Letters to the Lynbrook/East Rockaway Editor (Feb. 4-10)

Posted

Vote for Ryder

To the Editor:

I would like to share my endorsement for Laura Ryder as village trustee in Lynbrook.

I have genuinely objective reasons to put forth this recommendation, despite the fact that Laura is my beloved daughter.

No one loves the Village of Lynbrook more than Laura, no one has the ability to devise sound ideas for the uplifting of the village, and no one has the ability to “get things done” with the skill of Laura Ryder.

For example, when Mayor Eugene Scarpato wanted someone to develop the concept for a Lynbrook 9/11 Memorial, he sought Laura, who worked to provide the village with the beautiful 9/11 Memorial on the back lawn of Village Hall. Then, when Mayor Brian Curran needed someone to head the Lynbrook Community Chest to bring it back to life, he appointed Laura to do the job. In the last 10 years that she has served as chair of the Community Chest, close to $100,000 has been distributed to Lynbrook families in need.

When Mayor Alan Beach needed someone to come up with a comprehensive plan for a village Oktoberfest, he assigned Laura to the task. As is well known, over 3,000 individuals came to Lynbrook’s Oktoberfest in 2019 when the hope was that at least 300 people would show up.  When Beach needed someone to create a committee to assist Lynbrook seniors and veterans with volunteer services, he appointed Laura, and the Lynbrook Cares Committee was born. Over the past 10 months during the Covid-19 pandemic, the Cares Committee has provided free-of-charge services to over 50 Lynbrook seniors, veterans and families in need.

The list of her accomplishments is long. If you want a creative leader and one who can get things done, you want Laura Ryder as a Lynbrook trustee.

Peter K. Ledwith,. Lynbrook

 

Executive orders are no help

To the Editor:

Last week, President Biden signed numerous executive orders that will end thousands of union jobs. One of them orders the closure of private federal prisons contracted by the U.S. Department of Justice. The idea of privately contracted federal prisons came from a previous Democratic administration. It was part of Vice President Al Gore’s so-called “reinventing of government” plan that instituted contracted federal prisons.

It was Gore’s and President Bill Clinton’s idea that paying a contracted facility would reduce costs, cut the federal work force and save retirement money, because federal workers wouldn’t be employed at these facilities. With these closures, private prison guards will be on the unemployment lines, and joining them will be construction workers building the border wall and Keystone pipeline employees. And it was reported that another signed executive order ending drilling on federal lands will result next year in still more lost union jobs.

So much for helping hard-working middle-class Americans.

Steve Grogan, Lynbrook

Grogan is a retired Department of Justice employee.