Hard-working boots to fill, Trustee Mercy Smith announces resignation

At last Tuesday’s Village Board meeting, Trustee Mercy Smith announced that she will be resigning from her position due to a job she recently accepted that conflicts with her role as trustee.

“I just wanted to let everybody know that I’ve accepted a job opportunity that will actually present a conflict for me remaining a trustee,” she said at the meeting. “That job opportunity will commence on or around June 1st, so I will be tendering my resignation as trustee sometime at the end of May.”

Trustee Smith shared with the Journal, “It has truly been an honor and a privilege to serve our amazing residents and businesses. I look forward to expanding fundraising opportunities and volunteer efforts in support of the programs I established, such as aquaculture and wellness.”

She added, “I will continue to support our local merchants, restaurants and businesses via my Northport Open for Virtual Business Facebook group. I fully commit to giving 200% to my role as trustee prior to transitioning to a new position at the end of May.”

Trustee Smith has been in office since 2018, when she was appointed by Mayor Damon McMullen to fill his seat as he took on his new position as mayor. Back then, Mayor McMullen said that Smith was a “very good choice,” and based on her achievements during the last three years, he appeared to be right.

During her time as Village Trustee, Mercy Smith took on many roles and joined forces with several residents for community-based initiatives. She served as the commissioner of parks, beaches, technology, and solid waste and recycling. She was also the Sexual Harassment Chair and began a local Wellness Program.

One of her proudest achievements is her work on the Aquaculture Program, which involves a partnership with Cornell University to promote clean waterways with an oyster FLUPSY (Floating Upweller System).

During the pandemic, she was the Emergency Management Task Force Lead, assisting with issues related to public and business health, safety and recovery. She worked with residents, business owners and Village officials to tackle issues related to Covid-19, including efforts such as planning for outdoor seating and sharing important resources with local businesses for receiving loans, creating online marketing solutions, and driving revenue.

Smith’s friend and Democratic candidate for Huntington Town Council, Joe Schramm, told the Journal, “Mercy helped make Northport an even better place to live. Her commitment to our safety during this pandemic, beautifying and improving our parks and beaches, and helping to clean our waterways is only exceeded by her focus on ensuring that local businesses could remain open and prosper during this past year.”

Village resident, Sara Abbass, who worked with the trustee on Masks on Main and the Northport Native Garden Initiative, said, “Mercy has been invaluable to our village. Her dedication to the improvement and success of our businesses is evident by the countless hours she has invested. You can tell she truly cares about the community members. I cannot imagine having a more difficult task than filling her seat as a trustee, as those are hard-working boots to fill.”

Sara brings up a good point. Who will be filling Trustee Smith’s seat starting this June? Although Smith indicated there would be a press release this past Friday, the Mayor hasn’t put forth any information regarding her resignation or future plans for the board’s new vacancy.

According to New York State law, the position may be filled by the mayor. Whoever is appointed can fill the role for the remainder of the year and then a “special election” will be held in March so that voters can decide the future of the Village board. This makes the next Village election even more interesting, as terms for Mayor McMullen, Trustee Kehoe and Trustee Milligan are all expiring. We can, essentially, have a completely new board (save Trustee Weber) come March 2022.

It’s safe to say that Trustee Smith is respected and appreciated for the work she’s done for Northport Village. After her departure, Trustee Weber agreed to take over the FLUPSY project and Smith noted, “He’s really passionate about it and I am grateful for that.” Village Clerk Amy Grandy will take control of the Wellness Program that was designed by Trustee Smith.

In her message to the Village board at this week’s meeting, Smith said, “I just want to say thank you to Damon for appointing me three years ago, believing in me and giving me such a great opportunity to learn and grow.” She added, “I’m grateful to the trustees and my colleagues for making me a better person. I’m grateful for the voters, and equally grateful for my opposition and folks that make me work harder and be better.”