Letters to the Rockville Centre Herald March 1, 2012

Praise for a

man who served villagers well

To the Editor:

Now that it has been announced that a new village administrator will start in March, I would like to publicly thank former Village Administrator Frank Quigley for his excellent work on behalf of the residents of Rockville Centre.

The position of village administrator is a very difficult one to fill. I have been involved in this process twice, and exceptional candidates are very rare.

Frank was an exceptional candidate and an excellent village administrator. Born and raised in Rockville Centre, he continued a long history of family service to the village. Frank’s grandfather, John Buckley, worked for more than 30 years in the village’s Electric Department, starting around 1910. His mother, Eleanor, served as secretary to four mayors — John Anderson, Al Wood, Lenny Sandel and Donny Browne. Frank and his wife, Mary, raised their children in the village and now have the joy of seeing their granddaughter raised here, too. This is a solid Rockville Centre family with a true commitment to the community.

After a long tenure with the Nassau County district attorney’s office, Frank was asked by the Board of Trustees in 2008 to fill a position we knew required intelligence, managerial skill, honesty, integrity, responsibility, responsiveness to and respect for others, astuteness, tact and energy as village administrator. He did so successfully and was a positive, creative leader. He also brought his unique qualities to the position — a sense of humor and equanimity, knowledge of the law and a passion for excellence and honesty in all his dealings with his colleagues, subordinates, residents and the board.

He was tireless in serving the village — whether on the scene at the 2008 Christmas Day house fire, overseeing the St. Patrick’s Parade preparations, negotiating innumerable personnel and Civil Service issues, working with the Fire Department and the board to institute North Shore–LIJ daytime emergency medical coverage in the village, preparing a new emergency management plan and supervising the emergency management training of all village managers, untangling the village road program, dealing with the rupture of a large water main under Sunrise Highway or a house in danger of falling into an excavation improperly secured by a contractor working on a neighboring property, supervising the upgrading of facilities at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Center and many more tasks. But even with all of these projects and the unprecedented economic concerns of the last few years, Frank always made time to meet with residents or employees who needed privacy to discuss their concerns.

In these times of cynicism about the work ethic of public servants, I want every resident to know that Frank Quigley is a man who served this village well and faithfully. Most important, at no time did I or any other member of the board need to be concerned about the honesty and integrity with which the village was run.

Thank you, Frank, for all you have accomplished and the devotion and skill with which you performed your duties. I wish you and your family all the best.

Mary W. Bossart

Former mayor

Support Molloy’s new theater

To the Editor:

It is my opinion that the quality of life in Nassau and Suffolk counties and the surrounding areas has greatly improved, culturally, with the construction and opening of Molloy College’s state-of-the-art Madison Theatre, where Broadway-quality performances are being presented on a regular basis, close to our homes and at a great savings compared with the ticket prices on the Great White Way.

Stars from stage, film and television perform at the Madison Theatre under the direction of Angelo Fraboni, a well-respected Broadway performer who has produced many off-Broadway shows.

Visit www.madisontheatreny.org for a full lineup of upcoming shows and information about the theater summer camps.

I commend Molloy College and the Madison Theatre for bringing class entertainment to us here on Long Island. Let’s support their efforts as they make our lives better.

James W. Reed

Former deputy commissioner

Nassau County Office of Consumer Affairs

A plea for help

To the Editor:

My wife, Kathy Burns, had what is called a multi-visceral transplant in November 2010, and has endured 30 surgeries over the past six years. Kathy is doing extremely well but has to return to the transplant hospital in Pittsburgh once every six months to be seen. Although she is doing well physically, our family is struggling financially.

Despite receiving a large amount of help from many different people in many different ways, we have fallen eight months behind on our mortgage and we don’t want to lose our home. We have five children, ranging in age from 15 to 23. Four of them live at home. Our health insurance alone costs $2,300 per month, besides our other bills.

If anyone is interested in helping our family, there are two ways to donate. There is a fund set up in Kathy’s name at HelpHopeLive, formerly known as the National Transplant Assistance Foundation. I’ve sent a link that makes it possible for donations to be made either by phone or just by going to the website (hopehelplive.org). Their phone number is (800) 642-8399. Any donations to HelpHopeLive must be made “In Honor of Kathy Burns” so that the donation will be credited to her account. Donations may also be made directly to our family: Brian & Kathy Burns, 329 Cedar Street, South Hempstead, N.Y. 11550.

I want to thank the community for their generosity.

Brian Burns

South Hempstead