I had hoped that more thoughtful and responsible heads would prevail in the ongoing problem of residency requirements for some appointed officials in Glen Cove. It appears, however, that is not the way it is to be handled.

Rather than play the game according to rules that have been in existence for as long as Glen Cove has had its own local government, the rules will now be altered to permit this administration and future ones as well to play, but to make up the rules as they go along. That is the purpose of the resolution to supersede Section 3 of the New York State Public Officer's Law. Can it be done? Perhaps. Should it be done? Definitely not.

The U.S. Constitution has only 27 amendments in over 225 years; the process of amendment was made particularly difficult to prevent the passions and politics of the moment prevailing over more slowly-evolving wisdom. And while loyalty to one's friends is an admirable quality, that only holds true up to the point where it is in conflict with loyalty to a larger concept: in this case it would be loyalty to the people of Glen Cove, to the Charter as it was written and to the oath of office sworn on Jan. 1.

I take great comfort from living in a democratic republic that has room for more than one opinion; you win some and you lose some. I cannot believe that a banana republic or Middle Eastern sheikdom with its petty and vindictive politics would be an improvement.

In the words of Ann Landers, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Joan Hawkins

Of the many hats I wear, for the purposes of this letter I am sporting the cap with "parent" engraved on its brim.

Last Wednesday, the Glen Cove High School guidance department held its annual "Career Day" event which proved to be quite successful both in student participation and attendance of adults who were eager to speak with the students regarding their vocation. The adults also gave the students numerous tips on the best way to proceed along a particular career path.

Joining me in the high school library for this event were my colleagues in public relations/journalism, attorneys, physicians, dentists, physical therapists, chefs, motivational speakers, politicians, veterinarians, counselors and other dressed-for-success-professionals who gave generously of their time for the benefit of our students.

Several high school teachers came to Career Day wearing the infamous "working without a contract takes the joy out of teaching" T-shirt. In my opinion, this was done in incredibly bad taste whether or not it was Wednesday, the day the Glen Cove Teachers Association (GCTA) has designated as "wear-the-T-shirt" day.

What was the message given to our students on Career Day...or any other Wednesday for that matter? The message is that teaching (pedagogy), an esteemed and essential vocation since the times the ancients imparted knowledge in the agora, is really only about the educator having a contract.

This T-shirt tactic is unprofessional and in poor judgment, as are several other methods being used by members of the GCTA which include non-participation in annual events within each of our school buildings. The contract negotiations have dragged on for a long time now and appear to be stalled. We, the taxpayers who will pay the bill for the contract, aren't privy to the particulars of said negotiations, which isn't fair, really.

It's time for both sides in this matter to respect our students and the taxpayers of Glen Cove and get the teachers' contract signed. In the meantime, I ask that the GCTA use discretion in the manner in which the rank and file exercises their First Amendment rights. Discretion is a lesson learned beginning in kindergarten.

Zefy Christopoulos