The line has been drawn in the sand. On one side, the Alliance Against the Ferry. On the other, the City of Glen Cove. On Jan. 11, a crowded Sea Cliff Elementary School was the site of a rally sponsored by the Alliance Against the Ferry, a four-week-old group whose mission is to stop the arrival of a high-speed ferry service from Glen Cove to New London, Martha's Vineyard and, perhaps, Manhattan. The Alliance Against the Ferry, (AAF), has brought together north shore residents, environmental activists whose track record includes closing incinerators and stopping supermarkets on Hempstead Harbor's shores, and former political leaders. The AAF has organized into committees-- legal, fund raising, communications, research, data base management, political action and public events---all geared to stop the Glen Cove ferry.

As is customary for rallies, speaker after speaker took the microphone promoting their side of the issue--burying the ferry. While doing so, speaker after speaker praised Glen Cove Mayor Thomas Suozzi and his environmental efforts past, (closing the Glen Cove incinerator as promised), and present, (successfully bringing millions of dollars in grant money to fund the cleanup of Glen Cove's Superfund-riddled and neglected waterfront; blowing up the smokestack at LiTungsten and getting commitments from the EPA to clean up the property; negotiating with several different interests to clean up and purchase the Captain's Cove site; blowing up the abandoned condo shells on Captain's Cove and pushing for the final clean up of Mattiace Petrochemical). The AAF will not accept the ferry proposal which the Mayor has touted as being the answer to funding the cleanup of the Captain's Cove site, (where the ferry terminal will be located), while offering commuters a much-needed transportation service. In addition, the Department of Environmental Conservation, the NYS Department of State, the Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency have all given the ferry their approval.

The AAF, whose members include Sea Cliff Mayor Claudia Moyne and the village board, former Sea Cliff Mayors Norm Parsons and Ted Blackburn, environmental activists Dennis Buckley and Paul Thurmond; Roslyn Harbor planning board member Bruce Somerstein; members of the Hempstead Harbor and Sea Cliff Yacht Clubs, cited the main concerns as being the potential for traffic congestion at several intersections including at Glen Cove Road and Northern Boulevard; at Glen Cove Road and the Baron Nissan car dealership; at Route 107 and at Shore Road by the Swan Club; environmental concerns regarding oil runoff from the ferry service parking lot coupled with noise and light pollution caused by cars at the parking lot; harbor safety issues considering junior sailors and recreational boaters using Hempstead Harbor; and the moral/social issues of gambling and drinking. The AAF membership contends that the community will receive no benefits from the ferry service.

During the rally, many ways to stop the ferry were discussed including taking the matter to court and to the NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation. The AAF contends that the Environmental Impact Statement and the Traffic Study, conducted with Glen Cove as the lead agency, are woefully incomplete. Sea Cliff Mayor Claudia Moyne said it was the wrong plan for a prime piece of real estate on the waterfront and that Sea Cliff was never consulted during Glen Cove's negotiations with Fox Navigation. Mayor Moyne said she didn't believe residents wanted the waterfront to become another Port Jefferson. She issued a challenge to Glen Cove to work together and find a much better project. One Sea Cliff resident who recently moved to the village said everyone with a boat should set sail into the harbor the day of the ferry's arrival and block its entry. Another resident suggested that to stop the ferry, Sea Cliff residents should boycott all the merchants in Glen Cove's downtown shopping district. Other ideas were to interrupt the ferry service when it arrives, and to organize protest marches and motorcades through Glen Cove. Several speakers made statements assuring the audience that the opposition to the ferry was not a vendetta against Tom Suozzi. The same speakers illustrated the importance of making Mayor Suozzi realize that the ferry project could hurt his future political career.

As the rally ended, Mayor Suozzi was spotted sitting in the back of the auditorium. Dennis Buckley invited him up and offered him the opportunity to speak. Mayor Suozzi did speak to the hostile crowd whose numbers stretched into the balcony. The mayor, who wasn't planning to speak and came right after presiding over a city council meeting, invited everyone to Glen Cove City Hall for a meeting on Jan. 19 at 7 p.m. "I appreciate the generous comments about me and congratulations on being well organized. I've heard a lot of erroneous information and would like to have a forum for both sides to debunk the misinformation," said the mayor.

The ferry will be run by Fox Navigation, a business entity of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation as is the Foxwoods Casino and the Pequot River Shipworks, which manufactures high-speed ferries. The agreement between the City of Glen Cove and Fox Navigation is for two years with four, five-year renewal options. Glen Cove will receive $400,000 the first year and in the future would receive a per passenger license fee. In announcing the deal two months ago, Glen Cove Mayor Thomas Suozzi said the agreement accomplishes three major objectives: "it protects the environment; it will generate funding and excitement essential for the city's waterfront revitalization plan and it stops the Glenwood Landing ferry proposal that was met with opposition."