Perhaps what has made the election of 2003 in the Village of Mineola so intriguing is the differences between the three candidates. All three - incumbent mayor John P. Colbert, current trustee Jack Martins and former trustee Maryanne Warnecke - all have their differences, both in their professional lives and their views for the village. However, they are also similar in that they were once all allies. Consider that Warnecke and Colbert both used to run under the Village Party. For this election, though, Warnecke has created the Mineola First Party. Also consider that Martins used to be Colbert's campaign treasurer and served as president of Mineola's library board under Colbert's tenure as mayor. Now, the two are heated rivals on the board of trustees. Martins and Warnecke also appeared to be allies at one time, but now are also engaged in a heated campaign for mayor.

On March 18, from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., the residents of Mineola will go to the poles to elect the next mayor. Here is one last look at the candidates and what they stand for.

John Colbert has been the mayor of Mineola during the past nine years. During his campaign, Colbert has emphasized his experience as village mayor and the improvements made to the village's infrastructure during his tenure. There is a renovated firehouse, library and pool as well as a new village hall and community center.

Colbert apparently loves being the mayor of Mineola so much, he turned down a top position in the Village of East Rockaway because it meant he might have to step down as mayor of Mineola.

Colbert also points out that village tax increases have been moderate in recent years and defends himself to critics asserting that the village debt is too high by saying that the village is addressing its debt through its annual budget.

Colbert also takes pride in the numerous activities that take place in the village. There is the senior recreation program, the village recreation program in the summer for the children of Mineola as well as parties at Halloween and Christmas.

Colbert wants to continue the work he began nine years ago. He would like to remain mayor to continue to oversee the Mineola Boulevard Bridge project as well as the Roslyn Road project in which the road will be depressed under the railroad. Colbert also wants to continue to work on improvements to Mineola's downtown as well as improvements to Jericho Turnpike with community development grant money.

He answers his critics who question the village's financial health, by pointing to its A2 bond rating. "We're not in financial trouble," the mayor maintains.

Colbert concedes that the village does have a $32 million debt but that debt was incurred to make major improvements to the village. The mayor maintains that residents can enjoy the improvements to the infrastructure that were made such as the pool and the library. Another factor in the debt however was tax certiorari payments to residents and businesses that challenged their assessments. Even though money was increased in the budget to pay for tax cert payments, additional bonding was necessary to pay off the settlements.

Colbert has maintained throughout his campaign that experience counts and he has the experience of being mayor, something that will benefit Mineola in the next two years.

Frustrated with uncontested elections in the Village of Mineola, where he believed residents should have a choice as to who would be elected as a trustee last year. So when it looked as though last year the village would have an uncontested election with incumbent Linda Fairgrieve and Kevin Reilly running for trustee, Martins threw his hat in the ring and won the most votes in the village.

Creating the New Line Party, which stands for honesty, integrity and accountability, Martins is running for mayor this year as he tries to carry on the momentum he gained last year.

His first year on the board of trustees has certainly not been a quiet one. Martins demonstrated a willingness to stand alone on the board on issues he didn't feel were in the best interests of Mineola. For one, he opposed the sale of Clarissa Road and made public the board's agreement to sell the street. However, the rest of the board maintains it only agreed to sell the road if residents went along with the idea.

Martins stood aloneg when it came to voting on the village budget. Martins voted against the village's budget for 2002-2003 because he felt there were some items in it that were fiscally irresponsible. He opposed putting the funds from the sale of a piece of village property into the General Fund as opposed to creating a separate fund to make improvements to the village's infrastructure. He also opposed taking $300,000 from the water fund and putting into the General Fund shortly after water rates were raised.

Martins has also been critical of the village's debt, which he says amounts to over $32 million. He has been concerned with what the bonds the village board have issued in the past will do to the future tax rate when the bond come do. He believes the next mayor should put into place a plan to pay back the debt.

Through the campaign, Martins has also defended himself against accusations that he defended illegal landlords. While he admits he represented those who received violations, he said his job was to straighten out what was illegal and make sure his clients complied with the village codes. He maintains he is against illegal housing and vows to help curb it.

Martins also want to make it known that if elected mayor, he would continue the summer recreation program and jobs in the village would not be threatened.

Maryanne Warnecke is another candidate who points to experience on the village board as a positive for Mineola. First appointed to the position of village trustee in 1991, Warnecke served until 2002 when she decided not to run for re-election because of differences with mayor Colbert.

Although the two share the same voting record on critical issues in the village, Warnecke believes that changes are needed in the village government. She has pledged to make the government more open to the residents of Mineola. She has pledged to create a village website where the minutes of meetings, village codes and a calendar of events would all be posted. She also plans on utilizing the cable television equipment from Cablevision for a village cable channel.

Warnecke touts her accomplishments on the board. She too points out that she supported renovations to the new village hall, library, pool, and firehouse and initiated discussions that led to the construction of a roller hockey rink at Wilson Park and a new playground at Memorial Park.

She also points out that she initiated and coordinated the first village-sponsored flu shot program for senior citizens, supported a larger tax exemption for senior citizens and attempted to battle illegal housing by proposing to restrict the number of electrical and gas meters on houses.

Warnecke believes the improvements that were made to Mineola's infrastructure are the most important factors in the skyrocketing property values in the village.

On the village finances, she said that the bonding for capital projects has not been the enemy of the village. However, she is against bonding to short term needs and one-shot revenues such as selling village property to pay for everyday items in the budget. Although she doesn't agree with the notion that the village is in a financial crisis, Warnecke believes the village must check and re-check its spending.

Besides making government more open and checking to make sure the village is not overspending, Warnecke also vows to continue the fight against illegal housing.

She also plans on using the experience she gained on the board being a liaison to just about every department in the village to help make a difference.