Town of North Hempstead Town Board Regular Meeting - May 6, 2026
Town of North Hempstead Town Board Regular Meeting - May 6, 2026
The Town of North Hempstead Town Board held a regular meeting on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, at 7:00 PM. The meeting included a special presentation for Jewish American Heritage Month, public comments on animal shelter services and code enforcement, and votes on 36 resolutions. Key votes included the failure of a resolution to set a public hearing on an ethics code amendment and the failure of appointments to the Waterfront Advisory Commission.
Consent Calendar
- Items 5 through 36, with the exception of items 1, 2, 3, 4, 24, and 31, were adopted unanimously (6-0). These included routine approvals such as:
- Award of bids for bussing for field trips (TNH002-2026) and street trees with planting (TNH300-2026).
- Agreements for Memorial Day fireworks, golf cart rentals, emergency mooring piles, currency counter maintenance, and professional services for solid waste management.
- Amendments to various contracts (medical waste disposal, transfer station engineering, parking district use, synthetic turf maintenance, tax form printing, waterway debris removal, and electrical services).
- Miscellaneous resolutions including co-sponsorship of events, meeting date adjustments, property cleanup, software maintenance, envelope printer lease, property address establishment, heritage month declarations (Jewish American and Haitian), supervisory arrangements, claim payment, and personnel actions.
- Firefighter membership changes.
- Item 4 (accepting gifts) was adopted 5-0 with Councilwoman Dalimonte recused.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Several speakers addressed Jewish American Heritage Month, expressing support and appreciation for the town's recognition. Speakers included Michelle Ardout (NGO Hatred), Rabbi Ben Caneous (Sadarak Community Synagogue), Rabbi Zevi Gazinski (Chabad of Great Neck/JCC of Great Neck), and representatives of the Jewish War Veterans.
- Sarah Merigi, a 35-year resident of Manhasset, urged the town to create a cat shelter, citing the burden of caring for stray animals and the lack of resources. She offered to volunteer and contribute financially.
- Dolores Reardon (Great Neck resident) echoed the call for a cat shelter, describing her frustration with the town's dismissive response and recounting a personal experience finding a dead cat.
- Liz Diamond (42 Shepherd Lane) complained about a neighbor's trash left on the front lawn for over a month, despite a 311 complaint. Councilman Troiano and Town Attorney Bogle explained that code enforcement had issued a ticket that morning for the property, noting limitations in enforcement tools.
- Stuart Kroll criticized the administration for failing to establish a cat shelter, contrasting it with $1.05 million in annual funding for the dog shelter. He claimed the once-monthly TNR program had not been held in nearly a year and challenged the board to explain the inaction.
- Shirley (speaker) reported delays in getting a voucher and trap for a stray cat through the town's TNR program, and questioned follow-up from a meeting with Commissioner Skuzinski.
- Nancy Coles (Port Washington) asked about the status of the Inspiration Wharf development (Resolution #1), which was stricken from the agenda. She requested that updated plans be made available to the public in advance of any future hearing.
- Michael O'Donnell (New Hyde Park) commented on street tree planting (item 7) and proposed shrubs on Hillside Avenue, sparking debate about maintenance costs and safety. He also thanked the board for Memorial Day fireworks and encouraged residents to honor fallen veterans.
Discussion Items
- Resolution #2 – Public Hearing on Ethics Code Amendment (Town mailers, social media restrictions): The board debated a resolution to set a public hearing for June 9, 2026 at 7:00 PM to consider a local law restricting town mailers to matters within town jurisdiction. Supervisor DeSena argued the law would restrict elected officials' speech and opposed even setting the hearing. Councilman Walsh moved to amend the time to 10:00 AM (since no 7:00 PM meeting was scheduled for June 9). After a 6-0 vote to amend, the resolution as amended failed on a 3-3 vote (Ayes: Troiano, Liu, Dalimonte; Nays: Walsh, DeSena, Levy). Some council members expressed concerns about restricting speech without seeing the draft legislation.
- Resolution #3 – Public Hearing for Unsound Building at 16 Pond Park Road, Great Neck: The board amended the hearing time to 10:00 AM on June 9, 2026, and then adopted the resolution unanimously (6-0).
