Letters to the Editor

Something must be done

To the Editor:

To those school officials and staff dismayed by the defeat of the school bond, perhaps the results of the vote are being misunderstood. Everyone who has a child in Rockville Centre wants nothing but the best for them. To infer differently is absurd.

The issues at South Side High School did not occur overnight. They are the result of priorities and decisions made over years past. They must be addressed, and advantage must be taken of not only low interest rates and building costs, but of the lack of employment opportunities.

This is a time when residents are either out of work or their salaries are frozen. They must pay more into their pensions and benefit plans. It is reasonable to expect the same cost savings would be implemented by the school district. The school bond result would have been different if a districtwide wage freeze and benefit reform were linked to the bond issue.

These problems will not go away with the defeat of the bond. Something must be done. We have to do it together, for the future, for the children.

Vinny Lenihan

Rockville Centre

Dollars aren’t falling from the sky

To the Editor:

There was a comment in the letter, "We should all be ashamed" (Dec. 24-30) to the effect that most people in Rockville Centre have not been affected much by the economic downturn. May I ask how the writer knows this? She then says that when a roof is needed, we replace it. This is absurd. I would like to have a new roof, but I would rather not spend the money. Maybe there needs to be some work done on the high school, but not to the tune of an almost $32 million bond. It is absurd at this juncture.

U.S. News and World Report recently named South Side High School the 46th best high school in America, and this is with open enrollment. So let's ask each other, how did this happen with those horrible trailers and a field without Astroturf, etc.? Let me get the violin out. When are we going to stop buying in to wasteful spending and irresponsible decisions in an economy that came very close to the worst economy in history? When are we going to hunker down and suffer just a little bit to get through bad times? Then, when things get better, maybe we can revisit this issue.

When are we going to stop this kind of behavior? Let's push this through just like our wonderful government is bent on pushing through a ridiculous, wasteful health care program that will eventually destroy older Americans, denying them the opportunity to obtain responsible care when doctors start dropping Medicare. Enough is enough.

My kids graduated from South Side this decade with the trailers and the grass football field and all the other things Dr. Carol Burris wants to change for her legacy. They got into great schools and got a great education. Many other kids have done the same. Gee, I wonder how they did that if the school is falling down. They did it because they have responsible parents who tried their best to get them to do the best they could in school with all the aggravation that goes along with it.

I think we need to look at priorities right now and stop spending like the dollar bills are falling out of the sky. If you were responsible, you wouldn't do something like this with your personal budget. Nice try, but you know, for once, the people have spoken. That's called democracy. You may want to let President Obama and the people we elect know they work for us, not the other way around. For once something worked.

Burton Diamond

Rockville Centre

You get what you pay for

To the Editor:

Janet Cisario eloquently put into words the feelings I had upon hearing that the bond referendum to improve our high school had not passed ("We should all be ashamed"). If you can’t afford a $100 increase in your taxes, you should re-evaluate living on Long Island.

I'm sure that if these seniors' grandchildren lived in the district, they might feel differently. Those of us who are still raising children here would like our schools to be as good as they can be, and competitive with other highly regarded schools on Long Island. You get what you pay for.

Nancy M. Gough

Rockville Centre

Bond should have been limited

To the Editor:

In response to the letter, "We should all be ashamed," I can understand Ms. Cisario’s disappointment with the result of the school bond vote because she clearly makes her position known. As a voting resident of the school district, I can proudly state that I was elated with the result. I’m not at all ashamed.

I am disappointed that the school board and administration failed to correctly gauge the level of support among the voters of the district. I believe there was arrogance in the way the board presented the bond. I came away feeling that they felt they just had to present it and that the community would fall into place behind it.

Sometimes “no” is an answer! It was on Dec. 17. Why was Ms. Cisario surprised at a show of joy from opponents of this over-reaching endeavor? Does she think that if the vote went the other way, there wouldn’t have been the same celebratory gestures? Do you think that the groups who tried to get the athletic fields and lights installed via a different route a few years ago wouldn’t be fist-pumping and high-fiving each other “as though they have just sunk a putt or scored a goal”?

If the board had set its sights a bit narrower, limiting the bond to the building only, classroom facilities and such, I probably would have supported the initiative. I was encouraged by school board President Mark Masin's comment in the Herald story "School bond goes down" (Dec. 24-30) that “we’ll be sitting down to re-evaluate what our course of action will be.” I hope that course will be to scale down the proposal, eliminating the artificial-turf fields and the folly of the lights.

