Tom Kane named to Babylon Village Zoning Board of Appeals; other appointments made

Tom Kane named to Babylon Village Zoning Board of Appeals; other appointments made

Thomas Kane

by Carolyn James

Saying that he is a long-time Village resident who maintains a great interest in the Village, Babylon Village Mayor E. Donald Conroy named Thomas J. Kane Jr., to a position on the Babylon Village Board of Appeals. The appointment was made in April and Kane stepped into the seat formerly held by Emmett Keneally.

"We felt that on the many different questions that come before the board of Appeals, that he would be well versed and be able to see problems and evaluate cases very well," said Conroy. "His experience on the Planning Board will also undoubtedly help him as well."

Kane is a resident of the Village for 25 years; his wife was born and raised here. He said his appointment was both a surprise and a pleasure to accept.

George Smith

"I got a call from Don who asked me to serve," said Kane. "I am a very big fan of Don’s and I told him that if I could help him and the Village in this capacity, that I would be happy to."

Kane served on the Planning Board for four years. He is a retired executive from the Grumman Corporation and enjoys spending time with his family (he and his wife have three children and four grandchildren) and playing golf.

The Zoning Board of Appeals is charged with reviewing applications from residential and commercial property owners in the Village who want exceptions to local zoning codes or special use permits. The Board reviews applications, visits the sites, studies the Villages laws and makes its decisions based on the law, precedence and practical application.

"There are a group of very talented people I am working with on that Board," said Kane who has already been to two meetings. "The work is a little different than what I did on the Planning Board because it involved some more in depth research, visits to the liations as well as public hearings."

In other changes:

• George Smith, a resident of Babylon for 52 years, was named to the Planning Commision. He assumes the spot held by Tom Kane.

Smith has worked on several advisory committees in the Village and served on the Babylon School Board of Education from 1979 to 1988. For two years, he was president of the board.

He worked for 24 years for Grumman, the last five as vice president of facilities and retired in 1997.

He now spends his spare time playing golf and enjoying his family, which includes his wife of 39 years, Camille, a retired school teacher with the West Babylon Schools; his son George; his two daughters, Camille and Kimberly and his five grandchildren. He also enjoys gardening and puttering around the house completing home projects.

"I am excited about the opportunity," said Smith in discussing the appointment. "I think my experience with facilities, planning and implementation will help, though it is a little different in a civilian atmosphere.

•Chris McCaslin, chairperson of the Architectural Review Board has stepped down and has been replaced by Steve Nuckel. McCaslin said he enjoyed and is grateful for the opportunity of serving but believed it was time to move on.

"I served on the Babylon Village Library Board for five years, the Babylon Village Youth Project for five years and the Suffolk County Library Board for five years," said McCaslin. "I sort of move in five-year cycles because I think you need strong leadership and a fresh perspective. The Village is moving in a very positive direction and I feel good for having been a part of it."

Despite that McCaslin said he looks forward to other opportunities to serve his communty. "This doesn’t precluced anything in the future," he said.

Nuckel was unavailable for comment.