I would like to thank the nearly 1,500 people who came out and voted for me for trustee in the recent village election.

I would also like to thank the hundreds of Mineola residents who contributed money to the Hometown Party, delivered literature, held coffee klatches, made phone calls, or in any other way helped out on the campaign. I am forever grateful for your assistance and for placing your confidence in me as a candidate of the Hometown Party.

Congratulations to Village Trustee John O'Shea and Trustees Warnecke and Brinker on their re-election. I wish them luck in their new terms of office.

Although I lost the election, I believe that the closeness of the race (only 63 votes) sends a clear message to the Village Party board members that many Mineola residents are not happy with some of their policies.

I ran for trustee to try to bring more balance to the village board. Trustee Conlon, the lone Hometown Party trustee on the board, had been left out of meetings, not informed about important issues and forced to vote on items where she had little or no backup material. It is my hope that the rest of the board will see this election as a clear sign that this must end and that they must work together and be inclusive.

Additionally, I believe that the closeness of this election sends a message that many residents are not happy with the high level of debt the village has incurred. During the campaign, I made it clear to voters that I agreed that bonding for capital projects such as the pool and community center was an acceptable practice. The problem for our village is that we have taken on that debt during the same time the board has bonded for operating expenses and commercial property tax refunds. It is my hope that this election educated more people about this issue and that the village board will begin to put more general fund revenues aside for tax certioraris and operating expenses, rather than bonding for them in the future.

Finally, I have no plans to go away. I love Mineola and will continue to actively participate at village meetings and in the many community organizations in which I am involved. Although a loss like this one is discouraging, the fact that 1,500 people came out to support my candidacy is enough to encourage me for the future.