The feisty lawmaker has been chosen this year to lead the line of march at the 74th Miller Place-Rocky Point St. Patrick's Day parade next month, and will be feted in a passing of the sash ceremony this Saturday at the organizer, the Friends of St. Patrick's, annual dinner dance fundraiser at the Moose Lodge in Mount Sinai.
To help the organization out with ticket sales, she's offered in a Facebook post to dance with anyone who asks — there's already 10 takers from the local chapter of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, a fraternal order whose members promote Irish culture.
For Bonner, it was natural.
"They're an all-volunteer organization that works so hard, and putting on a parade of that size and that magnitude is not easy and costs a lot of money," she told Patch. "And they have various fundraisers throughout the year, and this is their big one, where the grand marshal is given the sash."
Bonner, who is of Irish descent on her mother's side, is a veteran of local government. She first served on the Rocky Point Board of Education, and also worked for Brookhaven Highways Superintendent Dan Losquadro when he was a Suffolk County legislator. She was first elected to the 2nd Council District in Fall 2007, and is the Town Board's longest-sitting board member.
"I've gone every year as an elected, and it's just beyond shocking and humbling at the same time to have been chosen as the grand marshal," she said. "So, if it wasn't for me, it was for them. Then I thought I could, you know, entice people with a dance."
It seems to have worked.
Bonner has had some correspondence with people who have told her that they have their dance cards ready.
In the meantime, Bonner had been prepping for her dancing queen duties.
She bought a pretty green dress for the occasion.
Her daughter and son-in-law, and a lot of friends are coming to cheer her on.
The ancient Order of Hibernians has also secured a table for the event.
"A lot of people are contacting me saying that they can't wait to go," she added.
The Friends of St. Patrick is also taking Bonner's offer in stride.
"I thought that was just a little touch of humor on her part," Brian Baisley, the organization's vice president, who knows her since the 90s.
But she told the group she was "kind of joking, kind of serious."
"Well, our ticket sales haven't gone up because of her making the joke on Facebook," Baisley said. "She has a lot of friends who are supporting her. I don't think it's going to be like, we're not going to double in size or something this year."
He doesn't have final numbers though, but there are 20 more people expected than last year.
"I mean, she's very popular and has a lot of friends, and as soon as it came out, when we released that she was the grand marshal, I got a pretty steady stream of calls," Baisley said, adding that callers told him, "'I know Jane for years. How do I get tickets?'"
"She's very active in the community, so she was an easy choice," he added.
But does Bonner have a dance card ready, and is she prepared to dance to any song on Saturday?
"I'm up for anything, if people want to do a jig; if they want to do a Polka; if they want to do the Lindy," she said. "I'll play it by ear, but you gave me a good you gave me a good idea to get, like a little book for people to sign."
And, as the old song goes, will she save the last dance for her husband?
Despite her nearly full dance schedule, her husband, John Sandusky, a retired police officer, is not worried in the least.
"He'll just keep an eye out to make sure nobody's fresh," Bonner said. "But nobody will be fresh — everybody's very polite."
Bonner's husband, John Sandusky, a retired police officer, attends many events with her from election night to community events like Saturday's dinner dance.
Sandusky said he and Bonner, who know each other from growing up in Northport, are in "a really comfortable and secure relationship."
"Neither of us ever worries about the other," he said. "And, that's really the truth."
Sandusky is never far from Bonner's side.
"I support Jane and her fundraising efforts and her community efforts, and I don't worry about her dancing with somebody else, nor would she worry about me," he said. "We've been together these, these 20-odd years, and we're just at ease with each other."
He described Bonner as a "really fun, down-to-earth person."
"People see her on the TV, and they respect her being on the Town Board, and she's a strong voice and all that," Sandusky said. "But if you spend any time with her socially, she loves to dance, and she loves music, and she loves the beach."
"She's just a fun person to be around for everyone who knows her," he said. "So, she's going to be working this event as part of her job, but she's going to be enjoying it with the community and with people that she likes."
And should the time on the dance floor run out before Sandusky gets his last dance in, he's okay with it.
"If they can help raise funds for the Friends of St Patrick, I'm willing to sacrifice," he said.
Bonner's name has come up for grand marshal before, but the order by which they choose grand marshals affected her being chosen, as there is seniority given to members of the organization, and then on alternating years, the group chooses a member of the community, according to Baisley.
Each is listed on the group's website.
"You can go through the list and see who all grand marshals were, all the way back to the very first one," Baisley said. "In the beginning, it was your people — regular businessmen from Rocky Point, and then it was from the absolute gamut."
"We throw in a priest and a couple of nuns and, you know, funeral directors and just people that are engaged in the community," he said.
After March 15, Bonner's name will be there.
Her name came up at the end of last year, and it was a universal decision she should lead the parade.
"There's nobody who lives anywhere around this part of the island who doesn't know her," he said. "She's active in every single thing within the community, from the schools to the parade to, you know, obviously local government, and is very community-oriented. So she was an easy choice."
As for the parade, Bonner is also looking forward to her march along the parade route, which is one of the largest parades on Long Island at 2.8 miles. Some say it has the largest draw, with crowds packed deep along Route 25, even in bad weather.
"Give me a shout out along the parade route, as I walk it," she said. "I don't ride in a car. I've walked it every year. Oh, one more thing, pray for good weather."
The tickets for the event are $90, and include an open bar, and buffet with corned beef and cabbage, as well chicken franchese.
And, of course, dancing is included — with or without Bonner.
The dinner dance will kick off at 5 p.m. at the Moose Lodge on Crystal Brook Hollow Road.
For more information, call 631-790-9061, or visit www.friendsofstpatrick.com.
Source: https://patch.com/new-york/millerplace-rockypoint/will-ye-dance-rocky-point-lass-friends-st-patrick
