I voted with the majority to pass the Bryant Library budget and the capital improvements proposition. I also voted to keep universal busing intact. Nazilla Yaghoobzar's letter to the editor in the May 11 edition of The Roslyn News, one describing the death of her 12-year-old son 10 years ago, along with her plea to protect "our most valued treasures" made this a no-brainer. Too many last minute additions caused me to reject the Roslyn School District budget. But I am confident that this will be worked out by the new BOE.

I was not surprised by the defeat of Mr. Borowick's re-election attempt. After all, he won his last election by only four votes. Never in the 21 years that I have been a Roslyn resident have I witnessed such an enormous election campaign for a BOE seat. I cannot imagine how much Mr. Borowick spent on newspaper ads, mailings, posters, and roadside signs. By losing, it proves that a person with moderate means can overcome a slick Madison Avenue-type campaign as long as that person is deemed qualified and has good people and communication skills.

The three successful candidates--Dani Kline, Ronald Smith, and David Seinfeld--deserve credit for running a clean campaign. They are each decent individuals who are not politically connected and who will not be afraid to change their minds if a strong argument can be presented. The BOE will be well served with the addition of these knowledgeable volunteers.

I found it insulting when Mr. Saffron, Ms. Ben-Levy and Mr. Borowick told us that they would not cave in to a room full of relatives and friends of the defendants of the prior BOE. I am not related to nor do I socialize with any of the prior BOE members that are being sued by the present BOE.

Even after a Roslyn resident uncovered that the present BOE never had the fiduciary duty to sue and that the litigation was a shame, these three BOE members continued to hang a former BOE member out as bait to snare the insurance company. Let me give an example of why the RSD should engage a new law firm to represent us against the insurance company. If a family member was to undergo a kidney transplant and the doctor was delayed, you would not permit a world class "dermatologist" to substitute. Going against insurance companies is a specialty. You would not want a successful "real estate attorney" representing you. Sometimes a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. There are large law firms that have dedicated their practice to go up against insurance companies. Some of the members who helped to write the original guidelines in Albany served as state senators or state officials. That is what I am talking about.

I do hope that the former BOE member, with the means to hire his own attorney, will be successful against the insurance company so we can start collecting monies due the RSD and that the prior accused BOE members can start to regain control of their lives.

Yes, Mr. Saffron did break his silence at the end of the campaign by submitting an endorsement letter on behalf of Mr. Borowick. Ms. Ben-Levy placed Mr. Borowick's election signs on heavily traveled roads and at business establishments. Both spent what little political capital they had left when their candidate was defeated at the polls. I hope that their voices and their influence will now be placed on the back burner when the BOE is in session. Furthermore, I strongly recommend that the new BOE remove Mr. Saffron from serving as the liaison between the BOE and the attorneys.

The community has spoken to end the practice of "bully" politics. Furthermore, I predict that the results will serve to reduce the internal hostility that was prevalent among individual BOE members. This election was payback time for all the elected officials and school administrators who were subjected to Mr. Borowick's wrath.

Isadore Rakofsky