The Great Neck Arts Center’s Furman Film Series is getting ready to kick off its winter season with a mix of independent and studio films that seem to reflect our economic times – three of the five films selected feature stories about work-related themes.

The festival, which features advance screenings of upcoming films, begins on Jan. 13 with “The Company Men,” a drama-comedy from the Weinstein Company with a focus relevant to the current financially uncertain times.

Ben Affleck, Chris Cooper, Tommy Lee Jones, Kevin Costner and Rosemarie DeWitt are the featured players in a story about how three loyal corporate executives cope with their respective emotional reactions to losing their jobs. John Wells is the director, best known as executive producer of “The West Wing” and “ER.”

The second film in the four-movie set, to be screened on Jan. 27, is an independent release from Israel, “The Human Resources Manager,” a tragi-comedy about how the human resources manager of an industrial Israeli bakery deals with the public relations fallout from the death of one of the bakery’s workers in a suicide bombing. The movie won the audience award at the recent Locarno Film Festival and also was well received by film critics in Israel, winning awards for best director, best screenplay and best film at the 2010 Israeli Academy Awards.

It’s an example of the mix of movies the Great Neck Arts Center is trying to assemble to appeal to its audience, which has an ethnic mix of Jewish, Indian and Korean film-goers, according to Seran McPhillips, the Furman Film Series’ programmer and former vice president of acquisitions at Miramax.

“I’m going for kind of an anti-formulaic thing this time around,” McPhillips said. “This time it’s about both independent films and studio films.”

The third film in the series, “Cedar Rapids” from Fox Searchlight, stars Ed Helms (NBC’s “The Office” series) as a small-time insurance agent who attends an industry conference nand is drawn into a cycle of the ususal vices that attend such events by John C. Reilly and Sigourney Weaver. It will be shown on Feb. 10. It’s the handiwork of director Miguel Arteta (“The Good Girl” and “Chuck and Buck”).

“It’s interesting thematically. They’re all about jobs,” McPhillips said.

McPhillips, former vice president of acquisitions at Miramax Films, is still in discussions about the third movie in the winter season sequence for Feb. 24. He is making use of contacts he established during his eight years at Miramax to put together films that will present a combination of offerings that are on the verge of theatrical debuts, or as in the case of “The Human Resources Manager,” are likely to see limited release runs.

The gem in the fall series was “The King’s Speech,” featuring Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush in a movie that has created early Oscar buzz after its recent theatrical release.

The final film for the current season is “Ceremony,” starring Uma Thurman, Michael Angarano and Lee Pace, and directed by Max Winkler, the son of Henry Winkler. This film, screened at both the Toronto and Hamptons Film Festivals, is a romantic comedy about a wedding on the scale of the social functions in “The Great Gatsby” and was primarily shot on locations on Long Island. It’s from Magnolia Films, which produced the documentary “Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer,” about the mercurial fortunes of the former New York governor.

The main character in “Ceremony,” to be shown on March 10, is a delusional man who is on a mission to disrupt the grandiose marriage ceremony at the center of the film’s plot.

“For us it’s a perfect fit. It’s an up-and-coming director you want to support and it’s shot on Long Island,” McPhillips said. “It’s a combination that we really like.”

McPhillips said he’s aiming to make the Furman Film Series one that gets legs among movie buffs for its eclectic mix of offerings.

“We’re trying to make it more and more of a ‘buzz’ series,” McPhillips said.

All of the screenings in the Furman Film Series are at the Clearview Squire Cinemas, 115 Middle Neck Road, Great Neck. The films start at 7:30 p.m., with subscribers admitted at 7 p.m. and individual ticket-holders at 7:15 p.m.

Subscriptions for all five films in the series cost $75, or $65 for students and senior citizens. Individual tickets for each film are $20. Subscriptions or individual tickets can be ordered by calling 516-829-2570 or by going online at www.greatneckarts.org/Film.

