Letters to the Rockville Centre Herald Nov. 10, 2011

The good old days are back

To the Editor:

Nostalgia and cronyism are all well and good when you’re looking out at the world from your front porch. These challenging economic times call for a forward-thinking mayor who can lead the village toward the future — not one mired in the good old days.

Kelly Thurston

Rockville Centre

Hiring friends is cronyism

To the Editor:

In reference to the letter ”Kearns has chutzpah” (Oct. 27-Nov. 2), the issue is Anthony Cancellieri’s recent background and character. It isn’t about Mary Beth Kearns, a dedicated Rockville Centre citizen volunteer, or Jeff Greenfield’s Nassau County Planning Commission background.

Kearns quoted a case about Georgina Morgenstern, an employee of the Nassau County Planning Commission who was fired by former Chief Deputy County Executive Cancellieri. There were several reasons given after her termination to support the action, which did not apply to previous employees of the Planning Commission.

Morgenstern filed a wrongful termination case. Nassau County was ordered to pay her $1.8 million. In addition, the court awarded her $1.55 million for back pay, attorney’s fees, court costs and prejudgment interest. Morgenstern is seeking an additional $1 million for “front pay.”

There is another wrongful dismissal case pending against Nassau County filed by Robin Pellegrini, naming Cancellieri in the action.

Cancellieri’s past actions need to be considered before he is chosen as a consultant for the village. That is the issue. You just can’t hire friends and forget about their recent government experiences. In private industry, hiring friends may be OK, but in government, hiring friends is called cronyism.

Joseph M. Thrapp

Rockville Centre

Intellectual substance matters

To the Editor:

On more than one occasion I’ve written to the Herald that politics isn’t just a pursuit to achieve the next goal in one’s life. It’s a calling to serve the public, to serve something larger than oneself, to seek to make life better for those who can’t do it themselves. It is the noblest of professions.

The tumultuous and uncertain economic times of our country, state, local and village governments therefore require the talents and imagination of serious people. Intellectual ability matters. Ambition alone won’t cut it. Although Albert Einstein’s maxim “Industry over raw intellect, anytime” stills hold true to a large extent, mental horsepower and experience is what will help us navigate these rough economic waters to dry land.

How gratified I was to receive a letter from Mayor Fran Murray outlining his first 100 days and the challenges that lie ahead. After reading that letter, I’m sure Murray must have felt the same way John F. Kennedy did when he became president, remarking, “What I was most shocked about was to find out that the problems were actually worse than we thought.”

What’s clear is that the village’s finances and infrastructure were unattended and need repair. From our severely neglected electric plant, to overzealous zoning laws that have negative consequences, to our deteriorating water tanks, it will require the talents and acumen of smart people. Fran Murray, Mike Sepe and Nancy Howard are those folks. Each of those good people possess the intellect and energy to safely navigate our village. The retention of Tony Cancellieri proves that beyond the shadow of a doubt. I can’t think of anyone better to help clean up the utter mess left from the prior administration. Hiring Cancellieri demonstrates wisdom and understanding.

Of course, naysayers say that we need to spend our money with care. That doesn’t mean ignoring problems to pretend they don’t exist. We must behave like mature adults and tackle serious issues head on, or the alternative is the profligate spending of hundreds of thousands of dollars on legal fees and millions of taxpayer dollars to settle unnecessary lawsuits.

The Murray administration is right in its chosen course of action. I was glad to read their 100 Days letter. It shows courage, forthrightness and sound judgment. Let us continue!

Charles John Casolaro

Rockville Centre

Review, rewrite village snow removal code

To the Editor:

I was encouraged to receive and read Mayor Fran Murray’s “My First 100 Days As Your Mayor” letter. I was heartened to read that he has put contingency contracts for snow removal into place in case we face extreme weather again this winter. He is clearly making major strides to improve our village.

I call on the mayor, the village attorney and the trustees to amend Village Code Section 287.9B to more fairly legislate snow-removal enforcement for residents.