- Resolution #31 – Appointments to Waterfront Advisory Commission: Councilwoman Dalimonte moved to appoint Joby (a waterfront business owner with marine biology expertise) to fill a vacancy. Councilman Levy moved to table the item out of courtesy to Councilman Scott (who was absent). The motion to table failed 3-3 (Ayes: Walsh, Levy, DeSena; Nays: Troiano, Liu, Dalimonte). The adoption resolution then failed 3-3 (Ayes: Troiano, Liu, Dalimonte; Nays: Walsh, Levy, DeSena).
- Resolution #34 – Personnel actions (employment, salary adjustments, merit raises): Adopted 6-0. Councilman Walsh expressed concern about 8-10% raises but voted aye.
Key Outcomes
- Items 1 (Inspiration Wharf) and 24 (meeting date change) were stricken from the agenda.
- Resolution #2 (set hearing for ethics code amendment) failed (3-3).
- Resolution #3 (set hearing for unsound building) adopted unanimously after amendment.
- Resolution #4 (accept gifts) adopted (5-0, one recusal).
- Resolution #31 (Waterfront Advisory Commission appointments) failed (3-3).
- All other resolutions (5-30, 32-36) were adopted either unanimously (6-0) or as noted.
- Personnel actions including seasonal hires, salary changes, and merit raises (resolutions 34 and supplemental list of ~89 items) were approved.
- The board set the next public hearing date for June 9, 2026 at 10:00 AM for items 3 and (by failed vote) item 2.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening, everybody. Town of North Hempstead Townboard meeting, May 6th, 2026. Consumer Channel. Present. Here. Consident Levy. Here. Consumer Dalimonty. Here. Supervisor DeSuna. Here. Thank you. Okay, so this uh May is Jewish Heritage Month. Um we will be uh voting on a resolution later in the board meeting. Um but we um we have some special guests tonight who would like to speak about the importance of recognizing Jewish Jewish Heritage Month. And uh, Councilman Levy, would you like to assist in introducing? Thank you very much, Supervisor De Senna. Thank you very much to the rest of the board, whoever is here today. Before calling up our guests, I would just like to say a few remarks. And it goes as follows. As we recognize this May as Jewish Heritage Month, let us take a moment to reflect on the enduring contributions of Jewish Americans to the fabric of our nation and our local community here in the town of North Hempstead. From the earliest days of this country, Jewish immigrants embraced American values and have played a vital role in shaping our society as we know it today. Through commitment to justice, education, civic responsibility, philanthropy, and service to others. These principles are practiced on a daily basis in communities throughout our beautiful country. Here in North Hempstead, the Jewish community has been a cornerstone and a bedrock of civil life. Our hospitals have benefited from Jewish physicians, administrators, and benefactors dedicated to healing and innovation. Our neighborhoods are strengthened by vibrant synagogues and community centers that serve not only their members but the broader public. Civic associations across our town have been led and energized by individuals committed to improving the quality of life for all residents. Equally important is the spirit of generosity, giving and saying what can I do for my community, which is deeply rooted in Jewish tradition. Whether through charitable initiatives, food drives, emergency response, or advocacy for those in need, members of the Jewish community consistently step forward to serve. Their efforts embody the idea that strong communities are built through collective responsibility. Jewish Heritage Month is not only a time of recognition, but also of appreciation for the values and leadership and service that continue to enrich the town of North Hempstead and the United States of America. God bless the town of North Hempstead and God bless the United States of America. Thank you. Thank you. Without further ado, I would like to uh recognize and call up to the stand Michelle Arduot, the executive that one of the executive directors of NGO Hatred to share a few remarks. Thank you so much to the town of North Hempstead, Town Supervisor and Council members. Thank you for inviting me here to speak. So here we are today, as we're gathering to speak about and during Jewish American Heritage Month. We're here reflecting on the rich legacy of Jewish contributions to this country. From the arts to science, from civil rights to innovation, Jewish Americans have woven themselves into the fabric of our nation's history and story. Yet everybody, heritage is not only about the past. We're witnessing a disturbing rise in Jew hatred daily. Just yesterday we saw what occurred at Parkes Synagogue in New York City with virulent Jew haters threatening and harassing the Jewish community. We saw two days ago in Queens horrific swastikas and hate symbols spray painted all over. It's non-stop. And we see that visibly Jewish individuals are being assaulted on the streets. On college campuses, Jewish students have faced threats and harassment simply for expressing their identity. Now this is all a stark reminder that the struggles of the past, those of the Holocaust, those of the darkest days of the Jewish community and Jewish world are sadly still with us. End Jew hatred is not just a slogan.
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