Friday, June 23, 2017
THE PULSE OF THE PENINSULA
Vol. 92, No. 25
RICE JOINS TRUMP SUIT, SUOZZI DOESN’T PAGE 6
RESIDENTS BACK POLICE TAKE DOWN VIGILANT AT HEARING ALLEGED GANG MEMBERS PAGE 8
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Terry’s town power debated
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BY N O A H M A N S K A R The Town of North Hempstead usually cuts paychecks for its employees and contractors on Fridays, but sometimes Gerard Terry couldn’t wait. Terry, who worked as the attorney for the town’s Board of Zoning Appeals and a special counsel in the town attorney’s office until last year, occasionally came to ask for his check on a Wednesday or Thursday, said Angelo J. Ferrara, a former deputy finance commissioner. “He would come into my office and say, ‘I guess they don’t know who I am,’” said Ferrara, who was fired from his post in 2013. He is not related to Angelo P. Ferrara, the Republican town councilman. That line from Terry reflects the influence he wielded, or attempted to wield, in North Hempstead’s government as an unelected figure who was never a full-time town employee, according to interviews with four current and former town officials. In addition to his legal work with the town, Terry, 63, was the chairman of the town Democratic committee in North Hempstead, one of the party’s few strongholds Continued on Page 58
PHOTO BY DAVID POLLARD
Graduates of United States Merchant Marines Academy throw their hats into the air at the end of the commencement ceremony. See stories on page 2 and 13.
Mayor Bral wins re-election in VGN Defeats Gilliar following heated race; trustees Hope and Mendelson hold seats BY JA N E LL E CL AUSEN Mayor Pedram Bral easily defeated challenger Rebecca Gilliar on Tuesday in the Village of Great Neck following a heated election, and two candidates on his ticket were re-elected as trustees. Bral, 46, received 983 votes
for mayor and Gilliar, 74, a community activist, got 505, a margin of nearly two to one. Anne Mendelson and Steven Hope, from the Village Alliance Party, also retained their seats on the Board of Trustees. Mendelson earned 1,002 votes, while Hope got 1,003. Adam Harel, who ran with Gilliar for trustee and lost, had 481. Mark Birnbaum, who ran unopposed for village justice, won with 437 votes. The re-elected members of the Board of Trustees said
that they hope to move beyond the election and continue being responsive to the community. “I think the divisiveness and all the commentary that came out, I think we’re actually seeing beyond that and to move forward and work towards unity and work with people,” Mendelson said. Bral said the results indicated that many people were happy with the way the village was run and that he hopes to continue reducing the structural deficit, revitalizing business and running a transparent government.
But Bral also said he recognized there were divisions in the community that need to be addressed. “I believe that we have a great community, we have a diverse community, and it’s my responsibility — and it’s also the responsibility of the community — to try to get together to create that unity we used to have and bring it back,” Bral said. “I heard those people loud and clear and I understand there’s part of the community that has Continued on Page 71
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