While residents of Syosset celebrated the holidays at the chamber of commerce's Holiday Lighting Festivities on Dec. 10, members of the Nassau-Suffolk Building Trades Union were holding a rally in support of the proposed mall at Oyster Bay.

At the rally, which was held on the former Cerro Wire site in Syosset, Jack Kennedy, president of the Nassau-Suffolk Building Trades, stated that his 35,000 union families will make the redevelopment of the 39-acre site into an upscale shopping mall the key political litmus test by which labor will base their future political support for Oyster Bay Town candidates.

"As far as their threats are concerned that they are going to judge town board candidates based on this project, I have not heard any prospective candidate come out and say that they are in favor of this project and I do not think that you are going to see that," said Howard Avrutine, the attorney representing the Birchwood Civic Association and those opposed to the mall. "I think that many people, thinking privately or otherwise, recognize that this is a bad project. If the unions are using a litmus test for this mall as far as candidates are concerned, maybe they are not going to wind up endorsing anyone for town board. I do not think that anyone is going to come out in favor of this project."

At a rally on the factory's grounds, Kennedy told supporters, "On the eve of a recession it is inconceivable to us that the Oyster Bay Town Board is debating whether to approve this project. At a time when they can't find enough red ink to write the county's ledgers, it is unbelievable that they are debating this plan. At a time when the local civics are being used by a retailer who doesn't want this mall built, it is insanity not to approve this project."

Those opposed to this project are not against building on the property, but rather are against building something of such vast size as the proposed mall. "We have no gripe with the unions," said Avrutine. "It is our feeling that we want union labor to be used and union labor will be used with whatever goes there, but let's put something there that is compatible and won't devastate or destroy the community like a mall will. Let's go with office or let's go with light industrial and let's put the people to work."

Kennedy said that merit alone should allow the Oyster Bay Town Board to approve the Cerro Wire project. "This isn't about merit anymore. It's about market share," said Kennedy. "Who do you think is spending $1.2 million to defeat this plan? 200 neighbors raised those dollars? So if politics is going to be the motivating force behind their decision, let the Oyster Bay Town Board factor in the weight of labor."

Kennedy said at the rally that the project would generate $22 million in taxes when the county's finances remain precarious and taxes are scheduled to leap for every property owner in the county.

"Judy Jacobs, Presiding Officer of Nassau County, is intimately familiar with the county's problems and she is against this project based on its merits," said Avrutine. "That entire argument [made by Kennedy] is a fallacy. Carl Marcellino and Brian Muellers both have spoken out publicly against the project.... Basically, the developer and the unions want to ignore the merits. They do not want to look at the things that the town has to look at such as the traffic impact, the environmental impact, the municipal planning issues, the health and safety issues, the nearby railroad crossing, elementary schools - all of the things that factor into this plan."

25 local groups, including the Nassau County Council of Chambers, representing 52 Chambers and 6,000, people formed a coalition opposing this project,. "How often do Chambers come out in against a proposal like this? They know if this project is built, it will have the impact to destroy existing business," said Avrutine. "There are thousands of residents and business people that are opposed to this deal."

Avrutine explained that the $22 million in taxes that Kennedy referred to is an imaginary number. "Judy Jacobs is the one that arguable needs this supposed $22 million in taxes and she opposed this mall," said Avrutine. "It is an imaginary number because it is not new dollars coming in. It is going to be dollars redistributed from other merchants. Instead of people shopping in other areas, they will shop here and it will be the same tax dollars."

The Oyster Bay Town Board is still in deliberations over the issue after the Sept. 7 hearing and no deadline is set for them to render a decision.