By Jason Sheer
The June 14 meeting, hosted by Town of Hempstead Councilman Anthony Santino, reached a dramatic climax when Michael McDermott, assistant general supervisor of Sanitary District No. 2, called Harvey Levinson, who is running for town supervisor on a platform that includes disbanding special districts, a "coward."
"He picks fights and takes his people home," McDermott said loudly while standing a few feet from Levinson in a Baldwin Middle School hallway.
McDermott was noticeably angry that Levinson showed up at the meeting. McDermott accused the county assessor of planting people in the audience for political gain. "He planted everybody in the room," McDermott said. "He starts these fights and he doesn't know what he's talking about."
The debate had been sparked minutes earlier, when Baldwin resident Fran Rosado assailed Sanitary District No. 2, saying it costs her and her neighbors far too much. "There probably was a time in Nassau County when the [district] did the job that nobody else did," she said. "Bottom line, the Town of Hempstead does it, and the Town of Hempstead does it cheaper. Cheaper to the tune of over $300 a year in folks' property taxes."
Rosado, an attorney, said she was appalled that Town of Hempstead officials said they couldn't do anything in the way of dissolving the district.
Citing portions of state law, she said, "Whenever the town board of any town determines it to be in the public interest, said town board ... after a public hearing, may dissolve and discontinue any [sanitary district].
"I hope I never hear out of any elected official's mouth that they have no control over the sanitary district," Rosado added.
She also raised the question of how the Town of Hempstead could "hand over" $9 million - the amount the district collected in taxes in 2004-05 - to District No. 2 and have no control over it.
Santino, in an impassioned defense of the town and district, said the town does not hand over the money. Instead, it collects taxes, just as it does for school district and county taxes, and hands the money over to the appropriate agency.
He added, "The vast majority of people who I have spoken to support the sanitary district and think they're doing a great job. They like having local control. They like having local commissioners, having their friends and neighbors in Baldwin, who they can reach out to 24 hours a day."
As for dissolving the district entirely, Santino said, "The facts of the matter are that the sanitary district, under the law, in order to be dissolved, must be done after a petition of more than half the residents is received."
Rosado disagreed, again citing a portion of the law. "Even without a petition [the sanitary district can be shut down] if it's in the public interest," she said. "I cannot understand how rising property taxes can possibly be in the public interest."
Meeting adjourned, debate continues
Shortly after the exchange between Santino and Rosado, the audience spilled out of the auditorium and into the hallway of the middle school. Those in opposition to keeping Sanitary District No. 2 were joined by Levinson, who did not speak during the meeting.
Levinson said he was disappointed about the way Santino handled the issue. "I was surprised how [Santino] misled the audience as to what the true facts are," he said. "Santino never told the audience they're paying double the taxes of most residents in the Town of Hempstead.
"How can anyone come to a decision, whether it's right or wrong, unless they know what the [facts] are?" he added.
On the requirement of a petition, Levinson said, "They're going to get one. And when that petition comes in front of the town board, the only problem is there's going to be a new supervisor there, and I will support it. My first order of business will be to close down this district."
As for what would happen to the employees of Sanitary District No. 2, Levinson said, "The people who work there, the garbage men, have nothing to fear. They will simply become employees of the Town of Hempstead, but the residents will pay half the taxes."
Diane and Laura Mallay, members of the South Hempstead Civic Association, denied McDermott's assertion that they attended the meeting at the behest of Levinson. "We have a legitimate concern," Laura Mallay said. "We're paying 50 percent more than people in other [parts of Hempstead]."
Diane Mallay said that Santino did not allow everyone who had signed up on the issue to speak during the meeting. "I don't think he let us get out our opinion." she said. "... He should allow everybody to speak. Everybody should have their say."
Santino, however, said that he called on everybody who filled out a slip to speak, and he criticized Levinson for making the sanitation districts a political issue. "I think the sanitary district issue should be left up to the people who live in the district," he said. "I don't think anybody should be coming from Garden City to divide the community for political purposes.
"Someone running for office shouldn't come in here and use this issue and use this community for political purposes and divide neighbor against neighbor."
Santino added, "If the majority want to disband the district, the Town of Hempstead can very adequately provide [garbage collection] service for the people of the district. If the people want to keep it, and get the extra level of service that comes with local control, they should be allowed to have that extra level of service."
Asked if he took offense or exception to Levinson's attending the meeting, Santino said, "I'll just note that in the five years I've hosted these community meetings in Baldwin, I never saw him here until he decided to run for office. So you decide for yourself."
Residents within the district, which encompasses Baldwin, Roosevelt, South Hempstead and parts of Uniondale, north Rockville Centre, Oceanside and Freeport, will be picking a representative for open commissioner's seat on July 28.
Five commissioners regulate the district, all serving five-year terms, with one seat up for re-election each year. Commissioners are responsible for administering the laws established in the district's original charter in 1928.
Taking aim
In January, Levinson took aim at the tax systems within the various garbage, fire and water districts in the town. He said he found "huge disparities in what we pay for the same service based on arbitrary boundaries," particularly in the garbage districts. "Residents on one side of Foxhurst Road in Baldwin pay 80 percent more in garbage-district taxes for the same services as their neighbors on the other side of the street," Levinson said.
His announcement came just months before Nassau County Comptroller Howard Weitzman announced that he was conducting audits of five Nassau County sanitation districts, including District No. 2.
The comptroller's office has completed the field work portion of the audit, and is waiting to meet with the district's outside accountant, according to Allen Morrison, spokesman for Weitzman. Districts were selected for audit based on criteria such as high taxes, large accumulated surpluses and high tax increases in 2004-05, the comptroller said in March.
District No. 2 Commissioner Leroy Roberts said the district has been cooperating fully with the audits. However, he said that Levinson isn't telling the whole story. As for the discrepancies between the residents on Foxhurst Road, Roberts said Oceanside residents benefit from the relatively large amount of businesses in their hamlet. "Oceanside has a tremendous amount of commercial revenue compared to Baldwin," he said. "They have Long Beach Road, Oil City and the Sands Shopping Center."
This commercial revenue helps to offset the cost to homeowners. Baldwin, however, doesn't have similar revenue.
Roberts said that the district works hard to keep costs down, but the reality is that there is a need for new trucks and an upgrade of the fleet. The rising cost of fuel affects the district as well. "Every year we try to do the best we can," he said.
He added that people in Sanitary District No. 2 appreciate the work of the district, and that he feels that a majority of residents would like to see it stay.
