a better place than when he started.
