9 town employees miss financial disclosure date

Stephen Romano
North Hempstead Town Hall will be the subject of elevator repairs. (Photo by Jim Henderson via Wikimedia Commons)

Nine North Hempstead town employees missed the May 15 deadline to submit financial disclosure forms, one year after the town changed the law to require more employees to submit statements.

The law, which was approved in March 2016, requires 250 employees to submit financial disclosure statements that include information on outside employment, debts, interests in contracts and financial interests, as well as a list of family members who are town employees.

“Financial disclosure is an important part of avoiding any conflict of interest in town operations,” town Supervisor Judi Bosworth said in a statement. “The town has expanded the scope of its financial disclosure law to require disclosure by outside vendors who advise town boards and to require information on family relationships within town government. This information is reviewed by our Board of Ethics and our new law requires the board to report any conflicts identified.”

The town did not release the names of the nine employees, but said two submitted their statements by Tuesday.

The law requires contractors and employees who hold policy making jobs to file financial disclosures.

The law was in response to revelations of the $1.4 million tax debt of Gerard Terry, the former town Democratic chairman and Board of Zoning Appeals attorney.

Before the law was passed, the town only required town party leaders and elected officials to file disclosures, but a Newsday investigation last year found that the board was not enforcing the requirement.

“It’s unfortunate that nine employees failed to submit their financial disclosures by the deadline,” Councilwoman Dina De Giorgio said. “While the failure to submit a financial disclosure form is an obvious red flag, I think it’s important to first find out why these employees missed the deadline, before we draw any conclusions. I believe that strong enforcement of our ethics code is critical.”

The financial disclosure law was the town’s first step in a series of measures taken to strengthen the town’s ethics code.

In March, the town made more changes to the ethics code, including prohibiting town employees from having personal interests in town contracts, banning town employees from receiving gifts worth a total more than $75 in a year and preventing town employees from accepting outside work.

Amendments to the ethics code also include notifying new employees of filing requirements for financial disclosure statements and permitting the town’s ethics board to investigate any potential conflict of interest in a financial disclosure statement and report it to the town supervisor, Town Board and town attorney.

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