Letter: Response To S&P Allegations

Anton Community Newspapers • 132 East 2nd Street • Mineola, NY 11501 • Phone: 516-747-8282 • FAX: 516-742-5867

Letter: Response To S&P Allegations

Friday, 15 March 2013 00:00

I, as mayor, and our board were elected in large part to reinstate transparency in government and responsiveness to all of our residents’ concerns. During the past eight months in office I believe our residents will agree that we have attempted to faithfully fulfill this promise to them, and most importantly, will continue to do so. In response to Mr. Avena’s allegations, the objective state audit, during the previous administration time in office. During which he was a trustee, clearly states they were “poor stewards of the village finances.” It lists counts of mismanagement, some more serious than others. The content of this state audit was fully disclosed during our village hall meetings, so that all residents were given access to it. I can also attest to the disarray a firm of highly respectable financial accountants Rosen & Federico found our village in upon our taking office. But most importantly, we immediately put into place sound practices and addressed every mismanagement in the state audit rectifying each and every one. The result, in just six short months, was that the state awarded our village and an A+ Stable rating. The previous state audit rating of the past administration was “negative and unstable,” and according to the village’s financial advisor of Liberty Capital Services, LLC, this is often indicative of a rating that is due to soon be downgraded. It demonstrates no plan or poor plan for the village’s future. The board and I took quick and positive action to ensure the village was quickly put back onto a firm financial footing. The proof of that is in the new state audit we were issued.

We have worked hard to listen to all the voices of our wonderful residents, and to be the best stewards of the village as can be. The lone voice of a malcontent former administrator with his own political agenda is just that. Our residents know that if they have any questions or concerns they can always freely bring them up at any of our Board of Trustees meetings or come to Village Hall at any time for us to address them. It is only in working together as a community that we can continue to move forward.

Giovanna Giunta, Mayor, Village of Manorhaven

News

Dolphin Bookshop Sold

Wednesday, 19 June 2013 00:00

Patti Vonk announced earlier this month that she would be handing over the reigns of the Dolphin Bookshop to a new owner, long time employee Judith Mitzner.

Most of us in town don’t remember a time when Dolphin Bookshop wasn’t headed by a member of the Vonk family. Yet, the store first opened in 1946 and there were two previous owners. Mitzner’s recent purchase of this Port Washington treasure follows a history of employees taking over the ownership of the shop.

Friday, 14 June 2013 00:00

On June 1, the Lutheran Church of Our Savior on Franklin Avenue held a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house for the Port Washington community to celebrate its $1.7-million expansion and renovation. The money has been donated by the congregation as well as through fundraising efforts that have taken place for over a decade. BBS Architects, Landscape Architects and Engineers designed the expansion and renovations, and Triton Construction served as the general contractor.

“I am very excited that we were able to improve our facilities for the benefit of the congregation as well as the entire Port Washington community,” said Reverend Dr. Charles R. Vogeley. “I would like to thank all congregation and project team members who made today’s re-opening celebration possible. In particular, I would like to recognize Tom Rice, who managed the entire project on behalf of our church, Roger Smith and BBS Architects, who designed the beautiful addition and new interiors, and the tireless supporter of the Port Washington community and parish secretary, after whom we have named the new kitchen, Veronica Ann Mosby,” Reverend added.

Sports

Badminton Team Wins

Thursday, 13 June 2013 00:00

On May 23, the Port Washington Badminton team won its second straight Nassau County Championship by defeating Calhoun by a score of 4-3. This is the third year in a row that Port has played Calhoun in the county finals, with each contest decided by a score of 4-3. In many ways this season followed the same pattern as last year. Of the thirty five teams in the county, Calhoun and Port entered the playoffs as the one and two seeds, respectively. They were Conference I co-champions, but because Calhoun’s margin of victory was greater than Port’s in their two regular season matches, the Colts got the number one seed.

On April 16, Port travelled to Calhoun and lost 1-6. The final team score, however, did not reflect how close the match actually was. Four of Calhoun’s wins came in three set matches (matches are best of three) that came down to the final few points. According to Coach David O’Connor, “It was the best 1-6 loss I’ve ever seen. We walked out of their gym very confident that we could beat them in the future. It may have been a major loss on paper, but I think it really got our players motivated for the rest of the season.”

Port Rowing Makes Splash On National Stage

Thursday, 13 June 2013 00:00

In only its third season, Port Rowing has grown from an exciting start up to a Long Island powerhouse, to a state champion, and now to a top national contender. Three boats qualified from New York State championships to represent Port Rowing at the largest high school Regatta in the world, The Stotesbury Cup, in Philadelphia. There were over 150 schools from America and Canada at the event, and Port Rowing came right out of the gate on fire. The team advanced all three boats into the second round of top 18. In the second round the boats fell just shy of the top 6 final by mere seconds. In the end, the Boys Freshman 8 took 12th overall, and the girl’s lightweight four and men’s junior eight took 7th overall. In the Adaptive category, Michael and Molly took home the title with a demanding victory in the double. It was a great achievement from the pair that just started rowing together less than a year ago to win the Stotesbury Cup.