It's very tough to run a village, to run it well! And here in Great Neck we have nine villages, with nine mayors, nine boards of trustees, nine village staffs. And they all work extremely hard.

While the village staffs most certainly are paid employees, the mayors and trustees are largely volunteers, possibly receiving a small stipend or receiving absolutely no compensation at all. Only in the case of the Village of Great Neck Plaza is the mayor paid an actual salary---and that is because he is the only full-time mayor on this peninsula.

These local officials do their jobs on a volunteer basis, really interested in the welfare of their fellow residents and really interested in the quality of life in Great Neck. And, as we have said, their jobs are not easy jobs.

If our mayors and trustees (indeed all local officials---park, schools, etc.) did not volunteer to take on all of this work, where would we be? What would life be like in Great Neck?

We owe our local officials a lot, and they do ask for so little in return. Some of us do volunteer to run for office and many others happily accept appointments to various village boards and committees. But that is just some of us. There is, however, something that all of us can do. We can all vote to show our support for all of the good work that our local officials do on our behalf.

We urge the residents of the Villages of Great Neck, Kings Point, and Lake Success to vote at their village elections next Tuesday, June 16. (See page one story in this issue for election details.)

Yes, all of these elections are uncontested, but all of the candidates still deserve all of our support!

Don't wait until there is a hotly contested election to show up at your local polls. Vote each and every year to tell your local officials that you appreciate the work they are doing for you.

Vote on June 16!

(And for the residents of the villages of Great Neck Estates, Great Neck Plaza, Kensington, Russell Gardens, Saddle Rock, and Thomaston, don't forget your annual March elections.)

Remember, a vote for a local official is a vote for your quality of life.

Wendy K. Kreitzman