An open letter to Mayor Bral:
A recent New York Times article was written expressly about deserted storefronts in desirable London communities. It was quite lengthy and informative. You might try to research it. It was written within the last four to five months.
Online shopping isn’t just hurting Great Neck. But something you may wish to think about, why isn’t our Orthodox community actively supporting the Judaica shop in our community? The poor man sits there most of the time doing nothing.
Yet, on the flip side, Cedarhurst supports an exquisite, elaborate Judaica store four or five times the size plus, I’m certain, a second Judaica shop, as well.
I am of the belief the mayor and board are asking the wrong questions. Why aren’t our Great Neck residents being educated in the importance of paying a bit more to support local shops and, thereby, keep them in business?
The residents of Cedarhurst get this concept and there are a scant number of vacant stores there with a flourishing, enviable retail community. Think about it. You don’t get to complain (about empty shops) if you don’t shop local. You can’t have it both ways.
Why isn’t there a fancy women’s hat shop to wear on Shabbos? Why isn’t there a wig shop? Certain shopping habits in our particular village defy all logic and reason. It seems to me worth exploring with real women and real residents.
Why does Jildor Shoes flourish in Cedarhurst and yet their sister shop closed here, fairly recently?
Like I said, you are asking the wrong questions.
Consider what advertising agencies do as a service for their clients before they invest large sums of money: invest in focus groups, run by trained professionals, who understand how to conduct focus groups; and get public opinion — real public opinion from a well-rounded, diverse demographic of tax-paying, voting citizens. To do anything less will just bring you right back to where you started. In a roomful of angry, discontented, distrusting residents.
It is regrettable but true, the VHB Plans were so insulting to the intellect and life experience of most every resident (young and old) it makes it impossible to trust either the mayor, board or the village attorney going forward.
If you don’t believe me, consider the similar remarks issued by Barbara Berkowitz, president of the Board of Education and Mayor Susan Lopatkin, who spoke on behalf of her board.
They are telling you the VHB Plans are disrespectful and outrageous. Will you listen? If you are truly interested in the best interests of the community, please put down your ego and hear what is being said to you.
Lastly, our residential community has become an eyesore from the subdivisions you leniently and generously allowed.
And yet, you tell us today there are more pending? Our quality of life has disintegrated from the constant sound of banging and thrashing all day. Will someone please shut down that constant high-pitched mechanical sound day in and day out?
Some residents work from home. Some are retired. Some are young mothers. How can we trust you (our elected leaders) to make the right decision after we watched you destroy our local streets? For many of us, our homes are the single most important investment we own.
And yet we watched you fail to punish unlawful developers at 66 Essex Road. Not only did you fail to punish them, they appear to be rewarded by the fast-neck pace allowing them to build faster than any other area home being built. We are not blind.
We have our eyes wide open and we don’t like what we see. All signs point to the fact that the outsiders — not the insiders (the tax-paying residents) — are your main focus. Even our neighbors in other Great Neck villages can see it.
Over and over, your actions demonstrate that the majority of diverse residents don’t matter to you when you weigh in on important community decisions. How can you regain the public’s trust? That’s another question worth asking.
And finally, please do not believe for one moment that your transparency (as leaders) was responsible for the SRO crowd in attendance two meeting dates in a row. Instead, it had everything to do with the countless hours a few passionate, concerned residents devoted to this mission of transparency.
Mission accomplished.
Judy Shore Rosenthal
Great Neck
