I rarely respond to letters written by others, so forgive the exception as I address John Ryan’s Jan. 7, 2011 letter to the editor.

While Mr. Ryan and I have never met, and despite the fact that he is not a resident of Great Neck Plaza, nor does it appear that he owns or operates a business in the Plaza, I want to offer my apologies for hurting his feelings.

I also want to thank Mr. Ryan for his service to the community, through his support of some wonderful local organizations (like me, he is a member of the board of the Great Neck Arts Center), as well as applaud him on the political status he has achieved (unlike me, he is a part of the political establishment as a leader of the Great Neck Democratic Club).

Perhaps Mr. Ryan will indulge me for a moment as I shed some light on his support of Gerry Schneiderman and on the Plaza.

If Mr. Ryan knew me, he would know that I take pride in helping the community understand what happens at the local level. (I only wish that more people in Great Neck would dive into the issues that affect their daily life and question all nine of the mayors and the dozens of people serving as trustees in the peninsula). My interest is not political. It is about improving the community, something I care deeply about as a parent, homeowner, taxpayer, and active participant.

My criticism of Mr. Schneiderman is not personal, rather it is criticism based on data and facts. Mr. Schneiderman is not good for business, as he actively supports a local system that creates barriers to entry for local store owners and obstacles for their long-term success.

This is well documented in the votes he casts and the commentary he offers at trustee meetings, recorded in the official transcripts of those meetings and available to anyone interested. Mr. Schneiderman is no friend of local business, as he himself was the one who personally threatened the full legal muscle of the Plaza when the BID attempted to write letters to the editor opposing school tax increases.

This too should be well documented in the minutes of the BID board meeting some months ago, a meeting which I attended. Mr. Schneiderman is also wrong to suggest that economic development in this community could be stimulated by an e-newsletter and a part-time staff person (who will not be offered benefits) to manage that endeavor for a mere $20,000 a year (or approximately one third of 1 percent of the village’s annual budget).

One might reconsider chastising me for pointing out such facts, in addition to these observations: Mr. Schneiderman has happily accepted village paid health insurance for his family, which based on national estimates has cost taxpayers over $150,000 in the past 10 years (this provides additional savings to him as the company he owns is able to save those fees by not having to cover him); Mr. Schneiderman has done nothing to speak out against the LIRR as they impose service cuts, especially at a time when the Plaza is investing hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars to renovate LIRR property; and Mr. Schneiderman has left our firefighters in limbo as he has been unable to resolve the long standing 2010 open contract with the Vigilant Fire Company, even though 2011 is now well underway; the list goes on.

While it is not my intention to hurt Mr. Ryan’s feelings by exposing his friend, I guess the old adage is right…sometimes the truth hurts.

Michael S. Glickman

Great Neck

The Village of Great Neck Plaza, with a history that goes back to 1930 and a heritage that warrants a Historic Preservation Commission, is in many respects the model of a modern municipality. Over the years, Great Neck Plaza has used its zoning power to achieve important social objectives, which in these days, means balancing growth with preserving scale and character – progress with preservation, as it were.

Years ago, when there was a need for senior housing, the village introduced zoning and incentivized the building of two assisted living facilities. Then, when there seemed to be adequate supply, they changed the zoning again, cutting off the spigot.

They have used zoning in a progressive fashion to incentivize affordable housing, and used their authority to issue conditional use permits to get property owners to beautify the village with brick paving.

And they have used their zoning power to provide a very satisfying environment for both residential and commercial uses.

In essence, now, Great Neck Plaza leads the way in a growing trend toward communities which afford ample opportunities to work and live (rather than commute), or walk to mass transportation to get to their jobs, avoiding the stress on one’s emotional state as well as the environment by having to drive to work.

In this respect, Great Neck Plaza – just a quarter square mile and the most congested village in New York State – is more urban than suburban, more like Park Slope than Massapequa Park, and more on the cutting edge of 21st century lifestyle.

