A little over two weeks ago, a Republican appointed official, someone with a fiduciary responsibility to the town board, admitted stealing my computer disk and disseminating information to fellow Republicans without my knowledge or consent. While this event, 30 years after the Watergate break-in, is certainly shocking, what I find even more shocking is the response of other members of the Republican Party.

Republican officials have told me that the motive behind the theft was a need to score "brownie points" with the higher ups. This leads me to wonder what kind of organization the Oyster Bay Republicans and their elected officials are running that stealing information, stealing signs during election season and who knows what other illegal activities and unethical escapades are not only sanctioned but rewarded. This theft could only have occurred in an environment that prizes power at all costs, by any and all means possible.

We have seen over and over again throughout history how this type of mentality is doomed to fail. We saw this most recently with Enron and Tyco, where the corporate culture, much like the Oyster Bay Republican Party, motivated executives to act for their own personal gain, not the best interests of employees and shareholders. And of course, let's not forget Nassau County, where decades of greed and corruption by the Republican Party brought our County to fiscal ruin.

Law enforcement authorities from different agencies are currently investigating to determine whether criminal charges are warranted in this matter, with a decision likely in the next few weeks. In the meantime, it is time for the Republican Party to re-examine and redefine their mission and to develop leaders who accept the challenge of serving the people instead of the party.

Bonnie A. Eisler,

Oyster Bay Town Councilwoman