By Larry Werther
Recently, I did something that caused my wife to question my sanity. I decided to run for an elected position that I previously held for 10 years. I am running for trustee in the Village of Mineola, and it is a decision I do not take lightly.
I just retired from JP Morgan after a 30-year career in the financial services industry. I enjoy the freedom of being available to do as I wish, and also baby-sit my grandchildren who live in Mineola. My separation from politics was not pleasant. I was ejected from the party I helped found 15 years ago. Why? Because I fought with the rest of the board in public because the administration was making all the decisions in “the back room” that were harmful to our residents.
In the 3 years since I left the board, things have gotten remarkably worse. The board frequently turns a deaf ear to our residents. We have projects in our village that are turning us into the Borough of Queens, LeFrack City East. What could have been a 20% school tax reduction, our village board decided to put into the pockets of wealthy developers in the form of massive tax breaks. Our infrastructure and our historical elements are crumbling. Our water supply, I believe, is being stretched and possibly compromised. Furthermore, I see no vision that will help move our village forward.
It is my intention in running to create a referendum that our village board cannot ignore. We wish to allow our residents an opportunity to speak in a tone that will set the course for Mineola for many years to come.
My pledge to the residents of our beautiful village is simple, should you see fit to return me to office, I will listen to you, and I will put your words into action. I will expend every effort to stop our march to urbanization. I will put an end to monolithic building projects in Mineola. I will fight against every effort to give tax breaks to wealthy developers, instead of putting those dollars into resident pockets as tax relief. I will work to bring solutions from other communities to Mineola that will solve problems such as decaying sidewalks, and disintegrating gatehouses. I will protect our neighborhood from outsiders who plan on taking over the Jackson Steel property for uses that will be detrimental to our community. Finally, I will bring my ideas public for music and the arts, our business community, and our households.
I will do my best to work with our board to return Mineola to the status of “The Friendly Village.”
-Larry Werther
