From the Desk of Legislator Dave Mejias: May 29, 2009

Prom Night Tips

Nassau County Legislator Dave Mejias (D-Farmingdale) reminds parents that there is a great deal they can do to keep their teenagers safe on Prom Night and ensure that it is a positive experience.
“Parents can help to ensure that Prom Night is a great experience for their children,” Legislator Mejias said. “It requires some forethought on their part, a commitment to discussions prior to the event with their children, and knowledge of who they plan to spend the evening with, and where, if anywhere, that they plan to go after prom. Knowledge is power when applied for parents, and informed parents can help keep teenagers safe on what should be one of the best nights of their young lives.“

From the Desk of Legislator Dave Mejias: May 22, 2009

History of Memorial Day

Originally designated as Decoration Day, Memorial Day is a day of remembrance for those who have died in service to our great nation. There are varying stories in American lore of exactly how the holiday began. Over two dozen cities and towns around America claim to be the original birthplace of Memorial Day. There is even some evidence that the ritual of decorating the graves of fallen soldiers began with women’s groups of the Confederate south during the Civil War. New Yorkers will be proud to learn that the debate was settled in May of 1966 when then-President Lyndon Johnson declared the birthplace of Memorial Day as Waterloo, NY. Most historians agree that the holiday began in many separate places largely during the American Civil War when communities planned and organized dates to honor the fallen soldiers by decorating their graves.

Letter: Purpose of the Tea Party Meeting

When after time and human events, a government charged with the responsibility of serving the governed, transforms itself to a government that serves itself, at the expense of its citizens, then it shall force its citizens to begin the process of questioning the evolution of that government.

This process started on April 15 with the tea party demonstrations all over America. These demonstrations showed to the world that the governed do not like the change that has taken place. For the first time since Ronald Reagan, the silent majority is speaking, and the change that will take place will not be comfortable for the people who have ignored them for the past generation.

Letter: Help Students Win Driver Safety Prize

We are asking local residents to help Massapequa High School students win $10,000 from the Allstate Foundation for teen driver safety education. Go to www.actoutloud.org, click on Massapequa to vote for the students. Massapequa High School is one of 20 high schools in the nation-the only one in New York State-as a finalist for this prize.

A group of Massapequa High School students worked to enlist as many students as possible to think deeply about driving safety. There were many teachers involved and many students involved but mostly this is a student-led project that has grown long legs.

Beginning with Awareness Week in March, students have attended assemblies and discussed safe driving in many classes including drivers' education. A group of students in our Academy submitted their ideas about promoting driving safety to Act Out Loud and now Massapequa High School (MHS) is one of 20 high schools in the nation (the only one in New York State) to be competing for a $10,000 award for MHS teen driving safety. Our Academy Program encourages students to take real-world problems and use the knowledge and skills learned in school to find solutions.

The students' idea is to enlist as many students as possible to contribute to this project. We are at 160 and climbing right now. Many student projects have been posted on www.actoutloud.org (click on Massapequa) and more projects are coming in on a daily basis. Students are really excited about contributing to this cause as driving is something all teenagers look forward to.

We plan to continue activities throughout the spring as May, June and July are the months with the most teenage driving accidents. In addition to the website, we are creating a window display at the Sunrise Mall and launching a social networking campaign to ask everyone (not just students) to vote for Massapequa from May 11-22. The school with the most votes wins.

MHS students are interested in using this award to purchase a drunk driving simulator which would be used year after year to educate students to how easily accidents can happen and be prevented by making the decision not to drink and drive. Students are also extremely interested in spreading the word that driving distractions - cell phones, texting, putting on makeup, having too many passengers, are large causes of accidents that are easily preventable as well. Our school is committed to continuing this promotion from year to year to help teenagers everywhere with student-created projects featured on a website. We have found that student excitement has increased as they see their work published on the Internet.

We hope you can support us in our effort by helping spread the word for everyone to vote daily for Massapequa on May 11-22. Please feel free to contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or our advisor Mrs. Susan Thompson at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 308-5975 for more information.

Although we are in Nassau County, we hope all of New York State will vote for us. Please help us spread the word.

County Executive's Column: May 15, 2009

‘Grown on Long Island’ Campaign

Last month, I joined Senator Kirsten Gillibrand at Martin Viette Nurseries in East Norwich to kick off the “Grown on Long Island” campaign to promote the purchase of locally grown produce and horticulture items. Long Island is home to plenty of farmer’s markets, garden centers, farm stands, and wineries, giving all of us easy access to fresh local fruits, vegetables, jellies, juices, homemade baked foods, wines, and beautiful flowers, plants and other garden items.