Town Board Candidates Speak: Jack Abrams

Although the Huntington Town Board was not responsible for the vote to close Jack Abrams Intermediate School in 2010, candidates were asked at a Meet The Candidates forum last week to describe their thoughts and plans regarding the issue.

Speaking to a large audience at the last Thursday, all candidates said they oppose the closing of the Huntington Station school and would work to get it open if elected.

Overcrowding and code enforcement problems were factors which led to the shut down, according to Republican candidate Gene Cook.

"In doing a survey around Jack Abrams, there are a number of single-family homes that have four, five and six meters on them," said Cook. "The Town of Huntington should have been down there with code enforcement enforcing the laws that they set to stop the overcrowding."

Cook said the town should have been there with more police getting things done.

"I will do everything I can to get Jack Abrams open again," he said.

Huntington Bay Mayor and Town Board candidate Herb Morrow said the Abrams problem didn't happen overnight and the good that can come out of the closing should serve as a wake up call.

"When I heard that the Board voted to close the school, I thought it was a very sad day in Huntington and School District 3, said Morrow. "We can sit here and look back and blame but maybe the good that can come out of Jack Abrams being closed is sort of a wake up to all of us that schools close and usually when schools close it's because there are no kids and the demographics have changed — we were told this school is closed because it wasn't safe and that really is a sad thing for Huntington," he said.

Morrow said as a Town Board member and a person who lives in School District 3, he will do anything he can as a councilman to provide the school board with the confidence to re-open the school.

Current Town Board member Glenda Jackson said she understands the crime problems in the area but supports the re-opening of the school.

"As a citizen, I think that it was really a sad, sad day and we have a whole community there that has to live there and they walk those streets everyday and if it's OK for them to be there, then it's OK for the school to be open as well," said Jackson.

Jackson said she went to the state and town with inquiries while but chose not to vote to explore supporting the "swap of the school in the town." She said will continue to move forward to enhance code enforcement.

"Yes, we have codes, we have to enforce them," said Jackson, an incumbent Democrat. "I will work hard to continue that."

Jackson noted the addition of a new director in Huntngton's public safety office and vowed to continue to work with other levels of government as well as the police department to get the area better and to re-open the school.

Town Board member Susan Berland said, she too, supports re-opening the school.

Berland said she has been working with county executive candiate Steve Bellone, to try to get a comittment for a police annex back in Huntington Station.

She said disputed  a claim made by Cook.

"Illegal housing around Jack Abrams is not what shot a gun — it was a person who shot a gun," Berland said. "I would love to know the addresses of the houses that have four to six meters on them and find out whether they are legal or not because I am willing to bet that our public safety officers have been out there working diligently with the neighborhood."

Berland said she meets at least once to go over the list of houses that are not in compliance with the code but will continue to do more.

"Can we do more? Absolutely," Berland said. "Should we do more? Yes. We will get the police to deal with the crime and we should get our children back into that school so the can be educated."