On Wednesday, Jan. 19, at 8 p.m. the Great Neck Plaza Board of Trustees will hold a public hearing to consider a proposed local law amending its code to allow residential apartments as a conditional use in the Business B District and to increase the height limitations applicable to mixed use residential buildings in said district within the Village of Great Neck Plaza.

While it used to be common to have mixed-use buildings – the proverbial apartment over the shop below – this is the latest trend among sustainable communities – providing for economic vitality without choking off quality of life for residents. It is the essence of “Smart Growth” – allowing the best economic return for property owners (and tax revenue for municipalities) with the least pressure from density.

But in actuality, the Plaza was always reflective of changing social needs, from its earliest days of settlement in the 1600s, to its agrarian and mercantile heritage in the 1800s, to the early 1900s, when the village’s proximity to New York City, and its station on the Long Island Railroad line, spurred new development.

William Russell Grace, industrialist and former Mayor of New York City, was largely responsible for the real estate development, building some of the most iconic buildings, including the Grace Building and 8 Bond Street (listed on the National Register of Historic Places), which he built as mixed-use, with apartments and offices above retail shops.

In many respects, the Plaza is returning to a time-tested land-use strategy.

“The aim is to stimulate economic revitalization of the downtown, our business district, and to encourage mixed use development – including retail on the first, residential or commercial office, civic and other types of complimentary uses, and investments into these properties such as facade and building improvements,” Village of Great Neck Plaza Mayor Jean Celender explained.

The rezoning, she said, is to spur “redevelopment opportunities that can add new life, with investment of public and private resources.

“It allows sustainable development that isn’t overburdening.” Celender said. “We’re doing it on conditional use basis – project by project, to allow flexibility.”

The new zoning would also make revitalization projects in the Plaza eligible for New York Main Street grants (yes, there is still money) – something that Mayor Celender, who in her professional life is a planner, has been successful at, having written Manorhaven’s Main Street Grant in 2005.

New York State Main Street Program supports revitalization of business districts and “strongly encourages” mixed-use (residences on upper floors above commercial) – which means that projects that have these elements get favorable scoring toward winning grants.

Under the “Downtown Anchor Program,” mixed-use projects receive “priority consideration” for funding up to $250,000 per building (not to exceed 40% of the total project cost).

Mayor Celender said that in order to secure Main Street grants, the zoning for the downtown must be in place and this zoning must meet certain guidelines, so the zoning study and amendments are the first step.  However, winning grants isn’t the sole motivation for the rezoning – better land use and revitalization of the downtown are the major motivations.

“We have focused a lot of our zoning over the past decade on the C2- the area that straddles the railroad, and hadn’t looked at improvements to B district,” she said. “We were looking at Main Street program grant and realized it might be time to really look at it, see the potential, and make [B district zoning] more in line with the Main Street grant program, so that when we rezone, would have rezone consistent with that.”

Spurring redevelopment in this way can also help achieve another goal of the village – generating more affordable housing by providing a financial underpinning in commercial use.

As is typical with the Plaza, the issue has been considered and studied for the past year; the village hired professional planning consultants Cameron Engineering & Associates, to analyze the merits and consequences of rezoning. Cameron made a presentation at the November 3 village board meeting.

According to the Cameron report, rezoning to permit for mixed-use will:

Support local businesses. The current economic downturn has hurt local merchants, service providers and property owners. Allowing mixed-use development would offer property owners and owner-operators greater flexibility in responding to evolving market conditions.

Increase activity within the downtown. Mixed uses tend to increase activity within business districts. Downtowns tend to bustle with activity during regular, 9-to-5 business hours, but fold up in the evenings. By encouraging residential uses within the downtown and increasing the resident population, stores, restaurants and other businesses can remain open, increasing business activity. Meanwhile, residents benefit from the increased opportunities for social interaction with more to do.

Provide greater housing options. Young professionals are leaving Long Island because of limited housing options. At the same time, the “baby-boomers” – the largest population block in the United States – are becoming “empty-nesters” and/or retiring. Many of this generation are seeking to downsize from their current single-family homes to apartments or condominiums. Allowing mixed-use development within the Business “B” district would be aptly timed to accommodate these two demographic and social trends.

