Ossining's Mayor Gets Married

In a beautiful ceremony at Ossining's Sparta Park, Ossining Mayor Bill Hanauer and Dr. Alan Stahl dedicated their lives to one another. First Presbyterian Church of Ossining Pastor Lynda Clements presided over the ceremony.

The two met in a terminal at JFK back in 1974 while waiting to board a flight to Europe. Hanauer was on his way to visit friends and family, while Stahl was heading to an archaeological excavation. The two say they spent part of their European visit together that summer—the couple has lived together ever since.

"I realized I wanted to make a life with him the first week we were travelling together in the summer of 1974," said Stahl.

Patch asked Hanauer if he and Alan had any honeymoon plans?

"I may accompany Alan to Paris in December, where he will be lecturing at the Louvre—after the election and after adopting the 2013 budget," said Hanauer. "The last 38 years have been the honeymoon."

As putting a wedding together can be a big ordeal, Mayor Hanauer spoke about how the couple planned their special day.

"In the winter, when we set a date, we agreed that both the wedding and reception had to be held in the village," said Hanauer. "Sparta Park is our neighborhood green and the Village Board had already approved a project that would be built there, that would ultimately include a playground and a gazebo. So it was the obvious choice. Okinawa, one of our favorites, is also in our neighborhood and is the restaurant with the largest seating capacity in the village. However, even there, the seating is limited. We decided on a mostly traditional ceremony, but without the usual retinue and some other formalities. Friends volunteered to provide the music and sound system. We asked the Rev. Lynda Clements of the First Presbyterian Church of Ossining, a close family friend, to officiate."

When it comes down to it, today's ceremony was about two people who love one another. His Honor spoke about why he chose to spend the rest of his life with his soul mate.

"His brilliance, his perspicuity, his perspicacity, his advice, his compassion, his ability to adapt, his dedication to his work and to mine, his gardening, his companionship," said Hanauer.