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Merrick Life • Bellmore Life • Freeport-Baldwin Leader • Wantagh-Seaford Citizen

Questions from audience members about two routine resolutions produced the revelation that Village Treasurer Ismaela Hernandez is under investigation and may even have been suspended, but village officials would not provide specifics, saying the issue is a personnel matter and is under investigation.

 Suspicions were raised during the trustees’ regular agenda meeting on Monday by a resolution authorizing the mayor to sign checks in the absence of the treasurer or deputy treasurer, and a resolution authorizing a facsimile signature of the deputy treasurer. Both were approved. Audience members Peggy Lester, Stephen Malone and Edward Dukich questioned the need to include the mayor as a signatory for checks and expressed concern about having too many officials involved in such financial actions.

Village Attorney Howard Colton said the action “is just renewing” a policy that “is supposed to be done every year,” though it has not been done consistently over the past several years. Mr. Colton said the mayor “is already authorized to sign checks” and that the village was complying with a directive from the state comptroller’s office.

Ms. Lester said the policy “is not good accounting practice” and proposed an alternative policy of having the mayor and a trustee, or village attorney both sign checks in the absence of the treasurer and deputy treasurer, Valerie Montes. Mr. Dukich told the mayor the real issue is “you’ve lost my trust.” 

Mayor Hardwick replied that he doesn’t “sign off on bills unless a trustee is missing. There are checks and balances,” he said. “When was the last time the treasurer and deputy treasurer were unavailable?” (at the same time), Mr. Malone asked. “I don’t understand why the treasurer can’t sign checks!”

He then posed a question about the status of the treasurer, citing various rumors he had heard of whether she continued to function in that position. Mr. Colton replied he “can’t comment on whether the treasurer is in place. It’s a personnel matter currently being discussed.” Mr. Malone responded that additional facsimile signatures could result “in too many errors.”

He continued, “If we don’t have a functioning treasurer, let’s get the name off the bank accounts now.” He kept pressing for an answer of whether someone is functioning as treasurer. Mayor Hardwick responded that “the appropriate actions have been taken” and that an investigation is underway.

As Mr. Malone persisted, the village attorney admonished that he asked his question and that his allotted time ended. Trustee William White noted “There is a chain-of-command in the treasurer’s office” and that the deputy treasurer has worked “for the municipality for many years and can serve in the absence of the treasurer.” He added, “It is a personnel matter and cannot be discussed in public. The absence of the treasurer will not affect the financial integrity of this community.” Mayor Hardwick repeated that “it’s a personnel matter under investigation.”

Special prosecutors

Trustees also voted on another resolution, this one appointing two special prosecutors to fill the term of a prosecutor who resigned to join a law firm. The two appointees, Christopher Gomoka and Lisa Yolanda Walker, were sworn in by the mayor and will share the salary of the position. They will prosecute traffic law and vehicle violations. Mr. Colton explained that the county district attorney’s office does not prosecute traffic violations within the village, which necessitates having the special prosecutors.

Trustees Jorge Martinez and William White voted against the appointments, citing the lack of notice regarding the two nominees. They had received both resumes just prior to the board meeting. Mr. Martinez also question why village residents were not considered.  Mr. Colton said three applications received for the positions were from outside the village. He said several judges and attorneys locally were asked for recommendations, and that no Freeport candidates expressed interest. The two are paid a daily rate of $300 and receive no additional benefits.

Community liaison

Audience member Ellen Frey questioned why the mayor appointed Rabbi Lawrence Colton, who apparently is not a Freeport resident, as a community liaison. Mayor Hardwick responded that the many outreach programs that operate at the armory building made the rabbi “a perfect fit” as he “has a close relationship with clergy in the village.” The mayor added that Rabbi Colton is not a village employee, but a contract worker.

Ms. Frey also questioned why the rabbi can vote in village and school board elections as a nonresident, though it was noted that he lists the address of his son, Village Attorney Howard Colton, though his residence is not in Nassau County. In response, Mr. Colton said he does not comment on family matters. “You have a history of hiring out-of-towners,” Edward Dukich said, addressing Mayor Hardwick, whom he also accused of nepotism, “one of your campaign issues.”

Ms. Frey also asked if the village solicitation ordinance is still being enforced. She complained of a recent situation involving students from Brooklyn and Queens soliciting in her neighborhood. Ms. Frey noted that, while Mayor Hardwick, Trustee Robert Kennedy and Public Works Director Scott Richardson did meet with her recently about the need to resurface the street, “nothing has been done. How many years am I going to have to wait? My car’s being destroyed.” Mr. Richardson responded that the water main below street level needs to be replaced first, but that Nassau Avenue is top priority for resurfacing.

