Letters To The Editor
Email: editor@ gcnews.com

Don't Bully Teachers

To the Editor:

The Garden City School Board has made public a claim that certain retired teachers are "dead beats" in failing to pay a very small portion of their health care insurance premiums to the school district going back many years. The retired teachers involved have repeatedly asked for documentation of the claims and the response has been nothing more or less than a claimed "coding error." Asst Supt Chase has not provided any data as to what the coding should have been, or why, its justification, and the difference it would or did make. The claim is "you owe the money because we said so." Chase has been wrong before. The Board continues to dun two retired teachers even though they are known to be deceased.

The Board admits that it has already lost about 16% of the claim because of the Board's failure to comply with a claimed six year statute of limitations. (The Statute applicable may actually bar claims after three years and not six). The Board through its Supt's office has threatened some of the re-tired teachers with loss of their current part time jobs and public disclosure of their names unless they pay up. Most recently the board has gone public with the names of the retired teachers despite the long standing Board policy of not discussing personnel matters in public nor violating the employees, students, or retired personnel's right to privacy.

The Board has refused to make claim against the insurance companies for the prior auditors who also brought us the Roslyn Schools matter. The Board has not even made claim against their own insurance carrier for the sums they claim are lost due to the Board's fail-ure to pick up the so called error within the statutes of limitations. The Board admits that it may well cost them more to collect than the unsubstantiated claims involved and never-theless refuses to negotiate, mediate, document, or arbitrate the matter in private forums. The Board will not even give the retired teachers credit for the sums that the Board publicly admits are lost and uncollectible due to the Board's inaction. An offer has been made by the retired teachers at the request of Asst Supt Chase but no counter offer or further attempt at negotiation has been made by the Board. Good faith is required of both sides. The Board's recent public tirade is a breach of good faith obvious to all.

The retired teachers involved decline to be bullied, threatened, or stampeded into paying an unjust and undocumented claim. If the Board chooses to bring suit it will be defended and a counter-claim imposed for breach of privacy, statute of limitations defenses, and the like. The retired teachers who have given so much to so many over decades deserve more decency, respect, and goodwill than they have received.

Dennis A Bengels

Attorney for some of the

retired teachers

Mercy League's Christmas Coffee

The Garden City Mercy League is having their annual Christmas Coffee on Wednesday, December 12th!! This year the fun festivities will be held at the lovely home of Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey Lew. The Lew's live at 3 Prospect Avenue and have opened their home for Christmas cheer and chatter. The coffee is from 11:00 AM till 2 PM. Boutique shopping featuring Baubles, Bangles and Bags along with The Pink Pineapple and many others will be there for any last minute Christmas gifts needed.

So come one, come all...Tis the season to spread good cheer and share memories with close friends. This is a great time to pay your Mercy dues too, just $10 a year! We will see you on December 12th!

Help Spread Joy

To the Editor:

We cordially invite our fellow village residents to help spread the joy of Christmas by participating in this year's Annual Baby Shower which will be held on Saturday and Sunday, December 8th and 9th, following all Masses at St. Joseph's Church and Auditorium.

This will be the 17th consecutive year that the parish has hosted the Baby Shower, and the generosity of Garden City residents in the past has been overwhelming. Caring neighbors have donated home-made and new baby items that have been distributed to Long Island's crisis pregnancy centers in time for Christmas.

This year, the maternity centers are especially seeking Newborn Baby Items such as: layettes, baby blankets and towels, crib sheets, diapers (new born through toddler), wipes, formula (Enfamil), pacifiers, digital thermometers, humidifiers, nose aspirators, diaper cream, shampoo, baby wash, and gift certificates to Target, Kaybees, Toys "R" Us, and CVS.

There is also a need for Toddler Items such as: clothes, pajamas, underwear and socks.

And finally, Christmas Gifts for Moms such as: sweatpants and jackets, pajamas, toiletries, robes, slippers, umbrellas, watches, Metro and Phone Cards, and gift cards to Kohl's, Wal-Mart, and McDonald's.

The centers are always most grateful to those who lovingly make home-made knitted caps, sweaters, booties and blankets. All will be distributed to organizations that directly assist unwed or needy mothers who are experiencing crises.

The Baby Shower culminates a nine-month prayer program which began last March when parishioners and area-residents pledged to pray daily for babies in danger of abortion and to pray for the mothers and fathers of those babies.

You may place your Baby Shower gifts in designated Christmas boxes at the doors of St. Joseph's Church and Auditorium following all Masses on Saturday and Sunday, December 8th and 9th.

Garden City residents in need of Crisis Pregnancy Information may call the following confidential pregnancy centers: Life Center - 631-243-2373, Birthright - 516-741-4030, and MOMMA's House - 516-781-8637. Also, for anyone who has been a victim of abortion, confidential post-abortion counseling for women and men is available at the Life Center - 631-243-2373.

Thank you and God Bless You.

St. Joseph's

Respect Life Society

Great Program

To the Editor:

I have just read Steve Ilardi's letter concerning the Recreation Department's Roller Hockey Staff (Great Hockey Program - November 30, 2007) and feel compelled to echo Steve's sentiments regarding Andrew Karen, Brian Johnson, Tom Hickox, Dan Hickox and James Crafa. While my children are not yet old enough to participate in the Youth Roller Hockey Program, I can confirm that the Village has a great asset in Andrew Karen and his staff. Upon moving to Garden City a few years ago and discovering the roller rinks in the Community Park, I was disappointed to learn that there was no "Old Man Hockey" played there. Happily, with an assist from Bill Lucano and Greg Bis-cone, the Recreation Department initiated an "over-30 pick-up game" on Sunday evenings (Andrew actually sets the respective rosters immediately prior to each game, with an eye towards creating two evenly matched teams). I cannot tell you how much fun I have had over the past year-and-a-half participating in these games, and it is due largely to the infectious enthusiasm of Andrew Karen. The Village is lucky to have an employee who brings as much passion to his job as Andrew does -- I am proud to be, as he calls the participants in the over-30 game, one of his "Big Kids."

Michael F. McGowan

P.S.: I'm sure that information regarding the start of the upcoming winter/spring season will be appearing in the Village Sports section shortly.

Act In Community's Interest

Printed By Request:

Mr. Todd Heimer

Supervisor Section VIII Athletics, NYSPHSAA, BOCES

Dear Mr. Heimer,

It is with great disappointment that we write this letter to you, Supervisor of Nassau County Athletics. It is our un-derstanding that you and Nassau BOCES might go along with the Illinois High School Association (ISHA) and limit photographers at our GCHS sporting events. This would affect Newsphoto, our local photographers and GC residents, Lauren and Phil Davies. It is our hope that you think in the best interests of our community and not box the little guy out.

One of the nicest things after our athletes work so hard is to see a wonderful photo from Newsphoto whether it is online or in the Garden City News. Newsphoto also offers a wonderful way for those not in the area to go online to see their favorite athlete playing their chosen sport. Our daughter's grandparents will often call and ask us to get copies of a photo from the Garden City News.

In this day and age of outsourcing and automation, it is so nice to have a local family photographing our sporting events. We can't imagine a large company photographing our kids with as much enthusiasm as Newsphoto does, how could they - they don't know our GC kids. It seems to be against the BOCES philosophy to close out our local professionals since the students you teach become a part of that community year in and year out. It is our hope that you think and act in the best interests of our community and support our local photographers, neighbors and friends: Newsphoto.

Betsy and Peter Andromidas