By Steve Plunkett
Paul Lyons Jr., a seven-year veteran of the Town Commission, vacated his seat on Dec. 8 with a simple “I resign, effective tomorrow” followed by a round of emotional thank-you’s to his colleagues on the dais, the town’s staff and its police officers.
“It’s been very rewarding,” Lyons said.
He and his wife, Susan, bought their home on Polo Drive in April 2007. When an opening popped up on the town’s Architectural Review and Planning Board four years later, he submitted a letter of interest and got the seat.
After not quite five years on the ARPB, he was elevated to the commission on Mayor Scott Morgan’s recommendation.
Morgan said the town had delegated a number of projects to Lyons, which included plotting a path to pay for Gulf Stream’s ambitious 10-year capital improvement plan without raising taxes.
“Your financial acumen has been very helpful to the town,” Morgan said. “The town owes you a debt of gratitude.”
The mayor also said he hoped to involve Lyons further with the community.
Along those lines, before Lyons announced his resignation, commissioners elevated Robert Canfield from the planning board to fill the vacancy created when Commissioner Thom Smith resigned in November. Then they appointed Smith to fill a different ARPB vacancy.
Canfield, who lives in Place Au Soleil, joined the ARPB as an alternate in May 2021 and became a regular member in April 2022.
Lyons and his wife also have homes in Southampton, New York, and Vail, Colorado. Their daughter, Olivia, and her husband, David Endres, are building a new home on North County Road.
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