News Archive--2006
Stories are listed in reverse order of their date--that is, most recent stories first.
Contents
| 'Love coach' Robin Gorman Newman, one of our neighbors, bills herself as a "love coach." Recently she put what she preaches into a book, "How to Marry a Mensch: The Love Coach's Guide to Finding Your Mate" (Fair Winds Press, $14.95). And in the Long Island section of the New York Times on February 5, 2006,
she was the focus of a fairly lengthy article about finding a "mensch." Ms. Gorman and her husband, Marc Newman, live at 44 Somerset Dr. N. |
Annual meeting set for Tuesday, February 14 2-4-06
The annual general meeting of the Association will be held on Tuesday, February 14 at the Manhasset-Lakeville Fire Dept. Co. No. 4 firehouse at the corner of Jayson Ave. and Northern Blvd., starting at 8 pm. Entry is by the side door on Jayson Ave.
Only property owners who have paid the 2006 annual charge in full, as well as Association dues, are eligible to attend and to vote.
As usual, the meeting will feature oral reports by Association officers, time for discussion, and the election of a new Board for the current year.
Departing from recent precedent, the Board this year mailed to all residents in advance a written report on its activities over the past year. It believes that the written report, titled "Summary Report on 2005 Activities," will result in more informed questions and discussions at the meeting. The Board's oral presentations are expected to be correspondingly briefer than usual.
The most marked difference in this year's meeting, though, will be a contested election. Normally, the annual election is a ho-hum affair, with residents easily approving the slate presented to them by a nominating committee that was appointed by the Board. This year the slate that, under the revised Bylaws, has been proposed directly by the Board is opposed by a slate offered by a group called University Gardens Concerned Homeowners Committee.
Both this committee and a committee called UG Residents for Progress, supporting the Board and its slate, have sent mailings to the community in support of their positions, and both groups are seeking voting proxies from residents who do not expect to attend the meeting. The two slates are described in a story below.
The contest necessitates a change from the usual voting procedure. This is also described in a story below.
For a small community, the struggle between the two factions has been fairly intense. The Board promises a fair election and asks those who attend the meeting to exhibit civility toward their neighbors.
Two slates vie in Board election 2-4-06
For the first time in living memory, there is a contest this year between two proposed slates of Directors for the Board.
One slate is proposed by the current Board. In the past, a separate Nominating Committee, appointed by the Board, used to propose a slate of Directors. Because this had long been a pro forma exercise, the Bylaws were changed a year ago to provide that the Board itself propose a slate.
The other slate this year is proposed by a group of residents calling itself the University Gardens Concerned Homeowners Committee. Formerly known as the Past Presidents Committee, this group decided last spring to seek wholesale replacement of the current Board.
The Board's slate includes four members of the current Board and three relative newcomers to the community.
The opposing slate includes two members of the current Board, including a recent President. It also includes three former Board members, two of whom previously served as President.
Though the Bylaws specify that officers are to be elected at the first Board meeting following the annual meeting, the opposition slate has already announced that if it is chosen Sy Coopersmith will be president.
Five of the 14 residents standing for election live on Sussex Rd.
The two slates follow, with members listed in alphabetical order.
The Board slate
John Campbell, 61 Somerset Drive. Journalist (retired). Three-plus years on Board, the past year as Vice-President. Created/runs newsletter and website; active on security, traffic safety, and street trees.
Jonathan Kanders, 7 Somerset Dr. S. Stock trader.
Robin Levine, 7 Sussex Rd., Social worker.
Cheng Liu, 26 Somerset Dr. N. Accountant.
Jacob Majnemer, 17 Sussex Rd. Architect. Three years on Board, the past year as Secretary. Responsible for pool, architecture, and special projects.
Steven Perlman, 21 Merrivale Ave. Attorney. Four years on Board, the past year as President. Handles governmental, institutional, and legal affairs.
Cesar Vallejo, 7 Rutland Rd. Stockbroker. One year on Board, assisting on pool and special projects.
The opposing slate
Andrew Belfer, 22 Sussex Rd. Developer. Served five years on Board, four of them as President.
Sy Coopersmith, 10 Sussex Rd. Psychoanalyst Served 10 years on Board, including three as President.
