Village prosecutor to resign

After 25 years of serving Lawrence in various posts, including acting village justice and village prosecutor, Ron Goldman is resigning April 1 in order to become more involved in the Lawrence Association, he said.

Goldman, a Lawrence resident for 32 years, is a trial attorney with a private practice in Manhattan. He has served as counsel to the village’s Zoning Board of Appeals, the Planning Board and the Board of Building Design.

He was Lawrence’s acting village justice from 1988 to 1994, and since 1994 has served as prosecutor in Village Court, which adjudicates traffic tickets issued in Lawrence by Nassau County police and summonses issued to residents for violations of the village code.

Though he considered running for elective village office this year, Goldman said, he decided to become more involved in the Lawrence Association, the community’s civic group. “I was urged to run for trustee,” he said, “but I will be of greater service to the village in other areas and forums.”

His previous community involvement includes numerous leadership roles with several prominent local organizations, including the Five Towns Jewish Council, the Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway and the Rock Hall Museum. Goldman has also served as chairman of the Lawrence Centennial Commission.

“Ron Goldman is an asset to the community and has served unselfishly for many years,” said Rochelle Kevelson, president of the Lawrence Association.

Goldman writes the “Unreserved Judgment” column that appears in the Herald.

When he leaves his village post, he said, he plans to advocate for term limits for village trustees. Currently, only the mayor’s position is limited, to three two-year terms.

Goldman said he would like to review the relocation possibilities for the Peninsula Public Library. He once served as president of the PPL’s Community Action Committee. The library and Temple Israel signed a letter of intent last September for the temple to sell a portion of its land to PPL as a site for a new building, but the library is waiting for the temple’s subdivision application to be approved by the village.

“I am interested in getting involved in the Lawrence Association,” Goldman said. “The village doesn’t need an attack dog or a lapdog, but a respectful watchdog. That is appropriate.”

Goldman began his legal career as an assistant district attorney in Brooklyn, and helped establish the Kings County Sex Crimes Bureau. Working in the D.A.’s office from 1974 to 1992, he served as chief of the Sex Crimes and Battered Spouse Bureau, first deputy chief of the Supreme Court Bureau and deputy chief-in-charge of the Family Court Bureau.

His presence in Village Hall will be missed, according to Village Judge Donald Buchalter, who said that Goldman was an excellent acting judge and an effective prosecutor. “He’s a brilliant man and an excellent friend who knows the law backwards and forwards,” Buchalter said. “He is very ethical. A man I would trust with anything.”

Lawrence Mayor Martin Oliner said it would be premature to name a successor because Goldman has yet to officially resign, but Oliner added that he expects to have a full-time replacement by June. “Ron and I have always been good friends,” he said, “and I have only positive things to say.”