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It was not surprising that Mr. Borowick and his followers came out with guns blazing in last week's Letters to the Editor.

Before I continue, I want to take a moment to tell Ms. Nancy Shores that the RSD owes her a great deal of gratitude for the skillful cross examination of the two attorneys from the staff of Farrell - Fritz at the Feb. 9 BOE open meeting. She was able to get both attorneys to confess that the lawsuits brought by the current BOE members against the prior members was not mandatory. The RSD is in desperate need of her intelligence and her communication skills.

I understand that just a few months ago she changed jobs and at this time, is in no position to run for a seat on the BOE.

I want to say to Ms. Winters that my letter specifically concentrates on the last BOE vote to continue the lawsuits. You are still telling us what happened in the past. My concerns are with the present and our future. You go on to give a diatribe on fiduciary responsibility. Thanks to Ms. Shores the RSD learned there is no fiduciary obligation. You questioned my political motives.

Now let me answer Ms. Winters: Just because you march in step with whom you consider to be the 'in crowd,' do not assume that every one else does. I do not! I am an independent thinker. There are many more of us than you can imagine. No one put me up to expressing my own ideas.

Any implication that I am not speaking my own mind is merely a thinly veiled attempt to negate my opinions.

Ms. Winters, allow me to invite you to cross over from the "dark side."

We all know too well the corrosive role politics has played on Long Island. I want to strongly suggest that all politicians residing within the perimeter of this community refrain from endorsing any candidate.

It is not my intention to go through each fact that Mr. Borowick asserts. There are just too many errors. The shot gun firing of misinformation against the wall with the hope that some of it sticks is not in my make up. Mr. Borowick may be correct when he points out the fee rate of the trial attorneys are under $400 per hour rather than my guess of $600 per hour. I am not privy to that information. How could I be? When Mr. Saffron was asked to reveal the cost, he out right refused. To paraphrase Billy Joel " $400, $600, it still sounds like a lot of money to me." But in the same vain, when I approximated that Farrell - Fritz had already been paid by the RSD $750,000, no one came forth to mention that the correct dollar amount is over $1,000,000. No one from this crack team of associates have admitted that if not for Ms. Shores the community would have never learned that there is no fiduciary obligation to put these law suits into motion, no matter how many times Mr. Saffron, Ms. Ben-Levy, and Mr. Borowick and their band of assistants want to stand on a soap box and shout it out. Furthermore, it is my belief that the wrong law firm represents the RSD. I interviewed this week a retired attorney whose sole purpose in life was to retrieve money from insurance companies that initially refused to pay. Insurance companies are programmed to say no. But when he and his partner rolled up their sleeves and went after them the insurance companies finally wrote out the check.

No one can deny that the team of Mr. Saffron, Ms. Ben-Levy and Mr. Borowick, with backgrounds in law, failed not only to extract information that the lawsuits where arbitrary, but also failed to recognize that the wrong group of lawyers are representing us.

Ms. Shores, in a matter of minutes, taught us that Mr. Saffron, Ms. Ben-Levy and Mr. Borowick cannot be trusted. Either the information was withheld from the school district or Mr. Saffron, Ms. Ben-Levy, and Mr. Borowick do not possess the skills to represent us. Of course, there is one other possibility, in my opinion, that

Farrell - Fritz has gotten too cozy with the BOE and should be immediately fired on that suspicion alone.

I believe that a different team of attorneys would have gone after the insurance companies from the very start and not have concocted a story which entails suing the former board members in order to get them in turn to sue the insurance companies. I am in a state of disbelief that the present BOE bought this fairy tale. Talk about being gullible. I hear that Farrell-Fritz is now representing a new seller of the Brooklyn Bridge.

I rejoice upon reading that a former superintendent of schools, with impeccable credentials, has decided to announce his candidacy for the BOE. Thank you Dr. Ronald Smith and I wish you every success. With your immense experience, education and work ethic you will raise the level of competency of this BOE. I cannot imagine a more qualified candidate.

In truth, beside Ms. Winters, I should have invited all of Mr. Borowick's staff to cross over from the dark side. Those individuals, with well intentions, who worked so diligently two weekends ago, for no pay, huddled in closed meetings; e-mailing, telephoning, and faxing each other to make sure that each assignment is properly distributed. Dissecting each written word. Writing and re-writing. Looking into conspiracy theories, political associations, and political connections. So much energy expended with such poor results. I could hear the frenzy, the panic, the yelling, and the plotting for revenge. Yet not one of you had the courage to respond to Ms. Shores. Why are you in denial?

Instead of wasting your time attacking me, why not dig into the reasons that one brave resident was able to establish that the litigation should be removed from the hands of Farrell - Fritz. In my opinion, Farrell - Fritz should not only be dismissed, but also sued for placing themselves in a position to benefit from our misfortune. I am not interested in their reputation or who recommended them, only that their performance for the RSD is abominable and the people who are protecting them must pay the price by being dismissed.

Lastly, Ms. Shores you provided us with the flashlight to find our way out of the dark side. I want to tell Ms. Shores, that one day I hope to meet you so I may shake your hand, you are my hero.