Thank You

To the Editor:

I would like to thank the wonderful residents of Nassau County for their support on Election Day. I am honored and privileged to have been re-elected to serve as your Nassau County Clerk.

I would also like to thank the many volunteers, colleagues, neighbors and friends who gave so much of their time and efforts in support of my re-election.

In my years as a public servant, I have advocated for government that is accountable and accessible. Since taking office as County Clerk, I have sought to both modernize and personalize the services provided to the thousands of residents who interact with my office. Your support has enabled me to continue my work to provide sound government service on your behalf, for which I am truly grateful.

Again, my heartfelt thanks for your continued support.

Maureen O’connell

Nassau County Clerk

Former Mayor Mathers Responds To Southhold Councilman

The Suffolk Times reported last week that at a Southold Town Board meeting considering high-density housing, when asked “What are you afraid of?” Councilman Vincent Orlando replied: “We’re afraid of Garden City.” Former Garden City mayor Allen Mathers contacted the Suffolk Times to respond, and the paper offered him an “In My Opinion” column to reply. Mr. Mathers has provided the Garden City News with a copy of the column. Mr. Mathers is a resident of both Southold and Garden City.

Wow, was I was ticked-off when I read that at a recent Board meeting (discussing a high-density housing unit proposal) when asked what he was afraid of, Councilman Vincent Orlando answered, “We’re afraid of Garden City.”

Don’t be afraid. Vincent, this is an open invitation for you to come up-island and visit Garden City. I’ll be your host. It isn’t the Emerald City from Oz, but it sure comes close.

Garden City Village has as many residents as the entire Town of Southold, maybe more, and is about twenty years ahead of Southold in addressing the environment and many of the very same issues that you face today. You can learn by simply observing our experience and implementing what we have learned.

We are nearly surrounded by concrete, but as the result of careful planning and highly restrictive building Codes, Garden City is pretty “green” in many ways. We are a federally recognized “Tree City,” have three golf clubs, Adelphi University, an elaborate park system, two senior centers and a community swimming pool/recreation complex with year-round tennis. We have so many trees that we employ an “arborist.” Now I know Southold holds the title for “The Land of Permits” but Garden City regulated cutting down trees before Southold even

considered it!

We keep our residents “green” in a major way that Southold has never considered - we save them hundreds of thousands of dollars each year by doing one simple thing!

Our Trustees, Mayor and Justices are not salaried - no pay! We work for free! We work the same long hard, long hours, most longer than your meetings, are tethered to e-mails, and nobody gets paid for it!

We do it for the love of our community - a community the same size as yours. Think how much tax money you would save if all of Southold Town’s elected public officials decided to give back their salary, medical plans and pension money to their Community! Start the ball rolling, Vincent, make a motion to drop all salaries and benefits for elected officials like we do here in Garden City! I predict the public will overwhelmingly support you.

In 1991 Garden City established an Environmental Advisory Board to address light, noise, railroad and aircraft pollution and other environmental impact issues. In 1993 the Village purchased the largest vacant parcel of land, some 48 acres and dedicated it to permanent “green space.” We set the pace for the rest of Long Island in environmental soundness.

Have you seen some of the out-of-character “McMansions” going up in Southold? Tan adobe, red-tiled roofed eyesores on a block of cedar shake and clapboard? They squat like big bullfrogs on tiny lily pads. We saw that problem and are currently solving it with zoning changes. Come up-island, Vincent, and see how easy it is!

Garden City doesn’t have a shoreline, but we have sewer runoff. We don’t have deer infestation or farmland, but we have other problems like groundwater pollution plumes caused by others and our Village Hall is bursting at the seams the same as your Town Hall. How do we solve our problems? We developed Master Plans and pro-active committees that acted instead of debated. When our “downtown” was unrented, we poured funds into planning for beautification, traffic flow, and addressed parking, and now it thrives.

We publicly take positions and fight development that is out of character with our Village and our Town and our County.

Oh, the Roosevelt Field Mall is NOT in Garden City, they just share our zip code. We can only dream about the commercial tax dollars that it generates for someone else.

I respect you for trying to keep things the way they were. High density housing is wrong - in Garden City and in Southold! Quality of life is something to be given the highest value and always kept up - it’s what gives an area it’s ‘character.’ Preservation of Green Space and our Heritage is always right. We have to leave something for our children other than brick and asphalt and photograph albums of the past.

You pointed your finger and opened your mouth about the wrong community, Vincent. You can write back and apologize to the hundreds of Garden City residents who are Southold property owners. We have thick skins; after all, we have to look at those “Native” bumper stickers! We are the “summer people” who left our landlocked homes and looked for someplace much like Garden City to live in - only with sand and sea water and fishing and boats - during the summer. We are the Garden City-ites who sign Southold petitions against 7-11 proliferation, want LIPA to bury their power lines, come to the Carnivals and barbeques, wave flags in the July 4th parades, buy your “dump” stickers, patronize your businesses (hurry up and open IGA - nice new Country Corner Luncheonette sign and location) AND PAY YOUR TAXES, but have no right to vote on bonds or vote you in and out of office.

The lesson to be learned is to look and think before you speak. The same oak leaves I raked in Southold this weekend are falling in Garden City and need raking too. Garden City really isn’t a concrete-jungle hell on earth, Vincent. It’s a very, very nice place to live.

The invitation is open, Vincent. Come up-island and I’ll show you how much better Garden City is run, give you some ideas, and you’ll see what a great place it is to walk around and talk to your neighbors and raise your children.

I’ve been involved in Garden City government since 1986 as a Trustee, Mayor, back as Trustee again and still serve my Community as an elected public official - never got paid a nickel and enjoy every minute of it - and I do pay those Southold taxes, too! Call me at Village Hall. They know where to get me. You can stop by in Southold, too, and help put the Christmas tree up, but unless you experience it, you won’t see what Garden City is really all about.