Frank Markus
300 West Walk
Saltaire, NY 11706
(631) 583-7739

fmarkus@pipeline.com

WHY I AM RUNNING

        I believe that I am the best-qualified candidate running for Village Trustee this year. I know Saltaire and I understand its values. Important issues confront the Village but none seems sufficiently critical that it alone should decide who is elected. Your vote should be for a person who is able to deal with both the questions that are known and the unforeseen challenges that will have to be resolved by the next Board. My candidacy is my statement that I am that person.

        I came to Saltaire because I liked what it offered in terms of social values, activities and physical amenities. I still do and I do not want more change than is required to meet changed circumstances. But I am not afraid to act to meet new problems. What worked in the past is not always what will work in the future. If I become a Trustee, I would change as little as possible but as much as necessary.

        If elected, I hope that it will not be based on geography or my position on only one issue or another. As I see it, Village elections should not be decided on a single issue or even two or three issues. It is much more important that the Board be composed of members who understand Saltaire and who will confront the matters that come before them in a way that reflects its history and values.

        My first priorities are dune preservation and fire safety. We can fix almost anything else but if the dunes go or we have a serious fire, we are in terrible trouble. I support several major projects that are under way. We must replace the dock. It will be expensive but I accept the engineer's report that the marina is at the end of its useful life. We must upgrade our water system to ensure that fires can be fought effectively. We should not waste money on building walks intended to be too narrow for our fire trucks. We should not buy 'mini' fire trucks of the sort that failed to control the Cherry Grove fire. They do not work and the Fire Company does not want them. We must finally stop ignoring the rules governing fences in the Village and adopt rules that are appropriate to current needs. I believe that fences made of the plastic material being tested at the 'tree farm' on Neptune Walk may provide a standard that is effective, esthetically acceptable, and consistent with the needs of fire fighting. Finally, I support both the deer project and the Village's well-considered anti-mosquito program.

        Several of the issues troubling the Village involve fire safety. I have a great respect for the Fire Company and I believe that the Board should generally follow its considered recommendations. Although I believe that the Village should leave people alone whenever possible, in matters of public safety I believe that the Village has a right and a duty to act. When the Village must act in a way that has a negative impact on residents, every effort should be made to find a way to minimize that impact. In my experience, that has usually been possible. I understand and respect Saltaire's tradition of compromise and accommodation. The actions of the Village Board should always reflect a broad consensus rather than the triumph of a narrow majority but that principle should not be used as an excuse for inaction.

        One of the other candidates has suggested that issues like barbecuing should be decided by referenda. I disagree. As Chair of the S.C.A.A., I learned how to listen to the concerns of Saltaire residents and I will not stop listening if I am elected but I believe that it is the responsibility of each Trustee to determine how he or she should vote.

        As anyone who attends the meetings of the Village Board will tell you, I have firm opinions and am not shy about expressing them. That will not change if I am on the Board rather than peppering it with questions and suggestions. But at the same time, I promise that I will listen as well as just voting various proposals up or down.

        My phone number and email address are listed in the letterhead. If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact me. Or just stop me on the walks.

        The next section (which is based on a letter that I sent to voters when I announced my candidacy), tells a bit about who I am and the experience that has qualified me to be elected Trustee.

WHO I AM

        I have had a house in Saltaire for about twenty years. My kids grew up in Saltaire. They went to camp and became counselors, they learned to sail and became sailing instructors, they even both became members of the Fire Company (as has my wife.) For years, I organized the Village Halloween Party and was "Mr. Halloween." I have been a regular at Dunegrass Planting even when, as it usually was in the spring, it was very cold. I also worked on the Jogathon every year until recently. For as long as it has existed, I have been a judge (and the announcer) of the Sandcastle Contest.

        In 1996, I was elected to the board of the S.C.A.A. The next year, I was elected Chair and was reelected the next year. During my first year as Chair, I organized and hosted the first Candidate Forum. I tried to turn the S.C.A.A. Annual Meeting into more of an open forum where anything concerning the Village was up for discussion. In general, I tried to involve more people in the decision-making processes of the Village and I think that I succeeded.

        Mayor Berger suggested that the S.C.A.A. should have a web site. I taught myself the necessary basics and it went online about a month later. It grew larger (and, I hope, better) as my skills grew. I am still host of the S.C.A.A. Web site. It has been a lot of work but I am happy with the results. I hope that you are finding it enjoyable as well as useful. If you have any suggestions about how it can be made better, please let me know. (And please send in your family's email addresses so that they can be added to the new email directory.)

        During my years as Chair of the S.C.A.A., we organized the usual calendar of events. In my second year, we put out the 1998 Saltaire Directory which was a great success. At my urging, we also managed to make the Music and Arts Festival less commercial but no less interesting or enjoyable. As part of my duties as Chair of the S.C.A.A., I became more actively involved in Village Affairs. I attended all meetings of the Village Board (winter and summer) and added my comments as well as those of the S.C.A.A. Board and of members who had spoken to me. Even after leaving office, I have continued to attend meetings of the Village Board. Based on this experience with Village affairs and my legal background, I hope that I will be able to 'hit the ground running' if I am elected.

        So that is who I am and why I feel that I am qualified to join the Village Board as a Trustee. If you have any questions or comments, please get in touch with me. I need your support; I hope that you will vote for me on Friday, May 26th.