Honored To

Be Selected

To the Editor:

It is a great honor to be selected by the 10-Member Nominating Committee to be their candidate for Village Trustee representing the Eastern Section of our Village. I have lived in Garden City for 40 years and I have seen many changes to our town but I have also seen great stability and faithfulness to our traditions and heritage.

My wife, Nancy, and I chose to set up our first home here in 1976 on the corner of Stewart Avenue and New Hyde Park Road. A tiny little starter home just big enough for newlyweds. We moved to Meadow Street soon after and raised our family in our current home. Our two daughters, Tara and Erin and our son, Brian all attended the Garden City schools. We are active members of Saint Joseph Church.

The village is very near and dear to my heart. When I retired from Verizon Communications after 35 years, I had the opportunity to give an even greater amount of my time and talent to the village I love so much.

I serve as the current President of the Eastern Property Owner's Association. I am the current chairperson of the Joint Conference Committee of the Property Owner's Association. I also serve on the executive committee of the Chamber of Commerce, even though I am strictly a civic member.

I believe we all share a common belief that we live in the best place in all of New York State. I think we all want to keep our village a beautiful, safe, friendly community with our manicured landscaping, great commercial district, many churches and excellent schools. The village is a great place to raise children and our residents look out for one another both, in their home, as well as when we are in town. There is a definite sense of belonging in our village. We care about our neighbors and their well-being.

I believe that if I am lucky enough to be elected to trustee of our village, I can bring some of my years of experience in business and government to bear.

We must evaluate each segment of services our village provides to tighten budgets and reduce costs wherever possible. The Citizen's Budget Committee has proven to be very helpful in this regard. When we look at the tax structure of the village, it is apparent that new sources of revenue are not available; therefore, we must seek savings from the expense side of the budget. No one wants tax increases, especially in these economic times.

I have included on my WEB SITE a detailed explanation of my positions on various issues facing our village. The site is www.donnellyfortrustee.com

I thank the committee for nominating me and I ask that you vote for me on February 3rd so that I can work for all the people of our village for the next two years as your trustee.

Dennis Donnelly

Running For Trustee

To the Editor:

By the time you read this letter many of you will already have heard that I am running by petition against Dennis Donnelly for Trustee for the East to fill Peter Bee's seat at the end of his term in April. Peter Bee has been tireless in his dedication to serving the Village and all of its residents over the past 15 years since he was first elected to be a Trustee. I applaud him for his efforts and wish him only the best in his newfound free time.

Because my candidacy is by resident petition rather than nomination by the Nominating Committee of the EPOA, I expect a barrage of letters to the editor from members of the community who will both support my candidacy (I hope!) and that of my opponent, Mr. Donnelly. Unfortunately, there may also be letters not just in support of either candidate on the merits, but that seek to vilify me as has been done in the past when residents have run independently letting the residents at large vote for, and thus actually choose, who they want to represent them.

My intention in running is not meant to change the POA system as Mr. Daughney argued last week in his letter to the editor. In fact independent petitions are permitted under the respective POA by-laws and have been utilized in recent history by residents volunteering to fill vacancies on the Board of Trustees. For instance, several of the sitting Trustees including John Mauk, Robert Rothschild, Nicholas Episcopia and Thomas Lamberti won their seats in run-off elections, rather than by unopposed designation by a select few members of the various property owners associations. Similarly, I too wish to serve the Village and believe I am qualified for the position with only the best interests of the Village at heart.

I have faith in the electorate to make the right decision, win or lose, and I respect the residents' right to choose their representatives. Shouldn't all of our POA representatives, elected Trustees and Village Administration do the same?

Over the past several years, but most acutely over the past year, I, as well as many of my friends and neighbors, have become disenfranchised with the leadership of the EPOA and felt that the EPOA was not acting in the best interests of the Village especially in their support of the AvalonBay deal, which ended in a waste of untold tax dollars and an unprecedented hostility among the residents. There is clearly a need and desire for more transparency in our village government.

Did I submit an application to the EPOA in the first instance to seek their stamp of approval to run on the Village slate at the general election in March? The answer is No, the reason being my position on the AvalonBay issue was well known to the members of the EPOA and in particular several members of the nominating committee. In light of our clearly contradictory positions on this most important issue, there was no reasonable expectation on my part that I would be selected by the EPOA and its nominating committee to serve as Trustee over their current President.

My husband Bill and I both grew up in the Eastern section of Garden City and live in the East now with our four children, Colleen (14), Jack (13), Kerri (10) and Kara (7).

