By Stephen J. Bronner
“I think the way it's being run right now is abysmal,” Gray said. “No one is sure how the recycling program works.” He also criticized the recycling program’s pickup schedule, which is biweekly, and said that sanitation workers mishandle garbage and recyclable containers. “People take these kinds of things for granted,” he said. “I saw a problem, and decided to do something about it.”
Sanitary District 1’s election is set for next Wednesday between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. There are five commissioners on the district’s board. They serve for five years and are paid $7,500 a year.
These elections usually have very low turnouts, according to Nassau County Comptroller Howard S. Weitzman, who estimated in a 2005 report that District 1’s was about 3 percent in 2002, the most recent estimate. Weitzman’s report also stated that most commissioner-run districts were mismanaged and lacked transparency.
Kaminetsky, chairman of District 1’s board, dismissed the comptroller's report as “political” and said he has done well over the years as a commissioner of a district that services more than 16,000 homes. “I’m running because I want to continue to serve the community,” said Kaminetsky, who is vice president of luggage maker Overland Travelware. “There’s a lot of things we’ve accomplished, and I'd like to continue the great work we’ve done.”
He added that since homeowners began separating their recyclables on Jan. 21, the district has processed 32 percent of them. This is a seven percent increase from when only sanitation workers at the plant were doing the separating, according to Kaminetsky. He said that the board is in talks with the sanitation union about the possibility of picking up recyclables every week.
Kaminetsky claimed that Gray has never attended a board meeting or filed a complaint, and doesn’t know the district. Gray admitted that he has never been to a meeting, but said he knows how the process works because he practices municipal law as well as land-use and zoning law. He also said that Kaminetsky supports Lino Viola, a commissioner who is running unopposed for re-election but who Gray claims has little knowledge of the district.
Viola, the owner of a Cedarhurst restaurant, filled the seat formerly held by Joseph Candella, who moved out of state a year ago. Viola is running for the remaining two years of the term, and said that people should vote for him to continue the services the district provides and to give the board a chance to improve its work.
Kaminetsky said his incumbency is the main reason people should vote for him. “We’ve been challenged before, and I think most of the people recognize that we do a great job,” he said. “Most people know I work very hard at this and give a lot of time and effort to it. It's almost become a full-time job for me.”
Gray argued that incumbency is his opponent's weakness. “I think he might have gotten a little too comfortable in his position,” Gray said. “Now that people see that there’s a possibility of change, they're excited about it.”
Comments about this story? SBronner@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 210.
