So, I went to our Village Hall yesterday (Island Park’s new temporary one-- The one in a trailer because our village hall was wiped away along with all of our village records). I stopped in to drop off some Christmas Cheer for our hard working village employees, and discuss the message I received the day before from the City Manager of Long Beach. He said that he was happy to announce that Long Beach was the first recipient of a FEMA grant from Sandy. He said they received 24 million dollars through the work of Senator Charles Schumer. I was wondering if our village had received a FEMA grant as well. Of course everyone laughed. We are all very happy for Long Beach. They were devastated and deserve it, but no, we hadn’t received a grant from FEMA. I don’t understand that.
Our village lost everything. Everything. Hearing my friend Rose tick off the list was like a smack in the face. We lost our library, our post office, our village hall. We lost all of our houses of worship. The Methodist Church, The Catholic Church, The Greek Orthodox Church, and The Jewish Synagogue. We lost our elementary school. We lost every business. All of it. I realized all of these things individually, but had never run the list down in my head or out loud. How can you hear that recitation and not shed a tear?
How can you be aware of that and not show up for us when you are supposed to represent us? How do these shameless politicians drive right through our town to get to the photo op in Long Beach, and they don’t even get out of their cars for a simple “hey, how ya doin?” in Island Park? I learned yesterday that not a one of these politicians have stepped over the threshold of our new village hall (the trailer in the LIRR parking lot.) No, not even Dean Skelos who stood on my front steps, shook my hand, and asked for my vote the weekend before the storm. Not Ed Mangano, not our new rep (after redistricting) Carolyn McCarthy. Not Governor Cuomo, Charles Schumer, nor Kirsten Gillibrand. Not Anthony Santino, not Howard Kopel, and not Kate Murray. Well Kate did show up this past weekend for a half hour stop with Santa at the fire house, finally – 7 weeks after the storm! They have all been to Long Beach for their photos, and most have had to drive through Island Park to get there.
There are two “Hamlets” in our town’s zip code. Barnum Island and Harbor Isle. After it became apparent that those hamlets had been abandoned by anyone that could help them, our Mayor took on those hamlets as well. He, and we, all realized they were getting no representation from their town and county officials. Someone had to help them, so Mayor Ruzicka did.
After watching all of the relief trucks bypass us for Long Beach, we are now watching all of the tractor trailers full of refuse cart the whole mess out of Long Beach, Lido Beach, Atlantic Beach, and Point Lookout. All of the aid came in through our town, and all of the garbage is leaving through our town, but not much stops in our town.
Shameless.
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