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Ever since Mineola Mayor Jack M. Martins has proposed the idea of studying whether it would be feasible for the Village of Mineola to have its own police force, the mayor has experienced nothing short of opposition and partisan politics.

Mayor Martins has shown in his tenure as mayor of Mineola that he is hardworking and willing to make tough decisions that will ultimately benefit the residents. Citizens are certainly welcome to disagree with elected officials. Those disagreements, in many cases, have brought about positive change. Isn't government supposed to be a partnership with the citizens?

But with Mayor Martins, the disagreement over the police department is looking more like it's personal. One has to ask what is the ultimate goal of those who are seeking to put a knife into the police force idea? If it is because the feeling is that it will ultimately be a bad idea for the village, then that's one thing. But it looks as though the opposition is because Mayor Martins is the one who proposed it. If that's the case, then those who are opposing the police force for that reason are not acting in the best interest of the village.

Is the dislike for the mayor that strong from his political opponents that they would jeopardize any important decision for village taxpayers? The job of mayor is a tough one. After all, you don't see a line formed for people who want to be mayor. In fact, the last time Martins ran for re-election, the Hometown Party, which supposedly has a dislike for the mayor, failed to even run a candidate to oppose him. The message sent is that the Hometown Party doesn't have anyone willing to put in the time to be mayor but will be there to impede the person who is willing to do the job.

Mayor Martins proposed the idea of looking into the village having a police force because there were complaints of the Nassau 3rd Precinct not having adequate police coverage in the Village of Mineola.

The idea was not a knock to the 3rd Precinct police officers. It was more a reflection of the notion that there aren't enough police officers to adequately patrol the village. Wasn't that what the Nassau Police union was saying all along in an effort to get Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi to hire more officers?

The issue of whether Mineola should have its own police force will be a crucial one for the village. Village residents deserve to make this decision without the involvement of politics. The fact that the mayor proposed the idea is not a good reason to oppose it.

Let's be clear. The issue of Mineola looking into whether it should have a police department is about one thing - the fact that Mineola taxpayers pay $6.7 million for three patrol cars and whether the taxpayers are getting their money's worth. If the answer is yes, then there is no need for a village police department. If the answer is no, then kudos to Mayor Martins for trying to do something about it.

The Mineola Police Task Force is comprised of some of Mineola's finest citizens who have experience in law enforcement. But a major criticism of the task force's report is that there isn't enough police personnel accounted for in the report. But, the report was only a feasibility study and actually accounted for a little more coverage than the Nassau Police are giving Mineola. So, the criticism of the report is actually a knock on the coverage the Nassau Police are providing.

While Mayor Martins has tried to make looking into the police department an open issue with open dialogue between the residents and the village board, there has been a suggestion that the village needs an independent consultant to review the matter. That's fine and may end up being a good idea if one can be found who is actually qualified and who can do the study for a reasonable price as the Mineola Police Task Force did. The volunteers who comprised the task force made a whopping zero dollars for their hard work on the study.

There are some things that don't make sense, though. Trustees Linda Fairgrieve and Paul Cusato pushed for an independent consultant. However, then they sought opinion from the most un-independent person there is - Nassau Police Commissioner Jim Lawrence - with a letter sent by the two trustees to the commissioner's office. Mr. Lawrence, of course, doesn't want Mineola to leave the Nassau Police and thus points out problems in the task force's report.

At the Saturday, April 8 hearing on the police issue, Mineola residents Tim Almeida and Joe Galante proposed an excellent idea of sending a petition signed by residents to the county executive asking for more police coverage. This would alleviate the need for a village police force since more coverage would mean the village would be getting their monies worth. But Fairgrieve and Cusato took it upon themselves to write another letter to the commissioner asking for more police coverage. Did the mayor appoint these two trustees as liaisons to the commissioner?

Every step of the way, this has looked more and more as though motives are political and that the village establishing a police department is considered a bad idea because Mayor Martins proposed it. There should be opposition to the police department idea if there are serious questions as to whether it would be beneficial in the long run. After all, the idea is a serious undertaking and would impact taxes.

Mayor Martins proposed the idea of studying the issue. If the village turns out to get its own police department and it turns out to be a good thing for the village, Martins will naturally get credit for the idea. Do Mayor Martins' political opponents want to knock it down before allowing the mayor to get an ounce of credit? It's beginning to appear that way and that's not fair to village residents who deserve to make this decision based on their own opinions and not outside pressures.

- Joe Rizza