Last week's Great Neck Village Officials Association meeting proved to be a powerful two hours chock full of valuable information regarding the state budget, Great Neck's public schools and emergency management efforts on the peninsula. New York State Assemblyman Tom Di Napoli spent close to an hour briefing Great Neck's local officials on state issues, mainly focusing on the budget process and his proposed budget reforms. The Great Neck Public Schools brand new Superintendent Ronald Friedman offered a bright, upbeat vision for the future of the school district. At the end of the evening, in a discussion that will flow over into next month's meeting, GNVOA President Robert Bernstein, the mayor of Lake Success, and local firefighter/emergency management officials addressed the ongoing emergency/disaster plans for the community.

"It's been a difficult year in Albany, with contentious issues," Assemblyman Di Napoli told the group of fellow officials. The budget, he said, has been a real "gridlock," a very "partisan" issue, and he went on to discuss the "challenge" of the court regarding the CFE on school funding. "It's been a stumbling block," Mr. Di Napoli said, adding the desire is to resolve this issue "so that everyone feels that it is equitable."

He went on to explain that the problem concerns the fact that there are other school districts, in addition to New York City, and other students, also in need of help, "not just in New York City." As yet, there is no agreement as to how to distribute the funds. This issue has further magnified the issue of distributing school aid.

Mr. Di Napoli explained that the budget, as it stands now, is difficult to change, as the governor has most of the power and "it is very much what the governor wants." However, the legislature has worked out a proposed budget, but there are major sticking points, namely education (advance education such as community colleges) and library funds. Mr. Di Napoli reported that there is much talk about a possible override of the governor's veto, a partisan effort, which failed the first time by the loss of just a few Democrat votes when three Democrats did not show ("the Pataki flu").

"The battle isn't over," Mr. Di Napoli said, stating that this was "just a temporary victory for the governor," and the budget will be brought up again at the end of the year. Then Senate, too, must over-ride the veto. Both the Senate and the Assembly will be back in Albany on Nov. 18.

Continuing, Mr. Di Napoli noted that "the budget process is long overdue for reform." Even though "money still flows if a budget is not reached," Mr. Di Napoli and his colleagues have worked to come up with a procedure, a budget reform package, that would make the budget process work, creating "a huge new day." One change would be the date; changing from April 1 (when revenue is not even known until April 15) to "the more realistic" May 1. Additionally, it is also proposed to start the budget process earlier, by Nov. 15, and to have the governor submit the budget a week earlier in the process. A two-year state aid appropriation would help school districts plan better and the entire process would be helped by the proposed independent budget office, non-partisan, staffed by professionals.

The reform would also include a mechanism for a contingency budget, with continued fundings, so municipalities would be able to plan in advance. Mr. Di Napoli said that the hope is that this budget reform package could be in place by 2006. It has already passed the Assembly and the Senate, but has yet to be sent to the governor. Mr. Di Napoli said that there is concern that the governor might veto the package, as it does change the role of the governor in the budget process and gives the legislature "a more effective role." In order for this to become law in 2006, the proposal would have to be on the ballot November 2005.

Reiterating the need for budget reform, Tom Di Napoli emphasized that while "so much of the dysfunction of Albany is because of the budget," the state legislators work together more effectively than might be perceived. "More often than not the relationships are more like mine and Mike Balboni's ... we want to get the business at hand done," he told the group. (Assemblyman Di Napoli and Senator Balboni are good friends and it is widely recognized that the two work well together for the betterment of the community.)

Even with the budget woes, though, Mr. Di Napoli did report some successes, namely the bio-terrorism bills, "thanks to Senator Mike Balboni," and much of his own work (as chair of the Assembly's environmental conservation committee for the past two-and-a-half years) on behalf of the environment. Environmental efforts include expanding the "bottle law" to cover the ubiquitous water bottles currently not refundable and requiring some money from "returnables" that are not reclaimed to come back to the people and not just to the corporations.

Mr. Di Napoli also spent some time discussing "smart growth" and the need for workforce housing that would help young people remain on Long Island.