We decided when the our kids were very young it was our turn to give back to the Community, to do for others what others had done for us in the past as we grew up in town, by giving our time. Heretofore, that was mostly in terms of recreation as we both volunteered to coach various sports teams in town. In addition to coaching two travel soccer teams, Bill also currently serves as a Director on the GC Centennials Board and The Men's Association.

I'd like now to expand my service to the Village in volunteering, if it is the will of the residents of the East, to serve the Village on the Board of Trustees.

I truly believe that the residents of the Village need someone to represent them who is willing to listen to the residents and protect the quality of life of the residents, not just promote big business development.

I am currently a partner in a general practice law firm located in NYC specializing in civil defense litigation. I do believe my 20 years as a litigator only enhances my qualifications to serve as your Trustee.

Any decisions I am asked to make in the capacity of Trustee will be made on an unbiased objective test ... what is best for the Village as a whole, not just now, but for generations to come.

Let there be no mistake, I oppose urbanization and commercial development that would lead to an erosion of our suburban way of life and that is why I opposed the AvalonBay development at St. Pauls.

I AM for preservation, not just of one beautiful building which stands as the centerpiece of our Village, but for all of Garden City, of our community, our quality of life, our history and our traditions ... the things that make it a unique place to live and a place that our children will want to return to with their own families years from now.

There are significant issues facing the Village now, and on the horizon, these include not only an uncertain economic environment and the fate of St. Paul's, but the massive development projects outside our boundaries that will have a devastating affect on the Village, to wit, the Hub, the "light rail", the LIRR main line/third track project, the Coliseum/Lighthouse project and the Winston to name a few.

I have no ulterior motives, no pre-conceived agenda, or conflicts which would affect my objective decision making process with these or any other issues I might face, just a simple desire to serve the Village and I am asking for your support.

Thank you for your

consideration.

Alison Downing Metzler

Not Against Agreement

To the Editor:

In his letter to the Editor last week, the President of the Estates POA, Brian Daughney claimed that a meeting to discuss nominating preservation trustees is a violation of the Community Agreement. All POA By-laws provide that candidates can be nominated directly by residents. Indeed, the current candidate for Mayor, Mr. Rothschild is a trustee because he used that same process to defeat the Estates' candidate two years ago. Holding meetings to discuss issues that are of importance to Garden City residents is the essence of democracy and not a violation of the Community Agreement. The meeting I organized on January 16th was an open and honest discussion by a broad cross-section of Garden City residents concerned about the future of St. Paul's.

It is no surprise that the Estates' POA President thinks like this, as he also thinks that a "majority of residents" voted to demolish St. Paul's. I have news for Mr. Daughney - 45.4% voted for demolition. That is not a majority. It is this tortured reasoning that places St. Paul's in danger of demolition. There are residents who did not vote on December 2nd because the option of sensible municipal use was not on the ballot.

The Trustees from the Estates (Messrs. Rothschild and Mauk) admitted on January 20th that they do not know the NET COST to consolidate Village functions at St. Paul's. They also do not know how much money a majority of residents would be willing to spend to make that a reality. (By way of comparison, almost 80% of us agreed in 1993 to spend about $5-7 per month for twenty years to buy St. Paul's.)

Even though they do not have basic facts, some of our Trustees have decided to spend money to begin the process of demolition. We spent over $500,000 to explore the AvalonBay fiasco. We are now about to waste even more money based upon Mr. Daughney's belief that a "majority" voted to demolish St. Paul's on December 2nd.

David J. Sutton

Support EPOA Candidate

To the Editor:

I am delighted to take this opportunity to familiarize Garden City residents of the East in particular, but also throughout the Village, with the unique qualifications of Dennis Donnelly. Dennis is the candidate unanimously selected by the Eastern Property Owners' Association's Ten-Member Nominating Committee for the position of Village Trustee representing the eastern section of the Village.

Dennis and his family have resided in Garden City for the past 40 years, and I have had the pleasure of working with Dennis on numerous projects over the past 10 years when he became active in the activities and efforts of the Garden City Chamber of Commerce.

The Chamber recognized Dennis as the recipient of Garden City's Community Achievement Award in 2008. Established in 1974 by the Nassau County Council of Chambers of Commerce, this recognition commemorates outstanding professionalism and major contributions to the Village of Garden City and beyond through one's profession.

Dennis currently serves as president of the Eastern Property Owners' Association in which he has progressed through the ranks and structure of the EOPA as director, vice president, president and chairman of the Joint Conference Committee of Garden City's four Property Owners' Associations. He has also served as chairman of the Ten-Member Nominating Committee and as a member of the St. Paul's Survey Committee.

