The February 3, 2012 article “Store Vacancies Raise Concerns” was yet another missed opportunity by this paper to expose Great Neck Plaza Mayor Jean Celender for being a hapless career politician who, quite frankly, offers this community nothing. While she makes weekly visits to the assisted living centers to ensure that absentee ballots continue to flow with regularity each time she runs for re-election, this recent article proved yet again that she is completely out of touch and a superfluous expense to the village taxpayer.
As Mayor Celender delivers her illogical plan to improve the local economy by beautifying empty storefronts through what she describes as “putting up displays that are educational” is simple-minded. Come on Jean…you really can’t do any better than that? I imagine a third grader could have offered a better sound bite. And by the way, it may be too early to tell, but I think your train station artist mural doesn’t seem to be much of an economic boon as you once predicted it would be.
I suppose a person could sit on the outer banks of the parking lot admiring the train station mural and get inspired to spend money after inhaling all of the exhaust fumes from passing cars. Another bright idea I might add!
Perhaps it is time for Jean Celender and her less than inspiring trustee colleagues to resign from the board of the Business Improvement District. Jean’s tenure on that board has accomplished nothing. Time and again, she has blamed the economy, blamed the property owners and blamed the merchants, but never once has she cast blame upon her ineffectiveness leadership and her lackluster ability to generate a good idea.
Opportunity has knocked time and time again and the only thing heard at Village Hall was the deafening silence of politicians who serve themselves and not the community.
For example, when the Great Neck Arts Center produced the very wonderful inaugural Gold Coast Film Festival last year and arranged for donations that invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in outreach and advertising for this event, thereby raising Great Neck’s profile and bringing thousands of people to this very village, Jean Celender and the resources of the village were nowhere to be found. (Note: I am a member of the board of the arts center, as is Jean Celender).
At that very moment, she failed in her obligation as a board member of the arts center, as well as a board member of the BID where “promotion” is all she can do to help local business, and even neglected to adequately serve as the highly compensated cheerleader-in-chief of the Plaza that she claims to be.
Jean Celender collects $40,000 a year in taxpayer money to serve as a one-day-a-week part-time mayor. She collects health insurance for her family as an elected part-time employee of the village and pays nothing in premiums for that benefit. She adds to her riches each month (and has done so for over 25 years) as the village contributes to a pension plan that she proudly believes she has earned.
She does all this while denying non-elected part-time village employees the same benefits she smugly collects herself. She has led the worst downturn in this community in recent memory and yet all she talks about is how to beautify empty storefronts. Perhaps she will hang her reelection signs in each of those “empties” as a way to educate the public.
If Jean Celender runs unopposed, this community should simply sit the next election out. Let her win by the smallest margin in history. However, if she runs against anyone who is willing to work to make a difference, I hope this community will come out in droves and help throw her out of office.
We deserve more than a callous politician who seems immune to the reality of her surroundings. As businesses shutter and apartments sell at huge losses, as the tax roll continues to erode and the railroad stands in disrepair…are we really to take comfort in a mayor and the village trustees (who are equally disgraceful) who are blind to what they have caused all around this community? We deserve better.
Michael S. Glickman
Great Neck