The residents of the village must give a big round of applause to Tom Gannon, the new superintendent of the Village of New Hyde Park Department of Public Works, and his dedicated men for the superb job they did in the village during the recent snowstorm this past week-end.

Their hard word in moving all the snow around so travel was a bit easier for residents and businesses solidifies why living in the village is a true blessing. With only a few weeks under his belt as the new superintendent, he got hit with a major blizzard that crippled half of the east coast over the Christmas weekend, and Gannon got his first real dose of reality in his new position and he handled it like a real trooper.

Calling out two trucks at 11 a.m. on Sunday to sand and salt the roads to get a base down, he then called all the men in at 3 p.m. when the snow was rapidly falling and by 4 p.m. they were all out on the roads until late Monday afternoon doing what they do best in a crisis situation.

Come Tuesday morning, Gannon called them back in at 3 a.m. to do a clean-up of all the streets after the residents had spent the day clearing their walkways and driveways, pushing much of the snow into the streets.

These men knew exactly what had to be done and how to expedite the job so the residents would not have to suffer, and for that they must be congratulated.

When looking at TV and seeing how major cities like New York and the boroughs were literally stuck in their streets, it makes me and others feel confident in the caliber or personnel we have serving us here in the village and the fact that the mayor and board of trustees have a sense of urgency towards our needs as taxpayers to get the job done and get it done right away.

To Tom Gannon and his team of hard working men, the village residents appreciate what you do for us all year long, but your dedication in handling all the obstacles with this blizzard in record time and making our lives all a bit easier, makes us all proud.

Thank you for a job well done!

Ellen La Regina

Public Information Officer

Village of New Hyde Park

I have a rather simple New Year’s resolution for my neighbors and friends in Great Neck Plaza – in 2011, we should resolve to do all that we can to oust (Mayor) Jean Celender from office, a career politician who doubles as a part-time mayor and whose audacious acts over the past 25 years have demoralized a once thriving community. While we are at it, we should also oust all those that the mayor has personally ushered into Gussack Plaza through political appointments and lucrative service contracts.

As we search for new beginnings, we have an opportunity to save this small but important village by retiring (Village of Great Neck Plaza Trustee) Gerry Schneiderman from office, and ending the vicious decade-long cycle that has allowed the mayor to appoint the likes of Marion Green and others as trustee.

To some, my resolution might seem bold. To others, it may seem trite. But to the four trustees who have failed to govern and who have abdicated their legislative and fiduciary responsibilities to the mayor, I hope it serves as a wake-up call. In 2011, let’s impose term limits, end salaries for these part-time self-important politicians and make our village more transparent.

Gerry Schneiderman should be ashamed that he refuses to explain (or even discuss) the decisions he has made over the past decade since his appointment in 2000, and Marion Green should be embarrassed that she remains completely unaware of how the village works, especially after serving as a member of the zoning board for more than a decade. (I guess we could all show up to their campaign launch event on Jan. 9 at Esparks at 11 a.m and address these issues with them directly?).

In the coming year (before and after the March 15 election), we should all focus on the particulars and inundate the village with requests for information under New York State’s Freedom of Information Law to shine a light on the reckless spending habits of our one-day-a-week $40,000 a year mayor (who also collects a full salary through a local consulting firm). We should also focus on those trustees appointed (by the mayor) and elected by voter apathy who cost this village more than $200,000 a year in salary, pension contributions, and free health insurance benefits. Let’s not forget the personal cost we bear as our property values continue to erode with every decision imposed by this group!

In the coming year, we should demand that both apartment owners and house owners are apprised of the way in which village officials indiscriminately assess our property values for tax purposes, something they currently refuse to discuss.

In the coming year, we should strip the trustees and mayor of the special perks they grant themselves without discretion or oversight by the more than 6,000 tax-paying residents of this community. (Sorry Gerry, I know how important the little brass plaque is that adorns your car, but free parking isn’t everything, is it?).

