WARNING: The contents of this letter include facts and figures about the Village of Great Neck Plaza. All politically sensitive charlatans are warned to be suspicious of such details and steer clear of all facts.
Since the last issue of the News was void of many details, I thought I would take the liberty of filling in where the “Plaza Unveils 2011 Budget” article left off. The article didn’t mention that concerns were raised by Vigilant firefighters at the budget meeting about the lack of a signed 2010 contract with the fire company, or their unease with the 2011 numbers, which seem to be based on a guesstimate.
The article didn’t mention an inquiry made by the reporter regarding the salaries paid to the mayor and trustees (or the mayor’s public acknowledgement that she was and is unwilling to consider a salary cut during “these…extraordinary times” to ensure a balanced budget).
The article also didn’t mention that when compared to all other villages in the peninsula, as well as other more populated villages in Nassau County such as Mineola (which happens to have 13,000 more residents than the Plaza and a greater number of businesses), the Plaza’s salary structure for politicos is simply excessive. And finally, the article didn’t touch upon the questions I raised about the hidden costs associated with our politicians and why those figures – pension, health insurance, etc. – are not available for public inspection.
Following the meeting and months of questioning, the clerk-treasurer finally released some interesting figures.
In fact, I wonder if state Assemblywoman Michelle Schimel was referring to the information below when she touted “the Jean Team” as “the pinnacle of good local government” in the article “3 Plaza Candidates Kick off GN Campaigns.”
Perhaps Ms. Schimel was touting “the Jean Team” for accepting pension contributions from the village that are 12.8 percent higher than the national average; they receive 15.8 percent per year. Perhaps Ms. Schimel was touting the fact that the village pays health-insurance premiums for the part-time “Jean Team” and their families at an annual cost of $57,372, all while ordinary part-time village employees are not afforded the same benefit. Perhaps Ms. Schimel was touting the fact that as some people in our village (her constituents) are forced to go without health insurance because of the high costs associated with it, our very own politicians who work part-time get it for free.
From a business perspective, I’m impressed that Mayor Celender and Trustees Rosen and Schneiderman have been able to improve their own balance sheets for the businesses they own by managing to squeeze the village taxpayers out of more than $450,000 (an estimate based on 2010 figures) over the last 10 years for their health insurance, not to mention the hundreds of thousands more they collected in the form of a salary.
While none of us should be surprised by the sense of privilege that runs through “the Jean Team,” we should all take note of the incredible way in which they afford themselves such perks at our expense.
Michael S. Glickman
Great Neck
