Let’s be thankful that in a village made up of almost 100 condo’s, co-op’s and rental apartments; about 150 single family homes; 250 plus merchants; dozens of office buildings; a few hotels, nursing and assisted living homes; and more than 6,500 residents, we have been blessed with a local government similar to that of an absolute monarchy with Mayor Celender as our part-time queen, and the four trustees as our court jesters.

Let’s be thankful that since 2000, this village has not elected a trustee that wasn’t first appointed by Mayor Celender. Those appointments include: Gerry Schneiderman in 2000; Shelly Goodman in 2007 (he resigned in 2008); Rafe Lieber in 2008 (he resigned in 2009); Pam Marksheid in 2009; and Marion Green in 2010.

Let’s be thankful that Trustee Schneiderman was the person responsible for pushing through a 60 percent increase in salary for part-time Mayor Celender.

At the same time, we should offer our thanks to the village’s appointed attorney Richard Gabriele, who, according to the transcript of the meeting in which that raise was granted, Mr. Gabriele is on the record as boldly supporting such an increase. It’s just too bad that the same transcript didn’t mention that the village attorney’s law firm receives about $72,000 a year from the Plaza for his services. Given that Mr. Gabriele is appointed each year at the Plaza’s annual organizational meeting by Mayor Celender, doesn’t it appear to be a conflict of interest when a vendor recommends a raise for the person who renews his contract…things that make you go hmmm.

Let’s be thankful that our part-time elected and appointed officials cost village taxpayers more money than any other village in the Great Neck peninsula. With more than $200,000 a year in salary and benefits for the part-time mayor and her court jesters, which happens to be among the highest of any incorporated village in New York State, we should also be thankful that the mayor, who earns $40,000 a year, spent nearly $55,000 last year on an executive assistant. What’s more, since it appears that all of the part-time elected officials in the village are entitled to free health insurance, local taxpayers were responsible to foot a $720,061 bill (which also included health insurance for all village employees) in the last fiscal year.

Let’s be thankful that the paper of record for the village never scrutinized the most recent financial statement of the Plaza and spotlighted some of the reckless spending habits of our village officials, which include tens of thousands of dollars for a village historian, organized walking tours (please stop for oncoming cars when walking through the village because they won’t stop for you!), and celebrations. Since there was no footnote in the financials about what these celebrations were for, I encourage people to contact Village Hall if there is a birthday party, anniversary or graduation celebration that you want them to pay for!

Let’s be thankful that the village continues to add hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in unexpended funds from tax dollars to its fund balance that now totals $2,516,165 – and no one knows what is happening to this money. Given that the village is predicting that 2011 real property tax revenue will decrease, let’s also be thankful that our local officials continue to dole out funds for senseless projects, like an e-newsletter that was conceived to miraculously generate new business for the store owners in the Plaza. If only it was that easy!

Let’s be thankful that the proceedings of the meetings of our village government are not easily available to the public. And that they only exist in the form of 200-plus page transcripts.

Having read most of the transcripts of the past year myself, I encourage everyone to visit Village Hall and request one of these mini-novels to garner a first-hand account of just how dysfunctional our local government is (July 21, 2010 is one of my favorites). While there, pay close attention to Trustee Green’s contributions since her appointment and you too will be thankful for how masterfully she uses the words “yeah” and “right,” which probably explains why she has not been appointed by her colleagues to represent the village on any “authority, commission, or committee” since those assignments were given out earlier this year.

And finally, let’s be thankful that as a community we are starting to come to our senses and ask questions about who is minding the store.

With a new publication available to village readers (this publication), a soon to be acknowledged uptick in voter registration, and a new focus on the antics of our local government, I am thankful (and hopeful) that the full potential of our village can be realized in the days ahead.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Michael S. Glickman

Great Neck

In regard to Michael Glickman’s comments regarding parking in the Plaza (letter, Nov. 19), he is absolutely correct that the Village officials have neglected to address the issue in a constructive way.

At the (Great Nerck Plaza) Board of Trustees meeting held on the evening of Nov. 3, in response to the village’s proposal to revise the zoning code to accommodate rental apartments above commercial uses, members of the public expressed concerns that parking would be required for the new residents.

Fact is, additional parking is required for not only new residents, but for existing ones, as well as for commuters, shoppers, shopkeepers, employees, and delivery personnel.

