The last year of the second millennium was, of course, a political year in America. Life in the Village of Roslyn was different as the makeup of the board of trustees continued to go through changes.

The year began with contested races for two BOT seats. After being denied the Clock Tower Party's nomination for his re-election bid, Trustee Marshall Bernstein, along with other Roslyn residents, started up the Roslyn Community Party, as a platform for Craig Westergard and himself to run for the BOT. In March, the two defeated Clock Tower Party candidates Louise McCann, an incumbent BOT member and Wayne Marr, for the two seats.

In November, Mayor Galante herself announced she would not run for re-election in the spring of 2001. The mayor said her decision was a personal one as she had planned for several months to leave her position as mayor to return to graduate school to pursue a Ph.D. in education.

Upon making her announcement, the mayor stated that she was glad her six-year tenure was marked by a cleanup of downtown Roslyn, including a refurbished Clock Tower and the 350-year old renovation of the Grist Mill under way.

Mayor Galante was first elected to her post on a wave of anti-Stop & Shop sentiment. Once elected, her administration began drafting a Master Plan and new Zoning Code for the village. Senior housing development was part of the Master Plan's layout. And in October, Forest City Daly, the Manhattan-based firm, which has long hoped to build senior housing in downtown, Roslyn, finally received Historic District Board approval to begin construction of 250 units of such housing next spring. All that is needed for Forest City Daly is a building permit.

High schools throughout Long Island hold annual reunions, usually at large banquet halls. This past year, some intrepid Roslyn High School graduates decided to hold a gala reunion at Roslyn Pond Park, one where all and every alumni in the high school's long history was invited.

An overcast September day may have kept the crowd size down, but over 500 people, many of whom traveled continental-long distances to get there, showed up at the park. The event was largely planned and advertised through Internet sites. Attendees were responsible for their food and beverages and also for keeping the park clean, there were, however, name tags to help RHS alumni navigate their way through the sea of faces. Organizers hope for more such reunions in the future.

In 1999, the biggest news in East Hills was a settlement the village reached with New York State over Long Island Expressway expansion plans. This year, the village celebrated what one civic leader called "the greatest thing that has ever happened to East Hills." After several years of negotiations, the New York State Air National Guard formally handed over the control of their former base to the village in a well-attended "Transfer Day" ceremonies on Dec. 9. Over 1,800 people attended, making it the largest event in the village's history.

Village officials hope "The Park at East Hills" will be completed by the spring of 2002. In addition to the usual athletic facilities, such as baseball fields, basketball courts, a pool, and a children's playground, the park will also house a new village hall, a court house, and a police station.

Residents of Roslyn Heights, especially those in the Roslyn Heights Civic Association, have more political struggles on their mind. Civic Association members want the New York State Department of Transportation to build a sound barrier wall between Roslyn Road and the LIE trestle over the expressway and between the LIE trestle and Mineola Avenue. Not just noise concerns, but also health issues, are driving the debate.

Over in Roslyn Harbor, the Nassau County Museum of Art followed up their successful 1998 Civil War exhibit by Mort Kunstler with a winter exhibit on the Revolutionary War. The exhibit featured artists spanning the entire history of the United States. Famous portraits of George Washington, including those by Gilbert Stuart, James Peale and Rembrandt Peale, were on display, as was Revolutionary War artwork by Mr. Kunstler himself. As with the Civil War exhibit, a re-enactment, this one between forces loyal to General Washington and those loyal to British General Cornwallis squared off for battle on the museum grounds. Among the more interesting lectures that took place during the exhibit was one by Andrew Batten, who recalled the trials of loyalist Long Islanders, a not-so-insignificant number of Nassau and Suffolk County residents who preferred to stay loyal to the crown.

Politics and culture aside, the year 2000, as with all others, was not without the sadness that the loss of prominent local residents brings. In March, Barbara Johnson, the Port Washington resident who represented a large chunk of the Roslyn area in the Nassau County legislature, died of cancer. The winter brought the deaths of two Roslynites prominent in the village's renowned historic preservation movement. Millard Prisant, a former president of both the Roslyn Landmark Society and the Roslyn Preservation Landmark Corp., died in November. The next month, Peggy Gerry, who along with her husband, Roger, founded both of those same organizations, died after a long illness.