In the Great Neck Park District election on Dec. 13, I believe it is crucial that we select the candidate who can best preserve our priceless park assets and hold the line on costs.
After attending the candidate’s night meeting, I have concluded that candidate Martin Markson is the best one to do that job.
Markson has had over five years of hands-on experience with park district operations, mainly through his work as chair of the park district’s open spaces committee, which he founded. In his background, Markson has engineering, management and analytical skills working with large budgets as well as a significant business degree. He has been active in the fight to protect our priceless Park assets from being taken over by State, County or Town governmental agencies.
All four candidates praised the present sitting park commissioners for their success in bringing the park district’s assets and programs to a high level of efficiency and safety, except that candidate Raymond Plakstis wants to cut heavily the park district’s expenditures on supervisory and administrative staff. Mr. Plakstis by his own admission has had little direct contact with park district operations.
Candidate Dan Nachminoff, a former mayor and retired dentist, would rely on his experience in municipal government other than in the park district.
Candidate Neil Lieberman made wide claims about involvement in many park district advisory committees, floated many ideas for expanding Park District activities, all involving added costs (some quite large) and proposed new revenues whose fruition was largely vague or speculative.
I believe that in today’s difficult economic climate, the primary focus of the park board should be to preserve what we have and do everything it can to hold the line on costs.
In my opinion Marty Markson is the best one to keep a tight rein on costs and to achieve new efficiencies where available. He will speak out aggressively against bogus arguments that the elimination of our local control of our priceless park assets can be of any benefit to us. The other candidates have not put the real time into all the meetings that are necessary to make things work.
Also, these other candidates have only recently made known their views in opposing any park takeovers and were invisible in the recent struggle to prevent the county from dragging Great Neck into its financially troubled orbit.
Marty has paid his dues, has the skills and experience to do the job immediately and, therefore, is the best one to protect our property and financial interests. I urge all Great Neck Park District voters to cast their ballots for Marty Markson.
Leon Korobow
Great Neck