At almost every Board of Trustees meeting, some proposal – to open a place of business, construct new housing, or manage pedestrian safety – is constrained by lack of suitable and safe parking. The parking issue is the proverbial elephant in the room. To imply that nothing can be done, or worse, that nothing should be done, is a sad state of affairs and betrays a lack of vision for improving the future viability of the Plaza.

In the 1930s the Long Island Railroad tracks were depressed below grade, eliminating a grade crossing. If that had not occurred, Middle Neck Road would today be the site of insufferable traffic jams. The present parking problem calls for a similar major relief initiative because the ownership and use of automobiles has risen over time. In earlier times residents may not have owned a car, but now they must; families that may have owned one now own two. This is the nature of the suburbs today, and Great Neck Plaza cannot revive if it continues to disregard this reality.

Our residents shouldn’t have to waste time prowling the streets for a parking space. The aggressive presence of code enforcement personnel is discouraging to shoppers, who must navigate a hodgepodge of parking restrictions and sub-standard parking lots. Owners and employees of commercial establishment are required to park on the upper level of the inconveniently located Gussack Plaza garage instead of closer to their places of work.

It is past time that the officials of the Plaza address this major issue as aggressively as they have seen fit to construct roundabouts and sidewalk “bulb-outs.”

While these improvements have been for the most part well conceived and executed, it is time to stop playing “small ball” with the parking issue, and it is time for the village to work with other authorities, such as Nassau County and the Great Neck Park District, in solving what is also a situation affecting the entire Great Neck peninsula.

Terence H. Eckstein

Great Neck

BY RICHARD TEDESCO

Nassau County Police 3rd Squad detectives are seeking a man who robbed a T-Mobile store at 3363 Hillside Avenue in Herricks last week and assaulted a store clerk to make his getaway.

The suspect, a young male Hispanic or black man, entered the store on Nov. 18 around 5 p.m. and told the clerk he needed a new cell phone. He then told the T-Mobil employee that he had a gun, did not display the gun, and demanded money from the cash register, police said.

The victim complied, giving the robber the money from the register. When he turned back to find the alarm panic button, the robber struck the victim in the back of the head with his hand, police said.

The robber then fled with an undetermined amount of cash. There were no other customers or workers present in the store at the time.

When police arrived on the scene, the store clerk refused medical treatment, although he complained of paid in his head and his right knee.

The suspect is described as a male Hispanic or black, 5-feet, 10 inches tall, wearing dark colored clothing and a gray sweatshirt.

Anyone with information about this robbery is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS. All callers will remain anonymous.

Speculation persisted last week about the possible appointment of Town of North Hempstead Supervisor Jon Kaiman to a prominent post in the administration of Governor-Elect Andrew Cuomo.

But Kaiman continued to deny that he was on the verge of taking a job with Cuomo, or that such a move had even been discussed.

“I have a good relationship with the next governor,” Kaiman said.

He said he hasn’t had any conversations with Cuomo about taking a position in the new administration. But he didn’t dismiss the idea of entertaining such a move if Cuomo called on him.

“I think I’d discuss it with my wife,” he quipped.

The attendant speculation about Kaiman’s possible accession to a post with Cuomo centers on Nassau County legislator Wayne Wink (D-Roslyn) aspiring to succeed Kaiman as town supervisor, according to a source close to the Nassau County Legislature.

Former Nassau County Comptroller Howard Weitzman has also been mentioned prominently as a possible candidate for town supervisor.

Cuomo has already named prominent Long Island figures to key posts in the areas of energy, environment, public safety, economic development and labor.

Last week, Citizens for the Environment Executive Director Adrienne Esposito and Robert Catell, chairman of the Advanced Energy Research and Technology Center at Stony Brook University to the 25-member Environment and Energy Recreation Committee.

Cuomo also named Michael Balboni, a former state senator and former deputy secretary for public safety, Congressman Peter King (NY-3rd CD) and state Assemblyman Phil Ramos (D-Brentwood) to the public safety committee.

Cuomo had already filled his Committee on Economic Development and Labor with Long Island Association President Kevin Law, Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano and New York State Senate Minority Leader Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre).

Republican challenger Jack Martins held a 320-vote lead over Democratic incumbent Craig Johnson on Friday in the tight 7th state Senate District race that is headed for a court hearing on Monday as Democrats continue to call for a full ballot recount.

