Petitions to run for the two trustee positions and the position of village court justice are in. The 2002 Village of Mineola election will see three candidates - current trustee Linda Fairgrieve, Kevin Reilly and Jack Martins - vie for two trustee positions, the one currently held by Fairgrieve and the one held by trustee Maryanne Warnecke, who decided not to run for re-election.

After last year, when Mayor John P. Colbert, Deputy Mayor Lou Santosus and Trustee Elizabeth Conlon ran unopposed, residents will now have to make a decision this year on two of the candidates that make up the five-person board.

Coming into this election, there are some issues that figure to be prominent in the village's future and will, therefore, be issues in the election. Among some of the issues that figure to be of concern to residents are as follows:

With Nassau County taxes on the rise and the overall health of the nation's economy not at peak performance, many residents may be concerned with tax rates in their municipalities. The Village of Mineola's 2001-2002 fiscal year budget saw an 8.6 percent increase in the General Fund. The village board attributed the increase to the increases in the cost of living and employee benefits as well as a decline in assessed valuation. However, the single greatest impact on the 2001-2002 fiscal year budget was the lost revenue due to a declining assessment base and the refunds of past taxes which the village must pay as a result of tax certiorari claims by taxpayers.

In her speech in accepting the Hometown Party nomination, trustee Fairgrieve said the village had increased the line item in the budget for tax certiorari claims from $240,000 to $400,000. However, the village is still bonding to pay the claims.

The challenge for the board of trustees over the year is to make a concerted effort to establish a tax rate residents can afford while also maintaining the services residents have grown accustomed to receiving.

Some residents have also been concerned with the amount of bonding that has been done by the village board. This was an issue in the 2000 election when Fairgrieve, Warnecke and Warren Brinker ran for two seats, which were captured by Fairgrieve and Warnecke.

Three years ago, residents approved a $3.994 million bond referendum to renovate and expand the Mineola Memorial Library. However, this past September, the village board approved the expenditure of another $677,000 to complete the project.

Also, in January 2000, the village board approved the expenditure of $1.716 million to improve and renovate the Mineola Fire House on Washington Avenue and other municipal buildings around the village. This past August, though, the village board issued additional serial bonds in the amount of $567,000 to complete the project.

In November 1999, the village issued a serial bond in the amount of $1.7 million for the improvement of drinking water well #7. This past August, the village issued an additional $350,000 for the improvement of drinking water wells 1, 5, and 7.

In the 2000-2001 fiscal year budget, General Fund appropriations amounted to $525,719 in serial bonds with an additional $567,668 in serial bond interest. In addition, there was $301,000 in appropriations for payment on the principal of bond anticipation notes with $165,068 in interest on the bond anticipation notes.

In the 2001-2002 fiscal year budget, it was estimated that $506,338 would be spent out of the General Fund for serial bonds with $473,477 in interest on serial bonds. It was also estimated that the village would spend in fiscal year 2001-2002 $477,000 on the principal of bond anticipation notes with $146,609 to be spent on the interest of bond anticipation notes.

Proponents of bonding feel that it is the most fiscally responsible way to complete projects that are necessary to the infrastructure of the village. However, there is some concern that, because the village is bonding for tax certiorari claims, any additional bonding puts a strain on the taxpayers.

Cellular phone companies submitted applications to the village to erect antennas on existing structures to close gaps in service. The village board was prohibited from denying the applications based on health and safety concerns since the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has jurisdiction over those matters. However, the village board did deny two applications based on the proximity of the proposed locations to residential areas while also approving two applications. The most difficult task for the village board is to listen to resident concern and make a decision with the best interests of the residents in mind while complying with the FCC. For any trustee, this is an almost impossible task. The Village of Mineola will soon be undergoing changes to its downtown area through a revitalization project. In addition, the temporary bridge on Mineola Boulevard is scheduled to come down and be replaced by a permanent, straight bridge. Also, the Long Island Rail Road grate on Roslyn Road will be shifted to the west and the road will be depressed underneath the tracks. The village board will have to oversee these projects so they have minimal impact on the quality of life for residents.

Residents have also expressed concern over factors they perceive affect the quality of life in the village. Illegal occupancies, absentee landlords that neglect their properties, businesses and homeowners who fail to maintain their grounds are all examples of issues that some residents feel affect the aesthetic look of the village.

Attention Readers - What Issue Is Most Important to You?

The Mineola American would like to know what issue is most important to you and what you feel needs to be addressed by the candidates Please mail your responses to: Election Responses, c/o Mineola American , 132 East 2nd Street, Mineola, New York 11501, Attention: Joe Rizza. Please be assured that your name and address will not be printed in the newspaper.

The election will take place on Tuesday, March 19.