Great Neck Park District Commissioner Ruth Tamarin is facing a pair of challengers in her bid for re-election, with long-time resident Neil Leiberman and former New York Police Department member Frank Cilluffo seeking to claim her seat in the upcoming election.
Park district residents will weigh in at the polls from 3:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 10 to decide which candidate will join commissioners Dan Nachmanoff, Robert Lincoln, Peter Renick and Lisa Goldberg on the district’s board.
Tamarin, who has served on the board since 1998, said in an interview that both her years of experience as a Great Neck Public Schools teacher and with the park district make her the best choice for voters.
“It is a labor of love for me, this park district, and I think I am uniquely qualified to continue in this position,” Tamarin said.
Leiberman, who is married to Great Neck News columnist and former editor Karen Rubin and has twice before made unsuccessful runs for park commissioner, wrote in an email that his decades of participation in park district meetings and activities qualify him for the job.
“I bring the long experience of having been actively involved in the parks for more than 25 years, the appreciation of what we value and prize in this community and the commitment to preserving what are park system offers, while also bringing the energy, new perspective and innovativeness of a new commissioner,” Leiberman wrote.
And Cilluffo, who could not be reached for an interview, is a long-time resident of Great Neck whose daughter is currently enrolled in the Great Neck Public School system. According to Cilluffo’s campaign website, he is a coach with the Great Neck hockey and PAL soccer programs, a retired member of the NYPD, and a current member of the Parkwood ice rink advisory committee.
Tamarin taught at Great Neck elementary school for 30 years, has a masters degree in special education from Long Island University and has been involved in a series of community organizations, including co-founding developmental disabilities advocacy group Foundation of Community Unified Services.
Her involvement with the park district was sparked after her retirement from teaching, Tamarin said, and regular attendance at district meetings grew into a position on the board in 1998.
“I knew this was something I really wanted to be involved with,” Tamarin said. “It was an opportunity for me to work with the children and the families I had already been involved with in my own community.”
Tamarin, who also is on the board of the Great Neck Historical Society and was named to the Town of North Hempstead’s Women’s Roll of Honor in 2003, said she worked to turn around a troubled district when she took office in 1998, citing subsequent improvements like an expanded waterfront at Steppingstone Park, new playgrounds and the building of the new Parkwood sports complex.
“Residents were not happy,” Tamarin said. They wanted to see changes.”
Tamarin cited her professional background and record of improvements as a commissioner, arguing that she is the best choice for park district voters.
“I really feel that my history of public service makes me uniquely qualified,” Tamarin said.
Leiberman touted decades of park use and participation in park district business, including serving on advisory committees and taking part in budget workshops and public hearings.
“I am running because I am passionate about our parks – I want to preserve what we have, which is precious and irreplaceable,” Leiberman wrote. “Our parks contribute to our health, well-being and quality of life. Our greenspaces and our waterfront are precious.”
Preserving facilities and programs against budgets cuts while protecting access to residents regardless of the ability to pay fees are among Leiberman’s priorities should he win election, according to Leiberman’s e-mailed statement.
Leiberman also advocated increased teen and senior programming, collaboration with schools, the Great Neck Library and the Great Neck Arts Center and increasing the energy efficiency of park operations.
“I also bring extensive private sector experience – organizing tennis and ski programs and networking events,” Leiberman wrote. “These are important skills for a Parks Commissioner because our parks are more than physical places, they are people places. I would use my people-skills in working productively with our staff, and listening and advocating on behalf of our residents.”
Voting is open to residents of the Great Neck Parks District, which includes all Great Neck Villages and unincorporated areas with the exception of Great Neck Estates, Harbor Hills, Lake Success, Saddle Rock and University Gardens.