The 320-vote margin was the result of Johnson gaining 82 votes from what had been contested absentee ballots that were opened early this week. Republicans were seeking to open an additional 178 ballots against which Democratic board of election officials had registered “veracity challenges.” With a total of 395 other absentee ballot objections left to resolve, and 226 of those representing Republican registrants, Republican election attorney John Ryan said Martins is the clear winner.

“It’s mathematically impossible for [the Democrats] to overcome a 320-vote margin,” Ryan said.

But anticipating a Democratic challenge alleging unresolved issues with results from the continuing 3 percent statutory audit of voting machines, he added, “The judge will be the one making the ultimate decision.”

The only thing Republicans and Democrats were agreeing on about the results on Friday was that 320-vote margin.

Democratic Election Commissioner Willilam Biamonte said that two of nine voting machines initially examined as part of the 3 percent mandatory audit failed to produce results consistent with the paper ballots they contained. One machine showed a discrepancy of a single vote, but the second machine – from an election district in the contentious 7th state Senate District – showed a variety of mistakes that could not be logically explained, according to Biamonte.

“It has to be a scanner problem,” he said.

Late last week, Nassau County Supreme Court Justice Ira Warshawsky directed that the remaining five machines randomly selected as part of the county-wide audit from election districts in the Martins-Johnson balloting be audited before any other machines are audited. Biamonte said that if results from one more machine fail to match the paper ballot count, a 5 percent county-wide audit should follow. If a 5 percent audit revealed further anomalies, a 12 percent audit would ensue, followed by a full audit if the 12 percent screening turned up more questionable tabulations.

Attorney Steven Schlesinger, who represents Johnson, was set to press the court for a full hand recount on Monday, saying that he had heard there were other machine failures.

“It’ll be another 10 days to two weeks before it’s resolved,” Schlesinger said.

But Ryan said there were no results from the audit thus far that suggested any machine failures.

“There are no problems other that the issue of a ballot dropping in [a machine] where it should have been spit out,” he said.

With the majority in the state Senate at stake, Democrats are likely to muster all of the evidence they can of any irregularities turned up by the audit to justify a full recount – a process Warshawsky he said he would not order in the absence of “material” evidence during the last hearing in the case on Nov. 12.

Meanwhile, Johnson spoke for for the first time since the campaign ended through spokesman Rich Azzopardi who issued a statement saying “a significant number of ballots where the voters clearly marked their choice of candidates in the 7th SD race were not correctly tallied by the voting machines,” and suggested that 4,000 votes may be uncounted. “It is becoming increasingly clear that a hand vote may be the only way to ensure that every vote is counted,” Azzopardi’s statement concluded.

Asked how he had arrived at the figure of 4,000 potentially uncounted votes, Azzopardi said he had extrapolated from an audit sample that supposedly revealed a discrepancy of 40 ballots among machines that had been audited.

At a time that school districts try to cope with declining state aid and rising tax obligations, the disparity in residential and commercial tax support between districts is becoming increasingly important.

When a school board member in Mineola recently floated the idea of that school district merging with Herricks, school board members in both districts immediately noted the large gap in school taxes paid by businesses between the two districts.

According to 2008 records of the state office of real property tax services, Mineola drew 40 percent of its tax revenue, nearly $28 million, from commercial sources, while Herricks drew only 3 percent, or about $2.5 million from commercial entities.

The weight of the tax burden on homeowners was also seen as one reason the Herricks school budget was defeated by one vote earlier this year before a revised budget was approved in a second election. Voters ultimately approved a $96.5 million budget – reflecting a 2.9 percent increase over the previous year – on a second ballot.

By contrast, Great Neck whose budget passed overwhelmingly – 1,863 to 545 – on the first vote receives 31 percent of its budget from businesses.

“I think the [state aid] system makes it very difficult for people in communities like this,” said Herricks Superintendent of Schools John Bierwirth. “We certainly have to watch carefully because our homeowners are paying 95 percent of the school taxes.”

A similar ratio exists in the East Williston School District, where just 4 percent of district revenues come from commercial sources and nearly 94 percent of the tax revenue comes from residents. An anti-school budget campaign brought out large numbers of voters against the budget, which ultimately survived by a 34-vote margin.

“Basically we have no offsets in this district. This district made a decision to exclude commercial properties from its perimeter,” said East Williston Superintendent of Schools Lorna Lewis. “We’ve always been very conservative, trying to keep our costs down because of the tremendous burden that puts on our residents.”

