Save our History: Old Bethpage Village Restoration

[Beth Chamberlain]

Re: Save our History: Old Bethpage Village Restoration

The resolution regarding staff layoffs was removed from the table shortly before the legislative session opened. We have a reprieve of at least two weeks - the next time the legislature meets.

Our voice was heard and the legislators seem to agree that the closing of museums and parks along with layoffs is not the most culturally or fiscally sound solution to the budget crisis. The union president has also opened talks with the county in effort to help the county find more reasonable solutions.

The however does not mean that we are out of the woods. A vote on this has simply been postponed. We don't know yet how the legislature voted on several revenue production resolutions - the outcome of those may well have some bearing on the layoff resolutions. We may know a bit more about exactly where we stand tomorrow, after some of the dust has settled a bit.

To everyone who made their voice heard - both in spreading the word and contacting the legislators- thank you!


Beth

[KarinTimour]

Re: Save our History: Old Bethpage Village Restoration

Ok, folks, I'm going to try to attach the flyer. This is a first for me, the computer novice.

Thanks to all who are coming out tomorrow to raise awareness in person.

Johnny, great to talk to you today, don't worry, I'm sure there will be more than one opportunity to come take a swing at this one. We've learned from the past, no 30 day men on this one, we're taking enlistments "for the duration of the War."

Spread this far and wide, we want to have a ton of calls going into the legislature!

WE CAN WIN!

Save Old Bethpage!
Karin Timour
Period Knitting -- Socks, Sleeping Hats, Balaclavas
Atlantic Guard Soldiers' Aid Society
Email: Ktimour@aol.com

[Rob Walker]

Re: Save our History: Old Bethpage Village Restoration

Thank you everyone for your tremndous effort. And special thanks to Karin for putting together a flyer to be handed out on Sunday and to Chris Daley for sounding the alarm on the AC and getting the ball rolling. If anyone needs a copy of the flyer please contact Karin or myself. Our living history community is a tight knit group and as in the past we are making our voices heard and we can make a differnece.

I will try to post the information for the hearing to be held Monday once it is available incase anyone can attend.

As everyone probably knows, Old Bethpage is our Company's home and we appreciate all the help from all of our friends in the hobby. THANK YOU!

[Johnny Lloyd]

Re: Save our History: Old Bethpage Village Restoration

I'm away at Air Guard drill weekend today all... if I wasn't I'd help Karin and ya'll.

Will there be a day when we can go down to OBV and make a show-of-presence of those that care about preservation?

-Johnny Lloyd

[Rob Weber]

Re: Save our History: Old Bethpage Village Restoration

As someone who has benefitted for many years what Old Bethpage Village offers to the living history community and the comunity that surrounds it, I am extreemly thankful for all of the support that is being given to Old Bethpage from all of you. Thank you all and I sincerely hope that I will see some of you in the fields of Old bethpage this coming season.

Make some calls, write those emails and DO NOT take anything but the survival of our friends jobs and the Village as an answer to our cry!

I'll see you tomorrow John.

Rob Weber

[CJDaley]

Re: Save our History: Old Bethpage Village Restoration

Karin thank you for getting all this info together for us. People please call these numbers and voice your opposition!!!! Better yet meet us in Long Island tomorrow, after you make the phone calls, to do some grassroots campaigning against this. We need to get the word out NOW as this is apparently going to a vote on Monday.

You're a good guy John. Thanks for doing that. I appreciate your efforts on behalf of OBVR.

[3alabama]

Re: Save our History: Old Bethpage Village Restoration

Karin thank you for getting all this info together for us. People please call these numbers and voice your opposition!!!! Better yet meet us in Long Island tomorrow, after you make the phone calls, to do some grassroots campaigning against this. We need to get the word out NOW as this is apparently going to a vote on Monday.

[KarinTimour]

Re: Save our History: Old Bethpage Village Restoration

Matthew:

I'm not on facebook, is there anyway to get in touch with people besides facebook? Can you leaflet tomorrow in Nassau? Send me a PM or an Email.

Karin Timour
Period Knitting -- Socks, Sleeping Hats, Balaclavas
Atlantic Guard Soldiers' Aid Society
Email: Ktimour@aol.com

[MBBursig]

Re: Save our History: Old Bethpage Village Restoration

Karin if you are on facebook search the following words:

Help Save Old Bethpage Village Restoration, Long Island, NY

It is the massive group that comes up.

Contact Christopher Thomas (New York) he seems to be the creator...

[KarinTimour]

How you Can Help this Weekend

Thank you, Rad2thebone for making those calls -- we need you. My accent doesn't read "Long Island" but I made them too. I hope others will as well.

Thank you, Matthew for the link to the clip. Unfortunately, it's telling the story that the Nassau Co. Legislature wants told.

