Bethpage-Tribune_1971-01-28

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island Trees Serving Bethpage - Plainview — Island Trees — Plainedge — Seaford Old Bethpage
Vol. 5 No. 13 Thursday, January 28, 1971 10c par copy
PhotoTinThe News1 Commissioner's Decision
Goes To Court For Appeal
MATERIALS TO THE GREGORY IWU^EUM
Recently the Bethpage Lumber Company, donated 70
pieces of sheet rock, a" yard of sand, and 5 bags of
cement to The Gregory Museum. This material is
being used in renovating the Hicksville Heitz Place
Court House,- - -future home of the museum.
Jules Marashinsky, one of the owners of Bethpage
Lumber, has accepted a position on the Building
Committee of The Gregory Museum.
Donations of money, labor and materials are badly
needed for completing the renovation and conversion
of the Hicksville Heitz Place Court House, so that The
Gregory Museum can occupy the building.
Those interested in helping out should call OV 1-6041.
L e g a l p a p e rs
challenging the ap­pointment
of Anthony
Pfarrer to the School
Board seat held by ousted
trustee James Tucci, were
served Monday against
Island Trees Board
President Lawrence
Berke.
Combined with ab­sences,
the court action
indirectly caused the
Board to be left without a
its regular
tag-TOes#ay
ni: it at Michael F. Stokes
ON GUARD: A monitoring mitchine, used in the
coronary care unit of new, three-story addition to
Central General Hospital, Plainview, is demonstrated
by Dr. Abraham Azulan, the hospital director of
medicine. Listening, from left, are Nassau Health
Commissioner Dr. Joseph Kinneman; Dr. Anton
Notey, the hospital executive director; and Mrs.
Benjamin Sajnacki, a nurse.
Councilman Named NOISE Director
Hempstead Town Councilman
Eugene Weisbein ol Hewlett
Harbor was unanimously elected
as a member ol the board of
directors of the National
Organization to Insure a Sound-
Controlled Environment
(NOISE) at the organization's
recent meeting in Los Angeles.
" Weisbein, himself, a resident of
jet-alley, has first hand
knowledge of the inconvenience
and frustration uncontrolled
noise has inflicted on town
residents.
School-
Entitled a "Notice of
Motion" and returnable* in
the Mineola branch of the
State Supreme Court, the
papers, filed by Tucci,
contest both his removal
(at the order of the State
C o m m i s s i o n e r of
Education) and the sub­sequent
appointment of
Pfarrer.
According to Tucci,
should Pfarrer vote in a
meeting, he could possibly
be in legal jeopardy, since
the question of the
legitimacy of his ap­pointment
is now.a matter
of court action.
Board Attorney William
J. Rowley,\ however,
argued that neither
Pfarrer nor the Board
could be held accountable
for following the Com­missioner's
order. That
order, the result of legal
action against Tucci, was
based on the Com­missioner's
opinion that an
"incompatible" relation
e x i s t e d between
simultaneous membership
on a library and a school
board.
Tucci, a member of the
library Board, has con­sistently
denied the
Commissioner's power to
order his removal from
either Board. His original
refusal to resign from one
or the other posts was
followed last month by the
Commissioner's order that
he be removed from the
School Board.
' Rowley also pointed out
that the Commissioner
would have the option to
appoint a replacement
himself, had the Board not
appointed Pfarrer.
Quorum problems arose
when trustee Anthony
Lancelotti said he would
not participate in the
meeting. He explained
that he agreed with
Tucci's legal contention,
and so. could nqjt take part
in a meeting unless
Pfa r r e r ' s vote wa s
discounted.
Besides Berke, Pfarrer
and himself, the only other
trustee present was
Robert Evans.
Lancellotti conceded
that to void Pfarrer's vote
was also to leave the
Board without a quorum,
but claimed he had ex­pected
sufficient members
to be on hand so that his
departure, or Pfarrer's
absention, would not
prevent the meeting from
taking place.
Both Lancellotti and
Tucci stressed that they
had nothing personal
against Pfarrer, but were
concerned about the seat
he occupied.
"I have no personjfl
feelings regarding *ftfr.
Tucci or any other
member of the Board",
responded Pfarrer, adding
that "my feeling is that
this Board has a lot of
business to transact,"
Perhaps not in jest, he
expressed the hope that
the Board's work be done
before Labor Day.
Berke echoed the desire
of the Board to finish its
work, and reiterated
Rowley's contention that
Pfarrer's vote is a legal
one, based on compliance
with the Commissioner's
order. (Rowley had in­dicated
that whether or not
the Commissioner's order
was upheld by the Courts,
the Board's compliance to
it could not be legally
faulted).
Rowley also explained
that the Board will have to
go to Court to answer
Tucci's motion, but he
noted it is possible the case
will be dismissed as
beyond the jurisdiction of
the Court.
Although no meeting
was held, all four mem­bers
, stayed for a
discussion with the public,
which had waited for about
an hour. As wa» tn» pat­tern
ol several past
discussions with ftre
audience, things were
lively, with comments
flying between a n ( i among
trustees and public fac­tions.
The main item of
discussion was an in­vestigation
of Insurance
premiums requested by
former Board member
ponald Ferris. Berke
reported that the Board
was seeking an external
audit of the district's in­surance
carriers, as well
as an investigation by the
New York State Dept. of
Insurance.
Ferris again questioned
whether Berke had pur­sued
the matter- - whether
the district had been
defrauded of insurance
premiums- - when ap­pointed
insurance
chairman by Ferris. Berke
responded with a letter
from the State Insurance
Dept. which said that his
previous correspondence
had been mistakenly
placed in the agency's
"closed file."
Ferris, who claimed
Berke used charges of
possible insurance fraud
on his (Ferris') part, later
expressed incredulity
about this "closed file."
Ferris also maintained he
was the original advocate
of insurance review, and
that the change of carrier
he had brought about
resulted in a saving for the
[Continued on Page 8)