By Mike Schnitzel
9/11 memorial approved
The west lawn of Village Hall was approved as the site of a proposed 9/11 memorial by the board of trustees at the work session, preceding the general meeting. The general concept for a memorial garden was approved unanimously, as well.
The memorial garden, commemorating Lynbrook's own who perished in the 9/11 attacks, will include an entrance graced with an arbor, a winding path that will be paved with bricks and dotted with benches, so visitors can sit and reflect. Memorial bricks will be placed along the path commemorating the lost loved ones of people in the village.
The Sept. 11 Memorial Committee, which developed the concept for the memorial, consists of Laura Ryder, Maryann Hoesel, Susan Ledwith and Jenny Atkinson; and those who lost family members in the attacks, Barbara Stern, Barbara Hannan, Jennifer Muller, Pat Wren and Pat Fitzsimons.
At the Dec. 5 Board of Trustees meeting, Ryder told the board that the committee hoped the memorial would be completed by Sept. 11, 2006.
Lynbrook resident honored for service
Lynbrook resident Ron Festa received a citation from the village board for his decades of service to the Lynbrook community, before a packed crowd of family, friends and co-workers. Festa served with the Lynbrook Building Department and the Lynbrook Department of Public Works, and has been a volunteer firefighter with the Lynbrook Fire Department's Vulcan Engine Company for 45 years.
"You've been protecting my home every year since I've lived here," said Scarpato. "We are very appreciative of your years of service and commend the conscientious way you carry out your duty."
Festa said that he was proud to work for the village in the two departments, and thanked his family, friends and supporters, who several times gave him a standing ovation.
"There was a lot of good friendship going there, and I appreciate the showing here tonight," said Festa.
Opening statement and questions from the public
Mayor Eugene E. Scarpato began the meeting by reading a statement in which he addressed Trustee Richard J. Clifford's traffic stop from the previous month, and the allegations that have surrounded the incident since it occurred. Scarpato said that during his 45 years living in the village, he had never "witnessed such despicable behavior, with vengeance displayed against fellow residents, as has been displayed over the past nine months culminating with the latest callous attacks and unfounded innuendoes geared to destroy a man's character without concern for the effect it would have on his family."
He refuted allegations that have been made against Clifford in an article that appeared in Newsday, and went on to call a subsequent flier distributed in the neighborhood calling on residents to demand that he take action in the matter, a "sick effort" on the part of a group trying to discredit his administration. He apologized to residents for what he called the "offensive behavior, along with the decorum," at some of the board meetings.
Scarpato ended his statement by saying any further public discussion of the matter would not include him, and that the Clifford situation would not be discussed any further at the night's meeting.
During board business, Trustee David H. Penso expressed his dissatisfaction with the Herald article, "Strange string of events," which ran in the Dec. 8 issue. Penso interpreted the article to be more about himself and less about the trustee who was issued summonses. He recounted a phone call he received from The Herald and the question posed to him at that time on whether or not he was hiding in bushes taking photographs of Clifford being served summonses.
Penso said, "I went on to explain to him [the Herald reporter] the situation, however he chose to talk about rumors in the first paragraph, rather than the last part of the article where I refuted that," said Penso. "I believe that was disingenuous reporting."
Good and welfare
During privilege of the floor, Chris Monzert, president of the Reform Party, said that he was concerned about the legitimacy of letters to the editor printed in the Herald. He went on to say that he counted 21 letters to the editor with 16 different writers attacking him and Penso. Of those letters, Monzert claims that he could not verify 14 of the authors as either residents of the village or as real people.
"There is a campaign to discredit me and members of my party and especially Trustee Penso," said Monzert.
Trustee William J. Hendrick replied to Monzert's concern by saying, "from my understanding, the Herald calls those people to verify the authenticity of the letters."
Scarpato acknowledged that the Herald's letters to the editor section has contained letters critical of both sides, to which Penso said he believed that to be untrue, saying that criticism in letters to the editor were "clearly against the Reform Party and Trustee Penso."
Reform Party First Vice-President Cecil Maloney, under good and welfare, said that he heard the police tapes and read the police report involving Clifford's traffic infractions. He said that he thought they showed a different scenario than the one being portrayed by Scarpato and Clifford. Maloney provided a copy of the transcript to the mayor and each trustee of the conversation via police radio between Rockville Centre Police Department Detective Sergeant Kevin O'Toole, who later issued the two summonses to Clifford, and Lynbrook Police Department Lieutenant, Gary F. Knacke, who answered O'Toole's call.
Scarpato said that he wanted the topic put to rest, calling it "disgusting" and "a witch hunt." He again repeated his opening statement's sentiment. "If you're going to try to bury someone, I'm not going to listen to it," Scarpato said.
Comments on this story? MSchnitzel@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 265.
