Cansdale resigns as Village of Lancaster mayor, Maute appointed

LANCASTER- As an ending to the Village of Lancaster Board meeting Monday night, Mayor William G. Cansdale Jr. submitted his letter of resignation to the board. Effective Monday, Oct. 1, Cansdale will be serving the residents of the village in a new direction as superintendent of public works.

Cansdale did not intend to seek reelection in March 2013 when his term expired, because he said he felt he had accomplished everything that was possible during his time as mayor.

“I always wondered how my tenure was going to come to an end,” Cansdale said. “This wasn’t something I had planned.”

With an opportunity to take the county wide civil service exam Cansdale, with the support of the trustees, did and not only passed the exam, but placed as the No. 1 candidate.

“I loved serving this community for the past 20 years,” remarked Cansdale. “There wasn’t a day that went by that I took this for granted or didn’t appreciate the trust that the community placed in me. I think back about all the board members that I have served with and the things we were able to accomplish in that time and I am really humbled I have been in this position for so long.”

Although, Cansdale said he will miss being mayor, one of his frustrations was the demand of the office. It didn’t allow him the time to address all the needs of the village on a daily basis.

“I always seem to run out of time,” commented Cansdale. “Something I look forward to in serving this capacity is the ability to impact residents lives as quickly as possible when there is a problem and address concerns that are related to the department of public works. We have a great department down there with a lot of skilled and well trained individuals.”

Deputy Mayor Paul M. Maute was appointed by the board as the new mayor of the village and the position of deputy mayor is expected to be filled at the next meeting.

Also, as a result of this there is now a vacancy on the board, which could remain vacant until the March elections or could be filled sometime in October, said village officials, who did not wish to comment if a candidate was in mind for the opening.

“It is very exciting,” said Maute. “It has been something that we have been talking about. What’s the next step? I would never run against Mayor Cansdale. He has always been a friend of mine. I am ready to go no doubt about it.”

Maute added his goal was to learn as much as he could from Cansdale and he has done that and Cansdale will continue to help him when needed.

“He is not going away on me,” said Maute. “He has been a great leader and I appreciate his leadership.”

Village of Lancaster Trustee Edward Marki said Cansdale always took little credit for so many things that only people behind the scenes knew he did.

“In life, we meet people who are hard workers, we meet who are people who are extremely friendly, we meet people who are extremely bright, and then when you finally meet someone who is a true leader it becomes really obviously,” Marki said to Cansdale.

Regretful to see Cansdale go, the board made light of the situation by jokingly making comments about how the tables have been turned and now Cansdale would have to answer to them.

“I can’t wait to call him up and yell at him,” Trustee Kenneth L. O’Brien III laughed.

But all kidding aside, O’Brien wished him luck and said he knows he will do well and if not better than what he did for the village as mayor.

Village of Lancaster Trustee William C. Schroeder added Cansdale has also taught him a lot about government and how to help serve people more efficiently.

Lastly, Cansdale thanked the board for placing the confidence in him to continue to serve the residents of the village.

“It was time for a fresh face and a new perspective in village government,” Cansdale said.