A Look Back at the Last Decade in Mineola

Another decade has past and it sure was a busy one in the Village of Mineola. Here is a look back at the top stories of the decade:

10 – The State Little League Championship (2001)

The New York State Little League championship was held in on the  off Willis Avenue in the summer of 2001. The Rolando Paulino All-Stars of the Bronx, led by star pitcher Danny Almonte, won the state championship en route to the Little League World Series championship in Williamsport, PA. The title was late stripped when it was learned that Almonte was 14-years-old and not 12 as was required to participate in Little League. 

9 – The Last Village Meeting of the Martins Era (2010)

The last public meeting of 2010 saw a lot of action. The village board dedicated a street to former mayor Bob Hinck. Resident Bill Urianek , an Iraq veteran who lost both legs while in service and . The board then appointed its third mayor of the decade, Larry Werther. Werther then appointed Scott Strauss to the position of trustee. 

8 – Assistant Superintendent of Schools Arrested (2005)

In 2005, the Nassau County District Attorney indicted Mineola Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Operations John Jackson on 20 counts including bribe receiving, criminal possession of a forged instrument, grand larceny, offering a false instrument for filing, falsifying business records, defrauding the government, theft of services, official misconduct and receiving unlawful gratuities. Jackson pled guilty to second degree bribe receiving and official misconduct.

7 – Willis Avenue School Opens (2003)

The  opened in September 2003 for the district's pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students as well as house the central administration offices. The school was built following a successful bond referendum. Ironically, the school will be closed as part of the district's school consolidation plan. The new multi-million dollar school for Mineola students lasted less than a decade, although the district will maintain ownership of the school in case the board of education decides to reopen it at a later date. 

6 – Mineola's Centennial (2006)

In 2006, the Village of Mineola celebrated its 100th anniversary with a year-long centennial celebration. A committee consisting of longtime residents John DaVanzo, Bob Hinck and Candie Maia was formed to organize the events, which consisted of a concert by the Nassau Pops Symphony Orchestra, a parade and a centennial ball at the Jericho Terrace. 

5 – Three Way Race for Mayor (2003)

The most contentious election of the decade came in in 2003 when incumbent Mayor John Colbert, then-Trustee Jack Martins and former Trustee Maryanne Warnecke all ran for mayor. Martins emerged victorious as did his running mate, Larry Werther. Martins then appointed Steve Franzini to the trustee position he vacated to become mayor. Colbert had been the mayor for 9 years. 

4 – Village Sued for Age Discrimination (2009)

Eight Mineola firefighters sued the village through the EEOC  (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) for age discrimination based on the village's Length of Service Awards Program (LOSAP). The program allows firefighters to accrue points based years of service for an award at retirement. For volunteer firefighters, this pension allows an incentive to get and keep members. However, the village's program only allowed firefighters to accrue points until the age of 60 even though some members were still serving in the department past that age. The result of the successful lawsuit was that in 2009 Mineola voters approved a new program that doesn't set any age restrictions.

3 – The Police Referendum (2006)

In December 2006,  and the majority of the board of trustees put up a referendum to create a village police force. Those in favor of the police force felt that the village could provide better police coverage than it was getting from Nassau County at a cost that would be comparable. However, residents rejected the referendum by a 2,936 to 1,288 margin. A major sentiment from some residents who voted against the referendum was that the creation of a village police force would increase property taxes. Village trustees Linda Fairgrieve and Paul Cusato were against the idea of a village police force.

2 – The 2010 Race for New York's 7th State Senate District (2010) 

In November 2010, incumbent  and Mayor Jack Martins squared off for the 7th Senate District. Martins led by approximately 450 votes after ballots were counted. The Johnson camp asked for a hand recount and took its appeal all the way to the state's highest court, .

1 – The Tragedy of 9/11 (2001)

The biggest story of the decade was a national story. On the morning of September 11, 2001, terrorists attack the World Trade Center. Among those who were involved in rescue efforts that fateful day was New York City Emergency Police Officer Scott Strauss of Mineola. He was eventually awarded the New York City Police Department's Medal of Honor for helping to save the life of a fellow officer. Strauss was recently appointed to the .