Take advantage of available state funding. The New York Main Street program provides funds to support the revitalization of mixed-use business districts. A goal of the program is to “expand affordable housing opportunities in mixed-use districts, including accessible upper floor units.” In particular, the Downtown Anchor fund within the program strongly encourages residential units on upper floors, giving such projects “priority consideration” for funding. This fund may provide gap financing up to “$250,000 per building, but not exceeding 40% of Total Project Cost.” Any residential unit that has been rehabilitated or renovated with these funds must be made available for rent to households with incomes of less than 90% of the median family income. Although this funding cannot be applied to market-rate units, the renovation of market-rate units in spaces with affordable rental units may be considered as a local match for program funds.

Promote transit-oriented land use. The mixed-use of properties meshes well with the fact that the Plaza is the hub for mass transportation – the Long Island Railroad and bus service. This makes the village a walking/biking village, energy-efficient and congestion-mitigating transportation modes.

Indeed, additional benefits and opportunities will come to the Plaza if and when the Long Island Railroad is successful with its new service into the Grand Central on Manhattan’s east side. That should stimulate even further demand for housing in Great Neck, as well as facilitate the reverse commute for East Siders who work in Great Neck.

Reduction of growth in vehicle Trips. Mixed-use development within the Business “B” district can also help mitigate current and future traffic congestion. Many current residents of Great Neck Plaza are within walking distance of the Business “B” district. And, potential future residents of the Business “B” district would live in close proximity to many of their day-to-day shopping and service needs. Such trips can be easily made by walking, thus obviating the need to drive.

Promote smart growth. Nassau County and the State of New York support the enhancement of existing centers in order to promote economic development. In fact, Gov. Paterson recently signed into law the Smart Growth Public Infrastructure Priority Act. This new law requires New York State agencies and public corporations to screen their infrastructure programs and investments to eliminate those that fund inefficient, redundant, and costly development. The intent of this law is to prevent sprawl development by channeling infrastructure investments to existing centers, such as the downtown business district of Great Neck Plaza.

Relieve Development Pressures on Land. Planners have sought alternatives to sprawl, a development pattern on Long Island and many other suburban areas that consumes land in an inefficient manner. One solution is to increase the number of residences within existing centers. Mixed-use districts are one technique for reducing sprawl.

The rezoning is not going to trigger a wave of new development, Mayor Celender said, but rather, “we think it will be slow, over many years, project by project. The reason we want conditional use is to have a handle on how it goes. We can look at a project, and If too burdensome, or not in the direction we want to go, we can modify – like when we did assisted care. After we got two, and we felt that was enough, we took it out [or the code]”

That’s the best use and rationale for the local zoning power that villages have (and what the state wants to do away with.)

Another benefit of the rezoning strategy is that it encourages revitalization and redevelopment but does not cost the village anything. In fact, property values would likely rise along with their economic viability and demand, lowering property tax rates for everyone (there is an inverse relationship between property values and tax rates).

“We want sustainable development, development that doesn’t overburden existing facilities, but in a way that allows for growth, so we can keep taxes down,” Mayor Celender said. “We want residential development of our downtown so people can utilize services, stores, restaurants, have a vibrant nightlife, but we’re not looking to change the look of the village, not make it too dense.”

It is significant to note, as well, that the Village of Great Neck is similarly planning rezoning to allow for mixed-use.

The Plaza has made documents regarding the rezoning available at its website:

www.greatneckplaza.

And you can find out about the New York Main Street program at: www.dhcr.state.ny.us/Programs/NYMainStreet/

Karen Rubin

Dozens of supporters, including state Assemblywoman Michelle Schimel, turned out for a kickoff reception for three Great Neck Plaza candidates Sunday.

Hosted by the candidates, including Great Neck Village Justice Neil Finkston along with Trustees Jerry Schneiderman and Marion Green, attendees to the United Residents Party 2011 included Plaza Mayor Jean Celender, Deputy Mayor Ted Rosen, Trustee Pamela Marksheid, Belgrave Water Pollution Control District Commissioner Brian Jennings, many local supporters and Schimel.

