On Tuesday, March 20, villages throughout New York will exercise their right to choose their elected public officials for their own communities. The voters in our community, who shocked the political establishment with our level of participation in the closely watched special election for our state senator in February, must once again show the cynics that our citizens care and will not leave it others to vote for our elected representatives.

In Floral Park, thousands of concerned citizens recently went to our local polls in freezing weather to fulfill their civic duty and have their voices heard loud and clear in our state senatorial election. Floral Park proudly achieved among the highest voter turnouts in that special election, but Floral Park's voter participation must not be dismissed as some fluke or a one-time event.

In fact, we are having our own very special election on March 20 because four of our six elected public offices will be chosen by all the people of Floral Park. In particular, the public offices of mayor and two of our four trustees will be chosen. Especially unique is the opportunity to elect our village justice to a four-year term, while all our other elected public officials serve terms of only two years.

It is no exaggeration to say this could be among the most important elections in the civic life of Floral Park, given the looming storm on the horizon of the MTA-LIRR finally releasing its Third Track draft environmental impact statement report within the coming months. Floral

Park's eagerly anticipated centennial will also be guided by these elected public servants, who will be leading this celebration on top of an already full plate of difficult challenges.

Mayor Phil Guarnieri, Village Justice Douglas J. Hayden, as well as trustee candidates Kevin Greene and Mary-Grace Tomecki, have joined together to offer their neighbors yet another full slate of four qualified candidates on behalf of the Citizens' Party. Since 1928, the Citizens' Party has proved it can be depended upon by all their neighbors to offer a full slate of such well-qualified candidates, which the Citizens' Party has consistently delivered no matter what the difficulties or challenges of the times. The history of Floral Park is littered with long-forgotten political groups that have come and gone, while the Citizens' Party has fulfilled its promise to be friends of good government in Floral Park since 1928.

Over the past two years, as a result of the Third Track megaproject, Floral Park has proved it can be a shining example of active civic participation and we must continue our leadership role at the polls on March 20. Mayor Guarnieri and his team need and deserve a strong vote of confidence from their Floral Park neighbors. Do not let the cynics and naysayers try to suggest that exercising your right to vote on March 20 is not important or needed, when the very future of Floral Park is at stake. The best way to show the cynics and naysayers that the citizens of Floral Park care about their local government is to provide Mayor Guarnieri and his slate an overwhelming mandate on election day Tuesday, March 20, between noon and 9 p.m.

Dennis McEnery

Citizens' Party of Floral Park chair