Open letter to Fields
Downtown Express
Letters to the Editor
April 15, 2005

Dear Ms. Fields:

On the morning of September 11, 2001, my third day as newly elected P.T.A. president of P.S. 234, I was standing in front of the school talking to my long time friend Madelyn Wils, who coincidently was recently elected to the chair of Community Board 1. We were discussing how our respective organizations could work together for the betterment of the elementary schools in C.B. 1.

While talking, we witnessed, along with many other Downtown residents, that first passenger jet fly overhead and crash into the north tower of the W.T.C.

From that moment on, and during the next two years that I was president, I had numerous occasions to work with Madelyn and C.B. 1. As you undoubtedly know, P.S. 234 was evacuated and our students, faculty and administration spent the next five months at St. Bernard's School on West 13th St. P.S. 89 was not as lucky and had to travel across town to Avenue B and Houston St. However, the executive committees of both institutions worked closely together to deal with a host of environmental problems facing our schools, from trucks loaded down with asbestos and other hazardous materials driving past our buildings, to the noise, traffic and contamination caused by the location of a barge moored nearby as part of the clean-up effort, to the need to clean our school's air filtration systems, which were clogged with W.T.C. dust. As part of our effort, we reached out to you and our other elected representatives for help and support.

The response of our public officials was overwhelming. Speaker Silver's office was always available to meet with us and work on our behalf, and Sheldon Silver personally visited with our community in the days immediately after 9/11. Deborah Glick's office was constantly in touch with us. In fact, one cold January morning when I arrived at St. Bernard's, there was Deborah Glick talking to parents to assure them that they were not in the struggle alone and that she and her staff would be there for them. Alan Gerson bared his soul and gave his blood for our children. His tireless efforts will always be remembered. I can go on and on. Jerrold Nadler and his staff fighting for our children's health and our community clean-up; Randi Weingarten of the U.F.T. visiting regularly to make sure we were getting enough educational support; Thomas Duane, and of course, the mayor's office.

However, you, our borough president, were the only elected official who did not return our calls for help. Our community, and more importantly this city's most precious possession, its children, needed help and you were not available to help them.

Now you have decided to be heard in our community. Not in support of our children or community, but to be destructive and divisive. Just when we are starting to get on our feet, just when we are getting our schools organized, just when we see development pressure reach its peak, you intercede by not reappointing Madelyn Wils, our elected representative to the city. I am not writing to defend Madelyn or to give her support because she doesn't need either from me. But no matter what you think of her style of leadership, there is one indisputable fact. She is a most effective leader.

By your absence you demonstrated your lack of concern for our children and our community. But at least you stayed away. Regrettably you changed your ways to our detriment at this critical juncture.

George L. Olsen
Individually and not in my capacity as a member of Community Board 1