Shame on the Republican majority of the Hempstead Town Board.  Notwithstanding last November's clear expression, by the voters, that a hundred years of corrupt control should end they are doing everything they can to keep control of the Board by the Republican County Leader.

Town Supervisor Laura Gillen has taken every reasonable step to reach across the isle for a truly bipartisan, effective Village Government. Instead, she has been met with the same old wall of Republican machine politics, that ignores good government and is, instead, in favor of soaking the taxpayers with spoils of Republican patronage and manipulation.

The pendulum is swinging and it will hit them hard in coming elections. Unfortunately, the people of the Town of Hempstead will pay the price, in a number of ways, until then.

HJB

Hempstead Town Board votes to postpone special election legislation

Supervisor Laura Gillen has proposed the legislation for special elections to fill elected office vacancies. The board also rescinded its law requiring service stations to provide free air for tire inflation.Hempstead Town supervisor decries board vote

The Hempstead Town Board voted 5-2 Tuesday in an hourslong meeting to indefinitely postpone legislation on special elections to fill vacancies in elected town offices as members of the audience shouted in opposition to the decision.

The proposed legislation called for the board to schedule a public hearing on the issue for Sept. 4. If it passed after the public hearing, the town would hold a public referendum on filling vacancies for town board members, the town clerk and the tax receiver through special elections instead of by appointments.

Every Republican town board member was initially appointed to his or her seat before running in subsequent elections. Supervisor Laura Gillen and Senior Councilwoman Dorothy Goosby, both Democrats, were elected.

The board also postponed voting on proposals to rename a Levittown athletic complex for former town Supervisor Joseph Mondello, a whistleblower protection act and a foreclosure registry. Residents shouted out from the audience that they should be allowed to speak before the vote postponing the issues. Public comment was not taken.

“It’s a disgraceful day in the Town of Hempstead,” Gillen said.

The board later voted 6-1 to change how it tables items despite Gillen’s opposition. Currently, if a proposed law is indefinitely postponed like the special election legislation was, it cannot be brought up for a vote again until a majority of board members choose to do so.

“There’s never been an issue until now,” Gillen said. “Tabling was never intended to bury an item forever.”

The board also voted 6-1 to repeal its controversial free-air law after a symbolic, unenforceable vote last month in the face of a lawsuit from a group of service station owners. Councilman Anthony D’Esposito said he wasn’t comfortable with the wording of the repeal and voted against it.