By Danny Teigman
As the village's March 20 election to select two new trustees and a mayor nears, some residents are concerned that using taxpayer money to advertise and tout village projects may unintentionally favor Independent Party members who represent a majority of the board.
"Mr. Mayor, you know better," said Bill Geier, Lynbrook's former mayor who served from 1983 to 1991 and a 50-year community member, to Mayor Eugene Scarpato. "Taxpayer money should not be expended to send out literature that could have or perceived to have a political overtone to it."
The motion for the resolution, which passed by a vote of 3-to-1, was raised informally by Geier and supported by Trustee Bill Hendrick during the good and welfare portion of the Jan. 15 village board meeting, after Trustee David Penso first began questioning the mayor on the decision to publish the March newsletter. Penso also made clear his concerns that the increasing number of annual newsletters was not by accident. "My feeling is that it is being done for political reasons," he said.
Scarpato staunchly defended the newsletter's publication, voted against the resolution and said the village often prints a newsletter in early March. He admitted that the village has increased the number of newsletters printed from twice a year to six times a year - or once every two months. Issues are now printed on higher-quality paper and in full-color, costing $3,700 to produce and distribute.
"It's a terrible injustice not to let the public know what's going on," Scarpato said. "Not letting them know is worse than lying. I would stand by that forever."
Concerns were also raised over wording in the newsletter, which called a potential zero percent village tax increase "official" but that was later changed to "projected."
"I still don't understand Mr. Penso's complaint about the newsletter," Scarpato said. "It's all true, it's all factual."
"What makes it really hurtful was that the next issue was going to have the map of the election districts," the mayor continued. "It wasn't going to be anything political."
But residents applauded the unexpected vote to stop publication of the March newsletter, agreeing with Geier's concerns, especially during what candidates and residents are calling a lively, issue-driven election.
"I would like to see residents get all the information on all the candidates without being persuaded by newsletters promoting or having favor toward the mayor's interpretation of village expenses," said Anne Moffatt, a 10-year resident of Lynbrook's north west quadrant. "There should be no favoritism."
Although Geier said Lynbrook would not be the first community to adopt similar measures, Village Attorney Peter Ledwith said the resolution was something he had not encountered before. "For some reason it seems that feelings are strong for this election," Ledwith said. "There is an acute viewing of everything, analyzing every little thing. It's not healthy."
Both Village of East Rockaway Clerk-Treasurer David McCabe and Corey Klein, an attorney for the City of Long Beach, said they had not heard of any local law like the one passed in Lynbrook.
But Klein added that the decision to pass such a resolution could benefit a community if past political maneuvering had been a problem. "If Lynbrook felt that it was a wise move to do, then that works for them," he said.
Comments about this story? DTeigman@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 246.
