The-Leader_1981-05-07

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BALDWIN NEWS
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FREEPORT
BALDWIN
ROOSEVELT
MERRICK
FREEPORT^S
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NEWSPAPER
46lhYEARNo.2 FREEPORT. NEW YORK. MAY 7.1981 PRICE 20* PER COPY
Three Now Seek School BoI oI rd Seat
Fire Chiefs Sworn In More Mdy Still File
FREEPORT - With his three
young sons holding the bible
as.he took his oaUi of office.
Chief John E. Combs. Jr. was.
sworn in as Chief of the Freeport<
Fin* PcpartiTifnt at the annnal
POLICE WORK ACCLAIMED. At a recient dinner meeting, the
Freeport KIwanIs honored three Freeport pollcff officers for the quick
capture of two youths accused of robbing several Merrick teenagers at
Ihe Freeport LIRR station. Guests of the Kiwanls for dinner at the Mid­ship
were P.O. Robert Horie/man (I.), P.O.-Edward Martin (2nd r.) and
P.O. John Westermann (r.). Welcoming them Is Kiwanis president
Tom Moore (2nd from 1.).
Black Police Officer Sues Village ___.
installation dinner-dance. The
dinner was held Friday evening.
May 1, at Crest Hollow Country
Qub. Talcing their oaths of office,
along with Combs, we're First
Assistant Chief John Provenzano.
Second Assistant Chief Stephen
Wenk and Third Assistant
Chief Lester Fieldsa.
Outgoing Chief William M.
Sarro was sworn in as Second
Batallion Delegate. Sarro was
also presented with a plaque by
Mayor Williara H. White, on
behalf of the department. White
also presented Sarro's wife.
Vera, with a bouqet of 1*2 roses,
one to represent each of the 12
month of the year he served.-
Before May 18 Deadline
FREEPORT - A third candidate has now thrown a haf into the
Fieeport School Board election race. Sharlene Asehdio-Russell, a
guidance counselor in. the Hempstead School District and mother of
two youngsters attending Freeport public schools, has tiled pf Htinnii
for the School Board position presently held by George Boulukos.
FRFFPOBT - A 19-yfar VPtPran <^f thp Firffiwrt Poyce Deparrmfnt :Faktflg-theif-^th3 of "office aeaj^te^igwe*
Boulukos previously announced
his intention to run for rcrelec-tion.
Candidates can still * file
petitions until 5 pm, Monday.
May 18. in the School Admini­stration
Building at 235 North
Ocean Avenue.
The School Board election and
Annual Budget Vote will be held
Wednesday. • June 17. rather
than in May l(ecause of the
cloudy St^e Aid picture. The
School Board announced in niid-
April that they could not submit
a budget to the voters without
more definite word from the
State, enabling them to prepare
The candidate's 12-year old
daughter. Erica, is in the sixth
grade at Atkinson School. Her
nine-year old son, Frankie,
is injhird grade at Archer Street
School. ~
Befor&^moving to Freeport,
Ms. Russ^l lived in Hempstead.
She has been a Long Island
resident for 20 of her 32 years.
She . holds' a Bachelor of- Aits
Degree ftom Hofstra University
and a Master in counseling and
edncation. also from Hofstra.
In explaining her reasons for.
lunmng. Ms. Russell pointed to
her experiences as a parent,
teacher, counselor and-Teachdrs'"
and the first black officer on the force. Detective Julius Pearse has filed ^„^ ajf„ the various company
a suit charging that he was systematically and iHegally barred from officers
promotion to sergeant.
Peatse charges that he had placed second on a civil service eligibility
examination in 1975 and, after
the first person on the list was
made sergeant, he became next.
According to. Pearse, although
there was a vacancy at that time,
it was left unfilled on the ground,
said Pearse, that there was nb.
money to pay the additional
salar>-. Pearse, "a detective
since 1969, claims that there
would have been little, if any
difference, in his salary at the
time and the salary he" would
have received as a sergeant
because of his overtime.
According to Pearae. the Black
Government and he filed a
complaint against the Freeport
Police Department.
The • Justice Department,
Pearse now-says, decided to go-
3fter-Jf5ssau Ccffinly first but did
not notify him of their decision.
Del. Pearse said he first found
out in 1980 that Freeport had
not been included in the suit
and was told he would have to
sue individually.
