Several weeks ago, I addressed the city council amid a virtual din of noise. Everyone was very excited at the "Waterfront Project," whether pro or con.

The purpose for standing up and speaking at the council meeting was to tell the audience that when I moved to Glen Cove nine years ago, I looked forward to living in a city with a bright future, a place to be proud of.

Mayor Tom Suozzi and Mayor Mary Ann Holzkamp put a plan in effect to reinvigorate the city and get its financial house in order. That long range plan included closing down the incinerator, cleaning up the waterfront's LiTungsten's federal Superfund site and putting the remediated lands on the tax rolls for the benefit of all Glen Cove citizens. This was not just because it was a health concern for the residents of Glen Cove, but for Glen Cove's long-term economic well-being.

For almost a decade, work has been under way to clean up and plan for the redevelopment of a city in financial distress. I have watched with great anticipation!

What has happened to that verve and excitement?

Suddenly, we find ourselves caught up in endless debates about whether we should develop this at all.

Wow - what a mess!

In that charged backdrop, I implore the mayor and city council to sit down and begin a process of discussion and meetings with the city's own chosen developer group, Glen Isle. The mayor and the members of the city council, as reported in the press, stated that they would begin those types of constructive meetings. Unfortunately, our elected officials have not yet met with their chosen developers.

It has been reported that Glen Isle has filed its Draft Environmental Impact Statement for its proposed vision of the redevelopment with the city.

I also found out that the city has engaged a new firm to develop a new Master Plan for a cost reportedly between $250,000 to $300,000 and thereby delay discussions even more.

Besides the dollars that we cannot afford - what happened to the debate?

We have elected a new mayor - Mayor Ralph Suozzi to represent us.

It is time we, the residents of Glen Cove, stand up and ask the city and our Mayor Suozzi to release to the public the study already in play and vet that proposal.

In all due respect, we have worked on this plan for almost 10 years - isn't it time to sit down and decide whether it's good or bad?

Come to the Nov. 28 and 29 [meeting and] workshop at city hall, stand up, and let the process of proper review of the waterfront begin with the Draft Environmental Impact Statement now.

Stanley E. Levine