Your front page story in the Oct. 2 issue of the Observer, concerning Mr. Frank Nocerino, seems almost like a paid political advertisement rather than a news story. In all fairness to your readers, I think that there are some additional facts that should be brought to their attention.

I do not question Mr. Nocerino's dedication to the job or his abilities as a firefighter but I do have some doubts about his management abilities as the Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the North Massapequa Fire District. Your article states that he has held that position for the past 15 years. Under his leadership during that time, we have seen our property taxes rise to the point where the tax rate for the North Massapequa Fire District is now the sixth highest out of the 71 fire/fire protection districts in Nassau County. Out of 21 separate items on my County/Town tax bill, the Fire District had the second highest rate, exceeded only by the tax for the County Police. Where will this end?

Your article also mentions that Mr. Nocerino is Chairman of the Republic Airport Commission. This would seem to involve a possible conflict of interest, since he is already employed by the Town of Oyster Bay. On at least one occasion, the previous town supervisor threatened to go to court concerning some actions of Mr. Nocerino and the Airport Commission that he felt were not in the best interests of the Town residents. Accordingly, I wonder, where does Mr. Nocerino's allegiance lay?