Traveling from Albany to Manhattan for the swearing in ceremony of Tom Danapoli, Schimmel said she wanted to stop by Great Neck Plaza and show support for the local candidates and other local officials which she said she has known for a long time.

Calling it the “Jean team,” Schimmel said Celender and the Great Neck Board of Trustees is well respected throughout the state for its outstanding work.

“To me, they are they pinnacle of good local government,” said Schimmel. “Even when the economy stinks, they are always planning and looking for grants.”

Greeting guests with food and drinks at Esparks Coffee House on Great Neck Road, all three candidates handed out campaign packets to supporters before giving brief speeches to thank those in attendance.

“You know our record and we know you are pleased with it,” said Schneiderman.

Green recognized other trustees who asked her to join the board, thanked her supporters and said she has a “feel for the village.”

Levings, a plaza resident who came out to show support for Schneiderman, said he is pleased with the job the board os doing for the community.

“I don’t find anything wrong with (Schneiderman) or the board of trustees that he works with,” said Jennings. “The village is always clean and it’s a place I’m proud to live in.”

It was the second time the kickoff party as staged at Esparks in recent years.

Markseid said the event is good for local business and for candidates.

“We like to do it in town because it helps local businesses,” Marksheid said. “Usually we get good feedback from it.”

The Village Justice Court has one elected justice and one acting justice. The court handles traffic, parking and village ordinance violations.

The Great Neck Board of Trustees consists of four elected trustees and a mayor. The term of office for both the mayor and trustees is two years. All may serve an unlimited number of years. Each March , two trustees terms of office are open for election.

Now officially 100 years old, the Village of Saddle Rock kicked off its centennial year celebration by blowing out the candles on a small birthday cake last week. A larger celebration is planned for later in the year.

Village Mayor J. Leonard Symanski said he is excited to be in office during the Saddle Rock’s centennial year.

“I think it’s great,” said Symanski. “It’s something that happens once in a lifetime.”

According to its longtime mayor, Saddle Rock is both the oldest and youngest village on the Great Neck peninsula.

“It’s the oldest village in time and the youngest village in terms of serving the community,” said Symansky, also the village historian.

Established on Jan. 3, 1911, the area now known as Saddle Rock was once inhabited by Mattinecock Indians, according to the village website. And just 20 years after the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock, Ann Heatherton took over the northern part of the peninsula from the Indians who had lived there for centuries.

“She’s my best friend,” joked Symanski, now in his twentieth year as mayor.

In January of 1911, the state of New York authorized the first village on the Great Neck peninsula and Saddle Rock became the first of the nine Great Neck Villages.

In 1926 Louise Udall Skidmore Eldridge became the first female mayor of Saddle Rock and the first female mayor in the state of New York When upon the passage of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1920 giving women the right to vote, and to hold elected office in the state.

Symanski said the centennial celebration planned for April at Village Hall will celebrate Saddle Rock’s integrity and character “in which all the mayors and trustees have done their best to protect.”

He said the village would wait until after village elections are held March 15 to plan the centennial celebration. He also said the village was open to suggestions from the public on when the anniversary should be celebrated.

Great Neck Estates voters might be casting their ballots the old fashioned way during the upcoming election, according to Mayor David Fox.

At a regular meeting of the Great Neck Estates Board of Trustees Monday, Fox said the voting process might be forced to take a step back in time.

“We may wind up going back to the third century, everybody will be voting on a piece of paper,” said the mayor. “We can’t use the lever machines, the county doesn’t want to give us the scanning machines, we don’t know if the ballots are right.”

With the confusion, Fox said the village may actually have to wind up using paper and a lock box for voting.

“Quill pens will be provided,” joked Fox.

The board designated voting hours between noon and 9 p.m. for the March 15 village election.

