Friday, August 2, 2019
Vol. 79, No. 31
“Oysters For The Bay”
Elected officials from representing the North Shore and community members holding one of the oyster cages used as part of the “Community Shellfish Gardening” program. Left to Right: Assemblyman Charles Lavine, Rob Crafa, Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino, State Senator Jim Gaughran, Heather Johnson, Jeff Miritello, Barry Udelson, Mayor Dan DeVita, Mayor Charles Goulding, Community gardener Deborah Perrone, Mayor Bob DeNatale. BY RIKKI MASSAND At the Oyster Bay Town Board meeting held Tuesday morning, July 30, the Board unanimously approved a resolution aimed at positive impacts for water quality and environmental stewardship of Oyster Bay’s Long Island Sound and North Shore bays and coastal waterways. The Town has approved designations of three Bay Management Areas: (AREA 1) Oyster Bay Harbor adjacent to West Shore Road, south of the Bayville Bridge, 25
acres; (AREA 2) East of and Adjacent to Laurel Hollow Beach, 20 acres, and (AREA 3) Oyster Bay Cove west of and adjacent to Lloyd Neck Beach, 10 acres. The Town’s resolution approved July 30, 2019, stipulates “Town Board may set aside underground lands as management area for the conservation, preservation, seeding, and rehabilitation of shellfish….. No person shall take, interfere with or otherwise disturb shellfish within an area designated as management area, and authorizes the Commissioner of the
Department of Environmental Resources to prohibit and restrict the removal of shellfish from a management area.” The resolution noted the careful selection of the three management areas were planned with input from Deputy Commissioner George Baptista, Jr. of the Department of Environmental Resources, “after study that included examination of the bottom types, water currents, and commercial impacts of creating See page 13
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Former town supervisor pleads guilty to misconduct Former Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor John Venditto pleaded guilty to two public corruption indictment charges on July 26. The charges stem from a 2008 incident in which former Town Commissioner of Planning and Development Frederick Ippolito accepted $1.6 million from a developer. Venditto pleaded guilty to one count of Corrupt Use of Position or Authority because he knew about the payment but allowed Ippolito to exert control over the developer’s application. According to Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas, Ippolito pleaded guilty to tax evasion for not reporting the payment from Cantiague Commons, a proposed $150 million residential housing complex for seniors. The project needed the approval of the Town of Oyster Bay Town Board to rezone the property for residential use. “Our investigation uncovered pervasive corruption in the Town of Oyster Bay where the powerful and connected used the government to benefit themselves at the expense of the taxpayers they were sworn to serve,” Singas said. “This felony plea by former Town Supervisor Venditto sends a strong message that
corruption will not be tolerated in Nassau County and my office will pursue these cases aggressively without fear or favor.” According to Singas, as the commissioner of planning and development, Ippolito had substantial influence over any potential real estate developments within the Town. Singas said Venditto allowed Ippolito to exert control over the developer’s rezoning application and site plan approval, even though he was aware of Ippolito’s impermissible conflict of interest. Ippolito’s financial stake in Cantiague Commons was not disclosed to the public or the other Town Board members who voted to approve the project and relied on the representations of Venditto and Ippolito. Ippolito failed to report the payments from the developers to the Internal Revenue Service and he was indicted in March 2015 for Tax Evasion. He pleaded guilty on January 26, 2016 to one count of Tax Evasion in federal court for tax year 2008 and was sentenced to 27 months’ imprisonment on September 28, 2016. Ippolito was indicted by a Nassau County grand jury for his alleged actions but passed See page 13
“Adopt-a-Spot” comes to TOB parks PAGE 5 Bethpage School Board reorganization PAGE 7