Editorial: A Great Town, But Not Mayberry

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Editorial: A Great Town, But Not Mayberry

Friday, 25 January 2013 00:00

Massapequa is a great town. It’s a wonderful place to live. However, like any other place, anywhere in the world, it isn’t perfect. We would all love to go to the fictional town of Mayberry where doors are always unlocked, the sheriff doesn’t carry a gun, and crime is nonexistent. However, that town doesn’t really exist.

Recently, there has been an increase of crime in the Massapequas. Vehicles left at the railroad station have had the catalytic converters stolen from them. Personal property has been taken from the inside of vehicles parked on the streets. Some residents have been the target of phone scams. This doesn’t mean we still don’t have a great town. It just means we have to use a little more common sense.

There is very little we can do about the theft of catalytic converters except for calling the police if we do see something suspicious.

However, we can take simple steps to avoid the other scams. By simply locking the doors to our vehicles, and not leaving expensive property in plain sight, we can deter most would-be criminals from ever entering our cars. A sergeant from the Seventh Precinct said that 99 percent of all property thefts from inside of vehicles occur when the doors are left unlocked. So the solution is fairly simple. Lock your car doors.

Too often I’ve been at a 7-Eleven and have seen people pull up in their cars, leave the motor running, and go in to grab coffee. It would be great if we lived in a world where we could do this without fear of the car being stolen, but we don’t. So I urge all of you to practice common sense. Lock the doors to your car, lock the doors to your home at night, and if you receive a suspicious phone call requesting money, be very suspicious and do some investigating. If a long-lost relative is suddenly in need of quick cash, there’s probably more to the story than you are being told.

Massapequa and Massapequa Park really are great towns. They just aren’t Mayberry and neither is any other town on Long Island for that matter.

- Ronald Scaglia

News

Proposed School Budget Is Under Tax Cap

Wednesday, 15 May 2013 00:00

Declining enrollment and

reserve funds are key factors

As voters in the Massapequa Union Free School District approach the Tuesday, May 21, budget vote, the proposed spending plan retains popular educational programs while keeping the rise in spending to 1.49 percent.

Despite what district officials call unprecedented increases in state-mandated employer pension contributions, as well as rising health insurance costs, the overall budget is up just over $2.7 million.

Rebuilding Together Long Island

Thursday, 16 May 2013 00:00

Rebuilding Together LI volunteers, sponsors from Long Island Board of Realtors and their associates from Albany, working on a home in Cedarhurst damaged by Sandy. After Massapequa resident Sol Goldstein and several friends helped finish building a house for a family 20 years ago for Habitat for Humanity, they had a question: “What do we do now?” They were all retired, had enjoyed working together and accomplishing something for a family in need, and wanted to do more.

“I was looking for something [to do] hands-on,” said Joe Botkin, of Williston Park, a retired principal, who had worked with Goldstein in building the home.

Sports

Coach of the Month: Vinny Zanfardino

Thursday, 16 May 2013 00:00

Vinny Zanfardino started his coaching career in 1997 when he stepped up to coach his daughter’s Little League team.

What started as a hobby turned into a full-blown obsession for Zanfardino, 48. Coaching became an outlet to do some good for children while staying close to the game he loves: baseball.

Golf Course To Be Named In Honor Of Colby

Thursday, 16 May 2013 00:00

On Saturday, May 18, the Town of Oyster Bay will conduct a ceremony to officially re-name its golf course in honor of Joseph Colby, a resident of Massapequa Park who served as the Town of Oyster Bay’s 56th supervisor. The Honorable Joseph Colby was appointed supervisor in 1977 and was elected to that office five times in the following ten years. He was then elected as a New York State Supreme Court Justice in 1988, a post he held through his retirement from public service in 1992. The unveiling will take place at the main entrance of the course off South Woods Road in Woodbury.

“When the sign for Honorable Joseph Colby Town of Oyster Bay Golf Course is unveiled, it will celebrate an outstanding career in public service,” Supervisor John Venditto said. “Joseph Colby has always had the needs of the public as his top priority and has been widely respected for his innovation and responsiveness. This golf course will now forever bear his name as a tribute to his outstanding legacy.”