Just last week we once again attended the Great Neck Village Officials Association's monthly meeting. Comprising members from each of the nine villages on the Great Neck peninsula and a representative from the Town of North Hempstead, this organization is dedicated to working for the best interest of all Great Neck residents---cooperating on peninsula-wide matters, sharing resources and information, helping one another, all the while each very definitely maintaining its independence.

It's a great idea that works well!

There is really just one catch---not everyone cooperates. Not every village is represented at each meeting, and one village even failed to send a representative to the annual VOA dinner in August. Inexcusable!

While it undoubtedly would be lovely to have all nine mayors attend the meetings on a regular basis (only once a month), sending the deputy mayor or a trustee when the mayor is unable to attend certainly serves the purpose. That village is represented; that village has an opportunity to offer input and very likely take away valuable information.

There is absolutely no reason why any village should not have regular representation at the VOA meetings!

Many village officials often use the phrase, ''What affects one village, affects the entire peninsula.'' Quite true. Great Neck is one community. If one area, or one village, has problems, those problems will impact us all sooner or later. If the downtown area closed up, home values all over the peninsula would plummet. If one village became run-down, the other nine villages would share the unfavorable opinion held by the outside world.

Very quietly, the VOA is doing good work for us all. Plans for a peninsula-wide emergency management plan are for the benefit of the entire community. What happens if a village chooses not to take part, not to offer any help or even have an understanding of what is going on? What happens?

A spirit of cooperation, caring about one another, working together---that's what Great Neck is all about!

If your village is not represented at Great Neck Village Officials Association meetings, maybe it's time you said something.

The Great Neck Record asks all of our mayors to be sure that they take a real interest, and an active part, in the VOA, and attend meetings on a regular basis. At the very least, send a trustee if you cannot attend. Be sure that your village benefits from interaction with your neighboring villages, and see to it that your village has its own say in what goes on in Great Neck.

Be a good neighbor! Support the Great Neck Village Officials Association.