This year, the terms of Mayor David Fox, Trustee William Warner, Trustee Sidney Krugman and Judge Harold Hoffman will expire. Candidate petitions must be filed with the village by Feb. 8.

The mayor and trustees serve two-year terms. Village justices serve four-year terms. Great Neck Estates elected officials serve without compensation.

Also at the meeting, a Great Neck Police officer cleared up any rumors surrounding the recent break-ins in Kings Point and Great Neck Village when the issue was raised by a local resident at the meeting.

“There were three in Kings Point and one in the Village of Great Neck just outside of Kings Point. There was a lot of rumors that there was one or two in Great Neck Estates. There was none in Great Neck Estates,” said a Great Neck Estates police sergeant at the meeting. “It was all in one general location up north.”

Nassau detectives are still investigating and no arrests have been made to this point, according to the police sergeant.

Fox confirmed that the break-ins were localized in the area north of Steamboat road.

The Great Neck Plaza Board of Trustees on Jan. 5 presented a tentative $5.8 million budget and salary schedule for 2011 – $114,000 less than the 2010 budget.

“I believe it represents good fiscal management and accountability,” said Village of Great Neck Plaza Mayor Jean Celender.

The mayor said she was comfortable with the budget which included no tax increases.

“We recognize that these are extraordinary times,” said Celender. “Tax rates have got to go up or you’ve got to lower costs.”

Trustee Pamela Marksheid said the amount of work involved in preparing the budget was “monumental.”

Trustee Gerry Schneiderman. said it is commendable that for five years in a row, the plaza has not had to raise village taxes..

At the meeting, plaza officials also approved Federal Transportation Enhancement Program funding for a Middle Neck Road enhancement project to improve the area around the village train station.

The federal money comes from funds distributed by the state Department of Transportation through a competitive process, according to Celender, who has worked for several years to secure the grant.

“This was my late Christmas present. I was very happy to receive this,” said the mayor.

The $725,000 project includes $511,000 to be paid for by the transportation grant with the remaining costs being fronted by the village.

According to a village report, the train station attracts a large volume of pedestrians on a daily basis and existing facilities are no longer managing the traffic efficiently. Pedestrian access routes to and from the Long Island Railroad train station around Middle Neck Road and North Station Plaza are in poor condition and the existing crosswalks and sidewalk ramps do not offer the shortest crossings or optimal handicapped accessibility.

The plan is designed to improve pedestrian safety, bike facilities, streets, sidewalks and ramps. It will also provide an area for public art at the LIRR station.

Other agenda items:

• The board considered public comments and a presentation by Plaza Landmark LLC, owned by real estate developer Frank Lalezarian, for a proposed residential multiple dwelling with affordable housing units to be Located at 245-265 Great Neck Road.

• The board granted a conditional use permit for Fusion Fitness, at 45 Cutter Mill Road.

Developer Frank Lalezarian and a proposal to build 12 homes at 100 Clover Drive by a company he owns came under sharp attack at a Great Neck Village Zoning Board of Appeals meeting Thursday by residents who challenged the developer’s track record and the environmental safety of his plan.

“The issue is not the rules and regulations of the environmental impact but Lalezarian’s track record with disregard to the environment and neighbors when building,” said James P. McAward of Great Neck Village.

McAward said Lalezarian has a track record of negligence and dangerous construction, charging that there had been more than 180 building violations at Lalezarian sites which have resulted in more than $100,000 in penalties for contractors at those sites since 2008.

Other residents used the public hearing to attack environmental concerns regarding Lalezarian’s plan.

“The way the water flows underneath us is seriously disrupted by things we construct,” said longtime local resident Rebecca Rosenblatt Gilliar, concerned that Lalezarian’s proposed project could negatively impact the peninsula.

Paul Bloom, Lalezarian’s attorney, said negative statements by residents were not motivated by a “true concern for environment or impact” but as an attempt to defeat the 12-home residential development project for “selfish” purposes.

“This is not the Empire State Building which is being constructed in someone’s backyard,” said Bloom, who asked the board to refocus.

