Falconer Mayor James Rensel is pictured with Trustee Carmella Catanese. Both were recognized for their service to the community during a village board meeting Monday evening. P-J photo by Eric Tichy

FALCONER — Outgoing Mayor James Rensel and Trustee Carmella Catanese were recognized for their service to the community during Monday’s meeting of the village board.

Rensel presented Catanese with a Certificate of Recognition for “outstanding service.”

“When we had an opening on the board I wanted her on it because she was just a very great volunteer for us and she was always thinking about different things and sharing her ideas and being enthusiastic,” Rensel said. “She was always available for phone calls and I appreciated that very much.”

Catanese said she “really cares about the village and circumstances make it so that I can no longer serve, but I hope to be around volunteer.”

The board also thanked Rensel for his years of work, first as a village trustee, then as deputy mayor and eventually mayor beginning in January 2015. Rensel took over following the resignation of former village Mayor David Krieg, who retired after nearly 20 years as both a trustee and mayor.

Read aloud during Monday’s meeting was a letter by Sue Seamans, the longtime Falconer Public Library director. Seamans noted that she had worked with many mayors during her 40-plus years in the village.

“Your term certainly witnessed a series of unexpected events,” she wrote. “Two massive fires within 18 months, recovery from the fires, a threat of annexation (and) the planning and rebuilding of Falconer were among these challenges. I saw you respond to all of them.”

Rensel thanked his fellow board members, in addition to other village officials and his family.

“I really love this job,” he said. “I really love all the people I get to work with doing this job. Being a mayor I was fortunate to have very intelligent people around me that knew how to do their job and were a guiding influence to me.”

He assured his successor, current Trustee James Jaroszynski, he will be surrounded by “great people” in helping to run the village.