LETTERS: Nassau GOP, Avalon Bay, red-light cameras

Republicans wrecked county finances

Joseph Mondello has selective memory when it comes to the financial condition of Nassau County ["Nassau's Mangano is picking up the pieces," Letters, Oct. 1]. He forgets that Tom Suozzi was elected because of the fiscal incompetence of Tom Gulotta. It was his mismanagement that brought the county to the brink; Suozzi was the one who had to pick up the pieces.

Suozzi lost the election because of the backlash against incumbents. County Executive Edward Mangano has already shown tendencies toward the usual Republican methods of governing in Nassau County.

Robert P. DeMarco

Wantagh

Hooray and thank you to Joe Mondello, who may be the first Republican to publicly admit that it takes time to fix all the damage done by the previous administration in the eight years it was in control. I know he was talking about Nassau County's fiscal condition, but I'm sure he would fairly extrapolate this belief to the national fiscal crisis as well.

Paul Pepe

Massapequa

Avalon Bay a bad fit for Huntington

Eric Alexander's opinion piece about the defeat of the Avalon Bay Huntington Station project is as fine a postmortem as could be expected from someone who supported the project ["Actually, you can get projects done on LI," Opinion, Oct. 1]. But beyond the overcrowded schools, traffic impacts and the faulty environmental impact statement, there were many reasons for the community's opposition.

First, the rezoning proposal was drafted by AvalonBay Communities solely to facilitate its 490-unit residential development. It did not comply with Huntington's 2008 comprehensive plan update, despite a state law that local zoning be adopted in accordance with a comprehensive plan. It contained no provisions for commercial development, despite a recommendation by the Suffolk County Planning Commission for a mix of uses.

Second, the Avalon Bay proposal was not transit-oriented development. True TOD is residential and commercial land uses in proximity to a transit station. Avalon had neither the proximity nor the mix of land uses. Avalon was simply an isolated, gated community, minus the gate.

Matt Stanley

Huntington

Less phone use, more red-light cameras

I think it's a great idea to install cameras to enforce stopping for red lights ["Let's all stop on red," Letters, Oct. 2].

If people paid more attention to their driving and obeying the speed limit, rather than talking or texting on their phone, they would not have to stop short for a red light. I can think of many more intersections in my area alone that could use cameras to enforce driving laws.

John Reed

North Massapequa