Ann Galante, Mineola’s first female trustee, mayor and former receiver of taxes for the Town of North Hempstead, posthumously received the John S. DaVanzo Wall of Honor Award.

Galante will receive a plaque in the village’s community center alongside other recipients who dedicated themselves to the village. The move comes after a committee made up of village trustees, Chamber of Commerce board members and a designated resident determined who made a lasting impact on the Village of Mineola. 

The wall, established in 2015 and named after DaVanzo, the longtime Mineola official nicknamed “Mr. Mineola,” honored first responders during the COVID-19 pandemic last year. Other members include Lou Sanders, Ed Smith, Stanley Krause, Robert Hinck and Lou Santosus. Galante will be the first woman inducted. 

Galante, who died in 2004, was elected mayor in 1985. She served in the role until becoming North Hempstead’s receiver of taxes in 1991, where she would stay through 2003. She was also  president of the Mineola Welcome Wagon, a women’s organization designed to support and raise awareness for both charities and humanitarian projects, and a founding member of both the Circle of Friends Society of the Girl Scouts of Nassau County and Friends of A. Holly Patterson Nursing Home. 

During her mayoral term, Galante introduced the summer recreational program and was influential in orchestrating the first concert for Mineola by the Nassau Pops Symphony Orchestra, which has now become the annual holiday concert at Chaminade High School.

Also included with Galante’s induction is an iPad that will be available in the center’s lobby, displaying each person on the Wall of Honor and additional background. The device was arranged by the chamber and members of Mineola High School’s computer science class and will allow family and friends of honorees to add more information. Village and chamber information will also be incorporated with the iPad. 

Deputy Mayor Paul Pereira said the device is a great idea for anyone who wants to find out more about influential figures in Mineola. He said it may not paint the entire picture, but is nonetheless a great addition to the village.

“It’s difficult to obviously encapsulate someone like John DaVanzo, who served this community for 90 years, in a few sentences,” Pereira said at a Board of Trustees meeting Oct. 20. “It’s important that future generations will know these people that helped Mineola and not just in a political capacity.” 

Pereira also congratulated the Galante family for Ann’s induction. 

“It is certainly well deserved,” Pereira said at the meeting. “Her resume is quite extensive.”