I am writing in response to the Manorhaven Action Committee (MAC) endorsement of Gary Pagano for mayor of Manorhaven (that was sent out to village residents). MAC’s statement that they have confidence in Pagano’s “proven ability to solve everyday, quality-of-life issues” is puzzling given Pagano’s unacceptable history of threatening physical violence against local residents, especially as these acts were committed by a former mayor in connection with a Manorhaven Village election. In the June 22, 2002, edition of Newsday, staff writer Victor Manuel Ramos reported that, in the hours following Pagano’s election loss, he chased two local residents in his car at high speeds. After threatening them with a baseball bat in the Port Washington Police Station parking lot, Pagano was arrested. In possession of a switchblade knife, he was charged with two counts of criminal possession of a weapon and second-degree menacing. The victims were granted an order of protection from Pagano.
At times, politics in the Village of Manorhaven have been criticized as ugly or even outrageous. How can we hope to change this political culture if we are led by a mayor who solves his differences with intimidation, bullying and threats of violence? I feel that Pagano is an unacceptable candidate given his apparent hot temper and violent nature. The Manorhaven Action Committee’s endorsement of Pagano is indefensible. At best, a result of poor judgment and inadequate vetting and, at worst, a willingness to embrace thuggery within a group promoted as being nonpolitical.
—Patrick Gibson