Dennis retired from Verizon Communications in 2004 as Director of Government and Community Relations for the Long Island region. He had spent 35 years at Verizon and its predecessors. Dennis's professional credentials are extensive and specialized. His numerous assignments included working with the movie industry, the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, in operations management, process engineering, public communications and advertising. His civic involvements included service as chairman of the Board of the Queens County Overall Economic Development Corp., the Downtown Brooklyn Development Corp., Queens Festival Corp., the Flushing Boys Club, the Flushing YMCA, and the Astoria Motion Picture Foundation. He also served as past president of the Flushing Rotary Club and was a board member of the Gift of Life Program of Rotary International. Of note was his appointment by Mayors Lindsey, Beame and Koch to various ad hoc committees involving New York City operation.

Dennis's numerous honors, in addition to that of Garden City's Community Achiever, have included recognition as "Man of the Year," by the Queens Museum, the Flushing Council on Culture and Arts, St. Mary's Hospital Foundation, the YMCA, the Flushing Boys Club and Brooklyn Friends School. On the "home front," Dennis has served as Centennial Soccer Coach and is an active member of St. Joseph's Church.

My reasons for extolling the virtues of Dennis Donnelly are because as executive director of the Garden City Chamber of Commerce, I have worked with him over so many years and never cease to be amazed by his abilities, his willingness to serve and his extensive knowledge in the areas of Village government and beyond. As a life-long resident of Garden City's eastern section, as a past officer, director of EPOA and many times member of the Ten Member Nominating Committee; as one who has steadily attended Village Trustee Meetings for the past 40 years representing the Chamber of Commerce, and before 1977 the local press, I am fully aware of the importance if not the necessity of progression through the ranks of the POAs to the esteemed position of Village Trustee. I cannot imagine anyone more qualified to serve the Village in this capacity than Dennis Donnelly.

When named "Community Achiever," I recall Dennis encouraging involvement in community affairs. I remember him noting "It is through the volunteer efforts of many residents that Garden City has maintained its beauty and stability," That's Dennis Donnelly, and I for one vehemently support and encourage the residents of the east to also support Dennis's candidacy for Village Trustee representing the Eastern Sector.

Althea Robinson

Supports Metzler

To the Editor:

At a meeting held on January 16th at the Bar Association, I was pleased to hear Alison Metzler announce her candidacy for Trustee from the East opposing the current President of the EPOA. Alison, a life long resident of Garden City is an advocate for keeping St Paul's for resident and village use. Her opponent is and has always been a proponent of AVB and since AVB was defeated now feels demolition is the only way to go.He has expressed this in the Fall EPOA Newsletter to the residents.

Alison has the willingness, the desire and the determination to keep Garden City the Town in which she grew up, a very special place for her children and for generations to come. She is willing to listen and to serve, so let's support her by coming out to VOTE. ( voting will take place probably on February 3rd, but check the EPOA web site or GC News for exact time and date)

Arlene Chianese

Agrees With Parent

To the Editor:

It was SO REFRESHING to read last week's letter "The Courage to Parent." There are just too many parents in this town that either allow underage drinking or look the other way. They do this because they themselves drank in middle/high school and see this as normal, or a right of passage. How they can be okay with 9th graders drinking and smoking pot is mind-boggling to me.

But I suspect (and hope) that there are also many parents who agree wholeheartedly with the author of this letter and I am not ashamed to say that I am one of them. Anyone else?

Karen Bingham

It Takes A Parent

To Raise A Child

To the Editor:

I am writing in response to "The Courage To Parent".

I have older children, but this letter could have been written by me. I have said many of the same things mentioned by this parent. It is a long uphill battle raising a teenager and sometimes it feels like a war we will never win. Yet we, as parents my spouse and I, keep trying. The one piece of advice I can offer and I found this out the hard way is you cannot rely on "The Village" to help raise your child. Other parents may agree with you and say they will do the same as you would but often you are left standing alone. Raise your child with the morals and values that are important to your family, stress to your child that this is the way your family is raising her and it doesn't matter what anyone else is allowed to do. Stick by what you believe is good for your daughter and your family. What you are saying is showing you care and you are a good parent. We have safely gotten one child on to college and soon another. I hope that my spouse and I are doing the right thing, there is no school to teach us and hopefully some day after the many "I hate you" my children will turn and say Thank you.

Name Signed But

Withheld On Request

Flaws In Law

To The Editor:

Several months ago, I wrote a letter to the editor stating that there were indications that our local government had several contract employees. Such information had already been made public relating to some school districts where full time or part time employees had been made part of the New York's public pension system. The "Professional Services Providers Bill" sought to establish transparency and accountability measures to stop waste and fraud in our schools and in the public retirement system.

However in the state legislators, hurry to pass this bill, they did not address the entire problem. It did not cover professionals other than attorneys in the school system.

