Venditto Gets Smacked Around in the Massapequa Post

Dear Editor,

I am extremely pleased that the Massapequa Post has printed Supervisor Venditto's response to my letter. This is clearly an indication that the Massapequa Post is a responsible, non-partisan medium with the best interests of Town of Oyster Bay residents in mind. Moreover, it illustrates the extreme importance of discourse, debate, and checks and balances; all things that have been lacking in recent years on the Town of Oyster Bay Board.

As an English teacher, I consistently stress to my students the importance of staying on topic in their writing, as it is important not to confuse the reader. My original letter was regarding the Town Board's approval of the acquisition of a large fleet of eco-unfriendly SUV's for the Public Safety Department. Based upon the scope of the duties that Public Safety Department performs, the Jeep Liberty fleet was a terrible choice for both the taxpayer, and the environment. As is frequently the case with any polished politician, Supervisor Venditto, skirted the issue and diverted attention elsewhere.
One of the most important duties of being a competent teacher is understanding the importance of creating clear and concise plans. It is crucial to identify attainable objectives in so that students are able to do something they could not do before. Planning also allows for the opportunity to predict possible problems and questions that might arise. Therefore, solutions are found before any problems arise. While planning can be a daunting task, it is absolutely necessary. Part of the planning process is research, or what I like to call, "doing your homework."

It is my contention that the current Town of Oyster Bay Board either did not do their homework, or did it incompletely, as there was an abundance of alternative "greener" vehicles that could have been acquired. Moreover, had the Town Board properly planned, they could have saved Town of Oyster Bay taxpayers tens, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars, while saving our precious environment.

And by the way Mr. Supervisor, while you might think your Town issued, taxpayer funded, gas-guzzling Crown Victoria is made in "America by American workers," it is actually manufactured at the St. Thomas Assembly, in Canada by Canadian workers. Therefore I implore you and the rest of the "Venditto Team" to do yourselves and the great residents of the Town of Oyster Bay a favor - before you adopt your next "expansive program" or draft another self-promoting press release, do your homework.

Keith Scalia
The writer is a candidate for Town of Oyster Bay Council and is running on the Democratic and Working Families lines.