At the last village board meeting, Mayor John P. Colbert, the other members of the board and residents of the village said goodbye to trustee Maryanne Warnecke, who decided not to run for trustee in this month's election. However, Trustee Warnecke is not necessarily saying goodbye to the village board.

In a letter to the editor written by Mrs. Warnecke, the trustee of 11 years detailed her reasons for not running for re-election. The reasons seemed to lie in her difficulties with Mayor Colbert. In the letter, Mrs. Warnecke states that the residents of the village deserve to have a choice when it comes to village elections, specifically as it relates to the mayor's position.

In the 2000 election, Mrs. Warnecke, then-Deputy Mayor Warren Brinker and Linda Fairgrieve ran for two seats. Mrs. Warnecke received 1,600 votes and Mrs. Fairgrieve received 1,506, unseating Mr. Brinker, who received 1,416.

Mrs. Warnecke said she decided not to run for re-election because she "will not work under the current leadership any longer." Instead, Mrs. Warnecke said she would refocus her energy on the 2003 election when Mayor Colbert, Deputy Mayor Lou Santosus and Trustee Elizabeth Conlon's seats are up for re-election.

The issue also became a matter of public knowledge when Newsday was made aware of Mrs. Warnecke's statements. Responding to a reporter who sought comments about Mrs. Warnecke's statements, Mayor Colbert said, "It is unfortunate that Mrs. Warnecke with whom I have worked with for many years has lashed out in such an apparently vindictive manner. It might have been more appropriate for her to have spoken out while issues were being discuessed by the board of trustees during her time in office."

Mayor Colbert issued the same statement to the Mineola American.

It is now conceivable that a showdown between Warnecke and Colbert could be in the village's future.