The race for mayor of Mineola may have kicked into gear at last Wednesday's board of trustees meeting as the battlefield between Mayor John P. Colbert and Trustee Jack Martins was Clarissa Road, the street that was once being considered for sale to a land developer.

At the village's public meeting on Wednesday, it was apparent that the race for mayor had begun. Incumbent Mayor John P. Colbert, Trustee Jack Martins and former Trustee Maryanne Warnecke are all vying for the position.

As the mayor and the trustees issued their reports on Wednesday, a sense of tension pervaded village hall as Martins and Colbert began a night of confrontation. Perhaps Wednesday's board meeting served as a microcosm for the battle that lies ahead.

The first sign came when Martins, in reporting about a visit from Attorney General Elliot Spitzer to the Mineola Fire Department, thanked former chief Richard Kotowski for asking about how the Attorney General could assist the village in fighting illegal housing through enforcement for repeat offenders. "I have to hand it to Richie for having asked the question and started the discussion," Martins said.

Colbert followed up Martins' report by saying he and the Attorney General bonded and will work together on a plan to prosecute landlords of illegal housing. "The Attorney General said he would work with us to fight the illegal occupancies," Colbert said. "We're not after the people who are renting. Their safety though is at hand. Who we're looking for are the landlords who are making a lot of money who aren't paying a lot of taxes. Already the Attorney General's staff has been in contact with me and we're in the process of working on some files in which we are going to give him some test cases that he can work on."

Martins felt that because Kotowski brought the matter before the Attorney General, the ex-chief deserves any credit for any assistance Attorney General Spitzer may give concerning the fight against illegal housing.

Fireworks began when Mineola resident Bill Urianek objected to a letter he received from the mayor concerning Clarissa Road, the street located south of Helen Road and North of Jericho Turnpike, between Herricks and Beebe.

The village had considered selling the road to land developer Metro Centers for $250,000 in December 2001. However, when the village held a public hearing last April to determine whether the village could discontinue the road for the purpose of selling it, Jon Otto of Metro Centers introduced a plan for a supermarket to residents in the area causing them to vehemently oppose the sale of the street. The village board then decided not to sell the street.

In November, though, Metro Centers held a meeting with area residents and again discussed possible plans that would include moving Gensel's Furniture Gallery into the Metro Centers shopping center and then tearing down the Gensel's in favor of a bank.

In a letter dated February 4 and delivered on February 5, Mayor Colbert wrote to area residents, "I have been advised by some residents that the issue of expanding or of redeveloping the shopping center has raised its head again. Apparently some representatives of the shopping center have been contacting local residents in order to enlist their support for a new plan ... In case there might be some confusion, I would like to make it perfectly clear that the village board has determined that Clarissa Road will not be sold. Furthermore, I would like to confirm to you my personal position on the matter: I am against and will not vote for the sale of Clarissa Road."

Colbert said there was some confusion on the part of residents as to whether the Clarissa Road project was dead and had received many phone calls from area residents on the matter. He sent the letter out as a way to reassure residents on the matter.

However, Urianek objected to the letter being delivered by three members of the village's accounting department while being paid by taxpayer money. "It could have been just as well to put a stamp on it and mail it out to us. I don't understand why it had to be delivered today. Because of a meeting tonight? I don't know," Urianek said during the meeting. "If the village budget is not finished, those three people should not have been walking around delivering letters. They should have been working on the budget."

The mayor, however, responded that having the letters hand delivered by village employees was the quickest and cheapest way possible to get the letters out.

Martins also objected to the way in which the letters were sent out and why they were sent out since he believes the village board had already made it clear in the past that it was against selling Clarissa Road.

