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Mary Adams made Babylon Village history in March after being the first woman to be elected as mayor.
“For the children, I look at it from the perspective of you can be anything you strive for,” she told GreaterBabylon. “Hard work and determination, and love for what you believe in, can lead you into areas I never thought it would be for me, not just as a woman, but as a person.”
Adams, an 18-year resident of Fred Shores, has been the owner of Century 21 Adams Real Estate in the village for almost 30 years.
She got into local politics when late Mayor Ralph Scordino’s team appointed her as a village trustee in 2016.
She was elected to the position the following year.
As a village trustee, she helped oversee the village’s Parks and Recreation Department.
When Scordino died suddenly in October of last year, the Village Board appointed Adams as mayor before she was officially elected on March 17.
Her most general goal, as mayor, is to follow in Scoridno’s footsteps. He was her mentor and friend, she said.
“Whenever he took a project on he was right on top of it, he followed it, he nurtured it, and it will be the same thing with me as well,” said Adams.
GreaterBabylon caught up with Adams who detailed some of her planned initiatives for her two-year mayoral term.
build up Fire Island Avenue
Building up Fire Island Avenue and bringing focus to the community south of Montauk Highway is high on Adams’ to-do list.
The mayor wants to make that area of Babylon Village more of a waterfront destination, similar to the Nautical Mile in Freeport.
For Fire Island Avenue, as well as Livingston Avenue, she plans on addressing speeding issues by either implementing a speed table or signs so people drive more carefully.
address bicycling issues
Adams is working to tackle the bicycling situation in the village. It’s one of the major concerns amongst residents, she said.
There has been an increase in reckless biking in the village the past couple of years, mostly among groups of young riders.
In order to maintain the safety of the residents and children bicycling through the village, Adams and her team of trustees established a $100 fine and bicycle confiscation on the first offense for violating the village code — the fine increases to $250 on the second and third offense.
In addition, offenders will have to meet with Adams and code enforcement for an hour and complete five days of community service for the parks department.
Adams is also looking to add no bicycle zones in the municipal lots to stop large groups of young people on bikes from congregating in the parking lots and creating safety hazards.
other long-term projects
• Continuing to improve on the village’s downtown business district is also important to Adams, as well as supporting the village’s restaurants and retail shops that were hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Working with the legislative government affairs division of Verizon to get answers on the village’s fiber optics. Half of the village has fiber optics, the other half does not, Adams says, so she hopes to resolve the issue by 2022.
• Undertaking Infrastructure and roadway improvements, bulkhead reconstruction, and raising flood-prone streets.
• Scordino put his heart and soul into the Argyles Restoration project up until his passing, and although he couldn’t see it through, Adams is making sure his vision for the village landmark is completed in her term. (Read the latest update on the Ralph A. Scordino Memorial Falls restoration here.)
preserve village traditions
Adams has never been keen on legislating from behind a desk, but rather enjoys being involved in the community as much as she can.
This includes hosting various children’s events, checking in with downtown businesses, listening to resident concerns and being a shoulder to lean on.
Adams credits both Scordino and the late mayor Donald Conroy for setting the foundation on how to lead the village moving forward.
For the next two years of her mayoral term, Adams plans on putting the community first, she says, preserving traditions, maintaining the village’s quaintness and quality of life, and making Babylon Village a desirable destination for locals and visitors alike.
“It’s really about doing the work,” she said. “I look at Steve Jobs, and one of the things he said was as long as you’re loving what you’re doing, it’s not work — that’s how I am and I love what I’m doing.”
Top: Mayor Mary Adams standing near the almost completed Argyle Falls.