David DiJohn, 4 Sussex Rd.. Physician. Served five years on Board, responsibile for tennis courts.
Susan Einbinder, 63 Wensley Dr. Homemaker.
Michele Girardi, 8 Roseth Pl. Physician.
Robert Leighton, 19 Merrivale Rd. Environmental consultant. Six years on Board, including three as President.
Amos Weinberg, 49 Somerset Dr. S. Attorney. Three years on Board, including two as Treasurer.
Voting will be different this time around 2-4-06
Because of the unprecedented election contest, the voting for Directors will be a bit different this time around. The aim is to insure an election in which the result is acknowledged as fair even by those whose candidates lose.
The first obstacle to clear is Bylaws Article IV, Section 3. It provides for the nomination of an opposition slate, but it does not specify that Association members must vote for one slate or the other. The language--or lack of language--leaves open the possibility of voting for some members of one slate and some members of the other.
The Board believes that the wording of the section, however deficient, does make it clear that those who originally formulated the Bylaws did not envision such a "pick and choose" approach. Further, it believes that election of a mixed Board would be unfair to electees who had agreed to stand for election on the assumption that they would serve with designated colleagues.
So, the Board will offer a motion that the voting be for one slate or the other, or neither. If that motion should fail, lengthy ballot voting would ensue, and it is doubtful that the Association would end up with a working Board.
With that obstacle cleared, voting will still be more complicated than the casual show of hands that has characterized past annual meetings. The Recording Secretary, using the meeting registration list, will call each property owner (or spouse) to a table where he or she will be asked for his or her vote, which will be recorded. If the individual holds proxies in his name, and if the registration list shows that the proxy givers are not present, those votes will also be recorded.
Also new: the Recording Secretary will be flanked by two observers, one appointed by each slate. Their job will be to check the accuracy of the recording process and to resolve any questions about the authenticity of proxies offered.
| Big trees yield Development of the property owned by the late Rose Krefetz, at 26 Merrivale Rd., got underway today with the removal of many large trees. Plans call for destruction of the existing house, to be replaced by two new ones. |
| Gardens get The new Town rule to control subdivisions (see story below) was the subject of an article in the New York Times' Sunday Long Island section on January 29. It included a reference to University Gardens and quotes from Association President Steve Perlman. |
Assessment market values surge again 1-30-06
The number of homes in University Gardens with market values of more than $1 million is now 195, or 92% of the total.
That's according to the assessment data for 2008 county taxes and 2007-2008 school taxes posted on Nassau County's assessment website. The data are supposed to reflect January 2006 "fair market" values.
When the initial reassessment was done, reflecting January 2002 values, the number of million-dollar homes was just 39. Two years ago, the number was 141. The total estimated fair market value of UG homes is now $295 million.
The average fair market value for a home is $1.39 million; the median is slightly lower, at $1.36 million. The distribution of home values is shown in a table elsewhere on this website
All told, over four years, the County's estimate of fair market value for UG homes has risen by 65%. The increase over just the past year is $13.5%, and only half of that will be reflected in tax bills. That's because the County has, for the first time, applied a 6% "cap" on assessment increases. As a result, the new taxable total market value of UG homes is $276 million. Unless there is a drastic drop in local real-estate values, we can expect that the County will make up for the cap a year from now.
On tax bills, assessed valuation will show up as 0.25% of the capped fair market value. None of the numbers cited here reflect tax exemptions that may apply to individual homeowners.
Homeowners who wish to challenge the new assessments may file an "Application for Correction of Assessment" with the Assessment Review Commission, 240 Old Country Rd., until March 1. The document can also be filed online at www.nassaucountyny.gov/arc.
Officers meet with Councilwoman Seeman 1-23-06
Three Association officers--President Steve Perlman, Vice-President John Campbell, and Secretary Jacob Majnemer--met with Councilwoman Lee Seeman at her office on January 17 to review the status of current efforts to improve Town services to University Gardens.
She was joined in the meeting by Rafe Lieber, the Town Supervisor's liaison to University Gardens.
