By: Andrew Coen
The board voted down the slate in a secret vote at the association-s March 17 meeting, held at Lawrence Village Country Club before a standing-room-only crowd of more than 200 in the club-s ballroom.
Lawrence Association President Rabbi Rafael Saffra would not reveal the exact results of the voting, but indicated that it was very, very close.
The vote wipes out the work of the Nominations Committee, which had endorsed village Trustee Simon Felder for mayor over incumbent Dr. Jack Levenbrown in the June election. The committee also endorsed incumbent trustees Margaret Carpenter and Martin Oliner and Village Justice Donald Buchalter. The endorsements were first revealed in a Feb. 20 summary report of the Nominations Committee, which was mailed to all Lawrence residents in the association-s newsletter.
The report sparked controversy, because it warned that certain village employees would leave if Levenbrown were re-elected.
According to Saffra, the association-s 33 governors, officers and recent past president Ed Gottlieb will meet sometime in the next couple of weeks, facing the options of endorsing the same slate of candidates, choosing a different slate, endorsing positions other than mayor or not making any endorsements at all.
The March 17 vote was taken in secret after Saffra made a controversial decision right before the vote, yielding to pressure from many association members to bypass the article of the group-s constitution that called for open voting. Saffra said he felt that if the voting had been public, the results might have been different. I was 100 percent certain that people were two-faced, and that people want to dance on both sides of the fence and say one thing and then turn around and try to vote something else, he said.
Despite believing that the controversial decision might alter the results, Saffra said he did the right thing. I thought it was the practical thing to do, he said. Was it against the constitution? One hundred percent, but I felt it was the practical thing to do.
Throughout the meeting, support was expressed for Levenbrown, including a strong endorsement in a letter from renowned defense attorney Benjamin Brafman, a Lawrence resident. Phyllis Horowitz read the letter from Brafman, who was unable to attend the meeting.
I doubt that there is anybody in this village who has done more to improve the quality of our life with respect to village matters than Jack Levenbrown has, Brafman wrote, his words drawing applause from some in the audience. He is exceptionally bright, scrupulously honest and highly dedicated to the work that he performs as our mayor. As an honest resident of Lawrence, I have great difficulty trying to understand why we are trying to unseat one of the most talented and devoted public servants to have ever served our community. Rather than try and replace Jack Levenbrown as mayor, we should beg him to remain.
Lawrence resident Shawn Bayer also voiced support for Levenbrown and talked about how, in his opinion, the village is in solid shape while the Lawrence Association is in disarray. It seems the village is better run than the association, said Bayer. The roads are clean. This year we might be able to hold the line on taxes. There is no scandal and the village is running well.
Employees don-t pick the mayor; we pick the mayor. We are the ones who vote, we are the ones who pay the taxes and we are the ones who are members of the association.
Former village employee Patrick J. King Jr., who hired Village Administrator Peter Overs when he started working for the village 35 years ago, also expressed support for Levenbrown. Mayor Jack has worked his back off for this village. How dare you treat him this way, said King, also eliciting applause. I think the mayor has done an excellent job. I don-t think anybody here would put in the personal time that man puts in.
Overs, who will be eligible for retirement on July 1, got drawn into the controversy when it was alleged that he would retire if Levenbrown were re-elected. Overs said he would make his decision after July 1, regardless of who is mayor.
I was grateful for the support from all these individuals, and I-m happy the Board of Governors saw through the unprecedented smear tactics, said Levenbrown, who was Lawrence Association president from 1985-1988, in a phone interview the morning after the meeting.
Former village trustee Howard Siskind, who Felder had said was endorsing him, criticized the nominations process, saying that he was never approached by Nominations Committee Chairman Shlomo Huttler. I-m not saying who I would vote for that-s not your business; obviously that-s mine but I-ve never heard from [Huttler], so I don-t want to be put into a category where I was interviewed and said something either for or against anybody, said Siskind. According to Saffra, the Nominations Committee acknowledges never having interviewed Siskind.
Saffra said that the committee carefully followed the procedures of the Lawrence Association. Following many meetings and long hours, the committee reached its conclusions after speaking with several people in the village. Though the committee-s recommendation was not approved, the governors realize and are proud that the democratic process is maintained, Saffra said. All members worked very hard and with extreme dedication, and took their responsibility very seriously.
Former Lawrence Mayor Larry Blatte, who was said by Felder to be endorsing him for mayor over Levenbrown, said he supports the process and the decision. [The nominations committee has] done it for good and sufficient reasons, said Blatte of the committee-s decision not to endorse Levenbrown. I do not believe [Levenbrown] has shown the qualities of leadership which you would expect from a mayor. I do not believe he-s gotten the support of the employees of the village, which you would expect from a mayor. I do not believe he works cooperatively with the trustees or other members of the administration.
The fact that someone works hard is not the criteria for leadership and for being the mayor of this village, Blatte continued. The criteria for leadership and being the mayor of this village is the ability to lead, the ability to develop consensus, the ability to develop policy and the ability to have a homogeneous work force working with him. Unfortunately, I regret to say, in my opinion, Jack has not held any of these qualities, and I think another person should lead this village.
Despite being verbally attacked many times, including a call from a couple of members for him to resign, Saffra kept the meeting under control. I let everybody have their say, and I didn-t cut anybody off, he said. What was most important, in my humble opinion, is at the end of the evening, when people left the meeting, everybody walked out friendly and talking to each other.
Saffra, who is up for re-election as association president in May, said he would not seek another term if people want him to step down.
Felder could not be reached for comment.
The next Lawrence Association meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, April 21, at the Lawrence Village Country Club.