East Williston’s $50.2 million budget represented a 2.43 percent increase over the prior year’s budget.

The recent imposition of a sewer tax and the levy of last year’s MTA tax have complicated the economics for all school districts, despite the gradual reimbursement of the MTA tax anticipated from the state each year. More onerous for all school districts is the prospect for the elimination of the county guarantee, which obliged Nassau County to cover the gap between each school district’s tax levy and the unpaid taxes due to assessment appeals.

Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano recently pointed out that homeowners in districts with a low commercial base would actually benefit from the loss of the county guarantee, while districts higher commercial bases would have to assume a greater liability.

With 40 percent of its school budget covered by commercial property taxes, Mineola and Great Neck could face a significant liability when commercial businesses are successful in their assessment appeals.

In a region where the cost per student in each school district typically equals or exceeds the nation’s highest statewide average of more than $17,000,

Mineola’s currently ranks near the top of the charts at approximately $29,630, but in the face of rising costs a declining school population it is seeking to shutter two of its elementary schools.

Mineola Superintendent of Schools Michael Nagler said he anticipates a $1 million savings from closing one school next year. But pension costs of $1.6 million and the need to start bracing for the tax certiorari fallout if a certain legal challenge by Nassau school districts can’t save the county guarantee means that Mineola’s budget could increase by 5 percent or more.

“Even closing a school, I’m going to cut some of that money out, but the tax levy is going to get walloped,” Nagler said.

Nagler thinks that escalating budget costs that give school districts little chance of keeping the financial impact under control begs a much larger question.

“It’s the haves and the have-nots. It’s who can afford the kind of education you want. How do they keep up with each other? If one district starts something, another district wants it,” Nagler said.

And inevitably, something’s got to give, either in the quality of educational programs that school districts are able to offer or in their ability to maintain their viability.

Initiatives such as the county-wide effort to pool transportation resources among adjacent school districts, increasing cooperative purchasing efforts – and consolidating administrative positions in the process – take on greater urgency.

John Powell, assistant superintendent of business for the Great Neck school district said the district’s priority is to consolidate certain aspects of its operations including transportation, purchasing with BOCES, and using Nassau County auditors and legal services.

“If we have an opportunity through partnerships with other school districts, villages, the county and the Town of North Hempstead to save money, this district will pursue that,” Powell said. “We want to deliver the best product at the lowest cost to be economic and effective.”

“We do whatever we can do to save taxpayers money. The Nassau County school districts are trying to do transportation on a county scale,” said Warren Mierdiercks, Sewanhaka superintendent of schools, who added that one concurrent result of cost-cutting will be “to consolidate some of the [administrative] functions.”

Sewanhaka represents an anomaly among school districts, as a single administrative entity overseeing a district composed of five high schools. Its origins date back to the early 1950s when the population was sparsely distributed over a large geographic area.

Cost-cutting has been an urgent issue since state aid started declining in recent years, according to Mierdiercks. Sewanhaka’s costs per student stand at a relatively low $13,000. And given its history, consolidation with any neighboring districts isn’t a likely scenario.

“Consolidation has been talked about the past. I don’t see this as an avenue in which the district is looking,” Mierdiercks said.

Apart from economics, there is a culture specific to school districts that naturally resists the idea of merging with another district and violating the integrity and tradition that is an integral part of each community.

“You have to go back to why the districts were created the way they were,” East Williston’s Lewis said. “Who would you partner with? People value the Wheatley School, graduating from this intimate environment where you have a special relationship with your students.”

The high percentage of Wheatley students who get into top-flight colleges is just one reason that taxpayers are content to carry the more than $21,000 per student costs in the district.

Mangano recently asserted that a root problem with school budget costs is administrative waste. While he declines to address the issue of administrative salaries, he has created an entity intended to reduce costs of supplies and services through a bidding cooperative called the Long Island Purchasing Council.

But the initiative is raising more issues than it purports to solve for superintendents aggressively seeking to cut costs.

“The concern that’s being raised is, if you sign onto this, whether you are committed to all of your purchases through the Long Island Purchasing Council,” Bierwirth said. “What we do right now is we look at a variety of cooperative bids and we pick the best one.”

One attorney familiar with the purchasing council agreement said it does seem to obligate participating municipalities or school districts to do all of their purchasing through its vendors, relying on its seven-member executive board to make all purchasing selections.

