Editorial
Two Wrongs
Three very fundamental questions were at stake
at the Board of Trustees meeting of the Farmingdale
Public Library Tuesday night. The meeting brought
out the largest number of taxpayers ever as
television cameras, newspaper reporters focused
their attention upon it.
Question One: how would the newly elected
trustee who was to take office July 1 act at his
first public meeting since election; Two: how
would the library board deal with the question
of pornography in a magazine which had been on
the shelves and Thirdly; what would the library
board do to a citizen who had " confiscated*'
library material.
The newly elected trustee was not accorded
the usual courtesies of a newly elected library
board member. He was not invited to sit with
the board and look at the notes prepared for the
agenda; he had to stand.
In turn, trustee elect was calm in his approach,
he was a gentleman. He came to the board meeting
seeking harmony. He had even suggested
appointing Myra Van Nostrand to the first vacancy.
He was interested in helping the library pass their
budget. There should be a ruling that when a
citizen asks the board to look into a book that
is placed on the shelves, that it be withheld from
the shelves during the review period.
True, we realize that it is the wrong thing to
have any citizen to confiscate library material,
citizens should not be encouraged to take library
books from the shelves and get rid of them on
their own. But actually he did not steal the
magazine, he told the librarian in charge what
he was doing and he did it in the spirit of a test
case, believing that another New York State law
against pornography distribution would hold up.
The motion to censure could have been withdrawn
if he had felt assured in returning the book to the
library. Only Trustee Robert M. Callahan showed
any mercy in wanting to start out on a clean slate.
Two wrongs don't make a right. True, we
believe that library material should not be ' confiscated'.
We don't believe in leaving obscene
material on the open shelves, but it still has a
place in the library collection, in an adult only
section, as suggested by Mr. Gorton.
We thought that the crowd was out of order
and that it reminded us of a lynching scene in
the old west. It was a kangaroo court, we also
heard that it had similarities to Nazi Germany
in the early days. He was " convicted" of being
a John Bircher, not that he had stolen a book;
he was pre- judged before given a chance- to prove
that he could be a capable library trustee in
five years he was not treated with the respect
he should have been given as a duly elected
official. We certainly are known for not believing
in the principles of the John Birch Society, but
this does not make what the library board did
right.
It was a shame.
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Letters
To The Editor
Dear Editor:
In reply to the letter by Professor
John C. Raffaele citing
the Texas City disaster attributed
to the explosion of ammonium
nitrate, I pray that such
a tragedy will not be repeated
in Farmingdale or anywhere for
that matter.
In view of the potential danger,
however remote, why is that kind
of industrial activity permitted
within the confines of our small
village?
Our officials have the moral
responsibility to do more than
they claim to be doing. To state,
" The matter is in the hands of
the court," does not give the
people of our community the
protection against such potential
dangers. They must take action
now before it is too late, and
avoid, even for a dayoraminute,
jeopardizing the lives of innocent
people. Why the delay?
It is also the duty of our officials
to let us know publicly
what they are doing about this
grave matter.
It is comforting to know that
the Farmingdale Observer helps
to keep us informed.
Florence Phillips
95 Birch Avenue
Farmingdale
Dear Editor:
I want to express my sincere
gratitude to the many voters of
District # 22 who supported me in
my bid for reelection to die
Board of Trustees of the Farmingdale
Public Library.
Myra E. Van Nostrand
To the Editor:
I am deeply grateful to the
voters of District 22 for giving
me the opportunity to continue
to serve on the school board.
Through your columns I should
like to thank all those who supported
my candidacy and that of
my running mate, Mrs. Lucille
Goulding, whose reelection was
so well deserved. And a word of
special thanks to you for your
gratifying and helpful editorial
endorsement.
I shall do my best to fulfill
the trust placed in me.
A. Terry Weathers
To the editor:
I would like to thank each and
every one who supported me during
die recent School District 22
elections. I also want to thank
the editors of both OBSERVER
publications for tiieir cooperation
and endorsement.
I shall continue to take an active
part in school and community affairs.
Frank J. Gelish
District 22ResubmitsBudget
Armed Forces
Army Private First Class
Nicholas Cosmo, 21, son of Mr.
and Mrs. Anthony Cosmo, 131
E. Zoranne Drive, Farmingdale,
arrived in Vietnam with his unit,
the 815th Engineer Battalion.
Cosmo, a jeep driver in the
battalion, and the other members
of his unit received advanced
training at Ft. Belvoir, Virginia
before departure for Vietnam in
February.
* * t
Seaman Joseph Ryan, USCG,
son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph J,
Ryan of 31 Maple St., Farmingdale,
is attending the Advanced
Electronics Technician School at
Page 4
The Farmingdale Board of
Education met to see what could
be done about the budget. The
Board had met in executive session
at Weldon E. Howitt and
came out before the public at
10: 40 p. m.
The Board had been reviewing
revenues. Due to the time
lapse from when the budget was
made out until today the Board
now knows they can get more
revenue. There are four different
places where it can be
obtained. Since two more months
of attendance has now been completed,
the District can count
on $ 46,000 more State Aid for
attendance. The text book law
found on a larger pupil basis
can get $ 25,000 more than they
had anticipated.
Dr. William A. Kinzler and
Jack Zutt, Business Manager and
Jerry Donoli, Director of Transportation,
went to Albany Monday
and worked on the people up
there on transportation and were
able to come back with improved
State Aid which amounted to-
$ 55,000. The Governor this week
signed something the Legislature
just passed that Long Island
School Boards, elimination of
deficency retirement contribution
so this should eliminate $ 60,-
000. The additional revenue of
$ 126,000 and elimate $ 60,000 and
it gives $ 186,000.
