We are glad to see that the Town of Hempstead Industrial Development Agency is taking a second look at the proposed tax breaks for the new owners of the Garden City Hotel.

The hotel is an important part of the Garden City community, and we like most in the community wish whoever buys the hotel well in their endeavors. However, any time public money is to be spent on a private enterprise, there should be transparency and discussion among those who will ultimately foot the bill.

Make no mistake, the IDA has an important role in promoting business in the town. We know of a fellow newspaper publisher who received assistance from the agency after a fire destroyed his printing plant. That publisher was able to build a beautiful new plant in what had been a warehouse and provide quite a few jobs to residents of the Town because of that help. Similarly, there are businesses in blighted areas of the Town which could greatly benefit from the IDA's programs.

We welcome discussion of the merits of the proposal from all parties and hope to hear more details which might better explain why the new owners of the hotel would be deserving of tax breaks from the Village and school district.

Meg Morgan Norris

Publisher