What is going on in Great Neck?
Wasn’t the school board election last month? Why, then, do the re-elected incumbents continue to send letters attacking me, a resident and taxpayer, for daring to run against them, as was my right – as well as my effort to be the first Asian-American member of the school board?
First Barbara Berkowitz and then Lawrence Gross wrote that race and religion had no place in elections. I support this statement wholeheartedly. That is why I am puzzled. Why bring up this issue after their victory?
Could this be an insinuation that only a properly approved person is qualified to be a trustee (the last two openings on the Board of Education were appointed by the Board of Education)?
Throughout my campaign, I never raised my race or religion as the reason why someone should vote for (or against) me. I always had a good rapport with the Jewish community and I never saw the need to distinguish what was important to Asian, Jewish, Persian, Black, or Latino parents.
At the end of the day, what we all care most about is providing the best education for our children within a sensible budget.
Mr. Gross wrote the current trustees are “representing the needs of our diverse community and all of its children.”
Yet, there is no real evidence of this board reaching out to this diverse (certainly not the Asian) community and understanding its concerns. Only recently, in the wake of the first contested election in more than 25 years, do I see some feeble signs of their acknowledging the growing Asian population.
Instead of embracing the challenges of different opinions and viewpoints, Mr. Gross and Mrs. Berkowitz resorted to false accusations of my using race as an issue to assail my character and my campaign and divide the Great Neck community.
Mr. Gross and others brought up the need of prior school-related service as a necessary qualification for being an effective trustee. I strongly disagree .
Any concerned resident with dedication and intelligence, and most important, vision, can serve as a trustee.
In his letter, Mr. Gross stated “anyone can gather the small number of signatures to run for trustee.”
May I point out that I got over 800 votes, many from non-Asian residents who clearly believed that I demonstrated worthwhile criteria for being a trustee.
Rather than write to this newspaper letters, which don’t serve community and school district interests, I recommend we start an active dialogue and try to reach mutual understanding regarding our concerns and issues.
Only through open-minded communication can we take a positive step forward.
Dr. Chris (Chien) Huang
Great Neck
