With the announcement that Water Commissioner Betty Forquer will be stepping down after 18 years of service, three candidates have filed nominating petitions for her position. Ellen Markowski, Peter Meyer and Bob Tarleton have placed their names on the ballot for this year's Water District election. Voting will take place on Tuesday, Dec. 14, at the Polish American Hall from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Each candidate was asked for a brief bio and issue statement. Following is what they submitted:

A lifelong resident of Port Washington, Bob Tarleton attended Flower Hill School, Weber Jr. High School and Paul D. Schreiber High School, graduating in 1964. He went on to Wesleyan University where he earned a BA degree in 1968. He continued his education doing graduate work at the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University and New York University.

Professionally, as an editor in the U.S. Air Force, he was awarded the "Best Military Newspaper on Department of Defense." He held the position of press representative, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force and adjudicator U.S. Veterans Administration. He is also a partner in Applause Productions.

He has always been involved in civic organizations. While in high school, he took part in the organizational period of the Cow Neck Peninsula Historical Society. He lists his other civic activities as follows:

- Acted as advisor to local student service groups.

- Vice-president of the PWHS Band Alumni for 15 years

- Member Operating Committee for the Sousa Memorial Bandshell for 10 years

- Co-chairman, organizational committee for the PWHS Alumni Organization.

- Member of the organizing committee for the proposed Port Washington Educational Foundation.

Issue statement:

As a next door neighbor to one of the Port Washington Water Districts primary physical properties for my entire life, I have closely observed both the operational efficiency of the district---and its tending to operate in an arbitrary fashion.

So far as I'm concerned, the district has two main obligations: to protect the purity of our water supply and to be responsive to the needs and interests of its consumers/owners.

While I have no clear knowledge that would indicate it has failed on the first count, I can testify that both on behalf of myself and many others that it is not responsive to the desires of the public. It is my belief that this is in large part a consequence of a longtime custom of new commissioners being recruited by the existing commissioners. An "old-boy" network is not going to be responsive. If elected, my primary task would be to make the district more user friendly.

Peter Meyer is a Port Washington resident and property owner. He has lived in Port Washington since starting a HVAC (Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning) business in 1977, after earning a degree in HVAC from SUNY Farmingdale Agricultural and Technical College. He is currently self-employed and successfully owns and operates a mechanical business in Port Washington. Prior to starting his own business, he developed and ran a mobile home community, which he started from a tract of land.

As water commissioner, some of the responsibilities include overseeing the financial operations of the Water District, water usage, maintenance of water quality, management of the equipment and maintenance of pump houses. These are all areas in which Peter has experience and expertise through his businesses.

He supports local youth activities, including PAL baseball and this past year sponsored a Port Youth Association roller hockey team. Peter lived in Manorhaven until five years ago, when he and his wife Julie moved to the Terrace. Peter and Julie have one daughter, Elizabeth.

Peter would like to make sure Port Washington has the best water for all of our families.

I have been a resident of Port Washington since 1974 and became active in community affairs in 1975 when a raw garbage landfill was sited by the Town of North Hempstead about 1000 feet from my home on Wakefield Avenue. A methane gas explosion in my home in 1981 marked the beginning of my serious involvement in protecting the environment of my hometown. During the next 8 years I became active in Citizens Concerned About the Landfill and the executive director of The Residents for a More Beautiful Port Washington, as I helped lead the battles to protect Port Washington from environmental degradation. Among other things, I worked with water and other experts, as well as major environmental organizations, to protect our water supply from the toxic plume created by the L-4 landfill and the spectre of saltwater intrusion.

After a political upheaval in Town government, in 1990 I became an assistant to Ben Zwirn, the new Supervisor of the Town, and played an integral part in changing the Town's solid waste policies. During that administration, the landfills were closed and the previous Town Board's plan to build a 1000 ton per day mass burn garbage incinerator in the sandpits was shelved.

In 1993, I assumed the role of North Hempstead's Director of Legislative Affairs, acting as the liaison to county, state, and federal levels of government. I monitored legislation impacting Port Washington and the entire Town, and served as an advisor to the Supervisor and the Town Board. During this time, I developed a network of contacts on virtually every level of government - from village mayors to federal EPA officials.

When May Newburger became Supervisor of the Town in 1994, I continued to assist her in her role on the Nassau County Board of Supervisors. I became her executive assistant in 1995. That same year I was appointed to the New York State Solid Waste Commission by Governor Cuomo, and was later reappointed by Governor Pataki in 1998. In 1996, I was profiled by Newsday in recognition of these achievements.

I have worked closely with Supervisor Newburger on the remediation of the landfills, and we pushed forward to make sure the sandpits, or the "Morewood property", would never again be used for garbage disposal of any kind. The beautiful Town golf course facility, Harbor Links, the many new athletic fields, and the soon to be built Harbor Ridge Life Care Community are the results of those efforts. A National Hockey League sponsored ice rink will also be part of this magnificent recreational facility.

This past June, I accepted a position as special assistant to Richard Kessel, chairman of the Long Island Power Authority. This new field involves many challenges and environmental issues which I look forward to facing.

I am seeking election to the water district because keeping our drinking water clean and plentiful is critical to our future. My commitment to Port Washington is clear - I have a track record of over 20 years of strong involvement in environmental issues. All of the battles in which I have participated have threatened our drinking water because pollution above the ground inevitably travels below the ground. We all rely on the groundwater collecting in our underground aquifer system to provide clean drinking water for generations to come.

The contacts I have developed over the years on every level of government, and with the leadership of many environmental organizations, will prove invaluable in carrying out the duties of Water Commissioner. I will work to secure grant money to help the District broaden its public information efforts to educate adults and children about the need for water conservation and protection. Pesticides, fertilizers, and automobile fluids can all threaten our drinking water, and the public must be continually alerted to these dangers. I have extensive experience in seeking out and obtaining public and private grant monies, and I will bring that ability to bear. I am fiscally conservative, but I am also an activist. I believe I can make a difference.

For example, we must ensure that future developments employ state of the art conservation technologies to minimize any net change in water usage. I will also create forums for sharing information and data about Long Island's water supply among county, state, and federal agencies and citizen groups, so that we can plan for the future together. If additional data needs to be collected, I will lobby our state and federal officials for the resources to conduct the needed studies so that we can make sound decisions for the future. There is much to be done.

If I had to prioritize the challenges facing Port Washington over the next 20 years and beyond, protection of our drinking water would come first. When you think about it, it's simple - without potable water, no one would want to live here. I have been committed to protecting Port Washington's environment for almost 25 years. The health and safety of our families, and indeed, the future of our community, hangs in the balance.