Joe Giaimo of Munsey Park, a 24-year resident of Manhasset, has announced his candidacy for election to a three-year term on the Manhasset Park District Board of Commissioners. The special district election will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 14, between 5 and 9 p.m. Manhasset-Lakeville company #1 Firehouse, 35 Bayview Avenue, Manhasset, is the polling place. Mr. Giaimo will oppose incumbent Manhasset Park District Pat Roberts who was appointed to the position in September and is running for a full three-year term.

Mr. Giaimo has been active with the youth of Manhasset through more than 12 years of coaching PAL football, Cow Neck soccer and CYO basketball. He states: "It has become increasingly important to me to protect existing open spaces and to create more playgrounds and ball fields for our children. That's why electing me as Park Commissioner will ensure that priority."

He is an appointed member of the Manhasset Athletic Advisory Committee, an active member of the Manhasset High School Booster Club, and serves on the committee to study athletic field expansions. He is a trustee of the Manhasset Baptist Church where he has volunteered his time and talents for more than 23 years. He is a fixture at the church's Friday night "Boys Brigade" and also served on the church's building committee.

In a press release, Giaimo stated: "I intend to represent the interest of Manhasset residents while still remaining responsible to improving the parking situation. The Park District is in need of a progressive, forward thinking approach to obtaining park land and maximizing the use of current park land through effective and efficient management. Execution of this platform can be done through pro-active ideas that include an adopt-a-park philosophy with corporations that has proven successful in New York State, and forming partnership with Manhasset's business community, using both partners' resources.

"My goals are to acquire space; space for playgrounds so that mothers and fathers with small children can pursue recreational activities, adolescents can exercise their minds and bodies by participating in sports and additional places for our wonderful resource of senior citizens to participate in their activities."

Mr. Giaimo and his wife, Jeanne, reside in Munsey Park with their three children, Nick, 19, Andrew, 16, and Alex, 11. He works in operations management in New York City.

In a surprise move, Brian Kenny has withdrawn from the election for Manhasset-Lakeville Water/Fire Commissioner. The race now pits incumbent Bonnie Lynne Gould against Bernard Rolston. Mr. Kenny said that he had been discouraged by the attitude of members of the Manhasset-Lakeville Fire Department toward him since he announced his candidacy, but intended to pursue it despite that until he attended the Dec. 2 meeting of the department. According to an emotional statement by Mr. Kenny, he attended that meeting intending to present his platform for election. "Before I started speaking," he said, "one of the board-related-children employees shouted out obscenities. As I started to explain my platform, that the maintenance men should be maintenance men/firefighters, another employee came towards me and attempted to do me physical harm...While trying to speak again another older member came up the aisle ready to start the same act again. I thank his son, who seemed to be the only person in control of himself. He held his father back while I left. As I was leaving the firehouse, I was confronted by a member who warned me not to come near his or his mother's house with any campaign literature. He said he would shoot me and any of my campaign people. He said this not just once, but many times, in great anger."

Mr. Kenny said that he feels he would be wasting three years of his life by serving on the board. "My family's lives and my own are more important to me than my concerns for the safety of the residents of the Manhasset-Lakeville Fire District. It's just not worth it," he concluded.

MLW/FD Commissioner Brian Jennings stated on Tuesday of this week that the district had received Mr. Kenny's written instruction to remove him from the ballot. The district was able to remove his name in time for the voting machines to be prepared for the election.