By Esther Davis McKenna
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, which include collection and disposal methods for all solid waste, including recycling, and code enforcement.
Anyone interested in running for the position must file a petition with a minimum of 25 signatures of qualified, registered voters of the district. Petitions are available at the district office, at 2090 Grand Ave. in Baldwin, Mondays through Fridays from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Petitions must be filed by Monday, July 18. A candidate must be a qualified, registered voter within the district to run for office. The commissioner's annual salary is $7,500.
The election will take place on Thursday, July 28, between 2 p.m. and 10 p.m. at three polling places: the district office building, at 2090 Grand Ave. in Baldwin; Queen of the Most Holy Rosary gymnasium, at 169 Centennial Ave. in Roosevelt; and the Covert Avenue School, at Long Beach Road and Willow Street in South Hempstead.
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 commissioner of the Baldwin Fire Department and a volunteer emergency medical technician, and 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.
Since Brown's tenure began, there have been three new commissioners elected to the five-member board. Other members include John A. Cools, Dennis J. Meekins, LeRoy W. Roberts and Brian F. O'Connor.
There are approximately 60 salaried employees in the district.
"This is a new and energetic board that embraced quality-of-life issues and [improved] solid-waste removal and [brought] recycling into a future that will be fiscally sound," said Brown. No other petitions were filed as of press time. Brown asked for the support and trust of the communities within District No. 2 "to allow this new board to continue the restructuring of the district that will result in improved service at a responsible tax rate."
Audit to be published soon
Audits of five Nassau County sanitation districts, including District No. 2, were initiated by county Comptroller Howard S. Weitzman in March. Weitzman said he was also considering consolidation of District 2 with other sanitation districts.
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. "We still have a few loose ends to tie up," said Morrison, who added that the results would be available within weeks, but not before the district had a chance to review and respond to them.
"The sanitation district has been cooperative [throughout the audit process], and our relationship with the district has been cordial," said Morrison.
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.
Bill Noble, secretary to the sanitation board, said he thought Weitzman's audit was misguided, as sanitary and special districts make up less than 10 percent of the total tax bill for Nassau County. "It's a little bit curious, because we're such a small percentage of the total tax bills," he said.
Noble acknowledged that spending in the district has increased in recent years. However, he attributes that to the financial realities that affect every municipality.
"Some of [these districts] may be necessary and some may be well run," Weitzman said, "but the persistence of so many separate governmental authorities, with their own employees and tax rates, tends to hide the true cost of local government and contributes to our high local tax burden."
The residents of Sanitary District No. 2 routinely turn out to vote in sanitary and budget elections, said Noble. "We are subject to voter approval on a local level, and I think most people are satisfied with that form of government, and we never had any complaints," he said.
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