We have known Jim Gounaris for over 30 years, and nine of them as a member of the Herricks School Board. While he has proven to be one of the most unselfish and caring individuals we’ve ever met, he is also the most restless. He tirelessly gets things done, running on pure adrenaline, dedication and focus.
“Where there’s a will there’s a way” has always been the code by which Jim has lived. In our early 20s, an uninsured friend of ours needed surgery for a staph infection that had settled in his heart. In a matter of three weeks, Jim and a small group of us, arranged a massive fund-raiser to help his family pay for the surgery. Jim helped mobilize many in the community to donate to the event so we could maximize our proceeds. That evening, hundreds of people from all over the Northeast attended to support the cause. At the end of the night, and through his efforts, we raised over $20,000 for his parents.
Thirty years later, he still hasn’t stopped, as we’ve witnessed an amazing transformation of our Herricks School District over the last nine years. While some people may not have noticed, every parent of every student who attends our schools are forever grateful to Jim, and fellow board member Henry Zanetti, for the changes they’ve helped implement.
Just some of highlights: installation of new security measures, including new doors and over 1,000 security cameras throughout the district, upgrades in technology, new bleachers, new fields, a resurfaced track at the high school, new science classrooms, a new state-of-the-art HS cafeteria, the creation of a Parent Portal, and much more. But don’t forget, this was all done while being fiscally responsible by achieving new cost-saving labor contracts with unions, averaging a 1.57 tax increase since inception of the 2 percent tax cap requirements and passing a new bond with a zero-tax differential for our residents to provide these upgrades.
These are not ego-driven bureaucrats, but men of action, doing incredible things for the betterment of the entire Herricks Community. In these uncertain times we need something certain and stable, eager and proactive. We need Jim Gounaris & Henry Zanetti to continue their momentum and be re-elected to the Herricks School Board. Our children not only depend on it, they deserve it.
Jim & Niki Lolis
Manhasset Hills
