Town board wrap-up: term limit proposal bites the dust

A measure setting a public hearing on proposed term limits for town supervisor and council members failed in a split vote of the Riverhead Town Board last week. The rejection came after much discussion over the past weeks and several revisions to the proposal, which seemed to have the support of a majority of the board when it was discussed at the April 10 work session. Supervisor Sean Walter and Councilman George Gabrielsen voted yes to hold a public hearing on the concept. Councilman John Dunleavy, Councilman James Wooten and Councilwoman Jodi Giglio voted no.

Giglio and Wooten at the April 10 work session both said they agreed to set the public hearing, but changed their mind before the April 15 regular meeting.

“I think term limits should be set by the people in an election, not by a statute,” Giglio said after the meeting.

Another proposal that’s sparked controversy among board members survived a vote to set a May 6 public hearing. The board voted 4-1, with Dunleavy casting the lone dissenting vote, to amend the town’s ethics code to prohibit town board members from serving on the executive committee of a political party. Board members have argued over which elected and appointed officials should be banned from serving on the political committee executive board, with Walter pushing to exclude town assessors from those political posts. Riverhead assessor Mason Haas was elected chairman of the Republican committee last fall. The supervisor was alone in supporting a broader ban. The measure that won support of a majority of board members would only add town board members to the existing list of officials barred from holding executive committee positions: planning board, zoning board of appeals, board of assessment review and ethics board. The conservation advisory council would be removed from the list of boards whose members cannot serve on political party executive committees.

The board voted unanimously to authorize litigation against Gershow Recycling on Hubbard Avenue, which the town alleges is operating in violation of Riverhead Town Code.

Beach parking permit decals will be affixed to the back window of vehicles rather than to the front bumper, if a proposed code revision is approved by the town board. The topic will be the subject of a public hearing on May 6 at 2 :20 p.m.

In other action at last week’s regular meeting, the board:

• ratified the reappointment of members of the farmland preservation committee: Mark Zaweski, Jeff Rottkamp,Kareem Massoud, Richard O’Dea and Richard Wines;

• approved a stipulation with the Riverhead PBA to allow payout of accrued sick time to the estates of deceased police officers Robert Boden and Benjamin Goodale;

• approved an annual stipend of $8,000 to Raymond Coyne, superintendent of parks and recreation, for additional duties formerly filled by the town’s youth bureau director, a position eliminated due to budget constraints when the former youth bureau director left the post;
• re-established a senior citizen advisory council, a body originally created in 1990 that “became inactive.” Jo Packard, Susan Wilks, Anna Law, Harriet Gilliam, Joy Rankin and James Lee were named to the board;

The board also approved the following special event permits:

• Survival Race LLC, May 3 and 4 at the 4-H Camp on Sound Avenue;

• Riverhead Adventures 5K runs at the Calverton Enterprise Park, June 1 and Sept. 14;

• L.I. Aero Modelers Association “National Model Aviation Day” event, Aug. 15-17;

• Riverhead Elks Lodge #2044 Lawn Mower and Bicycle Races on May 4, June 1, Aug. 24, Sept. 14 and Oct. 12;