In the coming year, we should address the many quality of life issues we face daily, such as a defunct downtown (after 25 years in office, why should any of us think the mayor will finally be able to address this issue?). We should also address the ever-growing parking issues that plague thousands of residents who live in apartments and who must park on the street. And we should address the fact that this community will face enormous difficulty when the current tax roll fails to keep up with the shameful spending habits unilaterally imposed by an ineffective legislature in Great Neck Plaza.

2011 could be historic. Together, we can resolve to take back our community by removing Schneiderman and Green from the payroll of this small but marvelous village.

Michael S. Glickman

Great Neck

My daughter is presently renting an apartment in Great Neck so I have occasion to be in your town often. Over the past several months I have observed two alterations that are very much appreciated by both residents and visitors alike.

The addition of the walkway that leads to the train station has made it much more accessible and safe for those who need to navigate the path from their cars to the trains.

Secondly, the town looks especially beautiful for the holidays. The decorations are inviting and remind us to keep the holiday spirit as we deal with the traffic of the season.

Thanks for all your board and committees do to maintain Great Neck’s reputation as a truly wonderful place to live and to visit.

Best wishes for a great 2011,

Lila Redlich

Floral Park

Republicans are now back in control of the New York State Senate. The question of the hour – have both Democrat and Republican senators learned their respective lessons? Will they get down to the peoples business and seriously discuss how to reform state government? Here are some popular ideas yet to be implemented.

Will they support legislation and amend the state constitution to allow the governor the right to call for a special election in the event a vacancy occurs for United States senator, office of state comptroller, state attorney general or lieutenant governor as he can do when a seat in the state Legislature becomes vacant.

Any lieutenant governor can cast the tie breaking vote in a state Senate session avoiding gridlock. A special election would allow the voters, rather than the legislature to choose.

There are more lobbyists in the Albany “State Street” “Pay for Play” crowd than any other place in America outside of Washington D.C.’s infamous “K” Street. Will the governor, comptroller, attorney general and members of the state Legislature have the courage to stand up to those who routinely finance their re-election campaigns in exchange for favorable legislation, tax code changes, funding of pet projects, award of so called “sole-source bids” and pension enhancements for the special interest constituents they represent?

Other reform should include passage of a balanced budget on April 1 with adequate time for reporters, good government groups, ordinary citizens and members of the legislature to read the fine print before adoption rather than the usual midnight vote behind closed doors.

Each year the Senate majority leader and Assembly speaker give out several hundred million dollars worth of member items (state pork) to their loyal followers, who vote as directed. The Democratic senators and Republican assembly members (who are the minority in their respective chambers) are lucky to get table scraps.

The majority leaders routinely prevent any bills proposed by members of the minority party in their respective chambers from ever coming out of committee for a full vote. Minority members get the short end of the stick when it comes to office budgets, space, staffing and mailings versus those members in the majority. Will “to the majority goes the spoils” philosophy finally end?

Real bipartisan legislative reforms would include minority party members of either chamber being allowed to propose legislation out of committee, permitting a full vote on any proposed legislation along with comparable office budgets, space, staffing and mailings as members of the majority.

When will there be a law passed in Albany requiring all members of the state Legislature holding a second job to report information about income, hours worked and any potential conflicts of interest between employers benefiting from favorable legislation or pork barrel member item spending?

In 1812, Massachusetts Gov. Elbridge Gerry signed a redistricting bill allowing his party to rig the drawing of district boundaries in their favor. This practice is commonly known as gerrymandering today.

After the 2010 census – who will support removing the redistricting power from the Senate and Assembly leadership along with the governor? Will they consider allowing the League of Women voters or some other impartial group to redraw district boundaries preventing incumbents of both parties from stacking the deck in their favor?

Republicans in the Senate would probably lose a number of seats they have historically gerrymandered including Marty Golden of Brooklyn along with several Long Island and Hudson Valley seats. Democrats would probably end up controlling the state Senate by several seats.