Martins said in campaigning over the weekend he walked the Clarissa Road area and therefore believes the letter was a campaign strategy by Colbert to follow up Martins' visits to those homes. The trustee also said it was, therefore, inappropriate for Colbert to use village employees to campaign. "I think it's inappropriate to use village stationery and village employees, not only to prepare the letter but to fold and stuff the envelopes, but to go out there and walk door to door to pass through a letter that has absolutely nothing to do with anything that's happening today. There's nothing imminent. There's nothing coming up. There's nothing programmed for the near future. It could have been handled a number of ways, the least of which is mailing a letter out or sending out a reassuring word through the newspaper," he said. "I still don't understand why it was done the way it was. The letter was dated [Feb. 4] and it was delivered [Feb. 5]. What was the urgency? I think his using village resources and village employees to walk what's essentially a campaign piece around the village is unacceptable and he should have to account for it."

The mayor said the land developer has a lot of people scared that the Gensel's building is going to be torn down and the residents aren't going to have a say as to what is going to happen to Clarissa Road and the nearby shopping center. "The letter is to assure people that that's not going to happen," Colbert said.

Colbert said there have been two meetings since the village said no to selling the street and people in the area are confused. The letter was meant to alleviate any of the residents' fears that the land would be developed and put the matter to rest. "People don't know it's a dead issue," Colbert said. "We distributed it the same way we distributed a prior letter when we told the people that the board had voted the sale of the street down."

In response to Martins' accusation that the mayor used village employees to deliver a letter that was a campaign tool, Colbert said, "I am still the mayor and I still have a responsibility to the people of this village. I still have to govern. I think the people are satisfied that the village has done the business at hand and their rights are being protected."

Warnecke, the other mayoral candidate, was not present at the meeting. However, she did offer a statement. "This is just what the problem is with the current board and mayor and one of the reasons I did not seek re-election last year. The village government is in chaos. There is no leadership or plan for the future. The entire exchange at the last village board meeting between Martins and Colbert was unprofessional at best. An open meeting should be for the residents. It should not be a political forum," she said.

During last Wednesday's village board meeting during the discussion on the letter the mayor sent out concerning Clarissa Road, resident Richard Maher, a Martins supporter, asked when the property was entered into contract.

The mayor said the village never entered into contract. Martins then responded by saying, "The property entered into contract in December 2001."

The mayor asked Martins to show him a copy of the contract.

Maher voiced his objection to the mayor using village employees to deliver letters concerning Clarissa Road. In attempting to answer questions by Maher, Martins pointed out that a meeting was held in November 2002 with area residents concerning the future Clarissa Road and the adjacent property. Colbert then interrupted.

Martins then said, "I do have a right to speak." Colbert then said, "You have a right to speak when the chair has given you that right." Martins then responded by saying, "I don't understand that concept at all."

Martins then said to Maher, "I will answer you anytime you want and anytime I want."

Resident Linda Doell pointed out that there was a vote taken by the village board to enter into contract with Metro Centers before the public hearing in April 2002, during which so many area residents opposed the sale of the street because it may have meant more development in the area.

Colbert then said, "Mr. Martins said we entered into a contract. We did not enter into a contract."

Martins, who was not on the board when Clarissa Road first came into the board's discussions, said in response, "You made a down payment."

Colbert then referred the matter to village attorney John Spellman, who couldn't remember the facts about the potential sale of the road.

However, a check of village records shows that there was indeed a contract between the village and Metro Centers in December 2001 for the sale of Clarissa Road for $250,000. At the time, the board was comprised of Colbert, Santosus, Warnecke, Conlon and Fairgrieve. Furthermore, Metro Centers, acting as Herricks Mineola, LLC did issue a check to the village dated Dec. 21, 2001 for $25,000 as a down payment for the street. Also, $175,000 listed as the sale of real property was listed in the 2001-2002 village budget for the sale of the street.

After the village board heard so many residents oppose the sale of Clarissa Road at the April 2002 hearing, it decided to not go through with the sale and issued a refund check to Herricks Mineola, LLC for $25,000, dated July 11, 2002.

The mayor later conceded there was a conditional contract that was not valid until the board passed a resolution of discontinuance of Clarissa Road. Because so many of the area residents objected to its sale, the board did not pass a resolution of discontinuance of the street, thereby making the contract invalid. The village then returned the down payment.

