I wasn’t surprised to see all the negative press about Leonard Katz’s run for Great Neck Plaza mayor that has surfaced from the Rosen campaign during the past few weeks. The Rosen team must be running very scared to have to resort to such tactics.
Voters are not fooled by negativity. That’s one of the reasons why there have been so many letters in the paper supporting Leonard Katz. Some letters came from folks who know him; others came from residents who do not know Leonard Katz at all, but who wrote about their displeasure at the thought of Ted Rosen as a mayoral candidate.
Letter writers have referred to Ted and his team as an “illustrious gang of do-nothings,” and a team that has “long championed policies that have worked against improving the village and caused an erosion in the reputation of Great Neck.”
One writer stated, “I’d vote for anyone but Ted Rosen for mayor!” Another wrote of Ted Rosen’s campaign, “I hope this community will rise up against political greed and ineptitude.”
And still, another took Ted to task for his total lack of knowledge and involvement in the workings of the village, citing Rosen’s article from Feb. 28, “Plaza parking not a problem.” The writer addressed how Ted’s total denial about lack of parking has played a large part in the ghost town syndrome that is plaguing the business district and how Ted erroneously stated that there was plenty of free municipal parking after 3 p.m. Rosen didn’t even know that free parking in the garage only applies after 6 p.m. on weekdays, so how equipped can he be to run the village?
And yet another writer voiced her own concern that “the current administration is known for its lack of concern for the people in the Plaza.”
To date, there has been exactly one letter in the paper supporting Ted Rosen, and it came from one of his neighbors. She praised Ted for being a “dedicated supporter” of the annual Plaza poetry contest and the Poetry in the Plaza program, which posts poems throughout the village. Poetry makes the world a better place; Ted Rosen does not!
The Rosen team ran a full-page ad in the paper touting their “accomplishments.” The saddest thing about the Rosen ad is that their list of “accomplishments” matched the list of problems and issues for which the Leonard Katz team wants to find solutions. After 25 years of “service” to the Plaza, should Ted Rosen be given more time to continue at the helm of an administration that has given us incompetency, neglect, and damage?
The ad in the paper for the Rosen team lists its “proven record” of “accomplishments” as follows:
“Excellence in municipal services”—This is so vague that it means nothing.
“Implementing traffic and safety improvements”—The current administration has created vehicular congestion akin to driving in New York City and the Plaza was at the top of the list of a Newsday article about the villages in Nassau County with the worst pedestrian safety records.
“Ensuring accessibility to, and transparency in, village government”—Everyone knows that the current administration is completely void of transparency. In addition, they do not care about the concerns of their constituents.
“Maintaining and improving infrastructure”—Jean Celender took grant money from the state and paved her own street, and she left some of the streets that are in the worst state of disrepair untouched.
“Attracting new businesses and promoting existing businesses”—Is this a joke? Have you counted the “For Rent” signs in the windows of all the closed businesses?
“Streamlining the process of approving permits for new businesses” —It has taken some businesses months and even years to obtain permits to open businesses.
“Fiscal responsibility”—Residents’ taxes increase every time another business closes. We have to carry the tax burden because the current administration has lost a major source of tax revenue from the failing business community, for which they are largely responsible.
Because the Katz team has been capriciously removed from the village ballot, we need your help with a write-in campaign to elect an administration that will properly serve our community and its people.
Write-in Leonard Katz, mayor, and Siu Long Au and Robert Farajollah, trustees, on March 18. Please do your job by voting to elect a team that will do its job. That will not be the case with a Ted Rosen administration.
Muriel Pfeifer
Village of Great Neck Plaza
