Glen Cove Mayor Pamela Panzenbeck honored community members who have made a lasting impact on the community during a heartfelt Black History Month presentation, recognizing their contributions at the Feb. 25 council meeting.
Panzenbeck said she chose members of the community who she felt have continued to make a significant impact on the lives of youth in Glen Cove.
She presented Lela Watson, Sheryl Goodine, Brian Simmons, and Damon Garner with city certificates of recognition.
Lela Watson is the founder of the nonprofit organization I Am My Sister, an organization that “empowers girls and women through programs focused on health and wellness, positive self-image, leadership, advocacy and career exploration while building a sense of community among sisters.”
“When you do work in the community, moments like this are great, but you don’t do it alone. It takes a group of people,” Watson said.
Sheryl Goodine, who was not in attendance but was represented by a good friend, was honored for her work as a teacher for 34 years at Glen Cove High School and for her work carrying on her father, James Davis’ legacy through her efforts on Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrations.
Goodine’s friend said the only words Goodine wanted to share were, “Black history is American history.”
Brian Simmons served in the Glen Cove Police Department from 1989 to 2018 and was promoted to detective in 2014. He is also a member of the Glen Cove Recreation Commission, a coach and an advocate for girls sports. Simmons has also worked with Alumni for Youth Inc., a nonprofit dedicated to empowering the African American community “which provides workshops and scholarships for graduates of Glen Cove High School,” Panzenbeck said.
Damon Garner is “a member of Glen Cove Youth Services and Recreation, a coach and umpire in the Gold Coast Little League, runs the youth basketball league, coaches junior football and works with summer camps,” Panzenbeck said. “And something I notice when I go to games is that he is like a super dad to all those kids, a dad figure.”
Community members also expressed concern over allocating funds to salary increases for Glen Cove Harbor Patrol members.
The Harbor Patrol, composed of 10 New York state-certified peace officers trained at the Nassau County Police Academy, patrols 14 miles of shoreline and 32 square miles of water, including Hempstead Harbor and Long Island Sound.
They receive ongoing training from the Glen Cove Police Department, Nassau County Police Department, the U.S. Coast Guard, and other agencies to ensure public safety on the water.
The $2 pay raise for part-time crew members would bring the chief harbor patrol’s hourly pay to $34 and the lowest hourly rate for crew members to $22.25.
Glen Cove resident Theresa Moschetta voiced her concern over the pay increase, questioning whether the money should be allocated to more Harbor Patrol officers or to code enforcement officers.
The city has two code enforcement officers: Cynthia Ayres, who works full-time for the department, and a part-time officer. Code enforcement officers enforce city laws, ordinances and regulations that are generally aimed at keeping the city’s residential and commercial areas clean and safe.
“Given the comparison of violations on land and on sea,” Moschetta asked the council whether the city needed to raise the 10 Harbor Patrol crew members’ salaries or hire more code enforcement officers.
“We run quite an efficient city,” Panzenbeck said.