On the other hand, Republican state Assembly members might be able to increase their beleaguered numbers from today’s 50 versus 100 Democrats. Several decades ago, there were nine New York City-based GOP Assembly members including four from Queens along with a larger Long Island contingent. Today, there are only two GOP Staten Island seats out of 61 from NYC and a far smaller Long Island contingent. With a fair fight, Democrats would still control the Assembly, but by a lesser margin. This would afford Republicans opportunity to play a real role rather than continue being irrelevant.

There is still time for political redemption. The only power voters have is in 2012 when the incumbent members of the legislature are up for re-election. If they don’t deliver between now and then, the only way to obtain real change is to fire those incumbents. Perhaps it is time to give a new generation of elected officials a chance.

Larry Penner

Great Neck

Leading a district through these tough economic times is a huge task, especially with increased state mandates and decreased state aid. The state budget deficit is expected to continue to grow, federal stimulus funds will expire and pension costs will continue to climb.

Furthermore, Nassau County is making yet another attempt to shift the mistakes of prior year’s county assessments onto the backs of school districts, despite losing the battle in the courts last year. This is all occurring while the downturn in the economy continues to be felt by the residents of our community.

The good news is the district is financially sound and your Board of Education continues to work together with Administration to do more with fewer resources.

The budget-to-budget increases in the past two years have been the lowest in the past six years of the District and two of the lowest in the past 20 year history.

The district received a clean audit report and realized a surplus. This surplus was generated in part by a spending freeze and because of the budget-to-budget building process. The surplus funds were used to reduce the tax levy as well as to increase necessary reserves. In consultation with the Board’s Financial Advisory Committee, the Unappropriated Fund Balance (or what some refer to as the Emergency Fund) has been increased and is now closer to the maximum 4 percent that New York State has set for school districts. Having this Unappropriated Fund Balance puts the District in a healthy position in the event that there is a further shortfall of State Aid. Through the reserve funding process, the Board has taken steps to protect the taxpayers from large budget spikes in subsequent years. This year the direction of the Board is to conduct the budget building process based on actual expenditures based on the prior year allocations.

It is important to point out that at the time of the budget vote in May, the estimated tax levy increase was 3.35 percent; however, when the Board of Education met in August, the final tax levy increase was reduced and set at a lower tax rate of 2.97 percent.

Financial concerns are a constant, but we must never forget the priority we all share, the education of our children. If you look at the District’s website, you will see that we had a record number of AP Scholars in the 2009-10 school year; over fifty of these student-scholars are now in this year’s senior class. This comes as a direct result of fulfilling our Board Goal of removing the artificial barriers for entry into honors and AP classes. The new Willets Road program has already met with rave reviews from parents and children. Students are now engaged in a new elective program, an exciting Family & Consumer Science program and state-mandated Academic Intervention Services. Lastly, our final class size numbers are in and slightly higher than last year. The actual average class size at North Side is 20.8, at Willets Road 21.2, and at Wheatley 19.8.

We will continue to take steps necessary to keep the EWSD one of the outstanding districts on Long Island. Through continued communication, cooperation and collaboration with our staff, legislators and the public, we will continue to strive to obtain more equitable tax structures, fair contract outcomes and ensure that our district gets its fair share of assistance from Albany and Washington.

Best wishes for the New Year.

The Board of Education of the

East Williston

School District

As the long-time building inspector in Williston Park, Kerry Collins is a man who understands the inevitable ups and downs of his daily routine and takes a philosophical view of it.

“You’re dealing with the public, which has a lot of positive and negatives,” said Collins, who has headed the Williston Park building department for 25 years.

But when people vent their frustrations over their particular problem to him, he makes a point of maintaining a calm demeanor, and simply trying to talk the issue out in a rational way. Collins long service and steady hand by the village board of trustees with a certificate of recognition in the fall.

“You’re never going to please everybody. You have to enforce things in a diplomatic way,” Collins said. “You never hammer people. You ask them to help you.”

On the whole, Collins said he enjoys his work and tries to simply employ common sense, whatever the issue at hand happens to be.

“It’s a wonderful experience in any life. You get to talk to people and work in an environment that’s comfortable,” Collins said. “My work ethic requires that I like what I do.”