Speaking of his love for the job ("I do this full-time"), Mr. Di Napoli said it is a "privilege to serve, with honesty and with integrity." And while he whole-heartedly supports "appropriate criticism," he stressed that most of the legislators are "most willing to be held to a high standard." He asked his constituents to just "look at the record."

Dr. Friedman addressed the GNVOA for the first time as superintendent of schools, delighted that his introduction to the community has been "tremendous, so warm and welcoming." Dr. Friedman was selected for the position quite some months before he took over on Aug. 1 and he praised his transitional period, with so much help from now retired superintendent, Bill Shine, and the board of education. And now, just barely two months into the job, he is feeling "so comfortable, as if I have been here for a couple of years."

Dr. Friedman began his presentation by telling the local officials that he feels he must look to the picture "five to 10 years from now." The past two months he has been "walking around ... meeting everyone and getting as much background as possible." For the new superintendent, the way to learn is by actually going into the schools. And what he has learned is just what Dr. Shine had told him --- "Great Neck really represents the best of what you can do in educating youngsters, the best of what you can do in terms of public education."

Now, Dr. Friedman asks, "Where do we go with that?" He reported that "the numbers look good," but he is interested in more than just test scores; for Dr. Friedman it is most important, too, to have "happy, healthy, productive" youngsters "with good values." He spoke of the importance of "how a child feels about himself" and just what can the schools do "to produce that whole child."

When he addressed the school district's teachers at the start of this school year, Dr. Friedman told the GNVOA that he had spoken about the schools, the family, the community, all working together to help the children to grow. "It's a shared vision," he said, and his goal is to bring the "embryo" of that concept to see where the schools will go in the future.

Dr. Friedman then spoke of the challenges the school district will face, including the great diversity within the district (which touches on abilities and needs) and what more can be done for the children to expand the opportunities for the most capable students, for those with special needs (such as those on the autism spectrum) and for "the kids in the middle, who, with a little more time and a little more help, just might achieve more than anyone ever thought.

Unfortunately, though, as Dr. Friedman reported, "we must now do more and more with less and less." Even as state mandates increase, funding decreases. "The new challenge is to do more with fewer dollars," he said.

And as for new challenges, there are also new safety and security challenges. Dr. Friedman spoke of not just providing an "illusion" of safer schools, but actually making the schools safer and more secure without resorting to prison-like conditions.

When Dr. Friedman finished, Mayor Bernstein broached the possibility of students coming to GNVOA meetings to learn about local government. Dr. Friedman was most receptive.

As the GNVOA furthers emergency management plans for the peninsula, Mayor Bernstein reported that all nine villages now have the 800-megahertz radio, and, along with CERT training and local disaster plans, he said "we're 10 steps ahead of any other area in the U.S." And Mayor Bernstein added, "If we don't take care of ourselves, no one is going to take care us."

Mayor Bernstein said that a command center has been set up in Great Neck Plaza.

Two representatives from the Nassau County Eighth Battalion (fire companies), both local firefighters and ex-chiefs, began emergency management discussions, discussions that will be continued at next month's meeting. First, Vigilant Ex-Chief Andrew De Martin spoke, explaining that, on a state level, there is "very good" emergency management, but that for Nassau County, the emergency management office's command center needs repair. As for the local fire departments, Mr. De Martin said that they have "very good assets" and he added that the Great Neck peninsula, as a whole, "has many assets."

Fellow Vigilant Ex-Chief Robert Lincoln explained that Nassau County has 71 fire departments, within nine battalions, all coordinated by the Nassau County Fire Commission. He said that there are a number of different disaster plans and that what is now needed is a "table top plan" with everyone in the community involved, identifying problems, discussing responses and how to mobilize. "We need to get the information out," he said.

Mr. Lincoln also said that the emergency operations center needs further discussion. "We have a lot of resources," he said, but work needs to be continued.

Mr. Lincoln will continue his presentation at the October GNVOA meeting.