Village of Tuckahoe, NY
65 Main Street Tuckahoe, NY 10707914-961-3100 — fax:914-961-3114
Hours: 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM Monday – Friday
Tuckahoe TV Stations: Channels 26 and 75
Upon being informed that I had won the election for Mayor of our Village, I kissed my wife and thanked those who aided during the race. Then, I must confess I called my mother. She quickly reassured me, that way mothers do, that I would do a good job. A few days later we were speaking again and I laid out in greater detail the responsibilities of the office. Most of these are apparent to our residents. The most obvious is the fact that I chair the monthly Village Board meetings, but the responsibilities are deeper than just a face of the administration. It may appear as if I am writing about this to impart some vital information, but this article is about a lighter subject not often discussed. Specifically, it is the privilege of Mayors in New York State to officiate the marriage of people within the boundaries of their village. This duty is spelled out in Section 11 of the New York State Domestic Relations Law. When my mother and I got around to this duty her response was short and simple, “You can’t be marrying people”. I was instantly offended that my own mother expressed reservations regarding a power of the office that had just been bestowed upon me. Since my family is Roman Catholic I wondered if possibly her qualms were church based. I quickly reminded her that I wouldn’t be administering a church’s sacrament of matrimony but solemnizing an equivalent civil union that is legally executed by my office. (In retrospect, perhaps the word “executed” wasn’t quite appropriate in this context, and didn’t help my position.) Regardless, her mind didn’t seem eased.
I raise this subject because to date I have not had the honor of marrying anyone. After being elected, two Mayors of northern Westchester villages graciously hosted me in their communities. They hoped to familiarize me with some of the day-to-day business experienced during their first terms. Oddly enough, each made a point of handing me a copy of the wedding ceremony that they perform in their village. I went back to Village Hall and searched for our particular version. I updated it a little by adding a personal touch to the text. I put it in a file, certain that one day I would be taking it out.
Well, that day has yet to arrive. Recently I was wondering if perhaps my mother was somehow jinxing me, but before I jumped to any conclusions and confronted her, I decided to explore if maybe the glitch laid elsewhere. During my original research of the Domestic Relations Law I discovered that ship captains are not permitted to perform marriages in the State of New York, so that ruled out any roaming sea captains on the streets of Tuckahoe. Seeing as Tuckahoe Village doesn’t provide marriage licenses, residents looking to obtain a marriage license often go to Eastchester Town Hall. Perhaps couples were merely scheduling a ceremony with Supervisor Colavita out of convenience? Since I couldn’t be sure the Supervisor wasn’t intentionally waylaying these nuptial ceremonies. I decided to put him on the list of suspects with my mother.
On my earlier tour of the other villages, one mayor (I won’t say which) informed me that he married over fifty couples annually and asked a $75 solemnization fee. This money went directly into his pocket, a practice by the way that is perfectly legal. Nevertheless, I was left with a feeling that he had quite a little racket going on. This prompted me to investigate what Tuckahoe’s past Mayors did. I discovered that former Mayor White had newlyweds write a check to the Tuckahoe Beautification Committee. This seemed to be a great idea for many reasons; it was an honorable way to disperse the fee, it might bring good karma and it might help alleviate my suspicions of my mother and Supervisor Colavita. I decided to adopt this policy.
I need everyone to know that I have not adopted this policy in an attempt to lure couples into my office to be wed. I truly believe the Tuckahoe Beautification Committee deserves our support. In fact, it is my belief that the Beautification Committee plays an important role in our rising property values. When potential residents drive around our village they may not make their buying decision of a house or condo consciously recalling atmosphere. But seeing all the baskets of flowers that hang from our lampposts and the flowerpots adorning our streets certainly helps. Our Beautification Committee funds these and many other plantings in our parks. This kind of detail sticks somewhere in people’s minds and makes them think “Village”. This organization deserves all of our support because these ladies are tirelessly dedicated to improving the aesthetics of our village. So with all this in mind, renewing your vows or taking the plunge for the first time has an added benefit to our Village. As Mayor, I’d be happy to assist on both counts.