Collins maintains an amiable demeanor when conducting building inspections and reviewing applications for certificates of occupancy and all the rest that his job entails. But the 53-year-old said he is always ready to enforce the codes that guide his judgment if a resident or business owner wants to take a hard line.

“I’ve got the guns, and the bullets too. But I’d rather work together. It’s always a win-win with the government, and you’re going to lose,” he said. “If you’re not going to maintain your property, I’ll go to the next step.”

The code is the code in the end, but if someone needs time to correct a situation due to difficult financial circumstances, Collins said he’s always willing to work with them.

Collins said he likes being out of the limelight. He’d prefer to leave that to politicians, who he said are frequently abashed to discover that campaign pledges they make aren’t always consistent with the village codes and regulations that are already in place.

“Every administration has certain goals. Every decision we have has an impact on government,” Collins observed. “But we’re governed by municipal law, and campaign promises may not mean very much. Whatever you want to do, you have to follow municipal law.”

He has often found himself in the position of giving the village officials he’s working under a reality check in explaining gently explaining that what they want to do isn’t quite possible. And the issues that come up are often recurring themes. Collins said he maintains a file of letters he’s received from residents since 1985 about particular subjects, “and if I dig one out, all I have to do is change the name.”

Village of Williston Park Mayor Paul Ehrbar, a long-time resident who’s known Collins for years, said he has a new appreciation for the contribution the building inspector makes to the village since he’s been in office.

“I’m very pleased with him. He’s a hard worker. He puts in a lot more hours than people realize,” Ehrbar said. “He looks to be very helpful and informative with people. He does his job.”

And he always makes a point of consulting the village attorney on individual issues before he makes a determination, because he realizes that written laws offer a certain flexibility in their own immutable way.

“This is not just construction. This is code enforcement and everything in that code is open to interpretation. You have to interpret it for the benefit of the community,” Collins said.

Collins recalled that he was fortunate to have a mentor in the late Teddy Kimlingin, who held the building inspector’s job for 30 years before Collins took over.

“He told me where all the skeletons are,” Collins said. “And it’s a small closet.”

A simple man, Collins said he’s too wrapped up in his work to spend time at doing much of anything else. He does enjoys spending time with friends and family, but he enjoys watching sports in his leisure time, and playing the occasional round of golf.

Joseph DiGiorgio still remembers rebuilding the first ambulance of the Mineola Volunteer Ambulance Corps 32 years ago.

Somebody told him that the Town of Hempstead had a broken-down ambulance it wanted to get rid of. DiGiorgio jumped at the chance.

“I rebuilt that thing myself, like a new ambulance,” DiGiorgio recalled. “I was in the auto parts business and everybody helped me out.”

The ambulance capped off two-year effort by DiGiorgio and his late wife, Louise, to create an ambulance corps in Mineola that is now considered one of the top ambulance corps in Nassau County.

DiGiorgio credits his late wife for getting the campaign started.

“My wife was a tough woman. She said, ‘The town needs an ambulance corps’,” he recounted.

So in 1977, DiGiorgio enlisted the help of his fellow veterans in that effort. He convinced the village board of trustees to lend $20,000, and added that to $18,000 he and his friend Bruce Nedelka collected from local businesses. And on April 28, 1979, what has become a local institution – and a model organization – was born, with Nedelka as its first president.

The volunteer ambulance corps currently comprises 54 members and responds to an average of 80 or 90 calls each month.

DiGiorgio, now 89, had retired due to a bad back before starting the ambulance corps.

Taking advantage of the extra time, DiGiorgio secured contributions from four auto parts businesses in the Mineola area.

He recalled that Izzy Irus, who owned Mineola Glass, gave him the windshield and the glass for the side windows of the vehicle. He installed new brakes and brake pads, and everything else.

For DiGiorgio, who had been helping his brother-in-law out in his Flushing auto parts business since he was 13 years old, it was old hat.

