East Meadow's Person of the Year, Helen Meittinis

Who are you going to call?

Why, Helen Meittinis, of course.

Her most often used title is president of the Community Association of Stewart Avenue, a Salisbury-based civic group. But Meittinis fills a variety of roles — leader, watchdog, liaison, mom.

“She’s like the matriarch of the Salisbury community,” said County Legislator Norma Gonsalves. “She has that mother’s instinct.” 

Meittinis’s passion and dedication to improving life in the community is why the Herald is proud to name her its 2010 Person of the Year. 

This year, a spate of residential burglaries and theft and car vandalism impacted residents of Salisbury and East Meadow. Meittinis received calls from residents — at least 15 a day during one week in November  — as well as emails and text messages from the victims and served as a community clearinghouse of information on the incidents. 

During this week’s blizzard, neighbors went to Meittinis to find out what they could do to get plows onto their streets.

In situations like these, she refuses to stand pat. “I enjoy when our people get help from the proper entities when they are so frustrated with quality-of-life issues,” she said. “We guide them in the right direction.”

Depending on the situation, Meittinis addresses the issue herself or explains to concerned citizens how they can get their needs addressed. She is in constant contact with police and elected officials like Gonsalves to report problems, demand action, and sometimes just to vent about the challenges her community faces.

According to Gonsalves, Meittinis speaks with her on a daily basis to address residents’ problems, mostly in the northern part of the East Meadow School District. “I think it’s the spirit that drives you,” Gonsalves said, “and I think that’s what drives her: the spirit of keeping the community as safe as it can be.”