N. Bellmore Civic group members question political luncheon

When a Newsday blog recently pointed out that members of the Nassau County Civic Association, the Town of Hempstead Civic Council and the Rockville Centre Tea Party Patriots had lunch with the Nassau Legislature's minority leader, Diane Yatauro, members of the North Bellmore Civic Association weren't happy.

Stuart Weinstein, the second vice president of the North Bellmore Civic Association, is also president of the Town of Hempstead Civic Council, and therein lies the problem for many NBCA members.

The Town of Hempstead Civic Council, which has no Web site and does not hold public meetings, was a group that NBCA members Richard and Lisa Schary tried to found several years ago to bring communities together to improve local neighborhoods. The Scharys have since had a falling out with the group, and the North Bellmore Civic Association is no longer an affiliate.

Yet Weinstein holds positions on both boards, and so the North Bellmore Civic Association is often associated with the Town of Hempstead Civic Council and its actions, many NBCA members noted at a meeting at the North Bellmore Library on Monday night.

"We are not involved with this," NBCA First Vice President Bob Podolski said. Weinstein "just so happens to be the president" of the Town of Hempstead Civic Council.

While the North Bellmore Civic Association is not affiliated with the council, its members say they fear that Weinstein is misrepresenting North Bellmore when attending events like the luncheon mentioned in Newsday.

Weinstein was quick to defend himself. "The North Bellmore Civic Association has nothing to do with the Tea Party," he asserted. "I went to a luncheon, that's all."

Claudia Borecky, president of the North Merrick Civic Association, which has associated itself with the Town of Hempstead Civic Council, was also in attendance. She said that the first she had heard of Weinstein's luncheon regarding the Tea Party was in the Newsday blog.

In a interview the following day, the Scharys said their main concern was making sure that the North Bellmore Civic Association was primarily concerned with improving the quality of life in North Bellmore. "The North Bellmore Civic's main concern has to be North Bellmore," Richard said. "We want this to be a positive place where people can come," Lisa added.

Comments about this story? DKrasula@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 234.