Joe Baker, leading a community

Where would Merrick be without Joe Baker, and where would Baker be without Merrick? As president of the South Merrick Community Civic Association, Baker has gone out of his way to make Merrick a safer, happier and more beautiful place to live. For his many achievements, the Herald is proud to name him its 2009 Person of the Year.

Baker, 60, has presided over the South Merrick Community Civic Association since its inception in 2006. During the past year, the group has made strides toward its goal of improving the health and welfare of the community, including starting a Neighborhood Watch program, revitalizing Julian Lane Park and unifying the community on a number of residential issues.

Baker says he takes his cues from his membership and checks his personal objectives at the door. But it is clear that this lifelong Merrick resident’s goal of “keeping Merrick one of the best places on Long Island to live and raise a family” is derived from his own history and is a driving force behind the success of the organization.

Berta Weinstein, the civic association's vice president, who has worked with Baker for three years, described him as “dedicated, community-oriented and willing to put himself out there for anyone at any cost.”

It’s an attitude toward Merrick that Baker held long before he started the civic association, and it stems from roots that run deep in the community. Baker lives in the quaint home where he was raised. In 1969, at age 20, he met his wife, Charise, while they were working in two family-owned businesses on Merrick Road. Now his daughter, Amy, lives next door to the Bakers with her husband, where they are raising a family. The Bakers’ son, Christopher, also lives on Long Island with his wife and kids. And Baker is the former owner of Bagel Express, a neighborhood favorite he owned for a number of years.

Baker was a court officer in Hempstead for much of his professional life. When he retired, he dedicated himself to the community by organizing the civic association.

“There was a void in south Merrick,” he said. “Other communities have civic associations, and south Merrick never had one. So I felt it was time, and I had the time.”