By: Andrew Coen
The Lawrence AssociationÕs leadership has come under intense pressure since its controversial decision last month to begin endorsing candidates for the Lawrence school board Ñ and the latest pointed criticism has come from within the civic groupÕs own membership.
At the associationÕs emotionally charged meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 17, at the Lawrence Village Country Club, some of the general members vehemently disagreed with the Board of GovernorsÕ decision of Nov. 19 to endorse a slate of school board candidates.
Herb Warshavsky, president of the Lawrence Association from 1969 to 1970, voiced his fierce opposition to such endorsements. ÒYouÕre making it a political club,Ó he said. ÒTomorrow itÕs the candidates for the Town of Hempstead, the county and then the president,Ó he said. ÒThis is terrible, and you guys should not be doing this.Ó
Warshavsky went on to say, ÒThis is the wrong step for the Lawrence Association. ItÕs fine to interview candidates, but to endorse is absolutely wrong, and please change your mind. DonÕt permit it to happen.Ó
Mike Kimmel, former Lawrence Association president who is on the associationÕs board of directors, drew a sharp distinction at the meeting between the groupÕs long-time policy of endorsing Lawrence Village candidates and the new plan of picking school board candidates, who represent other areas of the Five Towns.
ÒThe Lawrence Association endorsing candidates within the Village of Lawrence, thatÕs our job,Ó said Kimmel. ÒNow youÕre talking about endorsing candidates for District 15, meaning weÕre endorsing Lawrence, Cedarhurst, Inwood, Atlantic Beach, [parts of Woodmere and North Woodmere]. That is why this is quite different.Ó
In response, Lawrence Association President Rabbi Rafael Saffra said, ÒNobody has to listen us.Ó
ÒIf the board made such a decision, then they should have taken it into the general membership to modify it, because it sounds very, very political,Ó said another member of the association who did not agree with the decision. ÒThis is not one of the things that we should be doing, turning this into a political organization.Ó
In a phone interview the next morning, Saffra said, ÒThe old guard doesnÕt want to give up the power to the new guard. They donÕt like change.Ó
Saffra said after the meeting that he is looking into giving more of a say to the board of directors and the general membership in future matters.
Bob Baldridge, former vice president of the Lawrence Association and a long-time member, defended the Board of GovernorsÕ decision. ÒWhy shouldnÕt we, the watchdog for the community which weÕve been for years and years, have a hand or an interest in investigating anything, but certainly into school affairs?Ó he said, drawing applause from about half of the 30 people in attendance.
David Stein, head of the associationÕs Constitution Committee, said one reason the board made its decision was that it felt the Village of Lawrence was starting to have a diminishing role in public-school issues. ÒOne of the reasons that the Lawrence Association decided to get involved was because the Village of Lawrence has basically been excluded as a group from the school district,Ó he said, leading many in the audience to shout out in disagreement.
Despite the divisions within the association over the issue of endorsing school board candidates, Saffra said the disagreements that arose at the end of the meeting are a positive. ÒI think it was very lively, and it is breathing life into an organization that never had it before,Ó he said. ÒI think itÕs going to bring all candidates into the open. Running and endorsing opposing candidates is not divisiveness but democracy.Ó The next Lawrence Association meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 21 at 8 p.m. at the Lawrence Village Country Club.
