Beacon’s Clara Lou Gould Passed Away at Age 97

BEACON – Clara Lou Gould, the mayor of the City of Beacon from 1990 to 2007, passed away early Monday at age 97.

She was the longest serving female mayor in the history of New York State.

Mayor Lee Kyriacou has ordered flags lowered “in honor and remembrance of this outstanding public servant whose longtime leadership, poise, and vision set Beacon on its path to revitalization.”

Kyriacou said Gould always led with the best interests of the city in mind.

“She always tried to lead without excluding anyone and being willing to hear everyone,” he said. “That set a tone that helped our council in the ‘90s and then after that, developed the kind of consensus we needed to point Beacon in a new direction, and it has paid off in terms of what you see in the community today.”

A statement from the Beacon Historical Society called Gould, “a remarkable visionary who shaped our city’s future like no other. Clara Lou was a long-time member of our Society and a generous supporter of our mission. We will miss her devotion, her smile and her kindness. May she rest in peace. Clara Lou was Beacon’s biggest fan.”