“When we first met with [NCCCA], about 40 different civics from around the county came down,” Franco said. “And the one overriding thing was that they didn’t want was a board to control everything. They wanted every civic to have its say … Board meetings will be open to anyone who wants to come.”

Joe Baker, the South Merrick Community Civic Association president, said his group was “reserving decision” on whether to join CONCA, emphasizing that SMCCA focuses on hyper-local issues. “SMCCA is more interested in potholes, improving our community, beautifying aesthetics, the local parks, staying within the community,” Baker said. “We just don’t feel we have the resources and the time to concentrate on those issues that go beyond our boundaries.”

Still, Baker complimented the effort to stitch together a countywide civic coalition. “I don’t like to be pessimistic, I like to be optimistic. I applaud anyone who wants to get civics together to affect the whole county,” he said. “If anyone will get a coalition together, Claudia will. She works very hard, and I believe she is sincerely trying to help.”

CONCA will have its next meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 27 at the Seaford Fire House, at 2170 Southard Ave. Long Island’s drinking water, a proposed liquefied natural gas port off the coast of Jones Beach, the Grumman site in Bethpage and the Bay Park Sewage Treatment Plant will be among the topics of discussion, according to a press release. Officials from Nassau County’s Office of Emergency Management will also give a presentation on hurricane preparedness.