Email: editor@ gcnews.com

Inform The People

Dear Mayor Bee and Trustee Lamberti,

At the April 17 Board of Trustees meeting, the trustees voted to hire a financial consultant, in addition to Karen Backus Associates, to review the financial aspects of the proposals being developed by AvalonBay for the St. Paul's redevelopment project. The trus-tees speaking out in favor of this additional expense, $20,000 of taxpayers' money, said that Karen Backus Associ-ates did not have the capital markets experience to do an in-depth review to assure the Avalon proposal is fair and equitable. I understand that this new consultant becomes yet another layer in the current St. Paul's account, in addition to KBA ($?) and Bryan Cave (at $40,000?).

Once again, this St. Paul's item appeared without public notification or background information available to the public. It was an item on the "Supplemental" agenda, which was not among the handouts at the Board meeting and was not listed on the agenda posted on the village website.

According to Trustee Tom Lamberti, the Mayor's Committee is coming close to making a recommendation(s) to the Board of Trustees. He is now estimating early June.

I respectfully request that when the committee's recommendation is ready to be placed on the public agenda, the community is given ample notice, at least a week in advance, so that interested residents are aware that a vote by the trustees in regard to the St. Paul's project is taking place. You may feel it's all well and good that AvalonBay conducts public outreach sessions, but Mr. Mayor and Mr. Trustee, the people want to speak to our elected officials and hear what you have to say. If I'm not mistaken, the last publicized, open meeting of the Board of Trustees where residents were invited to come and hear about St. Paul's and give their comments to our elected officials was in December 2005, when the Board held a general meeting and presentation at the Middle School. That was over 2 years ago!

Please give residents ample public notification and background information when any recommendations, resolutions and/or future votes are taking place on this important community issue.

Maureen Traxler

Comm. Agreement Useless

To the Editor:

I think we should hire an outside consultant to rename the "Community Agreement" the "Community Deceivement Agreement". All this hoopla about someone challenging someone else for an incumbent trustee's seat makes me laugh. The incumbent should have stepped down after caught with the alleged proverbial hand in the cookie jar.

It is hilarious for anyone to think that this Village is run democratically. The Estates Property Owners Association ran an ad last fall requesting residents to submit their resumes for consideration for the position of "Trustee" in the Estates. I submitted my resume and did not even receive a reply email, a phone call, a letter, nothing, zero, zip. To think that the Community Agreement reflects the consensus of the community is like thinking Boss Tweed and Tammany Hall was a legitimate group of fellows running New York City. The fix is in and as stated in several past letters, no one even shows up to vote. To think that the current bunch of Trustees are altruistic is nonsense, although there are one or two that I believe are legitimate volunteers.

The Community Agreement worked for a bunch of potato farmers living on the Hempstead plains at the turn of the last century, but it does not work today with a community of more than 25,000. The machine is broken, time to call in a mechanic and rebuild it with a completely new design that makes everyone step up and vote for the Village government and the issues. Hey, does anyone remember the telephones we all got years ago where we would be able to communicate to each other as a community? I believe they even said we would be able to vote through them! I think mine is still down in the basement next to the fondue set.

Robert Reid

Editor's Note: The telephones referred to in the letter were part of a pilot project between the Garden City News and the Philips Home Services Corp (a subsidiary of Philips Electronics). The project, which was discontinued, was not sponsored by the Village of Garden City, nor were any claims made that the phones would be used in elections.

Salaries Too High

To The Editor:

It's that happy time again. The superintendent and his minions are ecstatic. They will soon gain more money and privileges.

The good people of Garden City have already conceded the passage of the school budget.

The education juggernaut will get out the pro-budget vote and will continue its wild spending.

The Superintendent recently received a $20,000 raise.

Assistant Albert Chase received $182,419.

Assistant Fino Celano receives $177,660.

Assistant Teresa Prendergast receives $172,373. This is insanity.

There's a whole crew of tenured opportunists who participate in the obscenity, receiving grotesque fees.

The puppets on the school board and the complaisant PTA are amenable to anything that the teachers wish to have.

This budget can be beaten. We are being destroyed by these gluttonous people.

Angelo Di Pippo

Ethics In Government

To The Editor:

It seems, in these present times, that just about each time when the voters anywhere across the United States elect a representative to serve in public office, there is an increasingly high risk of probability they are going to be thumped hard across their own heads.

Stephen C. Corriss

Wonderful Production

To the Editor:

I would like to take this opportunity to address the April 18th letter to the editor regarding the recent Stratford School production of "Willy Wonka Jr.".

As a parent of 5th grade twins, one of whom was an Oompa Loompa, the other a member of the stage crew, I couldn't agree more with the sentiments expressed about Ms. Stillwell. Clearly, she directed one of the finest 5th grade performances of Stratford's recent history. Her talent and dedication were evident in every aspect of the production.

I also would like to express similar sentiments about many others who were involved and responsible for the overwhelming success of this play.

I would like to first thank all of the 5th grade teachers who dedicated many hours after school to help the children with their lines, songs, and staging. After spending many hours in the classroom with our children preparing them for the academic challenges that they face in today's world, this additional time commitment did not go unnoticed!

Thank you to Mr. Lee, who came to Stratford from the Middle School to share his technical expertise. His knowledge and interest in our school productions is invaluable. Equal thanks to Mr. Madden who coordinated and supervised the stage crew. For those children whose interest and desires are not on performance, stage crew is a wonderful way to be part of the whole experience.

For those of you who were lucky enough to share in the "pure imagination" of Willy Wonka Jr., you couldn't help but be mesmerized by the scenery. This was the creative genius of Mr. Lucas, Stratford's art teacher.

I would be negligent not to extend a long overdue thank you to Mrs. Debbie Tavarnese, a Mom, professional dancer, and businessperson, who year after year donates her time and her talent to our school productions. Thank you to another Mom, Mary Searson who also helped with the choreography.

Many thanks to all the parents, and there are many, who worked tirelessly on costumes, scenery, and programs. Without these parents this amazing cultural and social experience would not be possible. A special thank you to the family who designed, constructed, and donated the incredible "Wonka Gate". This added a truly professional dimension to the play.

Lastly, thank you to the administration for their continued support of this eagerly awaited annual event.

I sincerely hope I did not leave anyone out. It takes a village to raise a child, and here in our village, we are blessed with tremendous support from the community at large, teachers and administrators, who share the vision that our children become all that they can and were meant to be.

Jeanine Swartz

5th Grade Parent

Ethics Needed

To The Editor:

:There is a crime wave going on in Albany and the ethics cops are nowhere to be found." This quote is taken from the Daily News Editorial of Sunday, April 13, 2008.

The bromide that "we are volunteers and that we don't Need a Code of Ethics" or an Ethics Committee to enforce it, is "a consummation devoutly to be wished."

I was advised that our Code of Ethics was amended in February 2007 and promised that I would be furnished a copy of it several weeks ago.

I wrote a Code of Ethics for the Society of Maritime Arbitrators and was the Chairman of its Committee to enforce it for several years.

It is trusted that our new Code of Ethics Committee will take its job seriously. As soon as I have the time, I will procure a copy of the amended code of Ethics through the Freedom of Information Law to see if it is an improvement over the previous one, which didn't even reject nepousm. 'Wake up the Watchdogs."

Joseph A. Calamari

PS: On the Ethics Question. Trustee Lamberti was right about trustee Maur and wrong about Mayor Bee, in my opinion. However, my opinion was based upon what I read in the Garden City News and not an ethics hearing.