Three candidates in Oceanside Sanitation election

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Oceanside Sanitation District 7 will soon have two new commissioners.

Chairman Joseph Cibellis will not run for another five-year term and Commissioner Florence Mensch is resigning, leaving one year left in her term. 

Three people are running in the election: Pat Doherty, Stephen Edmondson and Jean Kramer. Doherty is running for the five-year term, while Edmondson and Kramer are competing for the one-year term. Voting will take place June 16 from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. on 90 Mott Street. 

 

Pat Doherty

A laboratory technician at Webb Institute in Glen Cove, Pat Doherty has lived in Oceanside since 1982. He was involved with Oceanside Little League for many years, serving as president for a time and starting a league for special needs children, which ran for about five years. He also served the vice president of the Oceanside Stallions Football League, and as the Assistant District Administrator of District Little League for 15 years. He has received the Town of Hempstead Make a Difference Award, as well as the Heart of Gold Award from the Oceanside Kiwanis club. 

“I’m going to do it for the right reasons,” he said of why he’s running for sanitation commissioner. “I’m a pretty quick study. I go in without any preconceived notions. See the facts and make judgments later.”

Doherty said he has been meeting with the sanitation workers — his nephew drives a truck for the district — and current commissioners to understand the issues. 

One of his priorities, he said, would be to learn more about and resolve the taxpayer lawsuit against the sanitation district. The lawsuit, which was filed last year, alleges that the sanitation board purposely failed to recover funds paid to former Sanitation Supervisors Michael and Charles Scarlata. It also seeks to recover funds paid to sanitation district attorney Jack Libert because he supposedly violated the district’s conflict-of-interest policy when dealing with the Scarlatas. 

“Really taxpayer money has been spent trying to clear this up,” he said. “Clear it up… change the negative connotation sanitation has with people. The service we get is fantastic. Not too many people get three pickups a week.” 

He also said the sanitation board of commissioners meetings should be at night, so more people can attend. “Really the whole key is to bring transparency to the whole situation,” Doherty said. 

 

Stephen Edmondson

A lifelong Oceanside resident, this is Stephen Edmondson’s third time running for commissioner. He also ran in 1994 and 2014. He has his own security company, is the director of public safety for the Oceanside Civic Association and a former vice-president of the Oceanside Chamber of Commerce. 

“I’m going to be a full-time commissioner even though it’s a part time job,” said Edmondson. “And I care about this town.” He goes to all of the sanitation meetings. 

Edmondson said the district should be more like Sanitation District No. 2 in Baldwin, which has complaint forms and their own inspectors. He also said the district should address its issues with the union so the workers receive their proper pay, as well as repairs to the building after damage from Hurricane Sandy. “I was a member of the Teamsters when I worked for school safety, and I was a member of the CSEA when I worked as a county park ranger,” he said. “So I know all these unions and I can work with these unions.”

As for the lawsuit against the district, Edmondson said that he would like to personally review the Scarlata’s former contract with the district and that the parties involved should come up with an agreement so the case does not go to trial. 

 

Jean Kramer

Born in the Bronx, Jean Kramer has lived in Oceanside since 1965. She has worked for private sanitation and recycling companies since she graduated from Oceanside High School in 1971. She said she has experience dealing with many aspects of sanitation companies, including unions, audits and workers compensation. Currently she runs the office at a small private sanitation company, which she would not tell the Herald the name of.  

“I’m here to work with the men and make this place better,” Kramer said. “I want to find ways to save money for the taxpayer. I think the men should get raises, it’s terrible that they didn’t’ have a contract for so long.”

She also said she wants to make sure all recycling is handled properly by the district, and educate the community on the correct way to put out recycling. 

On the lawsuit against the district, she said she does not know enough to comment but hopes it is settled quickly so that it does not cost taxpayers any more money. “It’s not helping anyone to drag this out,” she said. “If we can go back and reach an agreement it benefits everybody.”