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For this column I
have interviewed Village of Farmingdale Mayor, George Graf.
BACKGROUND
Age 46; married with
three children; Farmingdale resident since 1983 and formerly from
Smithtown. Masters in
Business Administration Degree in Business from C.W. Post and soon to
have a Masters in Education from Hofstra. Mayor since April 2004 and
soon to become a full-time high school mathematics teacher.
FARMINGDALE
BUDGET, NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES, YEAR OF INCORPORATION & UNIQUE FEATURE
OF THE VILLAGE GOVERNMENT
$6 million yearly, 35
employees, 1904 incorporation and we have our own water district.
THE TRUDDEN ADMINISTRATION
The former
administration was in power for twelve years and we are finding that
during that time there was an inadequacy of controls over finances and a
lack of planning concerning the infrastructure of the Village.
The prior administration conducted a lot of business behind
closed doors and when community activists asked questions their FOIL
requests were routinely denied. It
was my inability to obtain information that spurred me to run for
office. What we have found
since taking office confirmed our fears:
the business of the Village needed to be restructured and the
Village’s facilities, including the public works facilities, needed to
be cleaned up or repaired.
EDUCATION IN
FARMINGDALE
As of one of the most
populated schools in Nassau, and one of the very few that has an
integrated student body, the Farmingdale School District offers a
quality education and a diverse cultural experience. The Superintendent
of Schools who has been here about five years has worked hard with many
community organizations to have the school be an integrated part of the
community and not isolated. School
finances are an issue here as in all districts on the Island.
Recently a $50 million facilities bond was voted down and the
District is trying to reformulate it and get it back before the public
for another vote.
TOP VILLAGE ISSUES
(2005)
The top issues facing
the Village are financial. We
need to have a plan in place that will allow the Village to provide
Village services and maintain quality of life here in the Village
without placing a large burden on property owners.
The prior administration started a road project that did not
include all of the roads in the Village and was not structured in such a
way to effectively replace a sufficient number of roads and curbs.
We need to fix that and to provide for the monies needed to
rebuild the Village’s infrastructure.
Another financial issue was straightening out water bills.
The Village runs its own water department, and we discovered that
water bills were raised 128% during the period 1996-2002, with monies
being transferred from the water fund to the Village tax fund over this
period. That procedure
provided extra money to the prior administration while allowing them to
tell the public they were not raising property taxes.
We have taken steps to correct that situation.
Another issue we are
addressing is to insure that proper procedures are being followed in the
development of land. As
developers seek to acquire and/or subdivide lots and erect new
buildings, we are working hard to make it known that my administration
respects building codes and Village codes in general. Making sure that
the Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals and citizens have their
input on development is important.
How these properties are developed will effect the Village
esthetically but will also impact on quality of life issues.
HOBBIES, FAVORITE TV SHOW, FOOD &
AMERICAN CITY
My hobbies include
collecting baseball memorabilia, playing fantasy baseball, running,
and reading World War
II historical novels. My favorite TV show is Boston Legal; I enjoy Veal
Parmesan and enjoy traveling to Washington, D.C.
SECATOGUE REDEVELOPMENT
We are in the process
of reviewing the feasibility of redeveloping this blighted area.
Within the past few months several of the apartments in this area
were closed down due to black mold and other unsafe conditions. These
buildings are becoming a hazard and the area needs to be redeveloped to
improve the quality of life for all its residents.
RE-ASSESSMENT IN FARMINGDALE
We will be moving to
bring our own assessment in line with Nassau County. This will happen in
the near future. This will not result in higher taxes as we will work
out the rate structure for the residents. Unfortunately some
residents’ taxes will go higher and of course, some will be lowered.
PERSONAL GOALS & TIME SPENT
Personally, becoming a
teacher is my number one goal, and I also try to get away with my wife
and children for a few restful days when I can. I
enjoy spending quality time with the family.
However, I will do whatever I have to do in order to improve
Farmingdale Village. If I
have to spend 7 days a week at Village Hall, I will.
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