Pearse is represented by Larrj,
Cumberbatch. a New York Cit^-
Community at that time thought
*hc should be named sergeant
and they tried to speak to pol­itical
leaders but. "nobody
listened to them," says Pearse.
"I was told they were not filling
the slot because there were too
many officers in the detective
division...The department was
too top-heavy and there was no
money."
The list died in 1977 and a
new civil service eligibility test
Aas given. With a mark of 97.
Pearse says, he was number H
nn the list.
Pearse told THE LEADER this
.veek that by then he had been
'named as an agitator with the
Civil Service for his affirmative
action"'and lince that time
my position sceriictl u» drop."
.According to Pearse one of
eight Frecpon police officers
.".ho were named sergeant from
hai 19'''' lisi »a.s given the slot
• ri the detective division
Pearse said that he then
decided to g,i to EOC, the Justice
rX'partmeni. the Kevenue
Sharing Agency and the Federal
civil rights attorney who, Pearse
says, represented the black
police sergeants in their success­ful
suit against New York City.
Pearse is seeking $100,000 in
punitive damages, plus pro­motion
to sergeant and the
difference in base pay (S875
over the $26,500 he now makes)
for each year since 1976.
Pearse, who is 47, had planned
to retire after putting in 20
years of service (June, 1982)
but now says he »^1 "stay with
this because 1 ^ 9 l d want to
see it settled."
Money, Pearse says, is not the
reason why he is seeking the
sergeant's title. He said it is
a matter of power and prestige.
A sergeant, according to Pearse.
mal:.'< p t i l i r y i n r t hac thf p<mcr fO
Service Awards
While neither fireman was
present to be honored,. Village
Trustee Timothy Petemana
announced that 50 year service
pin's were being awarded to
Joseph Primavera and Fred­erick
Puff. .Pins for 25 years of
service were bestowed by
Village Trustee Jim Clark, also
a member of the Freeport Fire
Department. Frank Sarro, Robert
Eiwig Sr. and Edward McBride
were present to receive their
pins.- -Angelo Capozzoli and-
Percy Newberry also were
-. tCnnl onPa;iel2)
Two Seats
To Be Decided
Ms. Russell, who-has lived on
Hillside Avenue in Treeport for
the past nine years, is the third
candidate to file. Besides Ms.
Russell and Boulukos. Cal
Venzen of Wallace Street pre­viously
announced his intention
to -run for the- seat presently
held by School Board President
Sara Holly. Mrs. Holly has
already stated that she will not be
a candidate for re-election.
Ms. Russell has been a guid­ance
counselor at Hempstead
Middle School for the past three
years. • Previously, she taught
social studies at the same school
—for a six year periods
Union member. She noted that
she had worked on school budgets
and programs and in planning
teachers'workshops.
a past vice-president of the
Teachers' Union in Hempstead,
Ms. Russell said she had an
opportunity to see how school
boards function.
"1 think 1 can see the school
district from both sides fo the
fence," she said, as a teacher
and as a parent with children in
the Freeport School District.
Among her other community
activities, Ms. Russell said she
-had been a Girl Scout Leader;
was presently' manager of the
(Coni. on Page 61
discipline.
Pearse said he was glad that
a woman and two Hispanics had
been recently named to the
Freeport Police Department,
bul that he ^4ished that there
were more Blacks on the Force.
"L'nfonunately." 'ne said.
.Cc".! on Page J.
STUDENT LEADERS COME TO VILLAGE HALL. Nine Members of the Dodd Junior High School
Student Ck)uncil visited Freeporfs Village Hall on National Student Leadership Day. Apni 28. After a
tour of Village Hall, the youths had a hour long meeting with Mayor Wilham H White (r.) on the
workings of village government. They also (oured the vit.'age's Police Department with Freeport Police
Officer IDonald Eck. who said this was the first time i e had ar. 'oiier group of students" on a tour of
the department and they were "very inquisitive ' Tr.e ;cu^ .-.a-j arranged by School District Com­munity
Officer Director WiMiam Oliver (stard'ng in rea' z' c^.oto^ Students cresent were Lisa Beth
Mayer. CourvciI president; Rosa Rodriguez, secretary; Lois vVright. treasurer; Ian Brodsky. sergean!-
5t-arms; and Fayette Reii °atr.ciaGiirnGu.' Jasmir =e ce' '••.••a.-^ Viseta anc! Dcnala Combs
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