The TIMES of Smithtown
Volume 28, No. 12
Serving Smithtown • St. JameS • neSconSet • commack • hauppauge • kingS park • Fort Salonga May 21, 2015
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Districts pass budgets By phil corSo & BarBara Donlon
A day of reflection on Memorial Day also, Memorial Day parades on the North Shore; local actor lands lead in ‘Oliver!’ at Theatre Three
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Remember the fallen
Nesconset’s 9/11 memorial wall adds names of 100 more heroes
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Residents gave a thumbs up to school budgets throughout Smithtown and its neighboring districts, including Commack, Hauppauge and Kings Park. Smithtown’s $229.5 million budget passed, 2,582 to 762. School board President Christopher Alcure, who ran unopposed, was re-elected with 2,395 votes, while newcomer Jeremy Thode was elected with 2,144 votes. The board largely assembled together in the district clerk’s office Tuesday night as the results came in before eventually filling the board room around 10 p.m. for the final reading of the numbers. “I am very thankful that the budget passed, it clearly was a fiscally responsible budget that supports our school district and mission,” said Thode, who was not present when the board read the results aloud Tuesday night. “I am also humbled by the overwhelming personal support of the community in my election. I would like to thank everyone for their belief in me and look forward to helping all the students and families in Smithtown.” MaryRose Rafferty lost her bid, garnering 862 votes, but said she looked forward to working with
Voters elect BOE reps Smithtown Boe president christopher alcure reads the results tuesday night.
the board on the other side of the microphone nevertheless. “I’m not going away, I will still be the voice of the people for the people,” she said. A second proposition on the Smithtown ballot, related to capital reserves, passed 2,507 to 715. Community members passed Commack’s $185.1 million budget 1,927 to 575. In Hauppauge, voters passed the district’s proposed $105.4 million budget, 1,458 to 442. Michael Buscarino and Stacey Weisberg were elected to the board with 1,098 and 1,122 votes, respectively. Candidate Susan Hodosky fell short, with 984.
Kings Park voters came out to support the district’s $84.7 million budget as well on Tuesday. The community voted in favor of the budget 2,065 to 577. There was also voting on two propositions, regarding bus purchases and a capital project to replace the high school roof. Both passed, 1,998 to 542 and 2,087 to 455, respectively. Voters ousted Vice President Charlie Leo (1,108 votes) and voted in incumbent Diane Nally (1,821) and newcomer Kevin Johnston (1,886) for the two open seats on the district’s board of education. “The community spoke and I am fine with that,” Leo said.
Photo by Phil Corso
The district’s budget included a 2 percent tax levy increase while keeping its current curriculum, extra curricular activities and adding a wish list of items that included an additional social worker, new musical instruments and class size reductions. “It was uncomfortable at best because of my long association with Charlie Leo and Diane Nally but it was the right time to run for a seat on the Kings Park Board of Education,” Johnston said. “My goals are to provide the best education for students at Kings Park while being financially responsible to the taxpayers.”
Smithtown supervisor slams highway superintendent By phil corSo
In a short and not very sweet memo, Smithtown’s supervisor called out the superintendent of highways. Pat Vecchio (R) said he felt Glenn Jorgensen should resign from his post amid a slew of accusations surrounding his performance on the job, including an alleged sexual harassment scandal and various felony charges against Jorgensen regarding road paving projects late last year. The letter came after the supervisor learned Jorgensen, 63, had allegedly taken his personal secretary out to a job site. Vecchio’s memo included an attachment from the Suffolk
County Civil Service DepartTown records showed that ment, which explicitly out- Jorgensen, who could not be lined the job description of the reached for comment, hired secretary to the Kaitlin Swinson highway superinas his new secretendent and did tary in late Janunot include on-site ary. Her position work. had initially been “It is my unterminated back derstanding that in February when today, May 13, the town board 2015, you had [a] voted unanimoussecretary accomly to rescind the pany you to a job $38,000 allocated site,” the memo for her job, but said. “It seems to later reinstated File photo me that you are glenn Jorgensen her position in a either not com3-1 vote in March. prehending why She could not be the position exists, you have a reached for comment. disregard for civil service law The highway superintenor you are mocking the town dent has been at the center board and the public.” of controversy for several
months now since a notice of claim was filed against the town in December alleging he had sexually harassed his former secretary, AimeeLynn Smith, 27. The claim also alleged Jorgensen had taken her out to job sites, out to eat and eventually fired her after finding out she was dating an employee of the highway department. Jorgensen, of St. James, was also slapped with separate charges accusing him of tampering with public records for a town paving project, Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota said. Jorgensen pleaded not guilty to the four felony charges and the misdemeanor in April. JORgeNSeN continued on page a2