WP welcomes Solomon Schechter

The Island Now

It’s been said that “democracy is noisy.”

The debate surrounding the Cross Street lease certainly proved that to be true. While it motivated people to take a positive interest in their local government, it also, at times, took a patently unconstructive tone.

For many here in Williston Park, most disturbing was the insinuation that our concerns were motivated by anti-Semitism. This is simply not true.

Go to any village meeting and you’ll witness good people who routinely and firmly question anything, even very small matters, which might disturb the quality of life. Everything from the height of a fence to overflowing trash cans is discussed. It is only natural then that an issue of this significance would warrant a commensurate response.

Be it the residents of the streets surrounding the school, the parents of children losing a coveted playing field, neighbors concerned about traffic, or those who saw a unique opportunity to organize a community center, each sought nothing but what was best for our village.

Simply put, we may suffer from too much love for our neighborhood, but certainly not from a lack of it. That’s a good thing.

I’ve been reassured by long-time residents that the disputes that come along every so often and divide our community eventually fall by the wayside as people return to their normally amicable ways.

In that light, now it’s time to welcome the Solomon Schechter School to our neighborhood and show them just how pleasant it is.

In return, we can expect neighbors who will come to value our village as much as we do.

Williston Park is far more resilient and more important than any one issue, so let’s move forward together in keeping it so.

Umberto Mignardi

Williston Park

 

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