"The Legislators will be forced to close the parks and lay off the staff at our beloved Old Bethpage because the evil unions have their heels dug in about a pay cut and won't negotiate." What clips of the Ruiz family speaking made the story? "Everybody needs to sacrifice in these times of hardship" Translation: the Unions should cave. "People can't afford big vacations, they'll go local" translation: Because the unions won't take the cuts, Long Island is going to lose this summer's revenue from the travelling public. "Our family's history is here, we've got tombstones all over the area." Who better to know?

Maybe this is what the Ruiz family thinks -- but I bet it's much more along the lines of "We love Old Bethpage and we don't want it closed. Period." Perhaps they've bought that the unions are the total problem, perhaps they haven't -- but it's a great example of how the news media shape your story.

Most viewers come away after watching saying "Wow, gee that's too bad, I didn't realize it was so dire. Wish the unions would negotiate. Good thing we've got Suozzi at the helm, making the tough choices when they need to be made." And then they switch the channel to see what's on "Cops."

But very few of the millions of viewers who watched that segment are out today leafletting to get people to pressure the legislators.

Which is what those of us within driivng distance need to be doing today and tomorrow. If you're reading these words and want to take inperson action tomorrow to save Old Bethpage, send me an email with your phone or cell phone number. We need to hit everywhere on Long Island that has people in it, and get a leaflet into their hands telling them to call their legislator. If I can hook up with the facebook folks, will issue that invite there as well. We're going to get the word out, and right now it's just me and a few people who have already emailed me. My hope is for teams of people fanning out across Long Island. Even a handful of us can change this -- we're out to get people calling.

Want to help?

1. I am a complete failure at navigating Facebook. If someone can send me the link to find the people who want to help, that would be great.

2. Call me at 212-567-0605 and let's strategize on where to go. If the voice mail fills up, send an email.

WE CAN WIN!

Save Old Bethpage!

Karin Timour
Period Knitting -- Socks, Sleeping Hats, Balaclavas
Atlantic Guard Soldiers' Aid Society
Email: Ktimour@aol.com

[rad2duhbone53]

Re: Save our History: Old Bethpage Village Restoration

Correspondences are sent out. It would a shame and a loss if this happened.

[MBBursig]

Re: Save our History: Old Bethpage Village Restoration

Our cause was able to make it onto CBS news thanks to the Ruiz Family of the 14th Brooklyn:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgL17ATafb4

[KarinTimour]

Re: Save our History: Old Bethpage Village Restoration

Since I added the fax and telephone numbers, wanted to bump this back up to the top of the list.

WE CAN WIN.
Karin Timour
Period Knitting -- Socks, Sleeping Hats, Balaclavas
Atlantic Guard Soldiers' Aid Society
Email: Ktimour@aol.com

[KarinTimour]

Urgent: Phone Calls Needed

Beth wrote:
This will NOT drag on through the spring -- We believe the fate of the Village also hinges on the votes in the Nassau County Legislature this Monday, February 9th, that would authorize the laying off of all museum employees, selected parks employees, and other county staff.

Ok, troops, this is the first hurdle. If they vote on Monday to lay off the staff, Beth's right, we won't have to fight through the spring, the Village will die on Monday.

Because the staff will immediately start interviewing for jobs elsewhere, and even if we get the vote reversed in April or May, a number of them will have moved away.

We can't let that happen.

Thomas Suozzi and as many Nassau County Legislators as possible need to hear from us.

1. Call them. Early and often. Call today, call through the weekend and overwhelm their answering machine or keep their answering service busy through the weekend. Keep calling on Monday.

2. They will be keeping a tally of how many calls they get for or against the layoffs. Don't worry about having to discuss this with the person on the other end of the phone. They will just listen to you for about 3 minutes, thank you for calling and get you off the line.

Here's what to say when you call:
"I'm calling to fight the closing of Old Bethpage Village. I heard there will be a vote on Monday to lay off the staff. I am strongly opposed to laying off the Old Bethpage Village staff and will be watching who votes to close the village...."

If you want, add something here about why you think the Village is important.

They may try to explain that this is not a vote to close the village, just to "authorize" the layoffs if they are needed in the future. They may say that it's just an adminstrative vote, nothing to worry about. They may say this wouldn't be necessary if the unions would "work with them."

Don't be fooled -- we don't want to give them advance permission to lay people off in the dark of the night on some unspecified date in the future.

3. Is a long rant better than a short statement and getting off the phone? There are two different perspectives on this. Keeping in mind they are keeping a tally with just the number of calls received on either side of the issue, 5 short calls are probably better than one 15 minute rant. On the other hand, some people aim to try to keep the phone engaged for as long as possible, to keep them from being able to do any other business that day and impress upon them how difficult their lives are going to be if the vote goes the wrong way. Use either strategy, depending on what feels best to you, probably both will have some impact.

