Chamber Names Hanley Kings Park Person of the Year

 Local resident Michael Hanley has been named Kings Park Person of the Year by the Kings Park Chamber of Commerce. Hanley is founder and managing partner of Smithtown accounting firm Merl & Hanley. The award will be presented to him on March 4th at an event being held at the Hyatt Regency in Hauppauge.

Other awards being given by the chamber include Humanitarians of the Year, William Butler and Barbara Griffin and Lifetime Community Service Awards to The Kings Park Heritage Museum and the San Remo Civic Association.

Hanley, a resident of Kings Park since 2004, has been a visible figure in local and community events. He currently serves on the Board Of Directors for the Chamber of Commerce and is the founding member and president of the Irish Business Network.

“Mike is a very energetic and well organized community leader,” said Smithtown Councilman Robert Creighton. Creighton is also a resident of Kings Park.

Hanley, who is married and has a son, says he is honored to receive the award and feels humbled to have been selected at what he believes is an early stage in his life.

“I know I have made a significant impact on the Kings Park community the past several years, but I figured I would need to put in another ten plus years of community service before being worthy of the honor,” said Hanley

Past honorees of this award include Senator John Flanagan, Town Supervisor Pat Vecchio and Councilman Ed Wehrheim.

Some of Hanley’s charity work includes hosting charity golf outings, a toy drive benefit and a clothing and food drive that benefits the St. Joseph’s Food bank in Kings Park.

Hanley supports promoting higher education for Kings Park students. Each year he awards scholarships to Kings Park High School seniors planning to study business in college.

Hanley plans to continue his efforts in community service and promoting Kings Park.

“It makes me want to work that much harder to make Kings Park an even better place to live,” said Hanley.