County Legislator Judy Jacobs' recent letter to your editorial page (Open Letter from Legislator Jacobs, March 5, 1999) raises some troubling questions, not so much about the proposed land sale county-owned land to a Charlie Wang, but about her own apparent disregard for basic principles of free enterprise. Ms. Jacobs' career has been a patchwork of NIMBYistic causes. Her latest cause seems to be the extra-legal harassment of Charles Wang. Ms. Jacobs is an elected governmental official. Charles Wang is a private individual. Ms. Jacobs' letter asked many ludicrous questions, the most offensive of which was "Why would Mr. Wang want to purchase the full 144 acres knowing that 40 of them must remain open space, as per covenants running with the land?" The answer to this question is frankly nobody's business, so long as Mr. Wang's purchase, use and enjoyment of the land is in conformity with the law.

Charlie Wang has made donations to charity which are larger than this land purchase, such as the $25 million he donated to SUNY/Stony Brook for an Asian-American studies complex and the considerable amount of time and money he spent organizing the "Smile Train," a program which provided needed medical assistance to the Chinese poor. Mr. Wang is a paragon of character, business acumen, and civic virtue. As the husband of a Chinese American, I know that he is a deeply revered and respected individual. That Judy Jacobs can utilize the bully pulpit to call a private citizen's investment into question is simply a civic wrong. Mr. Wang fled Chairman Mao's China so that he can enjoy economic and political liberty. Ms. Jacobs owes Mr. Wang an apology for her intrusiveness. She also owes her constituents an apology for her cheap demagoguery as well.

Daniel McLane

Our land in the public domain, north and south of the Long Island Expressway is being encroached upon! The 144-acre county-owned parcel is still a question mark. The Town of Oyster Bay is in the final stages of review of a petition for the 65 acres of town-owned property, the Colony at Olde Oyster Bay.

The colony was the subject of a March 16 Newsday editorial titled, "Too Dense". Precisely, this proposal is 40 times the Long Island Regional Planning Board's recommendation for this site. This former sand mine has been referred to, by experts, as the heart of the deep water recharge area of Nassau County. Additionally, the acreage has other significant importance, as it is surrounded by woodlands contiguous to an undeveloped county park. By proceeding with this petition for development, as is, the Town of Oyster Bay is ostensibly "stabbing us in our proverbial heart".

The town continues to maintain their interest in community input. With that in mind, we implore upon you to come to the March 23 town board meeting. Speak to your elected officials about this, and any other issues tantamount to our community. We are very happy to continue to receive your calls, letters and support. Our group is growing and has the added support of POB-PTA Council; as you know, they are integral players in our children's educational well-being.

Local Sunnyside Boulevard resident and Concerned Community member Katie Pia urged community residents "... to be heard before our water is jeopardized and our local schools and services become overcrowded. Traffic proceeding through Sunnyside Blvd., a walker route to Parkway Elementary School, will be hazardous to our children's safety."

We urge you to continue to call your town officials at 624-6300 or 624-6498. You can visit our new web site at http://members.aol.com/concitize/politics/. See you at the town board meeting, 7 p.m., Tuesday, March 23 - Town Hall, 54 Audrey Avenue, Oyster Bay.

Carol and Lance Meschkow

Concerned Citizens of the Plainview-Old Bethpage Community