I am delighted that Ron Smith has listened to the urgings of so many of his neighbors and has decided to announce his candidacy for the Roslyn School Board. Many letters have extolled Ron's character and his sterling credentials as a former school superintendent and praised his service to the Roslyn School District. I would like to focus on a special quality he possesses: Ron's unusual and almost old-fashioned sense of community. In the Heights we know him not only for being available whenever there is an effort made to improve our neighborhood or the larger community, but also for being ready to extend a kindness or a helping hand. We reach out to him because we trust his judgment to be fair and balanced. We see in him a good listener and a conciliator, a wise person with a heart and conscience, a neighbor in the true sense of the word. If you believe that these are the equalities that can help heal our bitterly divided community vote for Ron Smith and ask your neighbors to do the same.

Those of us who oppose the actions of the new board do so because there are worse things for a community than having money embezzled, painful as that is. What can destroy us is losing our sense of community. The shame of Roslyn is not in having been being duped. It is in neighbor suing neighbor. Tassone left us a terrible legacy, but what we leave as our legacy may be worse. Perhaps it is time for the litigators and the legal minds to step back and let the peacemakers inside the schoolhouse door.

If you believe that we need a different mind-set on the board, I hope you will also support David Seinfeld and Dani Klein for seats on the board. David seems to have the credentials and common sense that we desperately need. Dani Klein, who is running for re-election for her seat on the board has impressed many for her independence and open-minded approach during this trying time and would continue to be a valuable asset to the community. The election of Smith, Seinfeld and Klein would let the peacemakers prevail and allow the board to finally begin to concentrate on the education of our children.

Del McLean