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Op Ed - Political Chess Move Gone Bad
Monday, February 10, 2014 at 7:12PM Political Chess Move Gone Bad
by Maureen Ledden Rossi
Thanks to the help of Bing, Merriam Webster and Wikipedia, I have compiled a short glossary for Mr. Puleo and our readers.
Dereliction: neglect of duty: deliberate neglect of duty or obligations, abandonment: the act of abandoning a building, state of neglect: a state of abandonment or neglect.
Moral: of, pertaining to, or concerned with the principles or rules of right conduct or the distinction between right and wrong; ethical: moral attitudes. expressing or conveying truths or counsel as to right conduct, as a speaker or a literary work. founded on the fundamental principles of right conduct rather than on legalities, enactment, or custom: moral obligations. capable of conforming to the rules of right conduct: a moral being. conforming to the rules of right conduct (opposed to immoral http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/immoral> ): a moral man.
Infighting: prolonged and often bitter dissension or rivalry among members of a group or organization.
Protest: To express strong objection. . A formal declaration of disapproval or objection issued by a concerned person, group, or organization. An individual or collective gesture or display of disapproval.
Recall Election (also called a recall referendum or representative recall) is a procedure by which voters can remove an elected official from office through a direct vote before his or her term has ended.
Grand Jury: a jury, at common law, of 12 to 23 persons, designated to inquire into alleged violations of the law in order to ascertain whether the evidence is sufficient to warrant http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/warrant trial.
Vendetta: a prolonged feud: a prolonged bitter feud or quarrel
Apology: a statement saying that you are sorry about something : an expression of regret for having done or said something wrong apologies : an expression of regret for not being able to do something
Debacle: chaotic failure: a sudden disaster, defeat, or humiliating failure
My goodness we find ourselves in the midst of a political debacle in Smithtown . Due to a one-hundred year old law, we have been provided an education in the protocol and legalities of our Oath of Office ceremony. Apparently the ceremony, despite using the very cool Bible from the Holy Land and having a host of judges on hand is merely ceremonial. We have learned over the past few days that it is the signing of the “Oath of office”paperwork that makes the whole thing legit. Oooops.
A respected expert in the field of municipal law, Paul Sabatino II has been practicing for thirty-six years and has served as counsel for the Suffolk County Legislature. In a conversation with Mr. Sabatino he explained that Smithtown’s Town Clerk Mr. Vincent Puleo had no legal duty to inform Supervisor Vecchio and Councilwoman Nowick that they had failed to sign the appropriate paperwork. There was no legal dereliction of duty. However, that does not mean there wasn’t a gross moral dereliction of duty on Puleo’s behalf.
In my exclusive interview with Sabatino on Friday by phone, he stated that the law is clear; there is no ambiguity, no defense. He stated that the Supervisor and Council positions were indeed void. He said the town would absolutely have to run a special election in November for both vacant seats – the Supervisor’s and Councilwoman Nowick’s. Sabatino also offered that in essence Mr. Puleo didn’t have the legal jurisdiction to declare the positions void, the state law does that. In addition he stated that state law says the filing of the vacancy with the County Clerk must be done immediately upon the Town Clerk becoming aware of said vacancies. A check with the County Clerk’s office today indicated that the county has not at this time received that document.
What was Mr. Puleo thinking? How did he allow this to happen? Was he the only one who knew? There is talk on the streets of a potential Grand Jury Investigation – and there is even a call by Puleo’s Democrat opponent (2013) Eddie Haeffer for a Recall. However, as of 2013, there is no recourse for a Recall under state law. Was this some type of vendetta? Anyone who follows Smithtown politics knows full well the infighting has been ongoing; it has been ugly and divisive. Maybe it’s time for some reflection in Town Hall; maybe all our elected officials need to carefully examine what has transpired over the last few days. Both sides need to commit to the best possible government for the people and that will result only when the petty infighting culminates.
At the end of the day, what did this failure of action accomplish? The people of Smithtown spoke back in November at the ballot box and their decision should have been upheld by the Town Clerk’s office. Going forward, what will a special election cost? There is a number being bantered around in the two hundred thousand dollar range. That is a lot of money, wasted money. This is an outrage and throngs of Smithtown voters in every corner of our bedroom community are outraged by this situation. Civic Groups in Smithtown are calling a Press Conference at Town Hall on Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. to decry this injustice, to decry this political chess move gone bad.
On Thursday there will be a special Town Board meeting where Deputy Supervisor Tom McCarthy is expected to make a resolution to appoint Supervisor Vecchio and Councilwoman Nowick. Will Creighton and Wehrheim vote with McCarthy and make it official? I believe they will. I have the good fortune of knowing both men, I know firsthand that they care deeply about their town and the people who reside here. They are consummate public servants. I’m not a betting woman but at this point I’d bet my good pearls that Vecchio and Nowick will be back in office by Thursday night. I’m counting on it, all Smithtown residents are counting on it. As far as Puleo, who is known by many as a wonderful family man, a dedicated volunteer and a good human being, there is still time for an apology. An apology might not seem sufficient for everyone, nor will it negate this scandal but it would indeed be the moral thing to do.
Maureen Ledden Rossi
Reader Comments (5)
What exactly would Mr Puleo be apologizing for? Thank you.
Mr. Puleo threw a bomb into the Town Hall and then went on vacation. That's how a terrorist would act, not a responsible public servant. I hope the damage can be undone by the Town Board members being statesmen and setting things right by restoring those who were elected to their offices. The community is watching.
Even the president of the United States has to sign such a statement. These allegedly responsible and experienced office holders know what needs tobe done. It is not the duty or obligation of the Clerk to chase the around. The purpose of the signature is so the elected person I knowledges he/she took the oath. They have 30 days to do this. Their hubris and arrogance is what got in their way! They goofed! They're out!
Timothy Fleming - it's funny you say such. I've been a reporter for twenty years and my husband has read a lot of my articles/columns during that time. I've never seen him disagree so vehemently with me on an opinion. After reading the above op-ed he said the exact same thing you said. They should be out of office. He referenced POTUS as well. I truly see but sides of the story but it's terrible that the voters should have to suffer, so many of our forefathers have given their lives for our freedom, for our right to vote. The November votes of our Smithtown residents need to count. Thank you for weighing in.
Ms Rossi: My final take on the issue lest I be accused of hogging the board. You are so lucky to have such a brilliant husband. I'm a veteran. I know all about the forefather stuff and the freedom stuff and the vote stuff. We are also a nation of laws. The laws were enacted to be followed. I'm an immigrant. I couldn't come to America unless I went to the US embassy in Dublin and signed a statement that within six months of my arrival in US I would register with the local draft board. I did! That made me legal! The people who didn't sign that card broke the law. That nullified their election. I'd love to post QED but it might appear disrespectful. Thank you.