“This is like being asked to buy a pig in a poke. That’s what it sounds like,” the attorney said. “You’re locked in unless you can make an argument that it’s not in our best interests for this contract.”

School districts currently work with BOCES to improve their buying power.

BOCES recently outlined a plan for voice over IP systems and phone lines, according to Robert Katulak, superintendent for the New Hyde Park-Garden City Park school district, who sees the potential for savings and autonomy in such a configuration.

“We become our own network so we have our own network and accomplish reductive costs,” he said.

Katulak agrees that cultural distinctions work against consolidation.

New Hyde Park-Garden City Park is another anomaly, composed only of elementary schools, but with a typical balance of 77 percent of its tax revenues coming from residential property and 22 percent from commercial sources maintaining a per student cost of $12,000. But Katulak doesn’t rule consolidation out.

“It might be a survival thing eventually. If the economy doesn’t get any better and the state aid continues to decline, it might be a matter of necessity,” he said. “I don’t think we‘re at that point yet, but that doesn’t say we won’t get there quickly.”

Many observers foresee pressure on smaller school districts that maintain the same major costs as their larger counterparts. Whether consolidation becomes a widespread reality, it will continue to be a subject of speculation.

“There’s a huge amount of discussion at the state level and I assume, given the state of New York state finances, there’s certain to be more discussion,” said Bierwirth.

The Mineola School Board has switched tactics in its initiative to consolidate elementary schools in the district, opting to fund construction at the Hampton Street School with $1.7 million from its capital reserve fund and putting a $4.4 million bond proposal to expand the Jackson Avenue School up for a vote in February.

The $4.4 million bond proposal to add eight classrooms on Jackson Avenue to accommodate grades three through five was originally to be tied to a second $1.7 million bond option to add four classrooms at Hampton, making it the south school for grades Pre-K through 2, and eliminating the Willis Avenue School from the reconfiguration.

Changing the bond proposal effectively will let residents decide on whether fifth graders would move to the middle school and eighth graders would relocate to the high school – both controversial changes that would be part of the so-called default option for consolidation that would require no bond to expand existing facilities.

Retaining Hampton Street would maintain elementary schools north and south of Jericho Turnpike – with Meadow Drive as the north school – acceding to residents’ preferences on that issue. Although the Willis Avenue school is the newest and largest of the school district’s buildings, it has emerged as the facility most residents want to jettison.

“We need to move forward with the community,” board member William Hornberger said at Thursday night’s board meeting. “Continuing to discuss this is debilitating.”

Hornberger broached the idea of separating the two bond propositions, designating Hampton Street as the south school and dropping Willis from the scenario “to correct the mistake” of building it.

Board member John McGrath, of the first proposal that went to voters said he also opposed Hornberger’s plan.

“I don’t think the community’s going to support any bond. I say kill the whole thing,” McGrath said.

“Why not give them the voice? Give them the chance to vote,” responded board vice president Christine Napolitano.

When McGrath objected to “fundamentally changing” the original two-part bond proposal being considered for the Feb. 8 ballot, Hornberger reacted angrily.

“You’re talking in circles. If you’re going to vote ‘no’, vote ‘no’. We know where you want to go, whether it’s ‘Herneola’ or whatever. Do whatever you want to, and put it up on your Facebook page,” Hornberger snapped.

“Herneola” referred to the concept of merging the Mineola and Herricks school districts that McGrath had recently floated in an interview with the Williston Times. The idea was summarily dismissed by members of both school boards.

The board approved putting the $4.4 million bond proposal on a February ballot by a 3-2 vote, with McGrath and Irene Parrino voting against the proposal, as they had done on the $6.7 million bond proposal that was overwhelmingly rejected by district voters in late September.

While the board did not vote on allocating the $1.7 million in capital reserve funds for the Hampton Street project, the board members informally expressed consent for Mineola Superintendent of Schools Michael Nagler to instruct school district architectural firm H2M to proceed with drawings. Nagler had exhorted the board to include the $1.7 million bond option in the February vote, but also suggested the option of putting the Hampton Street project in the 2011-12 school budget. Nagler had noted that the $1.7 million expenditure would have no effect on the tax levy.

