Open Meeting Law Discussed At Riverhead Library

Residents unhappy about the way certain boards do business are planning to head to the on Monday night to discuss transparency in government.

According to Jamesport resident Georgette Keller, who t the Jamesport Meetinghouse on Saturday, questions have been raised about why meetings of the Riverhead Town Zoning Board of Appeals do not take place in the Town Hall meeting room, but instead, in a small office in Town Hall.

To that end, she said, Robert Freeman, Executive Director of the New York State Committee on Open Government, will address the public at a forum on Monday night from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Riverhead Free Library.  Keller said Denise Civiletti of RiverheadLocal.com organized the event.

"He's coming to answer any questions the public might have about open meetings," Keller said. "There's been some misunderstanding -- some things haven't been going the way they're supposed to be."

For example, Keller said, the Riverhead Town Zoning Board of Appeals holds work sessions that last for only a half hour, which are not convened in the Town Hall meeting room but instead, in small offices in the planning and zoning department. "They're supposed to be accessible to the public," Keller said.

She added that an email was received from Scott DeSimone, special counsel to the Riverhead ZBA, and Frederick McLaughlin, ZBA president, that moving forward, work sessions would not be moved into the Town Hall meeting room but the public was welcome to attend.

"They should be more transparent," Keller said. "It's called horse trading -- and horse training went out when automobiles came in."

At Saturday's meeting, Bob DeLuca, president and CEO of the Group for the East End, said town and zoning boards had the power to shape futures for communities and said the way Riverhead Town does business needs to change.

Neither DeSimone nor McLaughlin responded immediately to a request for comment.

The next meeting of the Riverhead Town ZBA is scheduled for Thursday.