Serving Roslyn, Roslyn Heights and Old Westbury
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Friday, June 16, 2017
Vol. 5, No. 24
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GUIDE TO SENIOR LIVING
PGA COMES TO OLD WESTBURY
PAGES 33-40
PAGE 2
COUNTY SUES DRUG COMPANIES PAGE 6
WPG
1 name on ballot but O. Westbury contest not over
TA K E T H E S TA G E
BY A M E L I A C A M U R AT I
Schmidt-Chorost needs write-in support to keep justice seat BY N O A H M A N S K A R After write-in votes unexpectedly unseated three Old Westbury trustees in 2015, the village justice is hoping such votes will save her seat next week. Albert KhaďŹ f, a village Board of Zoning Appeals member and a retired attorney, will be the only candidate for the job on the ballot on Tuesday. A judge removed the current justice, Susan Schmidt-Chorost, from the ballot last month, agreeing with KhaďŹ f that her candidacy under the “Old Westbury Independent Partyâ€? used a party name too similar to the Independence Party, a major political party. Schmidt-Chorost is seeking enough write-in votes to hold her job for a full four-year term. The village Board of Trustees appointed her in December after former Justice Edward Joachim died. “It’s been a wonderful experience and I’ve been honored to
serve, and I hope I can continue to serve the village,â€? Schmidt-Chorost said in an interview this week. The two candidates have traded jabs on social media in recent weeks. Schmidt-Chorost has circulated a letter from all four village trustees and Mayor Fred Carillo endorsing her and a postcard with instructions on how to write her name in, she said. KhaďŹ f argues that SchmidtChorost’s failure to follow a basic election law proves she is unqualiďŹ ed for the village bench. He has also charged that the village appointed her in a clandestine process and has tried to keep the contested election quiet. “You’d be amazed how many people I’ve spoken to that are surprised there’s an election,â€? KhaďŹ f said in an interview this week. “That’s the most troubling part.â€? KhaďŹ f said he is drawing support from people dissatisďŹ ed with how the village runs. He touted his Continued on Page 57
Roslyn pays out $550K
PHOTO COURTESY OF NASSAU BOCES
Caroline Aruanno, a theater student from the Roslyn UFSD who also attends Nassau BOCES Long Island High School for the Arts, recently performed “Who Does She Think� from “Bernice Bobs Her Hair� at the LIHSA Spring Theater Festival.
A 12-year legal battle ended last week with a half-million-dollar payout to a couple who said they were persecuted by Roslyn village oďŹƒcials. Roslyn resident Judith Wilner was awarded $550,000 last week by a jury in Nassau County Supreme Court after suing the village for malicious prosecution and violating her constitutional rights. Justice Leonard Steinman presided over the trial. During a heavy rain storm in October 2005, the Roslyn Village Hall was damaged by ood water and mud rolling downhill to the back of the building. Village oďŹƒcials alleged the path of the water was altered by Wilner’s makeshift drainage device on her Verity Lane property that did not meet village code and illegally discharged storm water down the hillside behind the hall. Wilner and her husband, Harry, asserted the damage was caused by the village’s own drainage system and accused the village of shifting blame to the couple for the malfunctioning components by continuing the prosecution of the summons. Immediately after the storm, Roslyn’s code enforceContinued on Page 57
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