Further, it did not cover county governments, villages, towns and special districts relating their employment arrangements with professional consultants in all categories.

There are also many other flaws in the law relating to attorneys too numerous to mention. What is clear, however, is that it has direct, unintentional adverse economic consequences for the citizens of New York State. The village should move to correct these deficiencies, even before the law is amended and modified to cover those areas.

What do you think.?

John A. Calamari

P.S. As to our mayor's personal note, not having real elections in the Village permits our trustees not to enact a Code of Ethics with teeth. Lynbrook which hold elections has such a code of ethics. However, attempting to change trustees merely because of the issues raised by St. Paul's proposed demolition makes no sense, when the recent vote clearly showed the will of the people to demolish it.

P.P.S. According to Newsday, our Garden City Schools were not among the twenty-one public school districts on Long Island which entered the Intel Semi Finals. As my friend says "I'm still looking for Garden City!"

Great Services

To The Editor:

As long-time Garden City residents my family and I have benefitted from the many services our incorporated village has to offer. When my children were young, they participated in many wonderful programs sponsored by the Recreation Department. This year I took advantage of the free flu immunization program which the Recreation Department coordinated at the Senior Center. Our Sanitation Department has always been responsive when I call with questions, and they always arrange special pick-ups in a timely manner. Our Fire Department, both paid and volunteer, has also rendered exceptional service to our community.

At this time I would like to draw particular attention to the professionalism of our Village Police Department. Within a span of six days I had the opportunity to witness three of our police officers performing their duties. As I was walking in the parking field behind the Garden City Medical Building on Wednesday, afternoon, January 14, I encountered an elderly couple. The woman had slipped on the ice, and her husband was trying to assist her. I advised the gentleman who was wearing a "WWII Veteran" cap to call 911. I waited with the couple until a Garden City Police Officer and ambulance arrived. Despite the single digit temperature, the police officer was extremely kind and patient with these elderly people.

After learning that the Garden City Police Department will check that child safety seats have been correctly installed, I made an appointment for this procedure. The two Police Officers who inspected my grandson's car seat on January 19 were most thorough in their examination. In addition, they explained step-by-step the safety features involved in the installation process. As a result of their efforts, I can now confiently drive my car knowing that I have done my utmost to insure my grandson's safety.

I would like to close this letter by stating that we are fortunate to have a Police Department which not only provides excellent service in emergencies, but is also a resource for other forms of community assistance.

All T. Thompson

More Accountability,

Less Debt

To the Editor:

According to last week's Garden City News, the School Board may ask residents to vote on a $20 million bond for school capital improvements. Colleen Foley, the School Board President, was reported as saying the trustees "are very interested in receiving community input before making a decision". While no trustee's contact information is readily available, I spoke with Mayor Bee and was happy to hear that he would put his email address on the town's website (usually it is in the Garden City News) and forward email to appropriate trustees. I hope, at some point, all trustees will see the merit in listing their email addresses. This should be an efficient way for these volunteers to best know what residents want.

Second, I have two young kids and fundamentally believe we need to invest in our school system, but think we should do it through budget cuts in other areas as opposed to debt. Our country currently has more debt, as a percentage of GDP, than we had going into the Great Depression. We will all bear the cost of this one way or the other, so now is not the time to take on any more debt.

Ron Tadross

Why No Winners?

To the Editor:

I note in January 14th's announcement of the Intel Science contest winners not one from Garden City while other comparable communities (Great Neck, Port Washington, Syosset) have multiple winners.

Given Garden City's demographic makeup, quality of students, parents and teachers and expenditures for education, we should be on the list.

Given that our village produced a Nobel laureate in science (Steve Chu) and the need for the United States to re-assert its leadership in math and science to compete with other countries such as India and China, shouldn't a goal for our school system be to demonstrate its math and science capabilities by focusing on producing Intel winners?

James Bauer

Thanks For Support

To The Editor:

On behalf of the American Cancer Society and the Garden City Unit, please accept our sincere thanks for generously underwriting the American Cancer Society Holiday Greeting in the past 60 years. With the support of individuals and businesses such as yours, we have made remarkable progress toward unraveling the mystery of cancer.

The American Cancer Society offers help and hope through cutting edge research, widespread education, tireless advocacy and steadfast dedication to our mission of saving lives and preventing cancer. The Society also provides patient and family services, assisting with navigation of the healthcare system, transporting patients to treatments, providing a support system for survivors and offering temporary housing at our nationwide Hope Lodge facilities. Our doors are open 24 hours a day, and every person who contacts us becomes part of our family forever.

Susan Pickering

Director of Special Events

American Cancer Society