Luigi Sanita

By Karen Talbot

Feb. 7, 2024: Luigi Sanita was the youngest worker in Bronxville's Department of Public Works when he started there, and he says that he is now the oldest.

Luigi, known as Louie, grew up in Eastchester and graduated from Eastchester High School.

Louie joined the Bronxville Department of Public Works in the Sanitation Department in 1987 when he was twenty-six. He was hired by Joe Palumbo, the revered Director of Bronxville's Department of Public Works, for whom Palumbo Place is named.

Louie explains that Palumbo was "in charge of everything" back then, and when a home had a sewer backup, Louie and the other workers were sent into the residents' homes to clean up their basements. Palumbo told Louie, " You don't work for me; you work for the residents of Bronxville."

Louie worked for over ten years east of Midland Avenue, collecting garbage and bulk items for pickup. He then focused on highway and road work, including snowplowing, street work, sewers, and water. Louie then returned to the Sanitation Department and worked on the west side of Midland Avenue. Today, he is a machine equipment operator and drives the sanitation truck.

In the early days, Louie says that opossums, skunks, and raccoons would nestle themselves into residents' garbage cans, get thrown into trucks, and, fortunately, end up alive at the local dump. Over the years, Louie has seen coyotes, deer, and foxes all over the village.

He has also seen "interesting items" in Bronxville residents' garbage, including coins, cash, jewelry, and antiques. One time, a distraught woman told Louie that she had accidentally thrown her diamond wedding ring into the garbage. He led her to the local dump and carefully laid out the garbage from her street and route, and amazingly, she found her ring.

Louie says that lunch has always been something to look forward to at work because over the years many of his colleagues brought homemade antipasto meats for everyone to enjoy. Some of his colleagues also hunted for game, and his past foreman, Pat Schiavone, cooked game to perfection several times a year. Schiavone worked for the Village of Bronxville for 40 years until his retirement in 1999. 

During his career, Louie has known and worked with four Bronxville Mayors, including William J. Murphy, Sheila Stein, Nancy Hand, and Mary Marvin. About Louie, Marvin said, "Louie is one fine gentleman and it is an honor to call him my colleague."

Louie says, "It is a privilege to work for the residents of Bronxville," and he has enjoyed seeing generations grow up here and buy their own homes. He has even done handyman work for many of the residents he has met.

Today, Louie lives in Mahopac with his wife, Lisa, and has three grown children in their thirties.