Hempstead Town Board hires former comptroller as financial consultant

Hempstead Town Board members voted Tuesday to hire a former town comptroller to serve next year as a financial consultant for board members.

The board voted 6-1, with Town Supervisor Laura Gillen dissenting, to pay John A. Mastromarino a $50,000 annual salary to work as a consultant for the five Republican majority members and Democratic Senior Councilwoman Dorothy Goosby.

Town board members said during Tuesday's meeting they needed a financial consultant for budgeting decisions and strategy independent of Gillen and Town Comptroller Kevin Conroy, who reports to the supervisor and helps draft the annual budget.

Councilman Bruce Blakeman said a consultant was needed to help board members in what is their first time working with a Democratic supervisor. 

“This is a very robust process and an exchange of ideas, and we want to be forthright and have open discussions,” Blakeman said.

Gillen called the hiring a waste of taxpayer money and a violation of the town’s contracting policy that requires a request for qualifications for salaries exceeding $10,000.

“There shouldn’t be secret private meetings,” Gillen said. “This should be an open, deliberate process and we should have discussions.”

Mastromarino is a certified public accountant with an office in Valley Stream. He served as Hempstead Town comptroller from 1994 to 2010. Earlier this fall, he helped the Republican-controlled town board craft a 2019 budget proposal, which split from the spending plan Gillen had already proposed.

Blakeman said the board kept the comptroller out of the budget amendment discussions because it would be unfair to the supervisor.

"I wouldn't characterize those meetings as secret. They were privileged," Blakeman said.

Gillen said she worked with the Republican comptroller and her appointed finance director to draft her budget.

"I don't believe the additional cost is necessary at all and passing a contract of $50,000 violates the board's own rules," Gillen said.

The board also voted to unanimously reduce the public speaking limit at  meetings to three minutes from five minutes.

Board members said the three-minute limit was set by the board in 2000 and violated board rules when it was increased to five minutes two years ago under then-Supervisor Anthony Santino. 

By John Asbury

john.asbury@newsday.com,jesse.coburn@newsday.comJohnAsbury,

John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.