The Williston Times, Friday, May 20, 2016
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Ex Chaminade prez suspended as priest Continued from Page 1 The province said it will “as required,” submit Williams’ case to the Holy See, the Catholic pope’s jurisdiction. Williams was a Chaminade teacher and administrator from 1991 until 2012, the province’s statement says. Cleary replaced him as president in August 2011, the same year as the alleged abuse. Williams remained a teacher and chaplain until 2012. The Meribah Province launched its investigation after learning about the abuse allegations from the diocese “with the assistance of professionals who specialize in this area and with the help of our lay review board,” the province’s statement said. The investigation start-
ed under the province’s policies, which are consistent with the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the statement said. “It was during the course of this investigation that we first learned that one of the alleged incidents dated back to 2011, when the individual involved was a minor,” Cleary wrote. The DA’s office started its own investigation Feb. 25 after receiving a letter dated Feb. 24 from an attorney for the Diocese of Rockville Centre, Brosh said. Williams was believed to be living in Rome at that time, he said. A newsletter dated Sept. 15 from the Church of St. Paul the Apostle in Brookville says Williams
and requested anonymity. The two-year statute of limitations for misdemeanors had already expired in 2013, Brosh said. On May 3 of this year, the DA’s office got a letter from an attorney for Chaminade identical to the one the diocese sent in February 2015, Brosh said. When investigators contacted the alleged victim again after receiving that letter, he “reiterated that he did not wish to pursue charges and wantPHOTO: EVERIPEDIA.COM ed to remain anonymous,” Brosh said. Father James Williams was suspended from his The Meribah Province duties as a priest last week. did not answer two phone calls seeking additional was headed to Rome to was an adult at the time comment. Diocese of pursue a doctorate at the of the alleged misdemean- Rockville Center spokesPontifical University of St. or sexual abuse in 2011, man Sean Dolan did not but did not want to press answer a call seeking Thomas Aquinas. Brosh said the victim charges against Williams comment.
Founded in Mineola in 1930, Chaminade is one of the nation’s most prestigious private Catholic boys schools. Notable alumni include former Nassau County Executive and current congressional candidate Tom Suozzi, former U.S. Sen. Alfonse D’Amato and political commentator Bill O’Reilly. Tax filings show the school’s development fund had nearly $49 million in total assets as of 2013. Chaminade is one of three Long Island schools the Mineola-based Meribah Province of the Marianist Order oversees, along with Kellenberg Memorial High School and St. Martin de Porres Marianist School for kindergarten through eighth grade, both in Uniondale.
kaiman urges caution in dems’ house race Continued from Page 10 “These companies have taken advantage of us for far too long and they don’t need more tax breaks,” Clarke said, agreeing with Suozzi. “We have to prosecute anybody that’s doing this because it should be illegal. It’s tax fraud.” Stern said he has written a series of bills that he calls the “Housing Our Homeless Heroes Act,” which would be the first thing he brings to the table if elected. He also said he wanted to make Long Island the Alzheimer’s research capital of the country. Kaiman said he would work with Republican counterparts on ways to better protect New York and the entire nation from terroris-
tic threats. Clarke, who is the only candidate who supports presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, was the lone candidate who said he was in support of the Iran Nuclear Deal. “We have no problem being friends with Saudi Arabia, which is the most oppressive regime in that area and who do fund ISIS,” he said. “But we do have problems with Iran and that doesn’t make sense to me.” Kaplan, who is an Iranian immigrant, said she opposed the deal because Iran’s leaders were untrustworthy. “This is a country where the Iranian people are wonderful people,” she said. “But it’s a regime that is not to be trusted and a regime that we should not be giving
legitimacy to.” Suozzi said he didn’t think the deal was “tough enough,” adding that the country no longer needed oil from the Middle East, decreasing our need to operate in those areas. Stern and Kaplan both said there should be sanctions placed if Iran violates the terms of the deal. Kaiman said war should not be the answer if the deal is violated. Stern said he was running for Israel’s seat to build on his political record. “I’m running to build on a record I’m very proud of. A record of fighting for middle class families, protecting our environment, protecting our Long Island Sound,” he said. “Many of my legislative initiatives are literally the first of their kind in New
York State and even the first in the country.” Kaiman said he thought citizens were losing confidence in government. “We need somebody who can stand up and be honest with us and fight that fight,” he said. “I’m running for Congress because I believe I am that person.” Clarke said he was running to give voters the option of electing a progressive Democrat into office and to fix a “broken” campaign finance system. “I think just the fact that I’m sitting here shows the tenacity that I have,” he said. “I started from nothing, I came from nothing, and now I’m sitting here.” Suozzi said he was running because of his ability to “get things done” and because he wanted to make
the world “a better place to live in” “I believe my life experience as an attorney, as a certified public accountant, as a mayor for eight years, as a county executive for eight years, makes me uniquely equipped to actually help solve the problems that exist with my record of standing up to powerful interests and get things done on behalf of the people,” he said. Kaplan said she wanted to prevent substance abuse, secure funding for safer borders, and make the 3rd Congressional District more affordable to live for seniors and the younger generation. The Democratic primary election is set for June 28. After the debate, the
Great Neck Democratic Club held a straw poll for its members to vote on which candidate they preferred. Club President Steven Markowitz said of the 63 members who voted, Kaiman received 49 votes, Suozzi received 6 votes, Kaplan and Clarke received 3 votes each, Stern got one vote and there was one vote for an “other.” State Sen. Jack Martins of Old Westbury, is seeking the Republican nomination for the Third District seat. He had been opposed for the Republican nomination by Glen Cove financial investigator Philip Pidot, but the state Board of Elections ruled two weeks ago that he did not file enough petition signatures to qualify for the June 28 primary.
NhP takes stand against 3rd track project Continued from Page 45 Strauss said Mineola does not yet oppose the project outright, but he agreed the scoping document and the hearing process were concerning. “What I’m opposing is how it’s being done, how this is being rolled out to
us,” Strauss said. “They’re asking us to put a puzzle together and see how it fits into our community, but they’re not giving us all the pieces.” DeFalco said planners have held more than 100 meetings with local stakeholders so far in a “truly
unprecedented” outreach effort. “This engagement started in January and will continue through an intensive scoping period and beyond,” she said. The state has launched a website, AModernLI. com, and opened an infor-
mation center at the Mineola LIRR station where the public can review the scoping document, ask questions and submit comments on the proposal. The information center is open Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Thursdays and Fridays
from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Cuomo and other proponents, including business groups, universities and non-profit institutions, say the third track would east commutes, improve train service, reduce road
traffic congestion, add millions of dollars to Long Island’s economy and attract thousands of new residents. Local opponents say their homes, schools and quality of life would bear the brunt of the project and get little to no benefit.