Malta salutes longtime official

Captain Cliff Lange, longtime town of Malta official, was given a bon voyage party Friday night, Feb. 8, with more than 100 friends and colleagues giving him a send-off on his retirement.

The dinner party took place at the Saratoga Springs Elks Club and included a "roast," reminding everyone of Lange's humorous moments in public service.

"You learn to take a joke when you're a politician," said Lange.

Town historian Teri Gay spoke about Lange's sense of humor and his political leadership.

"As all of you may have noticed, Cliff takes a few liberties with the English language " and even makes up a few of his own vocabulary words," said Gay. "Once, I started to keep a list of them because I was so intrigued by his, and a few of them are 'brefixed,' meaning breakfast, and 'antique-nish,' to describe the historic setting of the Village of Round Lake. Let's face it: Cliff is silly, and when you're with Cliff, you're pretty much laughing until you're sick. He was also born and bred for politics, and he is never better than when connecting with residents, listening to constituents, articulating his message and making personal contact."

Lange served as town of Malta councilman since 1984 and served on the planning board from 1977 through 1983. As a councilman, Cliff has served on many committees, including the town's deferred compensation oversight committee, emergency preparedness committee, zoning revision committee, master plan update committee, and open space committee.

Lange has lived in the town of Malta for more than 32 years. He has been married to his wife, Diane, for 35 years, raising their son, James. Lange is a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, where he developed his love of photography. He is also is an avid sailor, captain of his own vessel and enjoys many hours on the water with his family. He is a retired insurance agent and sales representative from Prudential Insurance.

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