-By Artie Barnett. Mineola Board of Education. This is my opinion and should not be construed as that of any other entity’s.
A Board of Education election is one of the truly down to earth, down home events in our country. A fully volunteer position, yet requiring the approval of the voters. Few people are willing and able to take on the monumental task of educating our youth, protecting our taxpayers and doing it without compensation. It is truly the epitome of a thankless job.
As I have been watching this year’s campaign for Mineola School Board trustee, it is evident that the stakes have become much more than the education of our youth. Two candidates have suddenly appeared, with no prior attention to or participation with the board of education. They have openly admitted they were convinced to run by a Mineola Village official, (which has been denied by no one since I first revealed this).
They stand for tax exempt apartments and opting out of testing, that the vast majority of our communities oppose, yet they attempt to be victorious via a wallpapering of our villages with more signs than a congressional candidate would be comfortable planting.
Our small community is used to board of education campaigns. Most involve a modest amount of signs, 30-50 ending up on supporters front lawns. This year we see signs everywhere. Major street corners, the public strips of land between the street and sidewalk (a violation of village code) on church fences, public fences, roadways. All of these signs that violate code would normally be removed by our village as they are seen, but this year it seems a blind eye is being turned. The support is obvious but what is the goal?
The goal is 856 apartments, no taxes paid for 20 years, an entire generation of new students. $24 million+ in “incentives” paid to the village and $30 million lost by the school district taxpayers. The impact on a Mineola Village taxpayer will be severe. The impact on a Williston Park, Albertson, Roslyn Heights and Garden City Park district taxpayer will be even worse.
These signs represent everything that is wrong with a small town school board election. It all became about big money and big buildings. It became about retribution and punishment of a school board who dared to question the financial impact the Mineola Village Board, who was unilaterally deciding while openly admitting they had no responsibility to their neighbors to the north. This same village board demanded civility yet showed none to its neighbors or the Mineola School Board. These signs that litter our public grounds, in clear violation of Mineola village code, yet allowed to conveniently remain, are what is wrong with this year’s election.
Two dedicated candidates, Christine Napolitano and Brian Widman, are up against the deep pocket financing for two uninterested, uninformed and unengaged individuals who are running against them. I have little doubt the IRS filings of campaign spending and contributors will bear this out. Certainly they cannot file a sub $500 affidavit. Our children deserve much, much better and I would be derelict in my duty to this community to not say so.
Who can buy the most signs should never be considered a best choice. This year has made that abundantly clear. Our communities have become littered with signs which have no value or message. Only two names in the hopes people won’t pay attention to the issues and will only remember a name. We’re better than that. Please show up to the polls on Tuesday, May 19 and pull the levers of Napolitano and Widman. They have spent their years improving our schools, educating our children and protecting our taxpayers…… not a few days covering our villages with signs.
