By Arye Nisonson
For many years, it has been an unwritten rule in Lawrence that those who serve on the village board of trustees run for office unopposed.
Just as the political mood in the country over recent years has dramatically changed, it seems that those sentiments have gradually trickled down to Lawrence.
That maybe be one of the reasons Village Trustee Danny Goldstein has declared his candidacy for mayor and will face off against second-term incumbent Mayor Alex Edelman on June 16.
Here we have two successful businessmen who work on a volunteer basis for the village, constantly seeking to improve the quality of life in Lawrence.
It seems, however, that even though they have served together on the board for years, they disagree on too many issues of late, and both feel their divergent visions of village priorities are not reconcilable.
Some of Mr. Goldstein’s platform items include security cameras, bicycle lanes, and, perhaps most importantly, the sale of a property owned by the village that will result in an income of about $8 million.
The property in question is the old sewer plant at the bottom of Rock Hall Road near Route 878. Some on the board want the land sold to build private homes. Others want a senior housing development to be built. The focus, however, is how to allocate the income derived from the sale.
Goldstein says that Mayor Edelman wants to build a public swimming pool at the Lawrence Country Club, while he feels the money should be used to build a park for children and to use some of the income to pave roads and rebuild crumbling and badly cracked sidewalks in the village.
We are a relatively small village where many know one another. That doesn’t mean that we have to agree about everything. Hopefully, it will be a campaign focused on the issues and not disagreement between the personalities involved.
Danny Goldstein is running against Mr. Edelman because they see some issues differently. A lot can happen leading up to Election Day. Hopefully, the campaigns will be on a high and sophisticated level where we, the voters, can cast our ballots and make our feelings known.
