BEACON – Former Beacon Mayor Clara Lou Gould celebrated her 92nd birthday in style Thursday evening with dozens of city residents and officials. A bench and plaque were dedicated in her honor at City Hall.
Mayor Gould, who led the city from 1990 to 2007, arrived at the ceremony with a police escort. City council members who served alongside her as well as current members attended the event hosted by the Beacon Historical Society.
Past President Denise Van Buren said it was Gould “who led Beacon through our renaissance and transformation into a vibrant center for the arts, with our reenergized Main Street, enhanced property values, and with a surge of both national and international tourism visitation. She sees so many opportunities to make Beacon a better place to live, to work, and to raise a family.”
During her tenure, Gould’s accomplishments included establishing Beacon as a Tree City, starting the Civic Beautification Program, and being a founding member of the Beacon Patriots Garden.
Current Beacon Mayor Randy Casale called Gould “a visionary” and attributed her with inspiring his accomplishments.
“Watching her vision of turning an urban city around through code enforcement and smart development made me believe that her path was the right path,” Casale said. “Since I’ve been mayor, I’ve been trying to follow those footsteps and hopefully we can keep it forward.”
Gould was not only the longest-running mayor in Beacon, but also the longest-serving female mayor in New York State.
Also attending to honor Mayor Gould were Dutchess County Executive Marcus Molinaro, State Senator Susan Serino and Assemblyman Jonathan Jacobson.
