Village of Mineola Trustee Maryanne Warnecke has been on the board since 1991, serving more consecutive terms than any of her fellow trustees or the mayor. As a member of the Village Party, she is running with fellow Trustee Warren Brinker for re-election. They are a team and when speaking of her campaign, Warnecke uses the pronoun "we."

However, it is possible that on March 21, one of them will be returned to office while the other will be replaced by Hometown Party candidate Linda Fairgrieve. Warnecke, of course, is as confident as a five-time incumbent should be.

She is eager to follow through with projects begun during her tenure, including the ongoing construction of the new village library and firehouse, and the newly appointed master plan committee. "I'd like to see those projects completed and just maintain what we've done."

Throughout, Warnecke said she has been getting the thumbs-up from residents.

"Most of the feedback we're getting is positive," Warnecke said. "People are saying, 'Why is anyone running against you? The village has never been running better.'"

It probably depends on who you ask. Even while creditors and financial analysts say the village maintains a strong economic footing and residents have seen more new services in the past two years without a significant tax increase, there are dissenters. Fairgrieve's supporters say they worry about the tax increase they haven't yet seen, which some suspect will inevitably come as a result of village borrowing and spending. As well, a group of about 50 residents have started the fledgling Mineola Civic Association to keep tabs on village issues (see story this page). Warnecke said she always expects some residents will find fault.

"Local elections are different than the kind you see on TV. You're with your neighbors and your friends," Warnecke said. "It can also be difficult because you obviously can't please everybody. Certain people may not be happy with some of our decisions."

With regard to the Mineola Civic Association ¬ which claims it is non-partisan ¬ Warnecke said, "We welcome any group in the village that is able to offer any constructive criticisms."

Warnecke has a lot in common with Fairgrieve. Both were raised in Mineola and have stayed to raise their families here. Both have juggled a full schedule of family and career, and have also found time to be active with community projects they find valuable. Warnecke is a nurse and has been president of the Corpus Christi parents club, active in the church and as a Girl Scout leader.

"I have always been very community-minded," Warnecke said. "I just always believed you need to give back to the community."

Fairgrieve, an insurance claims examiner, has a resume full of community work as well. She was also a Girl Scout leader, and also has worked with such groups as the Welcome Wagon/Friends and Neighbors Club, the Jackson Avenue PTA, and the Mineola Historical Society.

According to Warnecke, the difference between her and Fairgrieve is a concrete record as a public official. She takes Fairgrieve to task for her assertions that Mineola has debt (an argument Fairgrieve based on the large amount of borrowing the village has done in the past few years), and also backs her fellow incumbent.

"We are in excellent, excellent financial standing," Warnecke said. "Warren Brinker is a financial wizard. He can do wonders with the budget. I don't want people to be misled, especially with what's going on with the county's financial situation."

Warnecke, like Brinker, said Fairgrieve railing against too much borrowing is absurd, given the low interest rates the village is offered. She pointed to the new community pool as an example. Village residents approved the pool in a bond issue.

"The pool is going to be in use for more than 50 years," Warnecke said. "Why would you want to pay for it outright? Because we have such a great financial rating, we could borrow at a very low rate. What would she do? Would she not do these projects, or would she raise taxes?"

Fairgrieve was specifically zeroing in on borrowing the village has done without the benefit of public referendum, for projects like the new hockey rink, baseball fields sewer work, and for snow removal. She said certain things should not be bonded for, and that the village has taken too many liberties. She said good times can quickly turn bad if the village doesn't plan for the future.

"They're saying there's a surplus, I'm saying there's debt," Fairgrieve said. "As a homeowner, if I have $50,000 on my credit card and $10,000 in my bank account, regardless of logistics, I think I am in debt. It's common sense. That's how we manage our homes. I think they're making you think you have to be a rocket scientist to understand all this. It's an insult to me and everyone who has ever run a household."

Fairgrieve said residents have also been left out of the loop by the current board, saying those who don't read the legal notices in the newspaper never hear about the bonding projects being passed without public referendum.

"It's not so easy to get the information we need," she said. "Maybe the residents shouldn't have to request it. What's out there might not be wrong information, but it's not clear as it should be. I think the village newsletter should definitely be different. It should be more informative. Fewer pictures and more figures."

Warnecke, who serves as board liaison to the sanitation department, Winthrop-University Hospital, the water department and taxi commission, said the village does not take on large projects without including residents' opinions.

""Some of the smaller projects we have bonded for, we believe they are in everybody's interest ¬ it helps property values," Warnecke said. "That's why we were elected. We really want to hear from the people, and we would not take it upon ourselves to do any major project without the residents' OK."

Fairgrieve said that is not true, pointing to the new fire house being built on Washington Ave. which was bonded for and not approved by the public.

That the 4-1 Village Party majority on the current board may be inherently unhealthy has been made an issue by Fairgrieve's campaign. Sole Hometown Party representative, Trustee Elizabeth Conlon, is outnumbered and not being given a fair shake, Fairgrieve's supporters say. However, Warnecke and Brinker say the current board works well together.

"I just find it somewhat amusing because if anyone looks at the minutes, Trustee Conlon has voted with the majority close to 100 percent of the time," Warnecke said. "If someone hasn't voted with the majority, it's usually one of us. This is not a Republican-versus-Democrat race. We weren't forced upon anyone. If people didn't want us here, we could be voted out."

Fairgrieve, who notes that Conlon voted against last year's budget, hopes enough people make that choice on March 21. She also said public votes don't necessarily mean Conlon is not dissenting.

"When they vote for things, often they initially discuss it and if she's not happy with what's there, they can make a compromise," Fairgrieve said. "Sometimes her disagreements strike a note with them, but sometimes they don't. I always think there is strength in numbers and if I were there, I'd be another voice that could lead to more discourse on any particular issue."