I went to the Levittown Property Association on April 8, 2014, for the “Meet the Candidates” forum. It was in the Levittown Tribune that the 6 candidates running for Island Trees School Board would be there. The 3 Board members—the President of the Board and 2 other board members did not show. However, the 3 new candidates were present.
I’ve attended the Feb. 10 community forum at the Island Trees High School, where 500 people were in attendance. I’ve been to the Island Trees Library Board meeting, the Island Trees budget meeting, another Library Board meeting and a Levittown Property Association meeting. I have not yet heard the Island Trees Board of Education’s answers on any of the questions asked by the public, from the Feb. 10 community forum to the Levittown Property Association meeting on April 8.
With no response from the Board to the public, I took it upon myself after the community meeting to go to the Island Trees administration to pick up an application to run for School Board president.
At the March 11 Levittown Property Association meeting, the Superintendent and the Board members were still not answering questions by the public. The next day, I decided to make a few phone calls. I called and spoke with the office of the state Comptroller Tom
DiNapoli and was advised to send any paperwork I had. I then called the Manhattan Attorney General’s office and left a message. After calling the Nassau County District Attorney’s office, I was able to speak with someone regarding my suspicions. They asked me to send paperwork. On March 13, I called the Governor’s office and spoke with the Education and Communications Departments. They told me to fax a summarized letter of my concerns. I faxed the letter on that day.
At a recent Island Trees Library Board meeting, I was told that the fuel oil was taken out of the tanks and that the water to the Gallow School building had been shut off. I have concerns about why the oil was drained from the tanks and the water shut off to the building at the curb. Regarding this, I’m going to contact EPA and since the building sits over the water table, I’m also contacting DEC. As a taxpayer, it’s very disconcerting having a vacant building with no water, raising the concern of the possibility of having a fire and destroying the building and possibly the surrounding area. I am retired for 12 years as a janitor from the Hicksville School district.
Dominic Ciaramella
Levittown Taxpayer
