Well, there’s transparency, and then there’s transparency. It’s funny (not!) how many of the colloquialisms thought of relating to transparency are applicable here.
We’ll just go with “Hiding in Plain Sight”.
I remember watching the Vietnam War happen. On TV, at dinner, every night. People getting blown up, shot, set on fire- all through elementary and middle schools.
All America saw it, and rose up in protest, and brought enough pressure to end the war (eventually). The Army figured out that letting the TV cameras have unlimited access to a warzone was not conducive to building popular support for a war.
So they began to limit access to reporters and began to present their own version of what was happening. There were daily press briefings, televised, for all to see. But it was the Army presenting their version of what was happening. Did I say that already? Indeed!
Then the Army began to “embed” journalists with particular units in the field, and America watched their reports every night over dinner. Of course, the Army told those particular units where to go, and what to let those journalists see.
Mayor Bral touts his Administration’s transparency; used it as a campaign issue; ran on it. And indeed, board of trustee meetings are posted online for all to see.
Lately at these meetings we’ve seen Mayor Bral tell the public that he doesn’t have to answer questions or post agendas of meetings or say what his administration is thinking about doing with Village Hall, or the DPW site, and other potential projects being discussed with- what developers? Do you know? Neither do I. I can guess.
Look at Mayor Bral’s campaign contributions. There were 10 contributors!
Eight gave a thousand dollars each, two gave five hundred dollars each. They are all developers! Go ahead – match up the names of the Contributors with the names of the developers who are getting approvals for variances, relaxing of fines levied by the building department for building code violations, projects under development, etc. No transparency? I see things all too clearly.
It’s embarrassing; you would’ve thought that the going rate in Great Neck for smoothing the way for projects worth tens of millions of dollars would be a lot more than $1,000! Sad.
Look, I get it; I’m not even mad at the developers for advocating developments in order to revitalize the Village. They’re developers; it’s what developers do.
In Vietnam, generals said “kill the enemy.” Diplomats said “talk to the enemy”. Psychiatrists say medicate a problem. Psychologists say talk about a problem. People get training or have a perspective, or an agenda, and they believe they are advocating the best way forward.
But I’m saying that “government of the developers, by the developers, and for the developers” is not what Lincoln had in mind at Gettysburg.
What he did say is that “Government of the people, by the people, and for the people shall not perish…”
We must do what we can to help restore process in the village to Lincoln’s original intent.
Not the opaque transparency we’re living with now. We don’t get to hear the plans they hatch in the backroom at Village Hall, or in Mayor Bral’s kitchen, and we’re not privy to the motivations behind the decisions being made for our future.
Why so secretive? My mother always said you don’t hide pretty things, and you don’t put ugly things out for folks to see. Of course she also always thought I should be a lawyer- but I think she said that just so I could say she was wrong about something!
So what ugliness are you hiding, Mayor Bral? Why not let the public know what you’re thinking of doing with our Village going forward? How are you planning on dealing with empty storefronts, horrible traffic, streets unsafe to cross? Which developers are you “in discussion” with, and which will get the green lights, for which projects? How are you planning on changing our lives?
The village never more divided; Resident versus resident, Jew against Jew, even! Maybe what you’re doing isn’t working. Maybe you need to change course.
Stop looking through the prism of developing our way into becoming revitalized.
Start reimagining our village into a more livable place. A more tolerant place.
Frankly, a happier place! The vibe starts at the top; the acrimony, divisiveness, derision is all too clearly on display. In some ways you are all too transparent, Mayor Bral. But not where it counts.
Sam Yellis
GreatNeck
