Sanitary district election on 6/20

On June 20, the voters of Oceanside will elect a commissioner of the Town of Hempstead’s Sanitary District No. 7, which collects the hamlet’s garbage.

The vote will take place from 3 to 10 p.m. at the Columbia firehouse, at 26 Smith St., behind the Lincoln Shopping Center.

Two Oceanside residents are running for the non-paid position. Michael Sullivan, 60, has served as commissioner since 1999. He is being challenged by Ed Sharfberg, 53.

The two men have differing views of events in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, and those differences have become the centerpiece of their campaigns.

Sullivan points with pride to the actions of the commissioners after the devastation. “I think our major recent accomplishment was how our 60 employees, many of whom were personally impacted by the storm, came through for Oceanside,” Sullivan told the Herald. “The sanitary district held itself proud, and our dedicated workers did what they are paid for to help the people recover. They picked up a total of 12 million tons of debris after Sandy, and they continue to pick up debris today.

“Even the school board honored our service after the storm,” he added.

Sullivan said that under the board’s control, the sanitary district picks up garbage three times a week, even though it receives less in tax levy money than districts that pick up garbage less frequently. He also said that the commissioners are dedicated to keeping the pickup vehicles maintained and ready for duty.

Sharfberg, a resident since 1967 who describes himself as “an active member of the community,” sees things differently. One of the reasons he is running, he said, is his belief that the sanitation district did a bad job after the storm, waiting 12 days to pick up garbage and resuming collections only after residents who gathered at a large rally, headed by the Oceanside schools and elected officials, demanded that service be restored.

Sharfberg is less than enthusiastic about the work done by Sullivan and the other commissioners. He said that he first thought of running for a commissioner’s seat when he asked Sullivan a question at the Sandy rally.

“I was shrugged off by Sullivan,” Sharfberg told the Herald. “After Sandy there was no accountability, no communication. I found out that there was no emergency plan in place. There were trucks that were lost, and there was no generator to keep power going.”

He said he would like to create a website that would provide information to the community. He would also like to draw up a five-year plan and an emergency plan for the district.

He said he believes the district wastes taxpayer money on things that have nothing to do with garbage collection. “The pensions, medical benefits and stipends for the commissioners are a waste of taxpayer money,” said Sharfberg, who has been an Oceanside firefighter for more than 35 years and is a past chief of the department. “The school board and the fire commissioners have a harder job, and they do not get any of those perks.”

Voters over age 18 who have lived in Oceanside for more than 30 days are eligible to take part in the election.

Sanitary District No. 7 was established in 1931. It is headed by five commissioners, who are elected for five-year terms, and provides refuse collection service to approximately 10,025 residential and 925 commercial parcels. The district collects curbside garbage six days a week — three days a week on each side of the community — and has recycling and metal pickup service as well.

Officials say that the district’s operating budget is approximately $7.2 million a year.