Friday, September 22, 2017
THE PULSE OF THE PENINSULA
Vol. 92, No. 38
$1
CAREERS & LIU CONFEREES SEE COUNTY BUDGET CALLS EDUCATION SPIKE IN ANTI-SEMITISM FOR TAX HIKE, NEW FEES PAGES 31-42
PAGE 2
PAGE 6
r 22, 2017 ction • septembe ations special se ia / litmor public a blank slate med
No sanctions from ethics board in 4 years
JUDGING HISTORY
County body has two vacant seats; new law aims to increase activity BY N O A H M A N S K A R Since January 2013, three Nassau County legislators have reported to prison, County Executive Edward Mangano has been indicted, and his chief deputy, Rob Walker, has admitted on the stand in another corruption trial that he is under federal investigation. In the same time, the Nassau County Board of Ethics, a recent object of reform efforts by Democrats and Republicans, has issued no sanctions for violations of the county ethics code. In response to Blank Slate Media’s Freedom of Information request seeking all decisions in ethics cases from Jan. 1, 2013, to July 10 of this year, the board said any complaints received during that period “did not result in any final decision where the board found that a violation had occurred” and imposed a penalty. The ethics board is tasked with enforcing the county’s ethics code, which aims to protect against conflicts of interest, bribery, nepotism
and other abuses by public officials and employees. It can impose fines of up to $10,000. The code gives the board five members: the county attorney and four other people appointed by the county executive to five-year terms. All but the county attorney are unpaid. But the board has been at less than full strength for more than four years. Mangano never appointed a replacement for Stephen Turman after his resignation in May 2013. And Albert D’Agostino, whom Mangano appointed to the board that year, resigned on May 7 of this year, he said in an interview. “In general terms, it suggests it’s the kind of ethics commission the elected officials want — one that is not causing trouble and examining their behavior and potentially sanctioning them,” said James Svara, the author of several articles on government ethics and a visiting professor at the University of North Carolina’s School of Government. Continued on Page 71
PHOTO BY JANELLE CLAUSEN
Rabbi Stephen Widom and Judge Jack Weinstein joke with the audience before turning to a member’s question. See story of page 57.
Plaza sets date to introduce zoning change legislation able housing units in two zoning districts, after more than a year of consideration. While the law has not yet Great Neck Plaza officials on Monday gave a potential been drafted, it would amend date of Oct. 18 for introducing chapter 225 of the village code legislation to encourage afford- to change zoning regulations in
BY JA N E LL E CL AUSEN
the Residence T (RT) zone and the Residence D (RD) zones. It follows the completion of a report from the Regional Planning Association, which featured analyses of three sites Continued on Page 56
For the latest news visit us at www.theislandnow.com D on’t forget to follow us on Twitter @Theislandnow and Facebook at facebook.com/theislandnow