I am not a resident of the Village of Farmingdale. I have, however, lived in the Farmingdale School District for 40 years, 28 of which were spent working in the village as a children's librarian at the Main Street Public Library and, most recently, as a school library media specialist at Northside School. I, therefore, feel qualified to speak my mind about the recent dismissal of Trustee Marialyce Denauski and Deputy Mayor Ben Giminaro. During my years at Northside, I had the pleasure of teaching many hundreds of students, including the sons and daughters of Ms. Denauski, Mr. Langon and Mr. Rachiele. I also have met the parents of my students, including Ms. Denauski, a woman who, besides nurturing the education of her children, found the time to play a significant role in civic affairs. For years, I followed her participation in community activities through the Farmingdale Observer and admired the scope of the responsibilities she chose to undertake.

I was introduced to Ben Giminaro several years ago by village historian William Johnston at a meeting of the Farmingdale Bethpage Historical Society. As president of the society, Ben asked me to volunteer my services to coordinate the newly-constructed display cases now located in the gallery of the Farmingdale Public Library. In just a few short months, I realized that Benjamin Giminaro is a walking community directory. As a longtime resident, member of the Historical Society, deputy mayor, and former doctor in Farmingdale, he has an incredible working knowledge of the Úquot;who, what, where, whenÚquot; and usually Úquot;whyÚquot; of the village and outlying areas. Ben is always busy, but never too busy to help. His productive efforts to assist me in collecting items for exhibition are invaluable. How anyone could assess his work as Úquot;adequateÚquot; is beyond me.

I do not know nor have I ever met Mayor Graf. I only know what I have read in Newsday and the Observer, much of which is sent in as press releases. As such, I cannot question his credentials or his character. However, I can question his judgment in (1) removing from office two village officials whose elected terms have not yet expired and (2) implying that their competence in these elected positions was inadequate when he has had so little time in his own office to assess their performances. How convenient that the two men he appointed to fill their positions were within such easy reach.

We Americans are so intent, and rightly so, on the political events and ramifications here and abroad that we often fail to see the importance of our own local town affairs. Perhaps our village residents should take a closer look at what's happening in their own backyards.

JoAnn Krapp