Letter: Library Budget

“Libraries in the Digital Age,” a recent report from the Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life project, found that 91 percent of Americans 16 or older say that public libraries are important to their communities, and 76 percent say libraries are important to them and their families.

I know that Port residents are probably reflected in this study, and that you too see the value of your library. It’s apparent to us that the availability of computers and Internet services is as fundamental to libraries as books and reference help, and we are committed to meeting and keeping up with the demands of our community. Going forward, this will be a priority in the increasingly digital information environment.

A Look On The Light Side: March 1, 2013

I watch television to relax. The trouble is, sometimes, it’s not so relaxing. 

Take the police procedurals I watch. The officers go into a house or apartment, guns drawn, looking for someone. They sneak around checking closets, finding dead bodies, evidence, I-don’t-know-what-all… but the entire time, I can’t pay a scrap of attention, because I’m too busy shouting at them, “Shut the door! Close it behind you! How do you know they aren’t coming back?” 

Letter To The Board Of Education

Let me hasten to say that no one envies the school board’s position as it relates to the upcoming teacher’s salary negotiation. All we have as a guide is the hindsight of the soon to be concluding five-year contract. Given that we are faced with the same conditions going forward, are we to expect the same results?

Were we to conclude similar contract terms in 2014 as we did in 2009, then in 2019 at the end of the contract, median teacher salaries would rise from its current $112,500 a year to one that will be in the $149,000 area. Average benefits would rise from $40,000 to $55,000. If the teacher census remains where it is now, teacher salaries alone will approximate $72 million plus contribution to benefits.

A Look On The Light Side: February 22, 2013

Once upon a time, there was a cobbler whose child ran around town without any shoes.

“Look at her,” one villager whispered to another. “Barefoot again! Is he such a workaholic he can’t make his own daughter one pair of shoes?”

“Maybe he’s lazy,” continued a third. “Or greedy, and wants to keep all the merchandise for himself.”

Over 60 ... And Getting Younger

Yuletide In Las Vegas

My beautiful wife Lorraine and I spent part of the holiday season in Las Vegas, Nevada. We visited Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum, where we had the opportunity to meet many celebrities. I hope you enjoy some photos from these exciting meetings, and happy holidays!

Letter: Anonymous Letters

This past week I received an anonymous letter castigating potential Manorhaven mayoral candidate Giovanna Giunta for not attending a meeting years ago about the then-proposed cell tower.

Why would a village resident be castigated for not attending a meeting that he or she didn’t schedule? A myriad of things could prevent attendance. And I’m writing this letter to comment on anonymous letters and the fact that they have no place in community politics, as they allow unbridled – and unfair – character attacks with no fear of retribution. As such, I feel they should be completely discounted.

Letter: Congratulations To John DiLeo

I want to congratulate my friend, John DiLeo, on becoming mayor of the Village of Manorhaven. The village trustees made a wise decision by choosing John to fill the vacancy in this important office.

Letter: Vote YES For School Budget And Roof Bond

After months of discussion and careful consideration of the needs of the students and the community, the board of education has proposed a responsible budget in these trying times. The proposed 2.07 percent budget increase maintains our district’s quality educational programs and is within the tax cap.

And, after many discussions and inspections of our schools’ roofs, the board of education is proposing a much-needed $6.975 million bond. This bond will allow the district to install a new roof at Weber and sections of roofing at Schreiber, Guggenheim and Sousa. The district will borrow only the dollars it needs for this work, which will eliminate a danger to our entire community.

Letter: Support School Budget And Roof Bond

The biblical imperative to “turn the other cheek” is often misconstrued to mean one should allow another to attack more than once, unchallenged. I choose to believe the meaning of the teaching to be this: give those who would attempt to harm you the opportunity to make a better choice—to do the right thing.

For decades, educational professionals working in Port Washington have devoted their lives to providing quality public education to the wonderful children in this community. Working in partnership with parents and community groups, we have far exceeded what the statistics would predict, given the wide range of socioeconomic, cultural and academic backgrounds our students represent. However, the dedicated teachers in Port Washington don’t view their students through a single lens. We strive to help every student imagine and achieve goals beyond expectations…and we often succeed. Our partnership has produced remarkable results.

Editorial: Pete Fornatale Signs Off

“There goes the last DJ/Who plays what he wants to play/And says what he wants to say, hey hey hey...” – Tom Petty “The Last DJ”

On April 26, a seminal voice that was an integral part of the local airwaves was silenced when Port Washington’s hometown hero Pete Fornatale died from a stroke at the age of 66. Part of the class of free-form rock DJs whose ranks included Dennis Elsas, Vince Scelsa and Carole Miller along with late lamented names like WNEW-FM icons Scott Muni, Fornatale mentor Rosko and Alison Steele, the former high school teacher was part of a vanguard of FM broadcasters who counterbalanced the condescending and infantilized manner in which the dominant AM stations of the ’60s and early’70s treated rock ’n’ roll. And while corporate radio monoliths eventually wrapped their rapacious tentacles around any semblance of creativity by way of narrow formatting, skeletal playlists and jocks who were essentially scripted if not automated, Fornatale was one of the dwindling group of Don Quixotes titling at the Clear Channel windmills of the world.