By Esther Davis McKenna
Dozens of angry residents and sanitary-district employees expressed their opinions of Nassau County assessor and candidate for Town of Hempstead supervisor Harvey Levinson's plan to dissolve special districts if he is elected in November to the seat now held by Kate Murray.
Concerns about taxes, quality of service, job security and more diverse representation on the Board of Commissioners were among the priorities.
Salaries and expenses
Levinson, who called the press conference, said that no response had been received to a request made on June 30, pursuant to the Freedom of Information Law, asking for salaries of "all board members, commissioners, secretaries, deputies and other personnel" in the district.
Laura Mallay, president of the South Hempstead Civic Association and a candidate for sanitation commissioner of District 2 said, "The people in the district have a right to know what they are paying for. People can't make informed decisions [about who to vote for] if they are kept in the dark [about district finances]."
Mike Rosenstock, the district's general counsel, said the district was "in complete compliance with the FOIL request. We had questions with regard to the wording ... We wanted to make completely sure we knew exactly what they were asking us for. We will respond within the appropriate time."
Agencies have 10 days after receiving a FOIL request to address any questions regarding its content, and a final 30 days after questions are answered to comply if the information falls under the category of public records. Salaries of specific officers of government-run agencies fall into that category, and all information was released to Levinson's office as of press time. (For a detailed report and comparison of salaries, see "Annual taxes paid per district," page 3.)
"Levinson asked [County Comptroller Harold] Weitzman to audit our books. We fully cooperated with him. In fact, we voluntarily submit our own report every year," said Robert Noble, secretary to the Board of Commissioners of Sanitary District 2. "We've never tried to hide any information from [public officials] or from our residents," said Noble, a 34-year district employee and a former general supervisor.
Weitzman, who is also considering district consolidations, called for audits of three of the five county sanitation districts last March. The results of those audits are still pending.
The FOIL request also uncovered a $6,062.38 bill for employees to attend WasteExpo2005 in Las Vegas. According to Noble, those expenses were incurred by employees attending the national convention. "[WasteExpo2005] is the largest trade show in our industry, and includes the latest information on new equipment, recycling trends and new developments in solid waste management. It was absolutely necessary that we send representatives," he said.
Job security
Levinson received angry jeers from the crowd on Grand Avenue when he announced, "If I am elected as town supervisor, I will make it my No. 1 priority to dissolve or consolidate all sanitary districts." But he quickly added that he was "concerned about the working man" and promised that "the only people who will lose their jobs if the district is dissolved are the commissioners." He also said he believes he will have "the full cooperation of the Town of Hempstead [in regard to job security]."
"There's a big difference between believing he'll get cooperation and his actually getting cooperation," said a life-long Baldwin resident who declined to be named for fear of retribution from the assessor's office. "When Suozzi tried to take the First Precinct out, the people of Baldwin came out in support of keeping it here," she said. "Many people were from sanitation, and they knew it. Now they want to take away sanitation. The people of Baldwin know what's going on."
Levinson denied the inference of intimidation. As to the question of support from the town, he said, "If I am elected, I will be running the Town of Hempstead. I'll get my support."
Other workers wanted to know what would happen to them if his bid for supervisor is not successful. "What happens if you're not elected and you've stirred up this big bee's nest?" said John Puglisi, a sanitation district employee. "Plans for [dissolving the district] go ahead and you're not here - you just walk away and nobody cares what happens to us."
Levinson responded, "If I'm not elected, [dissolving or consolidating districts] is just not going to happen."
Taxes vs. quality of service
Not all residents disagree with Levinson's proposal, or with his need to examine the books. "I'd prefer not to pay double the taxes of my neighbors," said Joyce Majid, a 21-year resident of South Hempstead. "Something needs to be done [to lower taxes]. Whether it's eliminating special districts, combining special districts or making adjustments within the districts, changes need to be made."
But if the Town of Hempstead is forced to incorporate hundreds of sanitation employees and hundreds of thousands of homes that are now serviced by the sanitary districts, that could mean town residents would be forced to pay an increased garbage tax after all is said and done.
There are approximately 15,000 stops in Sanitary District 2, less than half the pickups in District 6, which comprises 35,000 residents. If everyone in all county sanitation districts is included, hundreds of thousands of additional homes would be serviced. Add to that the sanitary-worker positions Levinson promises to incorporate into the town, and it could mean a tax increase for all town residents.
Levinson responded to those concerns by saying, "We'll have a higher tax base going into the [town coffers] if residents are paying the town and not paying into their special districts."
