Village of Great Neck Mayor Pedram Bral said last Thursday his first official “coffee with the mayor” event was a success but could be improved in the future..
“You can look at it both ways. 25 people showed up, but there are 10,000 people in our village,” Bral said at the village board’s regularly scheduled meeting. “It was nice, though.”
Bral met with village residents last Wednesday at the French Kosher Bakery at 579 Middle Neck Road from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. to discuss issues that concern the village.
At the last board meeting, trustees discussed organizing a monthly event for residents to speak with the mayor in an informal environment while also improving business in the village.
“The village is trying to give people an opportunity to meet the new mayor and personally talk to him,” Village of Great Neck Deputy Clerk Katie Dugan said. “If they have an idea or a question or anything like that to bring to his attention, they will have the opportunity to.”
When a resident questioned what type of complaints Bral received at the event, he said he received more suggestions than complaints.
“One thing I like about having these meetings is people shouldn’t necessarily complain, they can actually have suggestions,” Bral said. “A lot of people had suggestions. Some complaints were about stores not cleaning their fronts.”
He added that the village is looking to continue holding the event on the first Wednesday of every month with a different business.
Dugan said she is sending out letters to store owners who may be interested in hosting the event, and added that the village would consider holding early evening events so those who work in the morning can have the opportunity to speak with Bral.
Also at the meeting, the board considered what action to take about an abandoned house at 3 Hayden Ave.
Dugan said the issue was brought to her attention by a resident last Wednesday.
“The resident next door was concerned that the door had been ajar for a few days,” Dugan said. “She was concerned about squatters or kids going in, just in general.”
Dugan said a building inspector from the village inspected the house and confirmed that the door would not close.
She added that although nobody lives in the house, the village was able to get in touch with the owner who said he would attempt to fix the door.
Village Attorney Peter Bee said Nassau County police would want to enter the home to make sure there was no suspicious activity.
The board said they would consider what legal action to take in securing the home for the village after a Nassau County police inspection.
The next board meeting is on Oct. 20.
