Mayor’s Corner: December 17, 2009

Warm Wishes This Holiday Season

I want to take this opportunity to wish each resident of the village and their families a very happy and holy holiday season.

Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza or are of any other faith or tradition, the holidays are a time to reflect on the many blessings that we enjoy, both personally by ourselves and our families but also collectively as a community.

Letter: Warm Thanks for Warm Gesture

I would like to thank kindergarten teacher Carolyn Bentsen and the students from St. Brigid-Our Lady of Hope in Westbury for their thoughtful donation of winter coats to the Coats for Kids drive held through my district office.

From the Desk of Legislator Roger Corbin: December 10, 2009

Stay Alert While Holiday Shopping

Nassau County Legislator Roger Corbin (D-Westbury) advises residents to protect themselves while holiday shopping keeping in mind to stay alert.

“Holiday shopping should be fun; not a time when you become a victim,” Corbin said. “By following a few simple precautions you can protect yourself from thieves and carjackers.”

Letter: Still Questioning District’s Appointment Of Clerk

Last week’s edition of The Westbury Times featured a letter responding to my letter from the previous week questioning the appointment of Rocco Lanzilotta, a Westbury Board of Education Trustee, to a paying position as district clerk at an annual salary of $50,000. 

Letter: Defending District Clerk Choice

Sour grapes, I say, in reply to the letter from Irene Hylton (“Questioning Choice of District Clerk, Westbury Times, Nov. 26, 2009). There are many people that are unhappy with Rocco Lanzilotta’s presence both on the school board and now for his position as [Westbury] district clerk.

Letter: A Thank You to Fellow Residents

The homeowners who live on Talbot, Jaymie, Francis drives and Franklin Street thank the entire Westbury community and its civic associations for supporting our objection to the Long Island Islamic Center’s expansion project and the demolishing of homes.

Letter: Questioning Choice of District Clerk

As a 40-year-resident of Westbury, a former teacher in the Westbury Schools and an advocate for community collaboration and harmony, I am disappointed that our school board has demonstrated an unethical decision to hire Rocco Lanzilotta as district clerk and is unable to realize that conflicts will continue to develop.

Letter: Unhappy With School District’s Administration

On Oct. 21, I went to a school board meeting at the Westbury High School. That night I find out that our teachers are working without a contract. From June 2009 until now and still they have no contract. But the administrators are all getting raises and they know our teachers are working very hard with our children.

I see this. I am on the PTA and SEPTA. My name is Grandma Rose Ryan, RN. I help out at the school. As a taxpayer, I also want to know and let other taxpayers know that we are paying a salary to a principal at the Westbury Middle School. He had not been there in two years. And the district will not let us know what this is all about. This is taking away from our children and teachers.

Letter: Commends Local Business for Support

As a senior naval officer and veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, a proud resident of Westbury for my entire youth and an “every-time-I-return-home” customer of Maria’s Pastry Shop, I am compelled to provide formal feedback recognizing this amazing bakery for outstanding support to the U.S. military during the Global War on Terrorism.

From firsthand experience, I am duty-bound to state that the management and staff at Maria’s Pastry Shop went “above and beyond” by voluntarily providing servicemen deployed to Iraq a taste of America – a true morale booster in an arduous combat environment.

Joe DeLucia and his family/staff impressed me like no other culinary or service professional has in over 23 years of active military service. He is an exceedingly rare, precious commodity in a profession dedicated to and defined by service to others: His sincerity, warm spirit and giving nature, coupled with an unparalleled desire to exceed all expectations, make him unique to the culinary arts and our country. His natural ability to embrace the human element and circumstances of his customers make him “the” obvious choice for the most prestigious service award that you can bestow. He is, in a word, the “best” among us.

The bottom line [is] one cannot affix a price on the faces and in the hearts of the servicemen who, thousands of miles away in an oppressively hot and hostile land, lit up with job when each, in his own way, realized that a landmark pastry ship thought enough of them – and their sacrifices – to say thank you in such a genuine and tangible way. As delicious as the ingredients were, the message conveyed by Mr. DeLucia and his superb team at Maria’s Pastry Shop reflected the best in America – and made it simply the best chocolate fudge cake I, we, have ever had.

Letter: A ‘Thank You’ To Voters

I would like to thank the entire communities of Carle Place, Old Westbury, the hamlet of New Cassel and the Incorporated Village of Westbury for their continued support and commitment to the maintenance of the quality of life we all share as a district. For those who worked tirelessly to get the vote out I say “thank you.” Also, I wish to extend special congratulations to my opponent, North Hempstead Town Councilwoman-elect Viviana Russell, and all of the Election Day winners.