Jun. 18, 2014: State Senator George Latimer was recently honored at the annual dinner in Albany of the New York State Conference of Italian-American State Legislators as "Distinguished Legislator of the Year."
Senator Latimer has been working to urge the US Interior Department to recognize the work of Luigi Del Bianco, a longtime Port Chester resident and chief carver of Mount Rushmore. Unfortunately, Del Bianco was never recognized by the Interior Department for his work, likely due to his status as an immigrant from Italy.
"Luigi Del Bianco emigrated from Italy, as did my great-grandfather before him, to find a better life in America. Their values of hard work, faith, and family were the bedrock that built not only Mount Rushmore, but built this nation during the 20th century," Latimer stated. "That heritage is a part of me to this day, and honoring Luigi Del Bianco for his accomplishments is to honor the contributions made by all Italian-Americans and immigrants from other lands to whom we owe a debt of gratitude."
"The New York Conference of Italian-American State Legislators is pleased to have recognized our colleague Senator George Latimer at our annual Festa celebration. George is an outstanding public servant and a proud Italian-American on his mother's side," said Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo, conference president.
Latimer gets his Italian roots from his mother's side of the family. Loretta grew up in Harrison and was a parishioner of St. Gregory's before moving to Mount Vernon and raising two children. Many of the values Latimer's parents instilled in him are present in his work as a public official and were influential in the reasons the group honored him.
The New York Conference of Italian-American State Legislators is a bipartisan group of members of the senate and the assembly who are of Italian descent. Every year, the conference honors one senator and one assembly member. This year Assemblyman Andy Raia of Long Island was honored with Latimer.
Pictured here: New York State Senator George Latimer.
Photo courtesy Office of Senator George Latimer
Bronxville is a quaint village (one square mile) located just 16 miles north of midtown Manhattan (roughly 30 minutes on the train) and has a population of approximately 6,500. It is known as a premier community with an excellent public school (K-12) and easy access to Manhattan. Bronxville offers many amenities including an attractive business district, a hospital (Lawrence Hospital), public paddle and tennis courts, fine dining at local restaurants, two private country clubs and a community library.
While the earliest settlers of Bronxville date back to the first half of the 18th century, the history of the modern suburb of Bronxville began in 1890 when William Van Duzer Lawrence purchased a farm and commissioned the architect, William A. Bates, to design a planned community of houses for well-known artists and professionals that became a thriving art colony. This community, now called Lawrence Park, is listed on the National register of Historic Places and many of the homes still have artists’ studios. A neighborhood association within Lawrence Park called “The Hilltop Association” keeps this heritage alive with art shows and other events for neighbors.
Bronxville offers many charming neighborhoods as well as a variety of living options for residents including single family homes, town houses, cooperatives and condominiums. One of the chief benefits of living in “the village” is that your children can attend the Bronxville School.
The Bronxville postal zone (10708, known as “Bronxville PO”) includes the village of Bronxville as well as the Chester Heights section of Eastchester, parts of Tuckahoe and the Lawrence Park West, Cedar Knolls, Armour Villa and Longvale sections of Yonkers. Many of these areas have their own distinct character. For instance, the Armour Villa section has many historic homes and even has its own newsletter called “The Villa Voice” which reports on neighborhood news.
Village of Bronxville Administrative Offices
337-6500
Open 9:00am - 4pm excluding holidays and weekends
Bronxville Police Department
337-0500
Open 24 hours
Bronxville Parking Violations
337-2024
Open 9:00am - 4pm excluding holidays and weekends
Bronxville Fire Deparment
793-6400