Memorial Day 2002 • Freeport NY 

By Stewart S Lilker

While not as large as in years past, Freeport’s Memorial Day Parade was well attended, with crowds three deep lining both sides Merrick Road from Long Beach to Ocean Avenues. Unfortunately, neither the parade route, nor its time, was posted on the "Official" Village of Freeport web site, which has deteriorated into not much more than a self aggrandizing propaganda machine for the Glackenite regime.

At right, the Nassau County Sheriff's Department Honor Guard stands watch over Freeport's war memorial.

The Army's 42nd Infantry Division Band marches past an almost empty reviewing stand, as Mayor Glacken and the rest of the dignitaries were marching further toward the back of the pack.

The Freeport School Board, Mike Raab driving, Joe Cattano in the passenger seat, Ron Ellerbe waving, Sunday Coward smiling, and Superintendent Eric Eversely in the red hat enjoy the parade as participants.

The Freeport High School Marching Band, one of the premier marching bands on Long Island, stops and plays a tune in front of the reviewing stand.

By Stewart S Lilker

Freeport’s Republican Mayor, William F. Glacken and his Republican Board of Trustees have recently come up with another scheme to part the village taxpayers from their tax dollars. In their latest Ponzi like scheme, the village residents are really getting slammed. The rueful story inside Freeport Village Hall is leaking out, as the Glacken Administration spends money without any thought to the taxpayers ability to keep paying ever increasing tax bills.

After suffering a 62.5% tax increase in the past five years, many village residents have expressed a need for a tax break. Unknown to most of the village residents were the words of a NYS Senator to this reporter, who said about Glacken Administration, "These guys have no money."

It appears in order to raise money, Glacken and his Mob/Village Attorney brother in law, the unelected de facto ruler of the village, are double speaking and double dealing to raise money from anywhere to pay their ever increasing bills.

The latest Glackenite scheme to raise cash by bonding money they already said they have, involves Glacken’s pet project, the replanting of the village trees.

On March 25, 2002, the village awarded its annual tree planting contract for $202,000 to the lowest bidder, Truegreen Landcare of Melville, NY. At that time, Glacken and the board were questioned about the financing of the contract. After it became clear that neither Glacken, nor any of the Glackenite trustees had any idea where the money was coming from, Superintendent of Public Works, Lou DiGrazia, jumped in to save the day. He pointed out there was $100,000 dollars coming from the municipal budget; $100,000 from Community Development from previous years and $48,000 remaining in a capital account.

When your reporter pointed out that the total was $248,000, a surly Glacken said, "Any money that is not used this year, can be used next year."

DiGrazia explained there were a thousand trees in the bid. He said, "You don’t have to plant a thousand. You can plant less. It’s a requirements contract."

Your reporter asked, "The 202 thousand [dollars] is to plant a thousand trees?"

DiGrazia responded, "Yes."

At the April 29, 2002, village board meeting, the Glackenites approved bond resolutions totaling over $10,000,000, bringing their five year total to $65,000,000. Buried among those resolutions was the tree bond, authorizing the "sale of $350,000 in municipal bonds for the removal, rehabilitation and replacement of ornamental shade trees within the Village."

On May 6, 2002, your reporter questioned the board regarding the $350,000 tree bond authorization, passed the week before. By this time, the record clearly showed that the village had reserved $248,000 for trees and that the contract for tree planting was only $202,000.

Your reporter told the Deputy Mayor, Renier Frierson, who was chairing the May 6th meeting in Glacken’s unexplained absence, "I’m a little confused. Maybe you can help me?"

Frierson explained, "The money that was voted on last week was for both tree planting and removal and project management and engineering costs associated with tree planting and removal."

Your reporter followed up, "You said you already had $248,000. Can you tell me how it is going to cost $350,000 to remove the trees and engineering?"

Frierson, showing here annoyance at being questioned, responded, "If you are going to twist everything we say, what is the point of answering a question? The bond we voted on last week was for $350,000. That bond was to include tree planting at an estimated cost of $250,000. Tree removal at an estimated cost of $95,000. Project management at an estimated cost of $2,500. Engineering at an estimated cost of $2,500 for a total of $350,000.

Your reporter asked, "Three weeks ago the village said we already had the money for tree planting, so I’m a little confused. Why is anybody bonding money for tree planting, when you already said we had the money? Maybe you could explain that?"

Frierson asked, "Do you have another question?"

Your reporter asked, "You can’t explain that?"

The Glacken Administration, more concerned with out of town LIRR commuters than its own resident

In its heyday, the LIRR station at Freeport was one of the most heavily used stations on the Babylon branch. As the station fell into disrepair and crime increased, both residents and nonresidents alike began using the stations in Baldwin and Merrick.

(Photo: On Monday morning, May 13, 2002, the entire NE corner of the LIRR parking lot remains empty, forcing Freeport's commuters to dash through rain to make their trains. The stations in the two adjoining communities of Baldwin and Merrick were packed to overflowing.)

At the May 6, 2002 Freeport village board meeting, Deputy Mayor Renier Frierson explained that the parking lot was underutilized. She explained that it was thought that a lower fee might encourage more use of the lot by nonresidents.

According to Freeport’s Superintendent of Public Works, Lou DiGrazia, the MTA is trying to increase parking in Freeport, because all the other Babylon branch parking lots are filled to capacity. DiGrazia said, "To increase our parking in the area, we worked with the MTA to reduce the rate to supply the lot. It is underutilized right now."

Explaining the nonresident fee, DiGrazia said, "The fee was increased somewhere around 1994 or 95. There hasn’t been one application since that increase."

Mob/Village Attorney, Harrison Edwards, said, "The main reason for this change is to attract more nonresidents, which is not happening at all."

Your reporter, who is also a resident, asked the board, "Can you tell me why there is a parking fee imposed at all on the residents of Freeport to park at the Freeport train station? They can park in Baldwin for no charge, which is why Baldwin is always packed. They can park in Merrick for no charge, which is why Merrick is always packed.

Deputy Mayor Frierson responded, "The purpose here is to give residents a reserved area of parking, which you don’t have at other stations? It is just first come first served, catch as catch can. The idea of paying for resident parking was that you could park in a reserved resident parking area. Part of what we are doing with the lot is reserving resident parking spots closer to the station.

Your reporter followed up, "Can you tell me why you are not reducing the resident’s fee? You have increased their taxes 62.5% in the past five years. If you are trying to accommodate the residents and encourage them to use the train station, rather than those in Merrick and Baldwin, which are safer, why don’t you just make a ten dollar bookkeeping fee. This way residents are encouraged to use the train station, not encouraged to save sixty dollars and park for free in Baldwin and Merrick."

Instead of giving any explanation, Frierson said, "That question was just answered."

The rest of the Glackenite board sat mute.