Designating capital reserve funds for the projects would effectively make the school budget a referendum on the $1.7 million Hampton Street project. If it is approved with the budget, Nagler pointed out that the funds could not actually be spent until the following year, since approving capital reserve expenditures and spending the funds are prohibited from occurring in the same calendar year.

School board attorney Jacob Feldman expressed his reservation about potentially complicating the budget approval process with funding for a Hampton Street School project.

“I am concerned that you don’t want your budget to fail on a $1.7 million item,” Feldman said.

Nagler said if the initial budget vote failed because of that item, the $1.7 million expenditure could be excised for a second ballot.

At the outset of the meeting, the district auditor told the board its general fund balance of $5.8 million exceeded state guidelines, which supports the idea of designating some of that money in some constructive way.

“Technically, we’re over what we have in that fund. So we have to spend it on something,” Napolitano said after the meeting.

The board isn’t facing any immediate time pressure on designating the $1.7 million for the Hampton Street expansion, according to Feldman, who said the board still had time to address it as a budget item.

After voters rejected the shuttering of two elementary schools earlier this year, the school board remains on track to shutter one school, Cross Street, at the end of the current school year and lease it.

Nagler said a the upper floor of the Willis Avenue school could still be used for the district offices.

Since the building was funded with a bond that has not yet been paid off, the school board could only lease the property to a non-profit organization.

The death last year of 2-year-old Olivia Raspanti at a daycare center in Hicksville was a heartbreaking tragedy. The child choked to death on a baby carrot that she found in a teacher’s bag. To this day there has been no evidence that this was anything more than a heartbreaking accident.

Last week a Nassau County Judge sentenced Eugene Formica, 65, the owner of the Carousel Day Care Center, to three years probation. The sentence was part of a plea deal. Formica and the center’s director were originally charged with reckless assault of a child by a day care provider; reckless endangerment – 2nd degree; misrepresentation by a child care provider; and violation of Social Services Law 390. The assault charge is a Class E felony and a conviction could have put the Formica in prison for up to four years.

We are not convinced that justice was served. The original charges were announced at a press conference on May 20, 2009 that included Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice, Nassau County Police Commissioner Lawrence Mulvey and Dr. Janice Molnar, deputy commissioner for child care services for the New York State Office and Child and Family Services. At the time Rice was preparing to run for the position of state Attorney General and Office and Chilld and Family Services was rocked by high-profile reports of abuse at residential centers operating under Office and Chilld and Family Services contracts.

According to undisputed reports, the staff at the day care center responded quickly and appropriately when they realized the child was choking. They attempted to clear the obstruction from the child’s throat, began CPR and called 911. Olivia’s mother was working as an aide at Carousel on the day this happened. She must have believed that Carousel was offered quality care.

The charges resulted from the fact that Carousel, which has been in existence since 1956, was not licensed to care for toddlers. We assume that this day care center was routinely inspected by the county. It was not a secret operation.

The law states that schools and day care centers should keep all objects that represent a possible choking hazard out of the reach of children. That someone left the baby carrots where a child could get to them was a terrible mistake. But it was not a criminal act and it most certainly was not felony “reckless assault.”

Under the circumstances Formica’s lawyers were correct in advising him to take the plea. Going to trial would have been costly and very risky. The probation sentence is largely symbolic. The overwhelmed and underfunded Nassau County Department of Probation will probably only meet with him once or twice during this time. He’s not a criminal and they know it.

Three brothers and their father, all from Roslyn Heights, are hoping that their new Bell Foods supermarket on Hillside Avenue in Herricks will strike a chord with local shoppers.

The trio, Mike, Nick and Tony Kumar, were already partners in the telecommunications business as calling card wholesalers. But they shared an aspiration to get into the retail food business when the right opportunity occurred, according to eldest brother Mike, who said he and his brothers had all worked in supermarkets several years ago.

Kanahya Lal Sardonna, the familhy patriarch, said his eldest son boasts 12 years of experience working in a Queens supermarket.

Then, about 18 months ago, they saw a large, empty storefront west of Herricks Road on HIllside Avenue and they saw the potential to realize their aspiration.

“We saw the building was empty and we saw an opportunity,” Mike Kumar said, adding that the property also had plenty of parking space.

The 23,000-square foot store had its grand opening last week, and will be staffed with 45 to 50 full-time employees, according to Kumar.