Mayor Hardwick said the village has just received $1 million from the state for road repairs and is slated to receive up to $5 million over the next three years, which will be applied to the road repair program. He said $300,000 is needed to repair the water main on that street. Ms. Frey asked why the village couldn’t pass a bond for the street repairs, but the mayor said the cost would be prohibitive. “Do you know what that would do to our tax base?” he said. The mayor estimated the cost to repair all the streets in Freeport that need repairs at between $88 million to $100 million. In past years, a combination of funding from bonds and grants had been used for street repair. Trustee White said the board “needs to prioritize the roads. We won’t do it all at once.”

More debt?

During public comment Mr. Malone cited a statement the mayor had made at a Chamber of Commerce luncheon that Freeport has a $199 million debt. On previous occasions the figure of $150 million had been cited. Mayor Hardwick said the $199 million figure includes interest.

“It’s $150 million,” retired Village Treasurer Vilma Lancaster said later in the meeting. Ms. Lancaster asked if an analysis has been done on the effect that about 200 foreclosed homes in the village will have on tax revenue. The mayor said later that “If we didn’t have so much debt here, we could take care of capital improvements. He said the village needs to generate additional revenue and “put people back to work.” He noted that the industrial park “has 14 buildings empty and in need of occupancy.”

Regarding housing in the village, Patrick Morrison noted that, while attending several open house events, he noticed that many of the residences “have bedrooms in the basements with people living there illegally. Some houses don’t even have windows.” Mr. Morrison expressed concern that, in the event of a fire, residents in the basement apartments could be trapped. Mayor Hardwick asked Superintendent of Buildings Richard Brown to look into the problem. Resident Pat Lewis asked about the status of the North Main Street Development Plan and whether a master plan committee is functioning. Norman Wells, executive director of the Community Development Agency, responded that “the master plan committee has not yet started” because of financial challenges.

He said the North Main Street plan is waiting for a Nassau County grant of $4.4 million that will be used in two phases for the area between the Long Island Rail Road station and Independence Avenue. Mr. Wells said “the money won’t be enough” to cover the entire 1.5-mile length of North Main Street. The design phase is expected to cost $400,000. Ms. Lewis also commented on the demolition of the Brooklyn Water Works, except for the tower, and future plans for the property. Mayor Hardwick stated that plans for the water works property are moving forward, with plans to build 19 units of housing awaiting approval. Landmarks Preservation Commission member Cynthia Krieg said the water tower also will be razed. The site is currently zoned as a historic preservation district.

More complaints

Betty Kielbrawski and another woman complained about excessive noise experienced by residents in the area of Long Beach Avenue generated from an event held by a local church to commemorate 9-11 that took place at a municipal parking lot. Cora Blount complained about a faulty electric meter that she had contacted the Electric Department about but that had yet to be resolved. Christina Napoli Deppert noted that lights continued to burn at Randall Park late at night when no teams were using the athletic field.  Mr. Richardson said the problem stemmed from various teams not notifying the parks department in the event of a game cancellation and that he would be meeting with team representatives to address the situation. Ms. Deppert also questioned why the Recreation Center policy required patrons wanting to host gatherings such as parties to use the caterer employed by the center. “Many in this economy can’t afford a caterer,” she said. Mayor Hardwick said the center needs to increase its revenue to cover its $3 million in annual expenses and also that the official caterer is to be used for liability reasons. “We need to be covered,” he said.

Words of praise

Annette Dennis offered high praise for Freeport Police Officer David Carr for his arrest of a suspect in a recent bank robbery while he was off-duty. He had recognized the suspect from his description and made the arrest. Ms. Dennis also noted the efforts of a North Merrick citizens group to patrol their neighborhood in an effort to thwart crime and urged residents of Freeport to take notice of suspicious situations and report them to police. Scott Sullivan complimented Public Works Director Scott Richardson for his department’s work in clearing debris and other hazards during the recent intense storm that struck the area.

Stop streets

During their regular agenda meeting, trustees amended village traffic regulations to add stop signs at Babylon Turnpike and Bedford, Colonial and Woodside Avenues, and at North Main and Seaman Avenue and West Milton, East Milton and West Dean Streets.

Trustees also approved the following:

• A $72,000 grand from the state Department of Criminal Justice for “Operation Impact VII” retroactively from July 1 to June 30, 2011 for the Police Department’s participation in the county police Department Lead Development Center, enabling the sharing of information.
• A $19,650 agreement with Total Computer Group of Melville and a $50,596 agreement with Admit Computer Services Inc. of Farmingdale for the maintenance of the Police Department’s network servers through August 31, 2011.
• Cessation of negotiations with Sea Breeze Management regarding a proposed license for the operation of Sea Breeze Park over the issue of delaying payment of the license fee until the high season.

The board’s next meeting will be Monday. No public comment is scheduled.

By Jim Golding