Lynbrook village board adopts time limits

If you want to make politically-motivated accusations, then a village board meeting is not the right venue.

That’s the message of Lynbrook Village Board, who unanimously decided on June 20 to place a five minute time limit on public comments during the Good & Welfare portion of their monthly meetings. Mayor Bill Hendrick, who underwent triple bypass surgery on Tuesday, was absent during the vote, which will allow residents to have five minutes to address the board, starting on July 18.

“Current residents have been using the meetings for political grandstanding,” said Trustee Mike Hawxhurst, who introduced the motion at Monday’s meeting. Good & Welfare should be used for residents to discuss village business, not make accusations, he added. Trustees noted the decision is not to discourage residents to talk at meetings. In recent weeks, the board has had to field negative, borderline derogatory accusations from certain residents during Good & Welfare. One resident claimed that the Lynbrook Public Library had donated money to the Lynbrook Roller Hockey League to support former mayor, and to fund [former mayor and current] Assemblyman Brian Curran’s campaign for election at the June 6 board meeting.

Trustee Hilary Becker was outspoken about political grandstanding during Good & Welfare on June 6. The board has also repeatedly and publicly denied any allegations about any such donations.

At Monday’s meeting, Hawxhurst read a statement from Lynbrook Library board responding to the residents’ comments as untrue. He initiated the vote at the direction of the library’s request. “The accusations made in the resident’s line of questioning mars the reputations and livelihoods of the members of the library board and the library director,” the library board said in the statement.

Deputy Mayor Alan Beach said that the board got a lot of positive feedback about their decision. People have been waiting for it, he said, and asked the board to make the decision.

“Some residents asked for three minutes, but I think five minutes is fair,” Beach said.