Letters to the Rockville Centre Herald Editor Aug. 26, 2010

Dillon’s legacy will live on

To the Editor:

One of Rockville Centre’s most prominent residents lost his battle with cancer, our beloved Denis Dillon. I had the pleasure of knowing him, and he was a man of great character. To some people he was a mentor, and to others he was an icon. But no matter what, his legacy will always live on.

Denis was someone who talked to people, not at them. He was admired and respected, and what I saw in him was his willingness to stand for his values and principles and to try to reach people’s hearts and souls. Even if you met him only once, you felt a connection to him, and you saw his strong integrity, compassion and caring. He believed in family, and was a family man as well as a teacher and a student, as we all learn and teach one another. He was never afraid to stand up for his convictions, something my mother used to teach me, and which people should learn to do.

Now Denis is an angel in the bright light in heaven. We’ll all miss him. May he always be at peace.

Julie Molesse

Rockville Centre

Village needs more cops, now

To the Editor:

While conscientious parents are preparing their children for the opening of school, the mayor and the village Board of Trustees have not provided our Police Department with the tools it needs to keep our loved ones safe on our streets. It needs manpower — more cops — and it needs them right now!

Former Commissioner Jack McKeon unsuccessfully pleaded with our elected officials to fund the hiring of more police officers for over a year, until he unexpectedly retired last December. This year there can be no dedicated Traffic Safety Enforcement Unit. Its very important mission had been to enforce traffic regulations, particularly the failure to stop for school buses with flashing lights, speeding, reckless driving, driving under the influence and ignoring traffic signal lights and school signs.

It has been statistically shown that without a highly visible, concentrated uniformed traffic police presence, where motorists can see that there is a high probability of being ticketed for driving unsafely, they will operate their vehicles with a sense of impunity. Conversely, in municipalities where drivers see police demonstrating that they have zero tolerance for moving violators, drivers’ desire not to lose their licenses or pay higher insurance rates supersedes their “need for speed.”

In our village, where residents expect their municipal agencies to surpass the highest quality-of-life standards, it is unacceptable that our Police Department is one of very few on Long Island that does not have officers permanently assigned exclusively to vehicle and traffic law enforcement. Residents should be interested in the diversity and depth of the policing we receive. The undisputedly superlative professionalism of our sworn officers complements Commissioner Charles Gennario’s strong set of military and paramilitary command skills and diplomatic savvy, combined with his sensitivity in handling matters of special concern and those that violate the sensibilities of reasonable people.

If you value the lives of your family, and particularly your children — as I do — please insist that the mayor and village trustees move to hire more police officers immediately, and restore and deploy the Traffic Safety Enforcement Unit before a preventable incident takes the precious life of an innocent Rockville Centre child.

Richard A. Rosenberg

Rockville Centre

Hoops fundraiser had community’s support

To the Editor:

On behalf of Hoops 4 Hope, we would like to thank the community of for supporting our 3 on 3 Charity Basketball Tournament Aug. 14 at the Recreation Center.

It was a hugely successful fundraiser for an organization dedicated to improving the lives of the children of South Africa and Zimbabwe through basketball. Special thanks go to Tony Brunetta at the Rec Center for his help and willingness to host the event. Additional thanks go to South Side High School teacher and head basketball coach Jerry D’Angelo for his unparalleled assistance in helping us organize the tournament. Also, a thank-you to the Herald for promoting the event.

We are grateful to all those who came out to play and watch that Saturday. The community response was so positive that we are considering holding a second annual Hoops 4 Hope 3 on 3 Tournament next summer. It was our pleasure to have brought this event to Rockville Centre.

Steven Kane

Adam Vojdany

Rockville Centre

Mosque is in the wrong place at the wrong time

To the Editor:

I’m ashamed to call myself a New Yorker today, and for good reason. Opening a mosque two blocks from ground zero is a horrendous decision, basically humiliating every family that lost a relative or loved one that day.

It only took nine years for the members of New York City’s Landmark Preservation Commission to forget what happened, and that’s disgraceful. What has become of our local government? Yes, Mayor Mike Bloomberg, I understand that government should not deny any house of worship, but deep down do you really think this is the right thing to do, or just the political thing to do? Why are we always worried about what people think, or if we’ll offend somebody with our actions? Stand up for what’s right here, and building an Islamic place of prayer two blocks from where Islamic terrorists killed innocent Americans just isn’t right.

If this mosque was being built 30 blocks from the site, we wouldn’t even be having this discussion. I have no problem with the building of mosques, temples or churches, but have some respect, and build them in the right places.

Anti-American groups like the New York Civil Liberties Union and the American Civil Liberties Union applauded the commission’s decision to clear the way for the mosque. I’ve been around long enough to know that these groups will do anything to dismantle the core ideas of America, and I was not shocked when I heard they were overcome with joy. Now they can go back to defending child molesters and terrorist detainees at Guantanamo Bay.

I just want to say I’m sorry to all the families out there who lost someone that day because I know no one else will. You’ll never see a politician or an all-important member of the Landmark Commission on your doorstep apologizing for degrading the area around the World Trade Center. Maybe one day (and I don’t think I’ll see it in my lifetime) we’ll get real people in office who will stand up for things that are right, and not worry about what every single person thinks.

For one day, and one day only, I’ve taken down my American flag. Flying it after hearing this news just doesn’t make sense to me. Where are we headed as a country?

Patrick Greenfield

Rockville Centre