I would like to address a statement in your article of last week's edition of the Mineola American entitled "Residents Opinions Differ on Police Force."

The article contains the statement "The Nassau Democrats have seemed to take an interest in whether Mineola gets its own department. At the first meeting, Mineola resident and North Hempstead Democratic leader Joe Galante expressed the need for the village to hire an independent consultant to study the numbers and estimates that the Mineola task force came up with."

I have been a Mineola resident for 36 years and have always taken an active involvement in my community and have often attended and participated in Village Board meetings. My statements regarding the Police Task Force Report are mine and mine alone. My political affiliation has no bearing on my position on this issue. I have made that very clear to the mayor and the board and I want to make it clear to the Mineola American as well. It would also seem to me that before making such a claim in an article that the Mineola American should have called me for a response.

Last year, I moved from my co-op at Birchwood Court and purchased my parents' home on Foch Blvd. As a new homeowner and taxpayer, I am very concerned about the mayor's police department proposal. After researching the numbers contained in the report, I have found that there are some fundamental flaws which could very well inflate the numbers contained in the report by millions of dollars. While I was unable to attend the last public hearing, I look forward to the next hearing when I can present my research to the board.

I do not proclaim to be an expert on police or budgetary matters. That is why I have continually called upon the mayor and village board to enlist the services of an independent financial consultant to review the figures reported by the Task Force. While I commend the Task Force for its work in analyzing this issue, anyone can make a mistake. It is only prudent for the board to independently verify the results since the taxpayers will bear the burden for years to come. A "Request for Proposals" to financial and consulting firms would allow the village to receive competitive proposals and keep the cost for these services to a minimum.

The mayor is proposing a police department that will cost anywhere from $6 million - $9 million a year. Why is he so reluctant to spend a small fraction of that to ensure that the numbers are correct?

I call upon my fellow residents of Mineola to take an active part in the discussion and research of this issue. While a police department for Mineola might ultimately be a good idea for our village, it is vital that the residents be given full, complete and accurate information before they are asked to vote in a referendum.

Joseph Galante

Mineola Resident