Trustee Elizabeth A.J. Conlon said the board was deceived when it came to the sale of Clarissa Road. Conlon said Metro Centers, prior to the April 2002 hearing, had never said anything about a supermarket. The village thought the sale of the street would have been something that would have been beneficial.

The corner where Gensel's is located was supposed to be a gateway to Mineola with a park and if Gensel's couldn't be utilized, it would be moved and there would be a small shopping center toward the back and a greenway along Beebe Road, Conlon said. "They made it sound like it was going to be a clean strip mall area," she added. "They were going to clean it all up and work together and make it a nice looking area."

When Metro Centers presented a long-range plan, which included a supermarket for the site at the April 2002 hearing, Conlon said she was shocked. "All of a sudden, they come before us and they have supermarket written on the building and the building was three times the size of what we originally saw," she said.

* The village board approved payment to resident Kevin Murray for $500 for assisting with information that led to the conviction of a parking meter vandal.

* On Feb. 19, there will be a hearing to increase the income requirement for a senior citizen tax exemption for this year.

* Mineola Youth and Family Services is sponsoring an organizational development training for executive directors and youth board members.

* Assemblywoman Maureen O'Connell asked the village board for permission to use the community center for March 6 or 7 to present eight to 10 World War II veterans their high school diplomas.

* The board accepted a bid for the reconstruction of the well screen at Water Supply Well #5 for $142,000. However, the amount could reach as high as $300,000. The board decided to issue a bond anticipation note (BAN) to pay for the unforeseen expense.

* A moment of silence was held for the seven astronauts who recently perished aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia.

* A few important dates in Mineola include the MAA Little League Parade on April 12 and the Mineola Fair on May 17.

* Keith Brennan was approved as a new member of Company #2 of the Mineola Fire Department.

* Deputy Mayor Lou Santosus reported that he and Mayor Colbert have received harassing phone calls to their homes. Santosus seemed visibly upset. "I never in all the years I've been in this village have had a harassing phone call and I had to get one. It's not something you want to get. It impacted my family and it impacted the mayor's family," he said.

* Trustee Elizabeth A. J. Conlon wanted to clear up a misconception that the village gives leisure passes to non-residents. The village was setting up permits for the use of the fields by some teams that include some non-Mineola residents. The members of those teams must have leisure passes. The members of those teams who don't live in Mineola must pay $25 per person for the season and $25 per person per game. "That will take care of our fields," she said.

* The board approved the purchase of five defibrillators, which will be located at village hall, the library, the pool, the Wilson Park hockey rink and the Little League fields.

* The Mineola Volunteer Ambulance Corps had 106 calls in January.

* The total amount taken in by the water department for the period between Jan. 1, 2002 and Dec.31, 2002 amounted to a little over $2.4 million, proof that the water fund is healthy.

* The total amount of fines taken in by the Justice Court for 2002 was $1,060, 849. Trustee Martins said it was a credit to Judge O'Shea, Associate Judge O'Callaghan and their staff at the Mineola Justice Court.

* A resident of Pennsylvania Avenue said the section of road on Pennsylvania from Shields to Jericho is used as a speedway as she brought up the matter of speeding down residential streets before the village board.

* Veronica Goldman said she received her notice regarding the taxi hearing from James Marsh a day after the taxi hearing was held. She was told she could still enter testimony in writing to Marsh, who, as of last Wednesday, hadn't issued his report to the village board.

* A resident inquired about construction taking place at a gas station on Jericho Turnpike and Sheridan Boulevard. He was told that the gas tanks are being removed and an office building with a bank it in will be going into the site. The mayor also said the Shell Station on Jericho Turnpike and Roslyn Road also may be under contract soon for a clean, permitted use.

* Based on a question by a resident, it was mentioned that village residents and business owners have 24 hours after the last snowflake falls during a snowstorm to clear the sidewalk in front of his or her premises.

* Bill Urianek pointed out that the village's summer recreation is costing the taxpayers money by not taking in as much revenue as the program costs to run. Urianek said the program should be self-sufficient. Trustee Conlon pointed out that the fee from the program has gone up again this year and the village is getting closer to having the program be self-sufficient.