He had become an expert at rebuilding cars while he was in the Flushing business since leaving the U.S. Army 78th Lightning Division after four years of service during World War II.

DiGiorgio had served in Europe as a platoon sergeant, training troops for combat before he himself landed in Le Havre France after D-Day.

“I was in the infantry. I worked very hard training men,” DiGiorgio said.

His unit moved from France to Belgium and then Holland, then back into France, ultimately becoming the first unit to enter German territory during the final phase of the European conflict.

He has a vivid memory of the war, of friends he lost in the fighting and, like other veterans who fought in the Battle of the Bulge, a vivid memory of the frigid temperatures in the Ardennes Forrest during that winter of 1944. “It was a cold, very cold. We tried everything to keep warm,” DiGiorgio recalled.

His unit was sent back to France after V-E Day, and was being prepared for deployment in the South Pacific before the war there ended.

DiGiorgio returned home to Mineola and married Louise, the girl who literally lived next door.

DiGiorgio, who used to like to go dancing at Roseland, fondly remembers his sweetheart as a woman who had the proverbial two left feet – and an iron will.

Tom Devaney, president of MVAC, remembers witnessing DiGiorgio’s uncompromising style of soliciting support first-hand.

“You should give me a contribution,” Devaney was with DiGiorgio when they stopped at a 2nd Street garage for a welding job DiGiorgio needed done. He immediately introduced Devaney as the MVAC president and reminded the office manager that her hadn’t chipped in. He suggested they should give $200, “and he just wouldn’t take no for an answer,” Devaney recalled. She walked out of the office and promptly returned with a check for $200.

“We definitely could not be where we are today without the hard work of Joe and his wife,” Devaney said.

In 1997, DiGiorgio and his wife, who helped assemble the core group of 30 original volunteers, were given a New York State Assembly citation for exemplary service to their community.

“I feel very happy that I started an ambulance corps,” DiGiorgio said. “I worked like hell to get it going and it’s still on the run.”

A Levittown woman was arrested last week on a charge of grand larceny that she allegedly committed while working as a health aide at a William Street home in Williston Park, according to Nassau County Police.

Third Squad detectives arrested Constance Goodman, 46, of 82 Twig Lane, Levittown in Williston Park on Dec. 31. Goodman had allegedly stolen a female victim’s credit card and used to buy jewelry valued at $1,629.37. The defendant subsequently made a purchase of $20.99 at a gas station, police said.

At the time of her arrest at 3:05 p.m. on Dec. 31, police said Goodman was in possession of multiple pieces of jewelry belonging to the victim, as well as several glassine envelopes containing heroin.

Goodman has been charged with three counts of third degree grand larceny, second degree forgery, three counts of second degree identity theft and criminal possession of a controlled substance.

The defendant was arraigned in First District Court in Hempstead on Saturday and released on probation. She was due to make a second court appearance on Jan. 4.

Wheatley senior and musical actress Christina Ames has been selected to participate next week as one of 150 finalists in a week-long series of performances and workshops as part of a YoungArts Week in Miami sponsored by the National Foundation for Advancement of the Arts.

Ames was selected to participate in the event from a pool of applicants from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories. There are three levels of winners in the competition that runs from Jan. 10 to 15, with gold winners taking home a $10,000 prize, silver winners receiving $5,000 and winners at the third level receiving from $1,000 to $3,000.

Ames, who plans to attend Brown University and pursue a double major that will include theater, said she expects the event will be an “incredible experience,” which will include acting workshops with Uma Thurman. The multi-talented Wheatley senior has been performing since she was as young as she can remember, landing TV commercial work and a role in ‘A Christmas Carol” on Broadway eight years ago.

Ames has acted in eight theater productions while at Wheatley, where she’s also the lead vocalist in the high school’s jazz ensemble. She also performs in the invitation-only Nassau-Suffolk Jazz Ensemble and has spent several summers performing in the French Woods Festival of the Performing Arts.

“It’s my passion,” Ames said. “It’s what I’ve been following since I was a little kid and I see no sense in giving it up.”