4. Remember, it's the NASSAU COUNTY LEGISLATURE who will be voting on Monday. Thomas Suozzi, and every member of the Nassau County Legislature need to hear from every one of us today or through the weekend. Don't waste time for the next four days on the State Senators or Assemblypeople, the Governor or Barak Obama. Only Nassau County Legislators will be voting on Monday. That's who needs to hear from us, loud and clear. Put the pressure where the votes are. If we win this vote, that buys time to focus on the next step. If we lose this vote, we're likely dead in the water.

5. Fax them. You can send them your letters or emails by fax. Again, letters with a stamp carry more weight, but a fax can get there by Monday. And yes, they are old fashioned, a fax carrys more weight than an email, even though you may send them from the same keyboard.

Who needs to hear from you:
Nassau County Executive Thomas R. Suozzi
Telephone: (516) 571-3131 Fax: 516-571-4000

Finance Committee Members:
Chair: Roger Corbin
Telephone: 516-571-6202 Fax: 516-571-6761

Vice Chair: Wayne Wink
Telephone: 516-571-6211 Fax: 516-571-6271

Ranking Member: John Ciotti
Telephone: 516-571-6203 Fax: 516-571-6732

Finance Committee Members:
Kevan Abraham
Telephone: 516-571-6201 Fax: 516-571-6187

Denise Ford
Telephone: 516-571-6204 Fax: 516-571-6264

Joseph Scannell
Telephone: 516-571-6205 Fax: 516-571-0291

Vincent Mascarella
Telephone: 516-571-6208 Fax: 516-571-6268

Richard Nicolello
Telephone: 516-571-6209 Fax: 516-571-6166

Judi Bosworth
Telephone: 516-571-6210 Fax: 516-571-0405

Additional Legislators (Will be voting Monday, not on the Finance Committeee)

Frances Becker
Telephone: 516-571-6206 Fax: 516-571-6133

Jeffrey Toback
Telephone: 516-571-6207 Fax: 516-571-6287

Peter Schmitt
Telephone: 516-571-6212 Fax: 516-571-6734

Norma Gonsalves
Telephone: 516-571-6213 Fax: 516-571-6746

David Meijas
Telephone: 516-571-6214 Fax: 516-571-6134

Dennis Dunn
Telephone: 516-571-6215 Fax: 516-571-6235

Judith Jacobs
Telephone: 516-571-6216 Fax: 516-571-6287

Edward Mangano
Telephone: 516-571-6217 Fax: 516-571-6277

Diane Yatauro
Telephone: 516-571-6216 Fax: 516-571-6158

David Dennenburg
Telephone: 516-571-6219 Fax: 516-571-3907


6. I think its a fine idea to show up Monday with a sign that says "Save Old Bethpage Village -- Vote No on Layoffs." Can't help, might get some coverage on the evening news.

7. If I had more notice, I'd take off work myself, but I'm only just hearing about this vote and I have obligations at work that I can't avoid.

8. We can win this vote -- and showing them we mean business at this stage of the game can only help as we move forward into the spring.

Take Action Today and Straight through the weekend!

Save Old Bethpage Village!

Karin Timour
Period Knitting -- Socks, Sleeping Hats, Balaclavas
Atlantic Guard Soldiers' Aid Society
Email: Ktimour@aol.com

[CJDaley]

Re: Save our History: Old Bethpage Village Restoration

Thanks for the update Beth and welcome to the Authentic Campaigner. For those of you who haven't met Beth, she is a seamstress and an interpreter. She makes really beautiful dresses and works really hard to authentically dress the folks at Old Bethpage Village Restoration.

I really appreciate everyone's efforts at this stage to just write into our leaders and let them know how we feel. Starting a grass roots effort is the first step to getting something done. I'm always utterly amazed at the response the folks on the A-C.com give to preservation issues.

States like NY are in serious financial trouble these days and the first thing to get cut are parks-n-rec (museums). In the last few weeks major museum cutbacks have been announced on Long Island.

• Cold Spring Harbor Whaling Museum Plans to cut hours or personnel in spring. Vacant position of collections manager going unfilled.
• Cradle of Aviation Museum Eliminated showings of poorly attended classic IMAX movies on weekday afternoons and cut part-time staff accordingly.
• Heckscher Museum of Art 5-percent salary cut. Reduced budget for exhibits and events.
• Long Island Children's Museum Canceled February weekend program exploring maritime activities and art. Imposed hiring and salary freeze.
• Long Island Museum of American Art, History and Carriages Cutting staff and programs.
• Parrish Art Museum Eliminated half dozen positions. Deferred construction of a new $81-million facility in Water Mill.
• Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum Could close at end of February unless county OKs bailout plan.
• Walt Whitman Birthplace May shut doors in April.

If these museums close, where are folks ever going to get a hands on education about WWII bombers, impressionistic art or science lessons?