Mayor Lane, the first responder

Last summer, I ran into Hawthorne Mayor John V. Lane and his wife Margot at National Night Out enjoying what they called 'Date Night' — on duty with the ambulance corps. "We've been serving with them for almost 18 years," he said.

That service is why I was proud to create the mayor's official portrait last week. Many of you know that my volunteering focus this year is providing official portraits to any first responders or first responder organizations who need it.

Mayor Lane wears a couple different first responder hats in addition to his executive duties. First, he serves as the Borough's public safety director, overseeing the Police and Fire Departments.

But it doesn't stop there. If you call for an ambulance in Hawthorne, don't be surprised if you see the mayor show up.

"There are times when I'll hear the tunes go off, and I'll leave my office and go on an ambulance call," the mayor told me during the National Night Out interview. "There are people out there who need our services, and I want to help," he said.

This official portrait of Hawthorne's mayor/first responder will hang in Borough Hall.