Calling the discussion a “Christmas tree,” Bloom said the scoping procedure was getting lost in the mix from “overkill” by the board and negative comments from residents attempting to derail the project.

“Everybody wants to put a little ornament on that tree. And what’s the goal? The goal is that tree is going to fall,” said Bloom.

Zoning Board Chairman Dennis Grossman ended the exchange with a demand that the discussion return to the subject of the meeting – the environmental impact statement.

“I’ve heard enough name calling on all sides,” said Grossman. We are “only interested in substance, facts and doing the job that we have before us.”

The state Department of Environmental Conservation Department, which implements the National Environmental Protection Act, requires land use applications to examine their environmental impacts, according to Great Neck Village attorney Stephan G. Limmer.

The board unanimously voted to adopt a scope of items to be included in an environmental impact statement – namely traffic, slope of the land and drainage issues which have been raised.

For Lalezarian, the Jan. 6 meeting in Great Neck Village was the culmination of a busy week.

Last Wednesday, a team of lawyers, architects and family members accompanied him to a meeting of the Village of Great Neck Plaza Board of Trustees to consider a separate application and site proposal for a Lalezarian-owned multi-dwelling residential building at 245-265 Great Neck Road.

Lalezarian did not speak publicly at either meeting.

Assemblywoman Michelle Schimel (D- Great Neck) has been conferring with mayors and school superintendents in her state assembly district to get input for a legislative package she will propose to her party leadership in Albany that would offer financial relief to municipalities and school districts preparing for the impact of a 2 percent property tax cap.

One of the ideas Schimel said she would propose is a variation on Governor Andrew Cuomo’s tax reform plan, with the 2 percent cap on local tax levies to be activated if school budgets fail to pass on a first ballot. She said she sees an opportunity to influence the planned alterations for local fiscal landscapes since the terms of Cuomo’s cap plan hasn’t yet been drafted.

“There’s no bill. Everything is spin now,” Schimel said. “I will be talking to our leadership about whether they’d be willing to fashion a property tax cap based on what I’m hearing.”

What she’s hearing, from mayors and school superintendents alike, is that the imposition of a 2 percent tax cap would be a recipe for financial disaster.

“We’re in dire straits now but we’ve got to get out of this hole so we’re not facing the same situation a year from now,” said Herricks Superintendent of Schools John Bierwirth, when he spoke about the discussions with Schimel at last week’s school board meeting.

“We feel we absolutely cannot accept such a proposition. We have debt service that has to be accounted for and a staff of 21 police officers who are under contract to receive salary increases,” said Sands Point Mayor Leonard Wurzel on the proposed tax cap.

Another focal point of Schimel’s meetings with local officials is unfunded mandates, things that the state requires from municipalities and school districts which those respective entities have to pay for themselves.

“They said they must have some form of mandate relief. When you’re destined for a tax cap, you heading for a big collision down the line,” Schimel said.

She proposes seeking relief from such mandates in line with recommendations from the New York State Conference of Mayors and Municipal Officials.

NYCOM’s principal recommendations include a one-year freeze on salaries for all state, local government and school district employees. Based on a NYCOM survey of 61 cities outside of New York City, it estimates that such a wage freeze would yield $4.2 million in savings.

Another prime element of Schimel’s prospective legislation, based on feedback she’s receiving, would be a mandatory annual contribution of 3 percent from all public employees to their pension funds and some level of contribution to their respective health plans as well.

“We’re trying to get everybody to contribute a little,” Bierwirth said. “Our feeling is that we need to get out of this short-term so we’re going to be in this long-term.”

NYCOM recommends reinstating the 3 percent pension contribution that had been in place statewide prior to 1998.

“I think all public employees should be contributing to a step-funded pension for the entire time that that are working,” said Great Neck Superintendent of Schools Thomas Dolan.

NYCOM also recommends minimum employee contribution of 10 percent for individual health insurance coverage, a 25 percent contribution rate for family coverage and a 25 percent contribution from retirees who have coverage.

