Letter to Editor: Upcoming Election and the Future of Our Village

Each of us is currently serving on the village board of trustees. Although we are not running for election in the upcoming March 20 village election, we urge you to come and vote and support the Community Agreement candidates.

We have all lived in the village for many years, from seven years to our whole lives. We, like you, are taxpayers and are concerned with taxes and costs. We all have children who have either been raised in the village or are now watching our children grow up here.

We support the Community Agreement and the process put forth for close to 100 years in the selection of people to serve on our various board and commissions - not just the village board of trustees but also the recreation and cultural affairs board, the library board, the architectural design review board, and other committees made up entirely of your fellow residents.

We all bring different skill sets to our duties as trustees - some of us are real estate finance experts, Wall Street professionals or corporate lawyers. The current candidates put forth under the Community Agreement - the 4 POA groups - have truly invaluable experience which we believe will serve you well. Among other qualifications they have experience or expertise in contract negotiations in the private and public sector outside of the village, or have negotiated private sector health- and employee-related plan benefits, or managed investment funds for multiple clients.

All of the candidates have spent years involved with learning about your village and fighting for you - be it opposing the use of the rail lines in our village for hauling of refuse to the Covanta plant; fighting against the expansion of the LIRR Hub rail line down the middle of the village; or questioning the wisdom of the Lighthouse project for the Nassau Coliseum and the adverse economic effect on the village.

We urge you to support Brian Daughney, Nick Episcopia, Andrew Cavanaugh and John Watras as trustees in the upcoming election for the future of Garden City.