The annual Square House meeting of the Rye City Council was held Wednesday evening, April 15, 2026. As it usually does, the perennial event, which was back after a number of years, fills the room with the OGs of Rye: elected officials, and others who have served the City in many capacities. The evening is always a powerful reminder of the importance of service to the strength of our community.
Part of the evening involves giving the floor to former Rye mayors, council people, and others for a greeting or a story. In this area, the funny story award goes to former Rye City Councilmember James Burke. Just after being sworn in (and congratulated by his 90 year old mother in law for becoming “a senator”), a snow storm hit the City. The next morning, Burke received a call from an excited resident who told him “the snow plow went down the block and pushed all the snow onto my side”.
Burke told the man he was on the case. Of course Burke was new and unsure what he could do to help the man.
Burke recounted to the Square House audience how credit accrued to him regardless of actual events: “About a half hour later, he calls me back and he says, Mr. Burke, he says, I really want to thank you for what you did. And I sort of said, well, listen, you’re a homeowner, the taxpayer, the voter, you deserve very best…”
Bless me father for I have sinned”
Watch Burke and the rest of the Square House event via the MyRye.com broadcast:
