Two civic associations in North New Hyde Park are working together again following the resignation of one of their presidents.
In a letter dated Sept. 16, Michael O’Donald announced he was stepping down from his post as president of the Lakeville Estates Civic Association, citing a lack of transparency and cooperation among the group and the North Lakeville Civic Association, its partner group.
Bill Cutrone, who took over as the group’s president following O’Donald’s resignation, said his predecessor was often frustrated with the North Lakeville group moving at a slower pace on their joint projects.
“I think he basically resigned because he was fed up with not being able to get things done quicker than it was hoping it would be done,” Cutrone said.
For example, he said, he and other Lakeville Estates members had been trying to get the roadway at the intersection of Hillside Avenue and New Hyde Park Road repaired for about 15 months with little progress.
In his letter, O’Donald also said the group took months to get him a list of members, which he had been told contained 400 or 500 names.
The two groups actually had a combined membership of 114 people, the letter said. The higher count was the number of people on their email list.
O’Donald did not respond to a request for comment that Cutrone relayed to him.
North Lakeville Civic Association President Betty Leong said she did not move as quickly as O’Donald might have liked because she just took office in May and was still taking time to learn about people’s concerns for the area.
Leong said she “never had any real arguments” with O’Donald, but declined to comment on whether other North Lakeville officers had problems with him.
Cutrone said the Lakeville Estates group will continue to consult with O’Donald because “he’s got good intentions and he’s very knowledgeable,” but he will no longer be a member of the group.
Marianna Wohlgemuth, the former Lakeville Estates president who appointed O’Donald as her predecessor, said in an email that he “has an innate ability to motivate people to join the civic association and actively participate in community involvement.”
After taking over as president, Cutrone said, he met with Leong to learn about what the groups had done together and to discuss the future of their relationship.
“We were very professional,” Leong said. “We talked about what we saw for the futures of the civic, what (we should) work on now.”
Following that conversation, Cutrone said, Leong talked with the other officers in her group and they decided to continue working with the Lakeville Estates association.
Now, the groups are creating an agenda for their joint meeting on Nov. 18 and will undertake beautification projects in the area.
“We’re going to be united, because that’s what we need to go forward,” Cutrone said.
