By:Chris Munzing
City manager Glen Spiritis had negotiated a price of $2.01 million with Steve Levy, a Manhattan real estate developer, after an extended bidding war with several other bidders. The land was appraised at $1.27 million.
Council President Jim Hennessy said that council members delayed approving the sale so they could look over the lease agreement again with legal counsel to ensure that the sale was in the best interests of the city. "We want some more documentation about the lease, and to make sure that our i's are dotted and t's crossed," Hennessy said.
The sale of city property requires four votes from the five-member council, not a simple majority, according to the city charter. Hennessy said that he is hopeful that the sale will be up for a vote at the next council meeting in two weeks. "The sale of this property would go a long way to diminishing the city's financial problems," he said.
The buyer, Levy, was a partner with Arnold Gumowitz in the acquisition earlier this year of the 99-year net lease of the Waldbaum's buildings. There is a belief that if the same party controlls the buildings and the property, it will be easier to develop it.
Also discussed at the meeting were the upcoming negotiations regarding the Police Benevolent Association's contract. The city has retained Peter Bee, of Bee, Ready, Fishbein, Hatter & Donovan LLP, to negotiate the contract, according to City Council Vice President Tom Sofield. Sofield said that Bee's easygoing nature should be helpful in the completion of a new police contract.
The PBA has been without a contract since June 30, 2003.
The motion to hire Bee passed by a count of 3-2 at Tuesday night's City Council meeting, with Democrats Lenny Remo and Denis Kelly voting against it. Kelly raised questions about Bee's relationship with the Republican members of the City Council. Bee represented the Nassau County Republican Party after last November's elections, when some election results were disputed. One of those disputes concerned Mona Goodman's eventual victory over the top Democratic vote-getter, former council President Joel Crystal.
"It sure seems like a conflict of interest to me," Kelly said after voting "no way" on hiring Bee. "I was hoping that these guys weren't going to play politics, but it sure looks that way."
Kelly said he felt that the negotiations with the PBA should be handled in-house, and that outside representation would only serve to disrupt the negotiations. "It used to be the city manager, the corporation counsel and the PBA would sit down and figure this out," he said. Kelly added that outside counsel should only be brought in if it is determined that the in-house negotiations are going poorly.
Sofield, however, said that Bee was more than qualified to handle the negotiations for the city, which are already in the preliminary stages. He also downplayed the significance of Bee's connection with the Republican council members. "He represented the Nassau County Republican slate, of which Mona was a member," he said. "But he didn't work one-on-one with Mona. It was very indirect."