School Town of Oys+ e:- Bay
tax rate can be reduced 20 cents
and the Babylon 32 cents. All
of this would have happened regardless
of the way the vote
went - tax rate not set until
August. It does brighten the
picture.
the United States Coast Guard
Training Center, Groton, Connecticut.
* * *
Army Private Vincent Scar-fone,
21, son of Mr. and Mrs.
Dominic Scarfone, 496 Syracuse
Ave. North Massapequa, was
assigned to the 87th Engineer
Battalion near Cam Ranh Bay,
Vietnam.
Pvt. Scarfone, a combat engineer,
entered the Army in November
1966 and was last stationed
at Ft. Leonard Wood, Mo.
He graduated in 1963 from
Plainedge High School, North
Massapequa.
It was decided to present the
budget as it was submitted before
with the exception of the
reflection of additional revenues.
They agreed not to cut education
maybe do something with
bonds.
They set another vote for Saturday,
June 10 at Howitt from
10 a. m. to 10 p. m. Registration
will be the Saturday before June
3 from 10 a. m. to 10 p. m.
Somebody asked how much another
vote would cost somewhere
around $ 5,000. There was a
little discussion said last vote
close to $ 6,000. Don't have to
send out post card.
Next Monday night at their
regular meeting, they will probably
set a date for another public
hearing. They had some discussion.
Gelish urged them not to cut
their expenditures any - Sturtz
raised the question of raising
the budget for voting. Goor
wanted to know a do- it- yourself
budget- break up some of
the things to put them in separate
propositions - transportation.
Board said that was an interesting
idea. They stated plainly
that if the second vote is negative,
an austerit budget would
begin July 1.
Youth Council came away
without an answer regarding use
of school property.
The Board passed a resolution
to send to the Governor, asking
for a Special Session.
Trustee Weathes interpreted
the vote against protest, against
high property taxes, not just
school taxes.
Submits ' Goldstein Plan'
One Year Residency
For Welfare Recipients,
Says Bank Poll
A one- year residency requirement
for welfare recipients?
" Yes," said a majority of voters
in the National Bank of North
America's Community Opinion
Poll,
The vote in South Farming-dale
was 87.8% in favor of adopting
a one- year residency requirement
for welfare recipients,
10.1% against and 2.1% undecided,
according to figures released
today by Robert Paton, manager
of the Bank's South Farmingdale
office.
On the question of the Central
Intelligence Agency ( CIA) providing
financial assistance to student
and youth organizations. . .
52.5% approved, 41.4% disapproved
and 6.1% were noncommittal.
Most voters, 78.7% to be exact,
believe that the use of undercover
narcotic agents in schools
and colleges does not violate
academic freedom, 20.2% believe
it does and 1.1% were undecided.
liong Island's volunteer firemen
were given a solid vote of
confidence by area voters. Locally,
80.8% indicating they are
providing adequate protection,
15.1% felt they were not and
4.1% weren't sure.
Herbert M. Goldstein of 23
Hastings Roa. 1, Massapequa who
had run unsuccessfully as school
boarl candidate in District # 13
came out with a proposal this
week as an independent citizen
and taxpayer and a parent concerned
with the education of the
children in Plainedge. He proposes
the " Goldstein Plan', a
compromise budget.
Goldstein said, " My proposed
budget plan would be to set a
budget at the same line item code
rates as this current years budget
but with the mandated increases
added. That is all the mandated
items are to be increased by the
state set rates; for example
teachers pay scale pension fund,
debt service and other currently
negotiated and approved raise
items are to be in the budget. All
other code items for supplies to
remain in this modified budget-but
at the current years operating
rates with no increases. This
will permit the school administration
to then properly allocate
the funds for supplies and services
as they see fit. They do it
this way now, all we vote on is the
lump sum budget. This would
serve to materially reduce the
tax rate while providing a smooth
continuation of all necessary
school and summer school
functions with no interuptions. It
would continue transportation,
lunches and the other educational
related services deemed desire-able
for our children which would
not be offered by an austerity bud-
Present " Yum Yum Girl
The Farmingdale Association
to the Central Island Community
Mental Health Center will present
The Farmingdale Players
get prepared by a * lame- duck'
board.
I have chosen to take my proposed
' Compromise" budget to
the people via the local press,
since I believe in the power of
a free and open press in lieu of
power groups, I am sending
copies of this proposal to all
current board members and
members elect in an appeal to
adopt a sane budget, that will
have a good chanceof voter acceptance
in lieu of a resubmitted
version of the current budget
with the accompaning " board
version of blackmail" the ever
present austerity threat. I am
not in favor of an austerity budget,
and do not feel that our
children should be made to suffer
for any ones smashed ego. I
fully realize the many hours
that have been spent in preparation
of the currently proposed
and defeated budget and the lack
of success in obtaining our legislators
to get us more aid- but I
feel as do most people that the
financial responsibility of parents
to their family must come
before some educational desires.
The mere fact that we would like
tohave something does not mean
we can afford it. Therefore it is
my firm belief that this compromise
plan or a similar one
should well suit the needs of
Plainedge for the coming year,
when I hope, the new board will
get a chance to fully develop a
sound economically and educationally
balanced budget at a
reasonable tax rate.
in " The Yum Yum Girl" at the
Farmingdale Senior High School,
on Saturday, May 13, at 8 PJM.
Tickets are priced at $ 3.
^ armwefcai* ODtorurr
Published every Thursday by
THE OBSERVER, INC.
M\ rtle 4- 6367
Frank j . K l e s h — Caroline B* ' Clesh,
Editor and Publisner
Vol. 4 No. 37
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Farmingdale OBSERVER Thursday, May 11, 1967