“The unfunded mandates solution just seems such common sense. There’s no state aid. We get it,” Dolan said. “We have to minimize taxes. We get it. Therefore, release us from the mandates we have.”

Dolan also noted that for the past five years, all school districts have been required to have an internal auditor, an external auditor and an internal claims auditor, a requirement which he said is redundant.

Great Neck Mayor Ralph Kreitzman said he was encouraged by Schimel’s effort to solicit opinions from officials in her district.

“It’s always encouraging when you have your elected representatives wanting to hear what you have to say,” Kreitzman said.

Now Schimel faces the daunting task of trying to develop a consensus among the Democratic leadership in Albany. But she’s also reaching across the aisle and into the other state legislative chamber to seek support from newly elected state Sen. Jack Martins (R-Mineola), who is widely perceived as an advocate for local government control.

Schimel and Martins are now co-sponsoring legislation in a rare act of bi-partisanship these days to amend the empowerment bill Cuomo crafted before he became governor, a bill easing the requirements for dissolving small municipalities.

“He’s on the other side and he’s been a mayor,” Schimel said of Cuomo. “He understands a lot of the issues.”

For some, the Village of Great Neck is now a little less free, according to a new local law passed Monday which bans smokers from enjoying a cigarette on sidewalks along Middle Neck Road.

Without establishing a plan of enforcement, the village board of trustees agreed to pass the local ordinance that prohibits smoking of tobacco and other substances on sidewalks along, or within 125 feet of, Middle Neck Road in front of commercial establishments, the Village Green Park and the Village Housing Authority. The ban also precludes smoking at benches in municipal parking lots with access to Middle Neck Road and within 10 feet around them.

“We are not stopping them from smoking, just stopping them when it interferes with people,” Village of Great Neck Mayor Ralph Kreitzman said on Wednesday.

The mayor said he would be “shocked” if the bill causes offended smokers to avoid the Village of Great Neck’s shops and restaurants.

“This smoking ordinance will benefit our local businesses,” stated Village of Great Neck Trustee Jeffrey Bass. “Moreover, it is necessary for the health and well being of our residents, business owners and community, overall. As a resident of the community, I believe it is important to take all measures necessary to protect our community. The smoking ban will decrease our residents’ exposure to the dangers of secondhand smoke.”

Great Neck has now joined three other municipalities in the U.S. to expand their no-smoking ordinance to its sidewalks throughout its business district. City officials in Berkley, Calif., were the first to pass such a law which limits smoking on public streets.

Previously, the village banned smoking in and within 50 feet of municipal buildings, in municipal vehicles and in the Village Strathmore Eco-Park.

Opponents of the bill called it nonsensical, impractical and unenforceable at a Nov. 17 public hearing – but that wasn’t enough to sway the board, which consists entirely of non-smokers who unanimously approved the bill at the first regular board meeting of 2011.

Kreitzman said the law was primarily put in place for some village merchants and their customers who complained about second-hand smoke. At the public hearing in November, he said smoke is a “burden to merchants” and interferes with business.

In its press release, the village cited a surgeon general’s report on smoking.

“Low levels of smoke exposure, including exposures to second hand tobacco smoke, lead to a rapid and sharp increase in dysfunction and inflammation of the lining of the blood vessels, which are implicated in heart attacks and stroke,” according to the release.

When asked by Blank Slate Media if automobiles might be banned from the streets of Great Neck in the future because of the known health risks they pose to residents, the mayor said the board is trying to solve one problem at a time.

“You can do what you can do, you’re not going to solve every problem in the world,” Kreitzman said.

The Tobacco Action Coalition of Long Island, which cheered the board’s decision at Mondays meeting, will provide the village with free signs that would say no smoking within 500 feet of entry way of buildings in the newly-established smoke-free zone.

Also at Mondays meeting, the board approved a resolution which would prohibit 26-year-old village employees with existing health coverage from being included under the village health-care plan.

A Queens jury awarded $7 million in damages to a Fresh Meadows man for post-operative complications following heart by-pass surgery at St. Francis Hospital in Roslyn.

