Beacon’s new mayor, Lee Kyriacou, was sworn in on Wednesday, January 1, 2020, along with two new Council Members: Air Rhodes (Ward 2) and Dan Aymar-Blair (Ward 4). Lee had served on Beacon’s City Council for nine terms, and defeated Randy Casale, who led the city for two terms. You can read Randy’s reflections here at the Highlands Current.

As for the first piece of legislation he would like to see passed, Mayor Kyriacou told the Beacon Free Press in an article by Kristine Coulter: “Clearer limits and requirements for when a fourth floor is allowed on Main Street.” During the last year, the City Council had been restricting zoning throughout the city, with an emphasis on limiting buildings to be three stories, with a possible exception for a fourth story if special permission is requested and granted for specific reasons, which is being considered now.

As for his visions for Beacon’s future, Mayor Kyriacou told the Beacon Free Press: “I am committed to preserving the history, physical beauty and small city feel of Beacon, while preparing the community to thrive in the 21st-century economy.”

In the article, the new mayor also encouraged newcomers to Beacon to “participate actively in defining our community’s future.”

Students from Beacon High School performed “This Land Is Your Land,” by Woody Guthrie, part of the legend of Pete Seeger, whose spirit remains throughout Beacon to preserve it and the Hudson River.

You can watch the video here: