By Nick Buglione
The task force, which has about 10 members so far and is still recruiting, will focus on lobbying support among elected officials and other leaders in order to get the federal government to reconsider the sale.
The whole purpose is, we must exercise the maximum effort to provide this necessary housing to the fighting men and women of this country, said Robert Zafonte, president of the East Meadow Civic Association. I want to make sure the East Meadow community exercises all our resources. This is a must.
Zafonte said this is not the first time the federal government has sought to sell East Meadow's Mitchel Manor and the nearby Mitchel Field, which are owned and run by the Navy but house servicemen and women from all branches of the military.
About 10 years ago there was a similar plan in place, which East Meadow civic leaders and elected officials were successful in defeating.
I feel that these guys deserve to stay there, said Sal Pellegrino, a longtime East Meadow resident and task force member. I think it's a disservice what the government is doing. Why are they selling this? I just feel that's unjust.
Pellegrino is a Korean War veteran and past president of the East Meadow VFW, who has a strong interest in military and veteran affairs.
Dr. Thomas O'Brien, a professor of biology at Nassau Community College, which is adjacent to the Mitchel Field houses, is also on the task force. One of the main ideas of the college is to be community oriented, and East Meadow's right around the corner, said O'Brien, a Deer Park resident. East Meadow has supported this place, that's for sure.
O'Brien said he has extensive knowledge of Mitchel Manor and Mitchel Field's history, and is opposed to the sale. During the 1940s and 50s, his father served in Korea and was based at the Santini Air Base, which encompassed what is today the Mitchel Manor houses, off Merrick Avenue, and extended to Hempstead Turnpike and into Uniondale.
Little by little, the place was sold off, and all that's left is the houses, said O'Brien, whose family lived in Levittown while his father was based at Santini. It was a very large area.
He went on to note that it seems unfair that the government would want to sell the Mitchel Manor and Mitchel Field houses, especially considering that many servicemen and women residing there are currently fighting in Iraq. It's not the right thing to do, O'Brien said. I definitely feel strongly that we have to be sensitive to these men and women who serve our cause.
The task force is trying to set up a meeting with Navy officials, Long Island's representatives in Congress and residents to discuss the sale.
Hope LaMonica, who lives in Mitchel Field with her two children and husband, who's in the Army, said many residents don't feel there's much more they can do to fight the sale. It's in their hands at this point, LaMonica said. We've written letters and done all that.
In September the Herald revealed the Defense Department's plan to sell the complexes, which some 1,200 servicemen and women and their dependents call home. A Navy housing market analysis determined last year that a sufficient quantity of affordable private housing exists on the open market to satisfy the needs of the military families on Long Island. Many residents dispute those findings.
After the Mitchel housing complexes are gone, the servicemen and women who remain in the area will receive monthly housing allowances in addition to their salaries so they can pay for their own housing. Allowances vary depending on rank and whether a serviceman or woman is married, and are adjusted to take into account the cost of living in a particular area. How many children a serviceman or woman might have, however, is not factored in.
For example, a married Navy petty officer third class, someone who has been in the service for three of four years and lives on Long Island, is eligible for a $1,526 monthly housing allowance, according to the military's formula.
Some residents don't think military housing allowances can adequately support a family in Nassau County, and elected officials appear to agree with them. A letter urging Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld to reconsider the plan was sent on Oct. 21, and signed by five elected officials, including Sen. Hillary Clinton and Rep. Carolyn McCarthy. A similar letter from Sen. Charles Schumer followed.
Congress could potentially put the issue to a vote, but it's unlikely, said Scott Rowson, a spokesman for McCarthy. "It's possible but it's improbable that Congress will take this up," Rowson said. "Of course, they could address it if they want to, but there's no way they're going to do that."
The secretary of the Navy has agreed with Clinton to have new discussions with the Long Island congressional delegation in Nassau County sometime in January, said Edward Aulman, director of the Nassau County Veterans Service Agency.
To volunteer
Those interested in joining the East Meadow Civic Association's task force on the potential sale of the Mitchel Manor and Mitchel Field military housing complexes should call Robert Zafonte, association president, at (516) 794-6114.
