By: Anthony Rifilato
The organization, called the Baldwin Candidates' Community Council, is being spearheaded and chaired by Baldwin Library Board President Kevin Kamen. The group, he said, will endorse political candidates starting with this summer's Sanitary District No. 2 elections, and will eventually attempt to interview candidates for the Baldwin Fire Department, school and library board trustees as well as state, county and town offices.
Part of the reason for starting the council, said Kamen, is to create an alternative voice to special-interest groups and newspaper endorsements, which he said influence elections and label many candidates based on party affiliation. "We feel there's some cronyism involved in some of the organizations in the community," said Kamen. "We want to get it right for Baldwin. We are attempting to root out cronyism and a lack of effective performance on all levels of government."
But despite Kamen's claim that the group will be made up of bipartisan and diverse members of the community, some residents are concerned that it will serve as a vehicle for the group's own special interests.
Last September, Kamen ran unsuccessfully as a Republican for the Fifth District county legislative seat in an often acrimonious battle against Democratic incumbent Joe Scannell.
Tony Tarantino, the treasurer of the library board, would serve as the council's vice chairman, but Kamen would not say who else would sit on the council.
Dee Cruz, president of the Baldwin Community Association, a bipartisan group that moderates candidate forums but does not make endorsements, said of Kamen, "He's a very good person and genuinely concerned about the community. But I think people may perceive this as a case of sour grapes."
Kamen cast aside such criticism, saying that this is a bipartisan initiative that he has thought about organizing for the past two years, prior to his run for the Legislature. Kamen, who chaired the Baldwin Community Leaders' Softball Game, which raised funds for community groups, recently stepped down as leader of that group, saying that organizing the softball game took up much more time than will his efforts with the council.
"This is completely different," he said.
Kamen said the group intends not only to ask candidates tough questions in private, but also to conduct background checks on such things as their college education and voting records to see if they are qualified to hold office at the state and local level.
The council would not hold public forums or raise funds, and candidates would meet with eight to 10 committee members in private, where they will be asked questions about their political agendas and voting records, he said.
When asked specifically about where cronyism lay, Kamen would not name specific politicians or organizations, though he did say that some of the bylaws at Sanitary District No. 2 and the Baldwin Board of Education create some conflicts of interest.
For example, said Kamen, Sanitation and the Board of Education allow the family of board members to work in the school district or Sanitary No. 2, something the library board does not allow.
"One question I am going to ask is, 'Would you be willing to change the bylaws to [stop] that?'" Kamen said.
Some balked at Kamen's initiative, saying that if anyone has a conflict of interest, it's Kamen. "I understand what he's trying to do by attempting to get rid of patronage," said resident Linda Degen, who has run unsuccessfully for sanitation board in the past on a platform of weeding out patronage. "The problem is, it's all subjective. Is it something he should be doing in the wake of his loss? Absolutely not."
Kamen countered that the council would simply serve as another voice for the community, explaining that the only endorsements people hear and read about are in the local newspapers, specifically The Baldwin Herald and Newsday.
"As citizens who live in the community, we know Baldwin better than a lot of reporters might," said Kamen. "I don't think newspapers should be the sole entity for endorsements. The key thing here is to make the community aware of who we, as citizens, feel would be the most effective and accountable public servant running for each elected office in Baldwin."
But others, mainly those who currently hold office or have run for office in Baldwin, say that the organization's motives are questionable, and will only serve to benefit Kamen, despite his claims of nonpartisanship.
Degen said she was disturbed that candidates would be grilled by a committee behind closed doors, and said that if she chose to run for office again, she would refuse to meet with the council. "I do feel forums should be open," she said. "The whole point of the forum is to get to know the candidate."
But Kamen emphasized that the council is not a special-interest group and would not receive money from or make donations to campaigns. There are currently 21 people involved in the group, and Kamen said they are looking to attract 30 to 35 members, all of whom will vote on the best candidate to endorse. The council is open to anyone who is a registered voter in Baldwin, he said.
"We are nonpartisan and do not present one viewpoint," said Kamen.
But at question is just who will make up the council's membership, and how Kamen and others will ensure its diversity and bipartisanship. Kamen said he could not provide a list of names of the 21 people involved, mainly because the organization is in its early stages. "These are people we know," he said, adding, "We want involved residents from the community who will assist us in the process."
Kamen explained that the council would have to decide on whether to release the names of its members once it is fully formed. "I think that at the appropriate time ... a list of people can be announced," he said.
Several people said they did not question Kamen's commitment to Baldwin, but said his energy may be misdirected. "I think they may have good intentions," said Cruz. "But I can't see how something like that could be done objectively."
Kamen said that there is no conflict of interest on his part, explaining that although he is library board president, he also is a Baldwin resident and not currently seeking office. He also said that he has organized nonpartisan efforts in the past, mainly the charity softball game. "I'm a resident of the community and not running for office," he said.
When asked what he would do if he chose to seek another term as president of the library board in five years, Kamen said that he wasn't sure, but that he could always abstain from council votes. When asked if he would be questioned by the council during his own campaign, he said, "I don't know what I'd do."
Others said this is just an attempt by Kamen to remain politically viable. "I think it's his attempt to stay relevant and have influence over what is going on," said one elected official who asked to remain anonymous.
Kamen disagreed, and said that despite what people may think, the party is aiming to endorse the most qualified candidates regardless of party affiliation. "People are getting away from party affiliation and labels," he said. "They're voting for the candidate that will best represent them."
Obviously, candidates would not be obligated to go before the council, though Kamen said that those who declined should not expect an endorsement. "If they're not willing to meet with us, they're only hurting themselves," he said.
Still, Cruz said that residents would be better served by simply being encouraged to vote rather than directed to individual candidates. "More efforts should be done to get more people to vote," she said. "When you look at these elections and the numbers, not a lot of people come out to vote."
