Brian Noone resigns as inspector general for Town of Oyster Bay

Brian Noone, the Town of Oyster Bay’s first, and thus far only inspector general, resigned on June 23 amid allegations of ethical violations and an investigation by the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office. Noone, who has served as inspector general since the position was founded in 2019, approved town cybersecurity contracts to individuals with whom he had previous business connections.

Noone announced he would be resigning on June 21 in a statement he released where he denied any culpability and referred to the accusations against him as “false allegations.” Noone has not responded to attempts by the Herald to speak about the matter, and has accused local media of being “unscrupulous” in the coverage of his case.

“Enduring libelous allegations published by social media trolls, further adopted by elected political opponents in addition to articles written in local press regarding my involvement in cybersecurity contracts, is not an easy task,” Noone wrote in his resignation statement. “Their allegations and falsehoods have been determined by an independent Board of Ethics to be categorically unfounded.”

Here Noone is referring to an investigation undertaken by the town’s Board of Ethics in May, which found that the former inspector general had not violated the town’s Code of Ethics. Despite this, the town board had sidelined Noone, having him doing administrative work at the town’s offices while Angelo Delligatti, a retired state Supreme Court justice, filled the duties of the inspector general.

With Noone’s resignation, Delligatti will continue to serve as a placeholder while the Town Board appoints a new committee to search for a permanent replacement for the position, according to a press release sent by Brian Nevin, the town’s public information officer. Joseph Saladino, the town’s supervisor, added that the Town Board has been well apprised of the matter and will continue to focus on serving its constituents.

“Safeguarding our taxpayers and integrity is the Town Board’s top priority,” Saladino stated. “That’s why we created the Office of the Inspector General in 2019, and it’s why we referred this matter to the Ethics Board immediately upon learning of it.”

The board also added new disclosure requirements to the position at their public meeting on Tuesday. (See box) Of greatest relevance is the prohibition of town vendors and contractors from having any financial relationship with future inspector generals.

In his resignation statement Noone also insisted that he had served the town ably and honorably throughout his tenure as inspector general and insisted he was stepping down not because the allegations were true, but because they “detract from the mission of the Office of the Inspector General.” He also cited his many years of honorable service with law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, CIA and Drug Enforcement Administration.

“I intend to defend myself against defamatory claims and protect my lifelong stellar reputation,” Noone stated. “Out of respect for my family, friends and the taxpayers, I shall step down and address these nefarious claims in a more appropriate venue than the bowels of social media or the gutters of political theater.”

Delia DeRiggi-Whitton, a Nassau County legislator whose district includes parts of the Town of Oyster Bay, commended the town board for making the changes but stressed that problems like this are unfortunately all too common in Nassau County. DeRiggi-Whitton, who has been a strong proponent of the inspector general’s office at the county level, also said she approved of Noone’s resignation, as the importance of maintaining the public integrity of the position is essential to its function.

“Especially in that position, transparency and honesty is so paramount,” DeRiggi-Whitton said. “Corruption is a hidden tax, because it costs taxpayers and all of our residents a lot of money.”