Village Trustee George O'Neill announced his candidacy for mayor in a letter to the residents of Oyster Bay Cove. Ralph Fumante of Woodland Drive and Mark McAvoy of Tall Oaks will be his running mates. They are members of the Citizens Association.

In an interview with the candidates, they said their goal was a government of inclusiveness. Working on a new board, with Trustees Richard Appell and Tom Fitzsimmons, they said would mean that all four corners of the village would be represented. Mr. McAvoy is from the Tall Oaks area south of 25A; Mr. Fumante would represent the valley; Mr. Fitzsimmons would represent the south west of the village; Mr. Appell would represent the Laurel Cove area and Mr. O'Neill would represent those nearer to Laurel Hollow.

The configuration would give residents a "voice" on the board, they said.

Mayor Michael Peragine is running on the Friends of Oyster Bay Cove ticket with Jim Glass, the chairman of the planning board; and Ron Schneider, who is chairman of the zoning board and Deputy Police Commissioner. "They have dedicated countless hours of personal time to ensure open and inclusive government, responsible land planning and special attention to the business of our village," stated their flier to residents.

"We are convinced that these three candidates are the right choice. They are capable, committed and have an excellent understanding of our village's needs. Their past achievements evidence the high level of energy they bring to village government.

"Most of all, through their actions, they have clearly demonstrated a genuine concern for the health and well being of our village residents, a strong commitment towards protecting our village landscape, a vigilance in protecting our property values through responsible land planning, and a high degree of competence in organizing our village's business affairs," said the Friends of Oyster Bay Cove.

Mr. O'Neill's platform addresses issues including renewing the Cove Neck police contract, repairing and maintaining the village, encouraging residents to fill village government positions, updating planning and zoning codes, improving communications with residents, and more.

"The past two years have brought many changes to our village. Some have served us well. Others have led to division and acrimony," said Mr. O'Neill. "It is now time to move forward, to bring our village together by finding a middle ground where all residents feel they are a part of our community. That requires all voices to be heard and treating everyone with fairness, respect, and dignity."

Mr. O'Neill pointed out that the failure to renew the village's contract to police, Cove Neck has cost the village $276,000 in revenue, roughly 12 percent of its overall budget. Restoring an agreement with Cove Neck tops Mr. O'Neill's priority list. He is also concerned with the village's deterioration, which he plans to remedy by instituting a regularly scheduled program of maintenance and repair. Mr. O'Neill also encourages residents to become a part of the village's decision-making process by filling vacant positions in government.

As mayor, Mr. O'Neill would conduct a thorough review of the village's planning and zoning requirements to protect its natural beauty and environment from being torn down or sold to developers so future generations can enjoy it. Finally, Mr. O'Neill proposes to carefully review the village's budget to avoid tax increases and maintaining necessary services to the village, including trash removal and snowplows.

Incumbent Mayor Peragine's team highlighted their fighting "down zoning"; have created a computerized village office staffed with full time personnel; worked out a new garbage collection program; addressed speeding in the village; launched a newsletter; hired professional land planners to aid in critical analysis of issues; made key appointments of village residents to create a cross section of the community.

They established the office of police commissioner and negotiated a five year police contract. The Mayor has been working with the Oyster Bay Water District to bring water to Laurel Cove residents. And, they declared, they did it all - without raising taxes! They are asking residents to help them guarantee professional village management.

There has been some criticism of the mayor, reflected in Mr. O'Neill's recommendations, - that he is a micro-manager and that while he has created committees they have not been convened. Some people are still waiting to get involved with their committee work.

Mr. O'Neill is well known in the Oyster Bay Community. In addition to his current position as village trustee, Mr. O'Neill has served as president and trustee for Community Foundation of Oyster Bay; the past president of Youth and Family Counseling of Oyster Bay; chairman of Meriwether Capital Corporation; trustee for WNEW/Channel 13; and commissioner of the Port Authority of New York/New Jersey and the Sunset Road Association. Mr. and Mrs. O'Neill have received the Man and Woman of the Year Awards from the Oyster Bay Chamber of Commerce.

After moving to Oyster Bay Cove five years ago, Mr. Fumante became an active observer in local government, attending many meetings of the village board and planning board and Woodland Cove Association.

"Village government is very close to our daily life. There's enough government above that level that you don't have a direct effect on - in village government you can," said Mr. Fumante.

He is founder and governor of the Oyster Bay Land Cove Trust and chairman of the Woodland Cove Landscaping Committee. Mr. Fumante is also an active member of the Friends of the Bay Advisory Committee and a member of the 75th Anniversary Committee for the TR Bird Sanctuary.

Currently Mr. Fumante is vice president of Studio Operations for Home Box Office and is responsible for production in HBO's New York and Los Angeles studios. Mr. Fumante grew up in New Hyde Park and Glen Head and is a graduate of the New York Institute of Technology.

As a former teacher, with four children in public school, Mr. McAvoy is committed to ensuring that the area's youth have every educational and recreational opportunity. He spends numerous hours working with youngsters as a basketball coach with the Oyster Bay/East Norwich Police Athletic League and coaches basketball and baseball teams at St. Patrick's Church. Mr. McAvoy is also active in the restoration of historical landmark properties and has worked with officials throughout Suffolk County on restoration projects.

Currently, Mr. McAvoy is senior vice president for Paine Webber. He is a graduate of Syosset High School, holds a bachelor's degree from Fordham University and attended the California State University/Long Beach Graduate School of Business.

Summing up the election, George O'Neill said, "We can work with Richard and Tom and we can bring harmony back to the village."

Note: This newspaper has not received requested information from the Friends of Oyster Bay Cove as we go to press on Friday, May 28, but expects to print bios for both sides in the June 10 issue of the newspaper.

The election takes place on June 15 from noon to 9 p.m. at the East Woods School.