Most elections do not affect our daily lives, but there’s one in December that we will live with for years to come, so think hard!
Our wonderful parks department is holding an election on Dec. 10 (a Tuesday) for parks commissioner. The incumbent, Ruth Tamarin, is seeking re-election and she deserves not only our thanks for the work she has done already, but for her proven abilities to get even more things done for our park district.
Ruth is a well-known dynamo: She fought like a tiger to acquire the Cohan property to expand Steppingstone Park’s shoreline. She was and is the driving force behind construction of the All-Abilities playground in the village green – and what a job that has been.
It has taken years of vision, determination and unceasing belief in the benefits of such a playground for the special kids who can’t do everything that other kids can do. And it was and is Ruth Tamarin who kept working, planning, revising and constantly visioning that unique play area.
There’s so much more that Ruth has done for our parks – the list is actually overwhelming. Her consistent caring for our kids, her relentless attention to the details that make our parks so special – like the “Lazy River” at Parkwood Pool, or the spectacular flower displays at Steppingstone – I think these things are usually sparked by a woman’s imagination and instinctive attention to the needs of others.
Yet Ruth also has the fierce determination it took to virtually re-build Parkwood Pool and rink after previous regimes had ignored maintenance, plus so many other capital improvements. But her special contribution to our parks has been those myriad details, like the constantly renewing children’s activities at Great Neck House, that it takes a woman to think of (sorry, guys).
We need Ruth to be re-elected to the board of commissioners. We need her vision to be followed through and her imagination to take our parks even further. I know Dec. 10 seems like a long way off, but it isn’t. Please mark your calendars to vote for Commissioner Ruth Tamarin on Dec. 10, and please tell all of your friends to do the same.
Elizabeth Allen
Great Neck