Kumar said Bellfoods is seeking to distinguish itself from other supermarkets in the area by offering higher-quality goods, fresh produce, a selection of international foods and an Internet cafe, serving coffee, tea and juice drinks, and equipped with a Wi-Fi connection. He noted that it also has a large cheese section and a delicatessn counter.

We are serving all international foods here. We wanted to do something different, and we did,” said Kumar.

Bellfoods’ international aisle has a selection of Italian, Irish, Indian, Mexican, Korean and Kosher foods.

Asked about the risk of opening a business in the face of the current economic malaise, Kumar suggested that the risk was minimal.

“No matter whether economic are good or bad, you know that people have to buy food,” he said.

At the grand opening, the Kumars credited Councilman Angelo Ferrara with making Bellfoods possible.

Ferrara said he helped them to sort out details about the facility with the Town of North Hempstead building department.

“They were running into roadblocks with the town building department. I just put them all in the same room,” Ferrara said.

Members of the Greater New Hyde Park Chamber of Commerce were on hand to explore the new facility at Thursday’s grand opening.

“I think it’s great to see a new business opening in the area,” said Stewart Small, president of the New Hyde Park chamber. “We don’t have anything in the area at this level.”

They were a bit tentative at times, but their diminutive statures was the only dead giveaway at Saturday morning’s Village of Williston Park board meeting that the 4th graders from three Williston Park elementary schools who were presiding over the meeting weren’t really elected officials.

The students took the annual exercise in apprentice democracy as more than child’s play, and at least one of them said she’d like to do it for real.

“Hopefully, I think it would be a very nice job,” said Cross Street student Alana Smith when asked whether she would like to be the real mayor.

Of course, Smith’s Saturday job as mayor was in front of a friendly audience of family members and nobody ventured to pose any controversial issues or hurl any invective at the young trustees.

Like her fellow faux politicos, Smith handled her job admirably, bringing the meeting to order, leading the pledge of allegiance, and asking for approval of minutes from recent meetings and abstracts – regular expenditure items that the real trustees clear with equal dispatch.

Smith had Deputy Mayor Teresa Thomann to advise her, as each student trustee had an adult from the village administration to give them cues.

The student took their cues deftly – as effective politicians will – and also read from the effusive essays that won them their temporary jobs about why Williston Park is a nice place to live.

“I can’t imagine a prettier village than Williston Park. There are a lot of nice houses here,” Smith read, ending with “P.S. If you’re in Williston Park, stay there.”

There were common strains in all the essays, which frequently mentioned the municipal pool, the local pizzerias, Ralph’s Italian Ices and John’s Variety Store.

“I like that their themes were the food and the pool,” said Karen Curran, who teaches 4th grade at the Cross Street School.

Raffaella Zanetti, a Center Street School student who was acting village, noted the village’s “many fun events” like the Memorial Day parade. “And if you live there, you can be in them,” she read.

“Williston Park has many houses and we are doing many things to make things better,” Trustee’ Samantha DiMilia, from St. Aidan’s, read with a sense of rhetoric a real trustee might employ.

“It’s small and easy to get place to place,” ‘Trustee’ Joey Paladino read, also lauding John’s Variety for its selection of cap guns and other essentials, and praising the Williston Park Public Library for having “every book I can think of.”

“The people are all friendly and the birds are always singing in the morning,” read ‘Trustee’ Zachary Koerber from the Center Street School, who was as enthusiastic about the local gastronomic options as he was about the village’s idyllic appeal. “I love to go to Frantoni’s. And afterwards I like to go to Dunkin’ Donuts. Man, I love the food here.”

‘Trustee’ Emma Collins went into some detail about her appreciation of the municipal pool: “Williston Park has a great pool. You can swim in the pool, or go down the slide or go to the snack bar. It’s great.”

They each covered some village news, reading from scripted messages prepared by the real mayor and trustees:

The annual village tree lighting will be on Dec. 5.

The Williston Park Beautification Committee will be meeting on Nov. 29 and Dec. 5 at 8 a.m.

The village library is currently collecting for “Toys for Tots” on behalf of the U.S. Marine Corps.

Afterwards, Joey Paladino said he liked “saying the reports.”

Zanetti said she also enjoyed the reports – and the cookies and hot chocolate too.

“I always laugh at their honesty,” said Janine Paolucci, a 4th grade teacher at the Center Street school.

Thomann said the morning had been a practical lesson in civics.

“The fact you’re introducing the democratic process on the local level in a way that they can relate to it is terrific,” she said.