I agree, “This community has sent a message that was heard loud and clear.” But it wasn’t, as Ms. Cisario embarrassingly states, that we don’t value our students. It was that we expect our leaders to know how to prioritize and be realistic.

Les Gilbert

Rockville Centre

Bond defeat was a message

To the Editor:

In response to Ms. Cisario’s letter, "We should all be ashamed," no one is cheering about voting down the wasteful, expensive and excessive bond proposal.

It was just a message that was meant to be sent to the out-of-touch, out-of-sync school board and administration. No one would vote down an upgrade in the facilities at South Side if it was meant to be a benefit to the facility that currently exists. Instead, what was voted down was a ploy to fill the bond issue with fluff that will only further the interests of a few. No one would vote down a proposal that would make our schools the best of the best. What voters realized was there were a great number of pieces of this project that really aren’t needed now.

Also, the people of Rockville Centre saw that it will be followed by a huge increase in taxes for the operating expenses for the general budget that will be coming in the spring. We all want our schools to be first-rate. But now it’s time to explain why we need three deputy superintendents with company cars, why we need layer on top of layer of bureaucracy in this system, why we can’t get an administrator with a spine who can stand up to the teachers union and why we need to spend so much money on programs that do nothing to benefit the general school population.

The people of Rockville Centre will do what it takes to make our schools the finest. What we need to do is just get rid of the waste that is inherent in this administration.

Brendan J. Cahalan

Rockville Centre

Commends police on a job well done

To the Editor:

I was very happy to see your story "Is the crime spree over for RVC?" (Dec. 3-9), on the arrests of the two teens involved in the spree of burglaries. Although I was involved in law enforcement for 28 years, I would think the average citizen can understand the danger of burglars who are willing to go into occupied homes. It is frightening, to say the least. I would like to thank all the police officers, supervisors and detectives of Rockville Centre and Nassau County for a job well done.

On a side note, I was glad when Halloween passed and the crime wave of pumpkin-smashing was over. I wonder if that gentleman is going to write about this arrest and thank the cops. Pumpkin-smashing has been around for 100 years. I couldn’t believe that someone would take the time to write and complain about it. Talk about priorities. The lives of people are No. 1 — pumpkin-smashing is about 12,000.

Harvey Goodhart

Rockville Centre

A warm farewell and a welcome

To the Editor:

It has been an honor to know Police Commissioner Jack McKeon and Detective Sgt. Kevin O'Toole for many years, and now it is time to bid farewell to two fine police administrators and dear friends. I feel it necessary to publicly express my gratitude for their dedication and contribution to the well being of this village. They have continuously served the citizens of Rockville Centre valiantly, and have never failed to satisfy our needs. These men surely fit the definition of "extraordinary," for they have always been attentive to their numerous duties.

On a personal note, Jack and Kevin have helped me through several events in the past, particularly when I was put in a dangerous predicament. When faced with an unfortunate robbery, they didn’t hesitate to respond and give immediate assistance, demonstrating their heroic qualities. So thank you, Jack and Kevin, for all that you have done for so long. I’ll miss you.

I am also pleased to welcome Commissioner McKeon's successor, Lt. Charles Gennario, to his new job. Although he will have greater responsibilities, I am confident that he will be successful in all that he does. Also, congratulations to Glenn Quinn on his promotion to executive officer. I am proud to see Glenn, another longtime friend of mine, achieving a position that is well-deserved.

Finally, I would like to extend my appreciation to all of the other retirees — I wish you the best. The Rockville Centre Police Department comprises a unique group of officers who constantly exhibit their commitment to the citizens of the village. As a resident and business owner, I am happy to be part of a community that is protected by such a strong group of people.

Tony Mostowfi

Concord Jewelers

Rockville Centre

Thanks for remembering

To the Editor:

We would like to extend our deep appreciation to the South Side High School class of 1999. At their recent 10th reunion, the organizers made a point of remembering their classmate Kimberly, our deceased daughter. A collection was taken up and a significant amount of money was donated to Kim’s Corner at the Rockville Centre Public Library in her memory.

Besides our grateful thanks, we want to say how proud we are that the class of 1999 is giving back to the community where they grew up. We know that Kim would have been right there with them if she were still with us.

Peter and Marie Forgach

Rockville Centre