By: KEITH GRANT
A pair of public hearings will dominate the political calendar next week in Long Beach.
On Monday, April 16 at the Long Beach Public Library, the city's infamous absentee ballot procedures will be under the microscope of the New York State Senate Standing Committee on Elections. Sen. Dean Skelos (D-Rockville Centre), Senate Elections Committee Chairman Serphin Maltese (R-Middle Village) are co-sponsoring the 11 a.m. hearing that will address the various voting irregularities disclosed after last May's local school-board election.
Assemblyman Harvey Weisenberg (D-Long Beach) will also attend the hearing.
In January, a special grand jury investigation concluded that evidence of fraud existed in the May 2000 vote. While no indictments were handed down, the grand jury cited problems with ballot distribution at several nursing homes, collection and return of the ballots, and serious charges of voter intimidation and manipulation.
Sen. Skelos, former chairman of the Senate's Aging Committee, said, "I am particularly concerned about voting practices that appear to take advantage of seniors, particularly those in adult care facilities. I am hopeful the outcomes of this hearing will help preserve the integrity of our electoral process and protect the elderly from any similar problems in the future."
The investigation resulted from allegations that the election last May had been determined by tainted ballots from local nursing homes. Trustee Norman Alpren was re-elected to the board after receiving 90 percent of the nursing- home absentee vote, leap-frogging challengers Jannine Laskas-Gillespie and Lynn Gergen. While that election was the grand jury's primary focus, it also examined the September 2000 primary election.
The grand jury found that absentee ballots at some Long Beach nursing homes were not distributed to the addressee upon receipt, though the ballots are supposed to be delivered like regular mail. The grand jury determined that at facilities in question, persons from outside the facility were permitted to enter, meet with residents one-on-one, distribute their absentee ballots, and advise them on how to cast their vote. The same persons would then collect the completed ballots and deliver them to the appropriate polling place, rather than having them mailed by the facility.
According to the report, some residents said they were not given the opportunity to choose not to vote or to select a candidate of their own choosing. Such residents, the report stated, "were told simply to sign their names to the envelope containing the ballot, or to check off the box on the ballot corresponding to a given candidate." The report indicates that some of the residents neither understood the nature of the election nor knew anything about the candidates.
Long Beach Superintendent of Schools Ron Friedman recently sent out a letter to operators of the city's dozen adult care facilities to urge their cooperation in ensuring no tampering or any illegal activity takes place in the handling of the ballots in the coming election. At the April 24 Board of Education meeting, Friedman is scheduled to update the public on the district's steps to ensure a fair vote Meanwhile, Weisenberg said Monday's hearing can help elected officials evaluate potential legislation that would empower every voter in Long Beach.
"By working together and making this a very open and public process, we will address this issue in a bipartisan manner that best serves our community," the assemblyman said.
"Vibrant and fair elections form the basis of our democracy," Skelos added. "With nearly 550 seniors and disabled voters residing in Long Beach's dozen nursing homes and adult care facilities, this hearing is a vital first step needed to ensure that their voices continue to be heard."
sub: City seeks to amend charter
City officials will hold a public hearing at 8 p.m. Tuesday, April 17, at City Hall to discuss a proposed law to amend the city charter. The primary change would be the addition of director of operations to the list of city officers. That position, held by Gene Cammarato, and two others were found to be illegal by a state Supreme Court judge two weeks ago. A lawsuit filed in October by five local residents charged that the director of operations post was that of a city officer and that the charter did not allow for such an office. The court agreed and ruled that Cammarato and two subordinates should be removed from their positions.
At the April 3 meeting of the City Council, officials announced the public hearing for April 17 to consider a local law amending the 80-year-old charter to include a director of operations under the provision creating city officers. That action is being pursued despite the city's attorney saying the city would appeal the court ruling. The city has argued that the position held by Cammarato was not one of a city officer. The judge ruled otherwise, noting Cammarato's authority to sign contracts, hire employees and take over management of the city when the city manager is away.
Officials said the director of operations and subordinate positions were created to oversee the day-to-day operation of the city's various departments and make the local government more efficient. According to the proposed amendment, the director will "work with the city manager and shall be in charge of overseeing all city departments and personnel. He or she shall supervise and review activities and performances of all departments; supervise all department heads, review department activity reports and sign payment vouchers and purchase orders. The city manager may assign to the director of operations such other and further duties as he or she deems appropriate. In the absence of the city manager, the director of operations shall serve as acting city manager."
In July 2000, a public hearing was scheduled to discuss such an amendment to the charter but was pulled from the agenda just prior to the meeting. Officials said the issue was withdrawn because of insufficient notice time between its publication and the hearing date. The city also decided to pursue a more intensive review of the 80-year-old charter.
