More than 35 residents have already joined. Some are former village trustees, some former members of the 1997 Business Planning Coalition, others are former directors and officers of the various Property Owners Associations (POAs) and some even former mayors.

Despite their background, this group has come together with one mission: better the village in which they live and raise awareness about serious issues now facing Garden City. Resident Robert Rothschild invited fellow residents to join his crusade, dubbed A Coalition for a Better Garden City, this past April.

"The purpose of the coalition is to raise the awareness of village residents regarding the crucial planning issues that presently face our village, which if remain unresolved, will negatively impact the village commercial tax base, resulting in higher village and school taxes for residential property owners," Rothschild said.

"Currently, these issues include the revitalization of Franklin Avenue, the renovation of village hall, the future of St. Paul's and the proposed sale of the county's buildings in the village. The coalition will demand responsible and ethical leadership and will urge the trustees to uphold the village's tradition of sound planning and due process, which brings us to the long overdue resolution of the 'parking issue.'"

-Carisa Keane