She credits her parents with encouraging her to pursue that passion. She performs with her father, guitarist Mitchell Ames in his R&B band, Johnny Volume, noting that he helped her produce the song and the monologue for the videotape she prepared for her application to YoungArts Week.

“He knows what people like and what sounds good,” Ames said. “I don’t think I would be as dedicated or motivated without their support.”

Her mother, Dorothy, has tirelessly driven her to auditions in Manhattan that have helped her gain both acting experience and practical exposure as an actress. She has gained acting experience in the five-week Stella Adler Summer Acting Intensive Program in Manhattan – a more “intense” program than any she said she’s been in before – and improved her dancing technique in the Steps on Broadway American Theatre Dance Workshop.

Steve Fitzko, director of the Wheatley Jazz Band, who first saw her perform as a freshman, said that band would not be the same without her.

“She’s been a main centerpiece of the Jazz Band for the past few years. She’s able to transcend all vocal styles and give a polished performance,” Fitzko said. “She lends a lot of credibility to the jazz band. People come out to see it knowing she’s going to perform.”

Ultimately, Ames hopes to perform in musical theater and movies, but acknowledging the highly competitive nature of her chosen field, said she’s also intends to major in mathematics or economics at Brown. (She’s won math and science research awards in middle school and high school as well.)

An AP scholar and a member of the National Honor Society, the National French Honor Society and the All-State Vocal Jazz Ensemble and the All-State Women’s Chorus, Ames finds time to explore different facets of life to expand her own horizons. She’s also president of her class at Wheatley and in past years, she’s performed community service in the Summer Children’s Reading Program and the children’s volunteer program of the east Williston Recreation Committee.

“That’s definitely been a big thing in my life, balancing my craft and my school work,” Ames said.

Next Tuesday, she’ll be performing three songs for one of the most elite audiences she’s ever faced, delivering a climactic performance of one of those tunes in Miami’s Gussman’s Theater. And maybe she’ll be one of the several outstanding artists who will bring home an award for her efforts.

A funeral mass was held at St. Aidan’s Church last Friday for long-time Williston Park resident John McArdle, who died on Dec. 28 after a long illness. He was 89 years old.

McArdle served in the Navy Air Force in the South Pacific during World War II and was an active member of the Williston Park Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1688 and the American Legion Post 144.

He became a New York City Fireman after the war, serving as a firefighter for 25 years before he retired. And after his retirement he volunteered his time at the American Legion Post as a handyman, according to his daughter, Marilyn Doughty.

“He could make something out of nothing,” she said.

McArdle’s wife, Frances, died in 1974, leaving him as a single parent to continue raising his three daughters and one son.

“His family was his life,” Doughty said. “He did everything for us.”

At the funeral mass on Friday, a color guard of firemen were on hand to salute his flag-draped coffin as it was brought into the church. A lone bagpiper played a somber musical salute.

The opening hymn of the mass was Amazing Grace as members of the family followed the coffin down the main aisle of St. Aidan’s, where McArdle was a long-time parishioner.

During his homily, Rev. Monsignor James McDonald said he remembered McArdle as a member of the parish over 52 years.

“That’s a lot of masses,” McDonald said.

McDonald reminded McArdle’s family and friends that “what we celebrate when we celebrate John’s life is being with Christ, going home,” and he counseled all present to be kind and compassionate to one another.

The Ave Maria was sung before the communion in the early morning service that was well attended by members of the community.

McArdle’s son Jerome, who delivered a eulogy near the end of the service, began by saying, “My father wore many hats.”

One that he never put away was his firefighter helmet, which was prominently displayed during the wake at the Weigand Funeral Home on Hillside Avenue in Williston Park.

“Up to his death, he felt like he was a firefighter,” Jerome McArdle said. “He was probably the toughest man I ever met in my life.”

McArdle spoke of his father’s “inner strength” and described him as a “great husband” to his late wife.

“I know he loved his family, his grandchildren and his great-grandchildren,” McArdle said.

