Minutes
Coalition for Glen Cove Meeting
Thursday, October 16, 2003 at 7:30PM at St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Our guest speaker, Jed Morey, Republican Candidate
for Mayor of Glen Cove, was introduced by Don Scarl.
Mr. Morey was accompanied by 5 of 6 Republican City
Council candidates who each introduced themselves and spoke briefly about
their connections with and feelings about the Glen Cove Schools. We met
Reno DiScala, Grady Farnan, Mike McGuire, Tom Manzione, and Ellen Savino.
James Toner arrived later. Two of the candidates graduated from Glen Cove
High School and 2 others currently have children attending Glen Cove
Schools. Don introduced the coalition members to the candidates.
Mr. Morey introduced himself and first complimented
the Coalition for Glen Cove for being an organization which provided an
opportunity for "thinking outside of the box" working outside of the
usual arena to make suggestions for improvement and providing support for
the schools.
Mr. Morey explained that he and his council
candidates do not have political backgrounds. They are united in their
desire to serve the community of Glen Cove.
Mr. Morey grew up in nearby Brookville and was
educated at Friends Academy. He attended Skidmore College where he
majored in business and music. He is married to Eden, an accomplished
musician and graduate student at NYU. They have a young daughter.
In his junior year of college, Mr. Morey volunteered
in the Big Brothers Program and started a 10 year ongoing mentorship with
a young man who had recently lost his father. The young man has now
graduated from college and they keep in touch. Mr. Morey continues to be
actively involved in the Big Brother/ Big Sisters Programs and expressed
that he himself had greatly benefited from being a mentor.
Education is part of the Republican platform this
year. Morey and his team feel that it should be the city's role to "sell"
the schools and counteract the perception of outsiders and community
members that our schools are not up to par. This challenge is made harder
by the listing of state test scores in Newsday each year, in which Glen
Cove is pitted against neighboring districts. Morey says we need to help
people understand the nuances that make Glen Cove a unique community and
school district so they can appreciate our accomplishments, which are
many.
Morey feels that the schools are one of the most
important aspects of our community. As our schools rise up, so will
reinvestment in Glen Cove. People will have the confidence to buy homes
and raise their children here.
The Morey Team does not believe the city government
should involve itself in the management of the schools. Their role should
be to "cheerlead" and possibly help find funding for special programs,
such as a local endowment for the arts. Mr. Morey spoke of his and his
wife's personal connection with music and their feeling that arts
education should be an integral part of the educational process. .Several
council candidates commented on the fine music program that is offered in
our district, as well as Masquers at the high school.
Mr. Morey spoke of a 2 hour meeting with
Superintendent Mary Ellen Freeley and how she impressed him as being a
highly competent and committed leader for our school district.
Rich Tortorici asked Morey about his ideas regarding
Youth Programs in Glen Cove. Morey talked about the possibility of a
youth center in the downtown area as well as a centrally located and
accessible downtown park. He also suggested working with the Big
Brothers/ Big Sisters Program to supplement the work of the Youth Board
which already takes on many responsibilities.
Don Scarl thanked all the candidates for coming and
they in turn thanked us for our input on education and youth programs in
Glen Cove.
Submitted by Helen Kotzky |