Show me a town or village in Anywhere USA, and I’ll show you a revered group of wise men who quietly, or not so quietly, are in charge.  They decide things.  They make budgets.  They hire qualified individuals to carry out their vision.  Perhaps some are great thinkers.

But sometimes, in a rare instance, the wisest man of all — the man who is humble and disdains the public spotlight – the man who claims neither a Ph.D.,  M.A. or even a B.A. — is the most essential. This man, unlike the rest, possesses hands-on infrastructure knowledge.

He fixes things.  He runs things.  Essential things like snow plow equipment, sanitation equipment and sanding equipment.  His duties also encompass village streetlights and stop signs,  sewer drain equipment, cesspool installation, tree planting, tree removal and tree stump equipment.

Heard he had heart attack two years ago? No problem.  Louie was back at work and in action in a matter of weeks.

Flooded streets impacting commercial business on Middle Neck Road?  No problem.  Louie is familiar with every drain pipe, every nook and cranny,  and he’ll easily advise you how to fix it.

This man is Louis Massaro.  For the past 40 years, this loyal individual has been serving the Village of Great Neck, most recently as superintendent of Department of Public Works.  But Louie, as his friends and colleagues refer to him, wasn’t simply serving between normal business hours of 9 to 5.  It was not uncommon for him to be at his desk at 11 p.m. tending to administrative paper work.  Louie was making certain that contracts with vendors were all in order.  Making certain his house, the Department of Public Works, was all  in order.  It was a matter of pride.

Good Friday, March 29, was Louie’s final day working for the Village of Great Neck.  Perhaps the other wise men in this great village will decide to retain Louie as a consultant.  In light of the fact, that the Village of Great Neck is currently undergoing its most ambitious growth and infrastructure challenges, it stands to reason the most experienced individual, possessing 40 years of village knowledge, be retained.

Judy Shore Rosenthal

Great Neck