September 11 & 18, 2000
Freeport Village Hall

Vil Board Blasts Through Meetings
Residents Can’t Hear • Mayor Says "I Don’t Care"

by Stewart Lilker

The poor acoustics in Freeport’s largest echo chamber, Freeport Village Hall, continue to make it all but impossible to hear those addressing the Board and Mayor Glacken. As usual, the Village Trustees could not be heard, but that is because they don’t speak. Ever since Glacken spent tens of thousands of dollars renovating the Village Hall conference room, he turned it into an echo chamber and refuses to remedy the problem. 

September 11, 2000  Board Meeting
Deputy Mayor Blasts Through Meeting In 18 Minutes

In the absence of Mayor Glacken, The Board blasted through the September 11th Board meeting in a record time of eighteen minutes. (Go to Agenda).

Resident Alan Jay questioned item 3b on the agenda, the request for approval of a grant in the amount of $150,000.00, which was allocated for Police overtime. Neither Deputy Mayor Frierson-Davis, nor any of the trustees seemed to have a clue what the grant was about. When Deputy Police Chief Burdette stood up to explain the grant, he wasn’t asked to use a microphone. Your reporter, who was on the other side of the room, could only hear a few words. This was unfortunate, as Burdette is usually well spoken and articulate. Of Burdett's lengthy explanation, all that could be made out was that the grant was hopefully the first year of a four year grant and that the Village has to come up with fifty thousand dollars the first year. It also appeared that the grant was to establish a tactical unit. It is not known whether Burdette explained if this was in addition to the tactical unit that is presently employed by the Police Department.

Deputy Mayor Frierson-Davis Misleads Public About Illegally Established Position

Jay then questioned the Board regarding item 4a of the evening’s agenda, the request to authorize the transfer of $9,400 dollars for an "employee salary." Jay asked the Board the purpose of this. Frierson-Davis explained that it was for the secretary to the Zoning Board. Frierson-Davis further explained that this was a raise for a previously established position.

Jay: Was that raise for increased productivity?

Frierson-Davis: Yes. Yes. ----

Jay: What is the current salary?

(pause as clerk rifled through papers)

Jay: Approximately. Thirty five thousand?

Knoeller (Village Clerk): It will be twenty eight thousand.

Jay: --- Oh, with this increase?

Frierson-Davis: Yes.

Jay: That’s full time?

Frierson-Davis: Yes

Neither the Deputy Mayor nor any of the Board revealed the truth to Jay. That on August 7th, in executive session, away from the prying the eyes of the public, Mayor Glacken and the Board illegally established the new position of "Secretary to the Zoning Board of Appeals at Grade 17, Step l-10, with a salary range of $26,365.00 to $36,467.00." The record reveals the truth. The position was a newly established position and the money appropriated by the Board was not for a raise, but to fund the salary of this newly created position. Indeed, the position was secretly filled at the next Board meeting, on August 21st.

Mob/Village Attorney Edwards Authorized To Settle

At 9:33 p.m., after everybody went home, the Board reconvened into open session. Frierson-Davis was barely audible and spoke with her hand in front of her mouth. It appeared that she moved two items before the Board adjourned for the night. The first one seemed to send Deputy Village Attorney, Howard Colton on a trip. The second authorized the mob/Village attorney Edwards, to enter into a settlement with Desfile Dominicano De Long Island. This is the Latino group that last year forced the Village to change the Parades and Public Assemblies Law, after the Mayor and the Board attempted to enforce the unconstitutional prior law, apparently under the advice of Edwards.

September 18, 2000
Residents Can't Hear • Glacken Says "I Don’t Care"

The Board approved various items (Go to Agenda) and buzzed through the business portion of the agenda in less than a half hour. As usual, none of the Trustees had anything to say.

The Board approved the expenditure of $146,563 for bulkhead repairs. When NW Civic Association president, Ken Bagatelle asked the Mayor which bulkheads those were, Glacken was unintelligible.

Resident Afraid Fire Bombed Car Gang Related

Resident Alan Jay explained to a surprised Mayor that a car had been exploded by his house and another one had suffered the same fate a few blocks away. Jay explained that apparently a rag was stuffed into the gas tank of the car and ignited, making what was in effect, a giant Molotov cocktail. Jay explained that he was afraid that this might be some sort of gang initiation ritual. Former Freeport resident, Chief Woodward, who has been claiming that there is not a gang problem in Freeport, inaudibly and unconvincingly explained that this was definitely not gang related.

Vincent Greco addressed the Mayor and Trustees about the continuing problem regarding the pollution and vibration at power plant number two. The people that attended the meeting couldn’t hear Greco. Your reporter went to the back of the room during Greco’s presentation and confirmed that Greco might as well have been speaking in the Grand Canyon, as his words were mostly unintelligible. On a couple of occasions both the Mayor and Greco, less than ten feet form each other, had to repeat themselves so that each could understand the other. Douglas Mayers, recent primary candidate for the NYS Assembly, told FNYN after the meeting, "This isn't democratic, I could barely understand a word. How is anybody supposed to understand what is going on here?"

Recently, your reporter spent some time in the new Federal Court building in Islip, at both the Maguire trial and the Residential Holdings vs. The Village of Freeport trial. All the judges made it a point that everybody in the court could hear what was going on. During the Maguire trial, Federal District Court Judge, Joanna Seybert, repeatedly apologized for the lack of microphones and announced to the court that all those speaking should make sure to speak up. Judge Seybert told the attorneys and the witnesses to "make believe you're speaking to someone in the next room." Federal Judge Spatt voiced a similar sentiment in the Residential Holdings trial.

Glacken: "I Don't Care"

Before the Mayor’s infamous second session was reconvened, it was explained by the Village Hall maintenance staff that they were unaware that it was difficult for the public to hear what was being said in the Conference Room. It was further explained to Glacken that the microphones were left out for the first time, in an attempt (ultimately unsuccessful) to correct the situation. In one of the few times Glacken could be understood that evening, his response rang clear when he was heard to say, "I don’t care." Even with the microphones, it was still impossible for your reporter to fully understand Glacken’s resolutions. Of course, they were passed unanimously. Glacken disallowed any questions. The Board adjourned from their second session of the evening at 9:17 p.m.