By Laura Lane
Walsh replaces the late Vicky Rosenberg, who was also president of the Wantagh-Seaford Homeowners Association and often dealt with civic issues impacting the Merricks.
The Joint Council comprises representatives of several area community groups who collaborate on quality-of-life issues affecting the South Shore.
The appointment is bittersweet for Walsh, who worked closely with Rosenberg before her premature death. She plans to carry forward Rosenberg's vision, however. "I admire Vicky for her longtime dedication to her community and Nassau County as a whole," Walsh said. "We will miss her always."
She went on to note that the South Shore Joint Council will continue to adhere to Rosenberg's conviction that "the difficulties facing our communities know no boundaries."
Walsh became active in the civic arena in 1999, when a 700-seat movie theater slated for construction across from the Chatterton Elementary School drew the ire of residents. She was instrumental in negotiating a more appropriate location for the theater. Together with other civic leaders from the area, Walsh also helped ensure that a proposal to erect a 100-foot-tall cell tower across from Chatterton four years ago was withdrawn.
Walsh met Rosenberg while working on the cell tower issue. "We immediately became friends -- something about our personalities clicked," Walsh said in a message posted on the Joint Council's Web site. "We enjoyed discussing civic issues, politics and many other topics."
The Nassau County Legislature honored Walsh with the Trailblazer Award in 1999 for her crucial work on myriad civic issues in Merrick.
"We had to elect somebody to be our spokesperson," said Joe Kralovich, president of the Old Lindenmere Civic Association and a member of the Joint Council. "[Michele] was the obvious choice."
Walsh continues to work on keeping Merrick's downtown business district clean, and was able to get Babylon Turnpike earmarked for improvement by the Nassau County Pride in the Environment program. She also organized the planting of more than 150 trees supplied by the Town of Hempstead, and implemented a Central Merrick Graffiti Task Force.
"Michele is extremely dedicated and a self-starter," said Barry Fox, president of the Merrick Park Home Owners Association. "She has gone around herself and taken graffiti off public and private buildings. Michele is a hard worker."
Besides her efforts in Merrick, Walsh assisted in organizing the Central Bellmore Homeowners Association, and worked alongside other civic leaders to close down Freeport's polluting diesel power plant. She also assisted the Old Lindenmere Civic Association with the revitalization of Babylon Turnpike.
"It was Vicky's dream to bring the South Shore Joint Council of Civics to reality," Walsh said. "And it will continue in honor of her."
For more information on the South Shore Joint Council of Civic Organizations or to contact its members, log on to www.southshorecivics.org.
