When I learned I was being challenged for my position as a village trustee I was concerned that this is an attempt to eliminate further examination of the proposal to construct a library in St. Paul's. As we have seen from my opponent's campaign ads and mailings, this is certainly an attempt to silence my questions. But it's also an attempt to discredit and intimidate anyone who has any doubts about the current proposal to construct a library at St. Paul's.

St. Paul's must be preserved. The current library proposal, however, is a poorly conceived and expensive nightmare we would all have to endure for many nights and days to come.

It's one thing for neighbors to disagree about a solution for this complex problem. But my challenger, George Pappas, and his supporters have stooped to new lows in trying to discredit me and distort my record on the issue.

Mr. Pappas has tried to characterize me as someone who favors development of a massive, "high-density, high-rise apartment complex" on the St. Paul's property. Nothing even remotely related has ever even been considered by the board of trustees, let alone advocated by me or anyone else. The idea that I would favor such an absurdity, or anything even approaching it, is absolutely false.

Although I haven't seen the particulars, I understand several expensive ads have been placed in today's newspaper that similarly misstate and misrepresent my position and the library proposal. Among other things, Mr. Pappas tells us that the library would cost each of us only $12 net per month. I get it! We get to take a write-off on our income taxes of those new, higher property taxes. Clever, but another example of George not being straight with the residents. If the library proposal is adopted, we'll all pay much more in real dollars than $12 a month. The unfortunate truth is that insufficient work has been done to determine what the eventual costs will be. But George and his friends want all of us to join them in this costly gamble.

The St. Paul's issue has become terribly divisive for our community. I've said many times, in public and in print that we need to seek a compromise that most in the village can accept. The library proponents, however, resist all attempts to even look for a better way. They don't seem to care that our taxes are high already, and continuing to grow. They may have unlimited bank accounts but the rest of us can't afford to support a construction project thrown together on a piecemeal basis, and where the true costs, scope and implications have never been clearly defined.

Mr. Pappas has fabricated so many things about my record and position, and even about the library proposal, there isn't the time to refute them all before the run-off election. Of course, that's what he's counting on.

What he may not appreciate is that many of you already know me and my record as someone who has faithfully represented your interests in the community over several years. I have spent nearly 15 years in volunteer community service to Garden City. Many of you will recall me as someone who spoke out about the poor planning and excesses of the initial school construction proposal. After that bond was defeated, I got busy as a member of the Ad Hoc Committee to help plan and implement a better, less expensive, program. That program is now nearing completion at a cost that is $12 million less than the original proposal. That is an example of one of the good things that can happen when our residents work together.

Many of you know that I have also spent over two decades involved in planning and implementing major construction projects. It's that experience that leads me to shake my head and raise questions about this library proposal each time its proponents tell us it's so grand. If it's so grand, why do they work so hard to keep the public from knowing all the facts?

As your representative on the board of trustees, I will continue to ask the hard questions that need to be asked to represent the Estates and all residents of Garden City, rather than a select few. If you live in the Estates, please turn out at the high school Feb. 3 and vote to retain me as your trustee.

John Mauk

Garden City village trustee