In January, with 14 inches of snow already on the ground, we got another 17 inches, and in the infinite wisdom of a building inspector, I, and many others, were issued summonses for failure to remove snow 24 hours after the snowfall ended. In a further show of questionable wisdom, Justice William Croutier Jr. refused to dismiss the summons and saw fit to fine me $100 and lecture me on how I should have been able to clear the snow and rock-solid ice, special circumstances be damned.

The fact is, this is a village of ever-aging residents who in many cases cannot do the snow removal on their own. When we reach force majeure levels of snowfall, even hired snow-removal firms can’t get in to do the job in the allotted time. At this point, any enforcement of the snow-removal provisions in the code can only be seen as punitive and based purely on revenue generation and nothing more. We are better than that.

I am requesting that the village review and rewrite the code so that it continues to provide for the common good, but is also fair to the residents and requires some sensibility on the part of enforcement officers and justices hearing the cases. This village’s code has never been about vindictiveness or mean-spirited behavior, and certainly the hardships of a harsh winter should not provide opportunities for those negative traits to surface from some in code enforcement or on the bench.

Ted D. Gluckman

Rockville Centre

A troubling incident raises questions

The following is an open letter to Mayor Francis Murray, the village Board of Trustees and Village Attorney A. Thomas Levin, written on Nov. 1, which was read at the village board meeting on Monday night.

Dear Mayor Murray:

Yesterday afternoon my 14-year-old daughter was enjoying Halloween with her friends. Walking the village while trick-or-treating and enjoying the day, they met some friends at Wilson Elementary School and stopped to chat. I happened to be in telephone contact with my daughter, as I was arranging to pick her up and take her with me to dinner at her grandmother’s house.

Before I arrived, an auxiliary police vehicle arrived at the school with Trustee Ed Oppenheimer in tow. The vehicle apparently turned on its siren and made an announcement over its loudspeaker that the school grounds were closed, and the children were required to leave the premises immediately. As they were doing so, Mr. Oppenheimer approached them, stated that he wanted to “see their faces” and then proceeded to inspect their bags on the pretext that “they better not have shaving cream or anything else in there.” Only after his inspection (which turned up nothing more than Halloween candy) were they allowed to leave.

There is no doubt that Halloween night inspires mischief and at times unruly and outrageous behavior by our village’s youth. I fully support active efforts by our fully trained, professional and properly authorized police to enforce the law and protect the welfare of our residents and our children against those few individuals who engage in inappropriate or unlawful conduct. Nevertheless, I found this incident to be especially troubling, and have several questions:

Does the village allow Mr. Oppenheimer to act on its behalf in some official police capacity of which I am unaware?

What are his official responsibilities as regards the policing of school property?

Did Mr. Oppenheimer have some type of warrant or other authority under which he was acting?

Is the village aware that he apparently routinely decides who may and may not exercise constitutional rights against illegal search and seizure? Or is it Mr. Oppenheimer’s position that 14-year-old children have no such rights? Is he aware that there is a Fourth Amendment?

It appears that Mr. Oppenheimer believes that he had the right to detain and search these children. What was his plan if his search of these bags turned up something he considered “offensive”? Is that plan sanctioned by the village?

Does Mr. Oppenheimer’s interpretation of the Fourth Amendment comport with the village’s policy? Does this policy extend to adults as well? Is this systemic?

What is the name and position of the individual who accompanied Mr. Oppenheimer? Was there probable cause to stop and search these children? If so, please identify that for me as well.

I suspect that Mr. Oppenheimer has unilaterally deputized himself as some type of village vigilante, since he seems impotent to stop the degeneration of the downtown business district. From what I read in the Herald, it appears that the village is sliding toward decay, with unfettered public urination, violence on the LIRR platform, and garbage- and bottle-strewn parking lots after the bars close. However, selectively accosting underage trick-or-treaters, whose only mistake seems to be crossing paths with Mr. Oppenheimer, would not seem to be the best way to stem the tide. It is also not what I expect of our elected village officials. Mr. Oppenheimer should focus his energies on legislative matters and leave law enforcement to the Police Department.

I look forward to receiving your immediate response so that I can properly advise my daughter and her friends as to the remedies available to them.

Siobhan E. Moran

Rockville Centre