Westbury Mayor Peter Cavallaro announced he will appoint Pedro Quintanilla as a village trustee before the regular meeting of the Village Board of Trustees at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 7.
“Advocacy and service to family, friends and neighbors has always been a hallmark of my identity and calling,” Quintanilla said in a press release. “I am humbled at the opportunity to continue serving the entire Westbury community as a village trustee. My goal will be to work with the mayor and the rest of the board in continuing to make the village one of Long Island’s best places to live.”
Cavallaro said he considered several highly qualified individuals for the position and many considerations factored into the selection, including prior governmental experience, a demonstrated commitment to public service and a broad knowledge of the community.
He said Quintanilla’s appointment will be historic for the village, as he will be the first Hispanic member in the Westbury Village Board’s history. He said the appointment further demonstrates that Westbury is a community for all seasons and reflects the community’s history of diversity.
Quintanilla will fill the vacancy created by the death of former trustee William Wise.
“Pedro Quintanilla will make an excellent village trustee and is well qualified and well prepared to fill the vacancy on our board,” Cavallaro said in a press release.
Quintanilla lived in Westbury for 34 years. He is married to his wife Sasha, and they have two children Olivia and Lucas. Quintanilla and his family are active parishioners of St. Brigid Parish.
While working full-time at Chase Bank and helping raise his younger siblings, Quintanilla graduated from SUNY Old Westbury with a Bachelor of Science in finance. Quintanilla pursued several careers, mostly in the financial services industry.
Quintanilla’s extensive governmental and public experience, along with his commitment to the community, has included being on the Westbury School District’s Board of Education from 2016 to the present.
“My nine-year service on the school board is rooted in my personal and professional success due to the community, the educators and my mother, who supported me in my journey,” Quintanilla said in a statement. “I strive to pay it back through service and advocacy for the best education Westbury can provide to all our students. Equitable resources for all our scholars, enhanced facilities, world-class curriculum and programs are the hallmarks of our achievements.”
Quintanilla is also a member of the Westbury Latino Advisory Council from 2014 to the present, mentored the St. Brigid Hispanic Young Adult group for three years with his wife, was the chair of the St. Brigid Parish Hispanic Committee from 2005 to 2015, was on the board of St. Brigid/Our Lady of Hope Regional School from 2011 to 2022 and a board member of the St. Brigid Parish Millennium Fund from 2023 to the present.
“Service on the Village Board is a serious commitment, and I believe it is incumbent on me to fill any vacancy with someone who is first and foremost highly qualified, but also with someone with whom I and the other members of the board can work, and who has shown a commitment to the community and a willingness to be a part of our cohesive and already great team,” Cavallaro said in a release. “I believe that Pedro has all these attributes, and more. His previous involvement in government and community service has allowed him to cultivate relationships that are important in getting things done, as well as given him a broad depth of knowledge as to the workings of government. Due to the complexity of local government, it is vital that we have people of Pedro’s caliber, seriousness, experience and dedication serving in village government.”
Cavallaro said he is gratified that Quintanilla accepted the “challenge” and is certain that he will be able to hist the ground running.
“I know that he shares our vision on what needs to be done to move our community ever forward,” Cavallaro said. “I know that he will be a great asset to me, to village government and to all of our residents.”
Quintanilla will run for election to a full 4-year term in the village election on March 18, 2025.