Special services, like one- or two-day turnarounds for special pickups and no limitations on the amount of items left for these pickups, are also big concerns with district residents. Every resident who was present, whether for or against Levinson's plan, agreed that they received top-notch quality of service.
Levinson promised that the town "could and would provide equitable service for less money."
Comparing apples and oranges
When asked by residents why he was standing in front of the administrative offices in Baldwin and not in a bigger, higher-tax-paying area like District 6, Levinson referred to the urgency of the July 28 election for sanitary commissioner. When asked if he was afraid to confront residents and officials in the other districts, Levinson replied, "That's ridiculous."
According to Levinson's campaign manager, Charlie Burr, their office has also requested the financial records of District 6 and told residents that Levinson would hold a press conference there if they were having an election. District 6 will hold its elections Aug. 15.
Gerard Brown, who is running for his second five-year term on the Board of Commissioners of District 2, said that Levinson, Mallay and other critics were comparing apples to oranges when weighing the differences between taxes paid by other districts. "The detractors of local government have by design, compared the bedroom communities of Baldwin, South Hempstead and Roosevelt with districts that have a high concentration of commercial and industrial commerce," Brown said. "The assessment here goes, for the most part, to the homeowner, while other districts share their tax burden with corporate, commercial and industrial establishments."
There were also questions among district officials as to why the request for financial information was initiated by Matthew J. Groneman, a Valley Stream resident who does not live in the district. When questioned about his request, Groneman replied, "I live in the Town of Hempstead, and I care about the concerns of all of the people in the town."
Taxation without representation
Mallay and her supporters believe there should be better representation of all towns in Sanitary District 2 on the Board of Commissioners, and not just Baldwin residents. "Baldwin is over-represented on the board," said Jackie Bell, president of the Baldwin Oaks Civics Association and a resident of the sanitary district. "It is the consensus of our organization and other groups in Roosevelt and South Hempstead that residents of each town should be on the board."
Meet the candidates
Gerard W. Brown
Gerard W. Brown, the incumbent, whose term expires July 31, is seeking a second five-year term. Brown is a lifelong resident of Baldwin who began his first term as commissioner in August 2000. He is also a career supervisor of operations in the Baldwin Fire Department, where he has been an active volunteer for 32 years and a volunteer emergency medical technician. He lives in Baldwin with his wife, Cheryl, and daughters Tara and Lindsey. Brown participated in the highly successful alternate-side-of-the-street parking pilot program and the district's soon-to-be-commenced anti-litter campaign.
On the issue of dissolving the district, Brown said, "This proposal was brought to the public and the town some years ago, and it was the decision of impartial investigators that dissolving this district would not serve in the best interest of the taxpayers. Nor would it result in fewer taxes to the homeowners in the district.
As to the possibility of restructuring the district, Brown said a program has already been started in District 2. "The restructuring started more than two years ago, with goals to limit increases in taxes yet still provide the same exceptional service," he said. "An agreement has been made with the employees and their union to a one-year extension of their contract for 2005 while efforts continue to rationalize manpower through attrition and increased productivity on the routes."
Concerning consolidation of special districts, Brown said, "Bigger government is not necessarily better government. It seems that villages like Rockville Centre, Garden City and Glen Cove receive more than their share, while we remain the orphans of big government
Laura Mallay
Laura Mallay is president of the South Hempstead Civic Association, where she has been a member for five years. She has been a So. Hempstead resident for 11 years, and lives with her husband and four children.
Mallay has been involved in the PTA at Covert Elementary School and was a Girl Scout leader from 2001 to 2004. She has worked on many beautification projects such as the Welcome to South Hempstead sign and planters and banners throughout the community. She has worked on many community events such as the Halloween party, Easter Egg Hunt and a neighborhood block party and several fund-raisers, including a $5,000 grant for the beautification of So. Hempstead. Mallay is also a graduate of the civilian police academy.
Her discontent with growing taxes in the district is "not a personal issue" but rather a "survivor issue," she says and believies something drastic needs to be done soon, because "people are getting taxed out of their homes."
On the issue of consolidation, Mallay said, "Maybe that's the answer , maybe it's not, but we won't know until we have an opportunity to examine financial reports. "
She believes the distribution of power on the board is uneven, and feels that Roosevelt and South Hempstead are not being adequately represented.
Mallay believes that a major contribution she has to give to the sanitation district is her communication skills. "I have been able to open the lines of communication between politicians, government and South Hempstead residents," she said. "And I have worked very hard to increase voter registration in my community. I have for the last few years represented my community with honor and pride, and I will continue to do so for years to come."
Comments about this story? Baldwineditor@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 207.
