Serving Roslyn, East Hills, Roslyn Estates, Roslyn Harbor, Roslyn Heights, Greenvale, Old Westbury and North Hills
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Friday, March 25, 2022
Vol. 10, No. 12
LIVING 50+
MANHASSET BOYS WIN STATE BASKETBALL TITLE
PAGES 25-32
PAGE 10
DEMS CALL FOR COUNTY GAS TAX HOLIDAY PAGE 6
Broken chain of command at Town Hall: DeSena Supervisor says commissioners told to report to Bosworth’s ex-chief of staff BY B R A N D ON D U FF Y During a virtual town hall with Blank Slate Media, North Hempstead Supervisor Jennifer DeSena said that commissioners and department heads are being asked to report to Jeanine Dillon, the current chief research assistant to the Town Board and previous chief of staff for ex-Supervisor Judi Bosworth. DeSena’s comments came when she was asked about the Town Board and whether it is asserting authority not previously used. Since DeSena took office in January, conflicts have erupted at the board’s monthly meetings over moving office space, budget and personnel resolutions and DeSena’s picks for the Board of Ethics, which were blocked on the grounds of lack of diversity, among other things. In November, DeSena was the first Republican nominee to win the town supervisor election in over 30 years, succeeding Bosworth, a Democrat who did not seek re-election. The sevenmember Town Board retains a Democratic majority, as it long has, with three Republicans to four Democrats. “For too long, North Hempstead Town Hall has been riddled with politics, discord and staff in-fighting,” DeSena said during her inauguration in January. “Politics have been placed
ahead of our taxpayers and town services have suffered as a result, there’s no denying it. As of today, partisan power party politics will no longer have a place in Town Hall.” DeSena said at the Blank Slate Media event last Thursday that the Town Board has a legislative function and its members work part-time and that she is the chief executive, responsible for what happens daily in Town Hall. “When it comes to accountability for day-to-day operations that’s the role of the supervisor, that’s the chief administrative officer and that’s what I am,” DeSena said. “The question is where does legislative function stop.” The Manhasset resident said that commissioners and department heads were used to a certain chain of command under previous administrations, but that has been changed since she took office. “Me and the deputy supervisor [Joe Scalero] are here every day but now they’re still being asked to report to the former chief of staff to Judi Bosworth who somehow reports to the Town Board,” DeSena said. She was referring to Jeanine Dillon, who in January was transferred under a personnel resolution to become chief research assistant to the Town Board. Republicans opposed the resolution. Continued on Page 42
PHOTO COURTESY OF ROSLYN PUBLIC SCHOOLS
The Drama Club of Roslyn Middle School put on four performances of The Addams Family over the second weekend of March. See story on page 55.
Mineola man pleads guilty to killing, abusing puppies BY R OB E RT PE L A E Z A Mineola man admitted he fatally beat two puppies and seriously injured another, agreeing to a plea deal on Monday that will have him spend a year in jail, according to Newsday.
Ellie Knoller, 31, pleaded guilty to three felony charges of aggravated animal cruelty that occurred in 2019, according to Newsday. Knoller will also be banned from owning a pet for as long as 50 years as part of his plea deal, according to Newsday. Knoller allegedly adopted a
10-12-week-old shepherd mix named Tucker in February 2019 from a local pet adoption agency. Nine days later the puppy died from kidney rupture, likely of blunt force trauma that led to extensive internal bleeding, prosecutors said. Continued on Page 41
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