Dr. Christopher Mendola and Dr. Patrick Monteleone, each affiliated with the well-known St. Francis Hospital in Long Island were found liable to Owen McNamara, and his wife Jo-Ann, by a jury in Queens County Supreme Court on Dec. 22.

McNamara’s “routine” by-pass surgery went without complication until the patient developed bleeding around his heart while in the intensive care unit, according to Steven E. Pegalis of Great Neck, McNamara’s attorney.

McNamara almost died but survived to experience more than two years of multiple complications, according to McNamara’s attorneys who said the surgery successfully corrected heart blockages, but the cardiac arrest produced permanent heart damage that previously did not exist, along with serious breathing, chest and infectious complications.

“Instead of timely identifying the pressure build-up, which could easily have been relieved within minutes, there was a negligent failure to timely recognize and communicate the development of this post-operative complication, leading to Mr. McNamara’s cardiac arrest,” said Pegalis.

In an age in which emphasis has been placed on patient safety and avoiding medical errors, Pegalis said the crux issue in this case was the doctors’ failure to timely communicate and document the medical record regarding the developing signs and symptoms of tamponade.

“If the signs and symptoms were timely recognized, treatment could have been rendered within minutes,” Pegalis said.

St. Francis Hospital and the affiliated doctors were represented by Peter Bower of New York, who did not return a request for comment left at his office.

The four-week trial was presided over by the Hon. Jeffrey Lebowitz.

In the waning days of 2010 The Nassau Interim Finance Authority gave the county three weeks to prove that it can get its finances in order before imposing a period of fiscal control. County Executive Edward Mangano has until Jan. 20 show that he can close a $350 million budget gap.

If NIFA takes control, the county will no longer be in control of its own finances. It will not be able to spend money or negotiate contracts without the consent of a board that no one has elected.

Organized labor could be the big loser if this happens. The labor bosses have just a few short weeks to work with Mangano to trim salaries and retirement benefits before the axe falls.

Although the NIFA takeover may in the long run be good medicine for one of the wealthiest and most overtaxed counties in the nation, we would hate to see it happen. It’s time for Mangano to make good on his campaign promise to get the county’s budget under control.

On the day after Christmas, Nassau County was buried under 20 inches of snow. But unlike other places in the tri-state area the towns and villages of the county were well prepared for this emergency.

By late Tuesday the people who live on the Queens side of the border looked on in envy of the county’s cleared streets as they waited with growing impatience for plows to make even one pass through their snowed-in side streets.

The cleared streets were no accident. In places like Great Neck the emergency work began on Sunday morning long before the first snowflakes started to fall. The weather forecasts began warning on Saturday afternoon that the entire area would be hit by a major snow storm. By Saturday night a blizzard warning was issued. To their credit officials throughout the county took these warnings seriously.

Mayor Ralph Kreitzman of the Village of Great Neck said the village’s public works team was out salting and sanding the hills and dangerous corners long before the storm began. “Our department of public works guys worked over 24 hours,” he said. “They did a magnificent job cleaning up the roads which look great now. I have received lots of compliments from residents who said the department of public works did a great job during this storm.”

Compare that to New York City where Mayor Michael Bloomberg spent the better part of last week apologizing and making excuses for the city’s pitiful response to the storm. The difference it appears was in the preparation. The island trucks were rolling before the storm hit. Residents were warned not to park cars along snow emergency routes.

In the Village of Saddle Rock all roads were open on Tuesday, two days before all roads were opened in nearby Queens. Village Clerk Donna Perone said she received no phone calls about emergencies in the village during the blizzard. In Queens some people waited for hours or more for an ambulance to arrive.

The one area in Nassau County where the response fell short was the Long Island Rail Road. Residents counted on the MTA to keep the trains running and it didn’t happen.

For those who work in the city, the commute was difficult if not impossible. The MTA needs to find a better way to make certain that the rails and switches are clear within hours after the snow stops falling – not days.

But overall the residents of Nassau County can be proud of the way the public works teams responded to this storm. Congratulations to everyone involved.