The Herricks High School Performing Arts Department has announced that the Fall Drama Production will be “The Laramie Project” which will open on November 19 and 20 at 7:30 p.m. at the Herricks Community Center.

The thoughtful drama is centered around the brutal death of Matthew Shepard, a young, gay college student in Laramie, Wyoming.  The play does not directly portray the murder but rather approaches the issue through interviews with many of the townspeople of Laramie, Wyoming.  In keeping with one of Herricks High School’s Core Values, the poignant drama will underscore the need for all of us to appreciate and celebrate each other’s differences.  The topic of the drama may not be appropriate for younger children.

Each of the cast members will portray several characters from the town.  The cast has been selected and will include John Brautigam, Douglas Fabian, Kalliopi Grammatikopoulos, Alexander Katz, Ashley Siflinger, Christopher Stahl, Kadambari Suri, Mollie Teitelbaum, and Jeffrey Topper.  The play will be directed by Tommy Gibbons.

Tickets ($10 adults, $5 *senior citizens and students) will become available during October and can be ordered through the Herricks Performing Arts office by calling 516-286-6957. *Herricks senior citizens who hold a Herrick Gold Pass will be admitted for free but reservations must be made in advance.

Continuing the pursuit of his commitment to weave the greening of the environment into the fabric of North Hempstead life, Supervisor Jon Kaiman joined recently with Town Councilwoman Viviana L. Russell to add yet another feature to North Hempstead’s groundbreaking, multifaceted recycling initiative: a Virtual Recycle Store.

Supervisor Kaiman, Councilwoman Russell, along with Town Clerk Leslie Gross, unveiled the Virtual Recycle Store, Oct. 20 in the “Little Theatre” at Westbury High School to the enthusiastic applause of more than 100 students and faculty.

“With more than 30,000 students and nine districts now participating in North Hempstead’s School Recycling Partnership Program, we have seen first hand the strong desire on the part of our students and constituents to make recycling part of our every day lives,” Supervisor Kaiman said. “We plan to grow this until every single North Hempstead resident becomes lifelong advocates for greening our environment.”

Showcasing the Westbury School Districts enthusiastic embrace of North Hempstead’s environmental efforts, more than 75 students from the High School helped create a physical store front, a tangible symbol of the Virtual Recycle Store, which can be found at www.northhempsteadny.gov.

“I am extremely proud of the work this school is doing to promote recycling and help protect our environment,” Councilwoman Viviana Russell told the students. “Thank you for your hard work.”

The physical storefront, made up of recycled boards with used-plywood backed sign replete with the town’s logo made primarily from recycled soda cans, took about two weeks to complete, said Brenda Restrepo, the art teacher who directed the project.

“Everyone, no matter how small a role they played, stepped up to the plate,” she said. “It was nice to see it installed.”

Tenth-grader Claudia Roque, whose drawing of the Town’s highly-detailed seal helped create an authentic replica for the physical storefront said she enjoyed every minute of the many hours the project took.

“It feels good,” Roque, who plans to study art and photography at Carnegie Melon University, said in reaction to her praise her work received. “I feel like I’ve accomplished something.”

“Residents can now learn where and how to properly dispose of just about any item, from aerosols to asbestos and books to batteries, with the simple click of the mouse,” said Kaiman, referring to the new website available on North Hempstead’s homepage. “This comprehensive, online recycling resource not only provides a listing of where and how to properly dispose of recyclables but also suggestions on donating used and unwanted items such as eyeglasses.”

Environmental organizations on Long Island praised the Town for its forward thinking in creating another avenue to green the environment. Adrienne Esposito, executive director, Citizens Campaign for the Environment added, “Providing a simple, accessible one-stop webpage for residents is a smart, sensible initiative to increase recycling. This makes recycling easy and convenient. The Town of North Hempstead continues to provide innovative techniques to engage public participation in their go green programs.”

Supervisor Kaiman announced plans in January 2008 to partner with North Hempstead public schools on a comprehensive recycling program. To date, North Hempstead has partnered with 9 of the Town’s 11 school districts and has supplied every single classroom and office in each participating district with recycling bins. The Town has also committed to carting all the recyclables collected in each and every building.

Components of the school recycling initiative include annual recycling art and video contests, school-based electronic waste pickups, composting and the Weighing In program which allows students to gage the impact of their efforts.