John McArdle was a simple man who always wore flannel shirts, his daughter Marilyn recalled. Marilyn and her husband, Ron, are co-owners of Williston Plumbing in Williston Park.

She remembered a father who had a dry sense of humor and liked to read. He also enjoyed watching football, baseball and “Wheel of Fortune.”

But above all, as her brother indicated in his eulogy, she remembered a father who was devoted to his family.

McArdle is survived by his daughters Marilyn and Donna, and his son Jerome, and his brother Ben, and sisters Lillian and Dorothy. He also is survived by 10 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

Interment at the Long Island National Cemetery followed the funeral mass at St. Aidan.

Newly elected Republican state Sen. Jack Martins was sworn in on Tuesday in Albany, and immediately turned his attention to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposed property statewide tax cap.

Martins said he supports in principle Cuomo’s proposed 2 percent property tax cap, but believed the tax cap needs to be considered in relation to local communities’ needs.

“I agree with the tax cap and there’s general consensus on that point. Where there’s going to be discussion is how to implement it,” he said. “There really is an important distinction there. We have to press for a tax cap but we have to press for pension reform and health-care reform.”

Decreasing statewide Medicaid spending should be the primary focus in the context of health-care reform, Martins said. Failure to address pension and health-care costs that are fueling increases in local taxes would present serious dilemmas to officials drafting municipal budgets, according to Martins.

“You have to get a handle on those cost-drivers, or local communities are left with some difficult decisions,” he said.

The new 7th Senate District representative said he’s ready to review Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s anticipated budget draft proposal as his first order of business.

Using the Village of Mineola as a reference point, the former Mineola mayor noted that capping property taxes at 2 percent would limit an overall budget increase to 1 percent, necessitating cuts in services or other areas such as road paving and fire emergency services.

“We’re going to look at the governor’s proposal as to where he hopes to cut spending and gauge the impact to our local communities,” Martins said.

Martins said Cuomo’s idea of freezing state employees’ salaries in the current budget “bears reviewing,” but said that proposal should be accompanied by one that would hold the line on salaries for local municipal employees as well.

“Let’s get Albany out of the way,” Martins said, sounding a traditional conservative mantra. “It all goes back to allowing state and local governments to establish a base line. It’s taxpayer relief that we’re looking at.”

Martins’ court-contested victory over incumbent Craig Johnson gave Republicans the majority in that branch of the state Legislature, but left Martins little time to prepare for the new session.

“We’re scrambling to get our staff together, but we’re working on that,” Martins said on the eve of his swearing in ceremony. “I’m optimistic that things will be in order. I certainly would have hoped that [Johnson] would have reached out so that those things that are in the pipeline would be handed off seamlessly, but I guess that was not to be.”

Martins said he had hoped that Johnson or members of his office staff would have offered information about issues already on the senate agenda or local financial commitments that had not yet been fulfilled. Martins said he hasn’t communicated with Johnson since the campaign ended.

“They’ve just been silent altogether,” Martins said. “I’m concerned about prior commitments that were made. Certainly I would have to identify the commitments that were there were actually documented.”

Martins said he expects to sort all that out shortly, probably in first few weeks of this year. He said he’ss hoping to get input from community organizations to get a sense of what financial commitments made during Johnson’s term remain outstanding.

Johnson’s chief of staff Rich Azzopardi, said he understood that Johnson had attempted to contact Martins, and said he himself is available for consultation if needed.

“I haven’t fielded any calls from these guys. If somebody on Martins’s team wants to give me a call on something, I’ll talk to them,” Azzopardi said.

The short transition period since his election was officially certified by the state Court of Appeals late last month has left Martins with no staff positions yet officially filled.

“We do have some offers out and have had some people accept,” he said, declining to make any official announcements yet. “There’s a practical end of getting the office set up and getting it staffed so we can provide constituent services.”

Martins said he would like to retain the same local Herricks Road offices in Garden City Park that Johnson maintained during his term in office, but that remains uncertain since the two-year lease on the space expired at the end of last month.