Implementation of the Town's tree planting and pruning program was high on the list of priorities discussed, as was reduction of our neighborhood's speed limit and addition of stop signs at Hereford Rd. and Somerset Drive N. A survey of resident opinion on the latter proposal is already underway by the Town.
Ms. Seeman was elected on November 8 to replace Anthony D'Urso. Besides University Gardens, she represents North New Hyde Park, Garden City Park, Floral Park; the villages of Saddle Rock, Great Neck Estates, Russell Gardens, and Lake Success; and other unincorporated areas.
Ms. Seeman has been program director of the Great Neck Chamber of Commerce since 1975. In 1995 she was appointed by President Clinton, and later reappointed by the first President Bush, as a member of the United States Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad. She has been a trustee of the W.F. Albright Institute for Archaeological Research in Jerusalem since 1988. She has been a member of the New York State Democratic Committee since 1970 and has served on that organization's executive committee.
She is married to Murray Seeman, former mayor of Great Neck Estates, and has four children and seven grandchildren.
From left: Sgt. Arnaldo Mangiarnano, Officer Ronald Barnett, Capt. Maria D'Amelio,
Sgt. James Cartha, Elizabeth Siegel, and Officer Richard Lahijini.
Maria and her gang 1-23-06
This is not exactly news. But we thought you might like to see, in a moment of togetherness, the entire force of Great Neck Auxiliary Police, headed by Capt. Maria D'Amelio, that patrols our neighborhood.
The unit, with some friends, gathered for its annual dinner on January 16. Representing University Gardens were John Campbell, the community's liaison to GNAP, and Mindy Rosenfeld. Ms. Rosenfeld organized a group of UG mothers who made donations to GNAP in appreciation of Capt. D'Amelio's vigilance in protecting the community's young children.
Elizabeth Siegel helped form GNAP with Ms. Amelio and Sgt. James Cartha in 1982, but no longer patrols. She handles administrative work for the unit.
As previously reported, the new members of GNAP have made possible nighttime patrols in University Gardens in addition to Capt. D'Amelio's faithful daytime coverage.
Goodbye to narrow building lots 1-5-06
Responding to calls for relief from University Gardens and other communities, the Board of the Town of North Hempstead acted Tuesday night to severely restrict construction on narrow lots being created through subdivisions in residential areas.
The Town Board voted unanimously in favor of an amendment to the Zoning Law that requires comparing the width of a lot where construction is proposed to the average width of the other lots within 200 feet of it on the same blockfront. If the width of the lot falls below that average (and is less than 100 feet), then no construction can be done on it without a variance. Presumably, the greater the shortfall from the average, the less likely that the variance would be granted.
Several months ago, the Association's Board of Directors reacted to the current spate of subdivisions by submitting a plan for a special zoning classification for University Gardens to Town Supervisor Jon Kaiman. When several directors met with Mr. Kaiman on November 21 to discuss the plan, they were joined by the Town's Building Commissioner, David Wasserman. Mr. Kaiman explained his reluctance to create special zones for individual neighborhoods and urged the directors to consider the Town's plan being drafted by Mr. Wasserman. The directors were favorably impressed by Mr. Wasserman's description of the plan and expressed their interest in seeing the final legislative proposal..
A copy of the draft legislation could only be obtained shortly before the Town Board meeting on January 3, 2006. Commenting on it at the meeting, Association President Steve Perlman welcomed the relief from narrow subdivisions and commended the Town Board and Commissioner Wasserman for their work. However, Mr. Perlman also requested that they consider modifying the legislation to accommodate retirees who would suffer financial loss if they were barred from selling a lot due to a minor shortfall from the average width of neighboring lots. Mr.Kaiman responded that such persons were already profiting from the sale of their residences and could apply for variances if they wished to sell their vacant lots separately. Association Secretary Jacob Majnemer also addressed the Town Board to describe the human toll on the community from some of the subdivisions currently underway.
In a somewhat surprising move, the Town Board put the measure to an immediate vote. Following its passage, the new law will take effect immediately upon filing with the office of the New York Secretary of State.
It is unclear at present how the new law affects pending subdivision applications and construction projects that have not yet begun. At first glance it appears that that the new law could end the controversial building plan at 20 Surrey Rd., but this awaits evaluation by counsel.