An old friend at Great Neck Synagogue and a new friend who is a Young Israel congregant each did me a service. They alerted me that a letter to the newspaper by David Z. supporting me for mayor also contained an attack on the Jewish Orthodox, who are offended by his words and wondered about my connection to David’s outburst.
I am not David Z. Nor do I think as he does.
David Z. is an old-timer in Great Neck, familiar to many people for saying what no one would say in polite company, let alone think, while in the same breath producing a pantheon of information from his encyclopedic memory.
In his letter, he fused the facts of Pedram’s behavior in office with his own unpalatable view, which he reached while attending every village meeting since Pedram took office. David is horrified by Pedram.
For years, scores of residents have navigated David’s blog that week after week, month after month, records a summary of each village meeting. We stopped being shocked partly because no one is spared. David is an equal-opportunity insulter. Some people forgive his reckless language because his reporting is invaluable, especially since the current mayor discontinued the village newsletter and put a blackout on communication about everything but the small stuff.
The body of David’s letter is a road map to Pedram’s unsuitability.
Pedram’s supporters in a short three days have systematically destroyed my campaign’s 25-sign presence on the lawns of the village. While Pedram’s 100 signs went up more than a week ago and remained unmolested. In what appears to be an organized effort, our signs were stolen outright, and those that remained have been yanked out of the ground and left for dead, along with being stomped on, leaving dirty shoe marks. As a final indignity, the wire bases are twisted so the signs cannot be repaired.
A man in a blue Mercedes accosted my running mate and told him, “I hate them” as he pointed at the names on our sign. Pedram’s supporters spew bile on Facebook and at our local newspapers. The sectarianism being screamed by Pedram’s followers is beyond comprehension. One man yelled at me: “We have 5,000 Persians voting against you and you will lose!”
Today, on the eve of the election, residents of neighboring communities look on in disbelief and wonder what has happened to Great Neck.
I am fair and even-minded, a segue to a better future.
—Rebecca Rosenblatt Gilliar
