Sani2 sets referendum date, but will await ruling

At a special noon meeting last Friday, the commissioners of Sanitary District 2 scheduled a referendum on the dissolution of their operations for Dec. 12. While that date approaches, however, the commissioners will await a verdict on the validity of the petitions collected to compel the referendum in the first place.

“We set the referendum for Dec. 12 and now we’re going on to the next phase,” said Sani2 spokesman Douglas Wiedmann.

A flurry of legal challenges, stays and appeals had postponed the setting of a date over the past few weeks. The basis for the challenge was a lawsuit brought by Baldwin resident Patricia Cabrum that questioned the validity of the signatures used to force the referendum. Last week, a temporary restraining order preventing Sani2 from setting a date was lifted, but according to Ken Gray, an attorney from Bee Ready, Fishbein, Hatter and Donovan, who is representing the district, the commissioners are still concerned about the petitions and will await a ruling on their validity.

“The commissioners of Sanitary District 2 feel that the Cabrum versus Bonilla lawsuit has raised very serious questions about a fraud being perpetrated against their constituents,” Gray said. (Cabrum’s challenge claims that Hempstead Town Clerk Mark Bonilla’s office is not empowered to validate the signatures, and that some signatures were collected on false pretenses.) “The commissioners are concerned about the validity of the petitions, and they don’t want to waste taxpayer funds holding a referendum based on fraudulent grounds.”

The two groups that collaborated to collect the petitions — the Long Island Progressive Coalition and Residents for Efficient Special Districts — have maintained throughout the spate of litigation that their signatures are untainted and that the voters should get their say. “After an unsuccessful appeal against our petitions, this was a victory for the voters,” said Lisa Tyson, director of the LIPC. “People will now get a chance to vote for lower taxes.”

The combined LIPC/RESD forces hope to take advantage of New York’s Citizens Empowerment laws to force Sani2 to close. They argue that the Town of Hempstead could step in and handle the job just as efficiently and at a reduced cost. District officials maintain that these predicted savings are speculative, and add that a drop in service as well as job losses would negate any benefits.

Even as the two groups keep an eye on the petition ruling, they will begin campaigning to convince Baldwin voters of their positions.

For information about Sani2’s arguments, go to www.Sani2.com. RESD/LIPC information can be found at resd.info.