Readers Write: Vote for change in Great Neck Plaza

The Island Now

We’re tired of waiting. Our village has suffered the second-highest death toll on the peninsula from the coronavirus, yet the Celender/Rosen administration has not made any effort to offer a word of solace or support to the families and friends of the bereaved.

Nor have they sought to ask any of our retailer merchants if there was anything that they needed from the village. It’s still a continuation of all the years where nothing is heard from our “leaders” except when they feel threatened in their elected positions.

Such was the case recently when one of the Plaza trustees up for re-election — after being called out for not caring—staged a photo-op by walking into a few stores.

If not for the upcoming mayoral election on Sept. 15, there would typically be no presence at all from any member of the current administration. We deserve so much more than the poor judgment and lack of leadership that we have seen for the past 25 years.

Our team is looking forward to the election. Myself, Leonard Katz as a write-in candidate for mayor, as well as Marnie Ives (of Kron Chocolatier), and Robert Farajollah, as write-in candidates for trustees, have pledged to get our village moving again.

We are committed to being proactive in seeking solutions to the many issues that plague our village. We will invest our time to bring together the various stakeholders in our village and, through a free exchange of positive ideas, will forge policies to move our village forward.

It has taken little or no effort by the Celender/Rosen administration to forward notices on COVID-19 from the Township of North Hempstead or Nassau County, but what really would help our village is an administration seeking ways to truly listen to the voices and concerns of our residents and our local businesses.

I’ve talked about wearing masks to allay the fears of our senior citizens so they can venture out safely to shop locally.

I asked the Vigilant Fire Department to sound their sirens on Memorial Day as a reminder of so many men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice so we can all live our lives in freedom and safety.

I’ve talked about sponsoring and maintaining a job bank so our merchants can get the workers they need to maintain their service to the public. I’ve offered counsel and encouragement to the residents of the Plaza.

And our campaign committee has even chipped into a fund so we could show our appreciation to the COVID-19 workers at North Shore/LIJ by sending them pizza lunches.

Our team will always be open to hearing from and being responsive to our constituents. As a starter, we want to announce the advent of a new program. We are opening a Zoom meeting channel, and every week from now until election day we will be hosting a town hall open house to hear your ideas and insights that will help make our village a better place to live, work, and play. We will also be available to answer any questions and concerns you may have.

Watch for our ad next week for further information. We want to hear from you.

Please call us at 516-660-3701, email us at info@revivegreatneckplaza.com, or visit our website at www.revivegreatneckplaza.com.

Remember to vote for change in September.

Leonard Katz

Village of Great Neck Plaza

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