Ex-GOP chair Powell's son lands Brookhaven Town job

Another son of ex-Suffolk GOP chairman John Powell has found his way on to the Brookhaven town payroll.

Democratic Town Highway Superintendent John Rouse said he has hired John Powell Jr., 19, of Medford as a $37,252-a-year laborer. He started earlier this month in the Miller Place highway yard.

Rouse said he gave Powell a job because he is an "impressive young man and well qualified," who worked four years in his father's paving firm. The hiring, Rouse acknowledged, came after the former party leader called him about six months ago inquiring about a town job for his son.

Elder Powell's rise in Brookhaven

The elder Powell, once one of Long Island's most powerful politicians, himself rose from a highway department payloader to become a party leader who helped launch the gubernatorial bid of George Pataki. Powell was later convicted and jailed for two years on federal charges of taking payoffs and being involved in an illegal truck chop shop.

Powell resurfaced in GOP politics last fall as a behind-the-scenes backer of John Jay LaValle, who became Suffolk GOP chairman. "I've known Rouse for 20 years," said Powell. "I asked him if he had any openings, I have a son who has experience and if he needed anyone to keep him in mind." Powell also said his son declined to comment.

Powell's other son, Anthony, was hired in January as a $45,000-a-year aide to GOP town board member Kathleen Walsh, who often sides with Democratic Supervisor Mark Lesko.

Lesko said he had "no say and no input" on Rouse's decision to hire Powell. "He doesn't ask my input on who he hires," Lesko said, adding he "marches to his own drummer and I'll leave it to him to explain why he hires anyone in his department."

The younger Powell joins the offspring of five other ex-GOP and Conservative officials already working the highway department. They include the sons of former planning board member Anthony Aliperti, who pleaded guilty to federal charges of bank and tax fraud; former highway superintendent Patricia Strebel, who was convicted of 31 misdemeanors in a case involving sidewalk overbilling, and former highway superintendent Harold Malkmes, who was the subject of district attorney and federal probes into favoritism in awarding contracts, but was never charged.

Family connections not unusual

Also working at the highway department is the son of former town Conservative chairman Anthony Gazzola. Strebel's son has worked the department for 26 years, long before his mother was elected to office and Gazzola's son's employment also predates Rouse. Rouse also hired Gazzola's grandson, but he stopped working for the department earlier this month. The workers did not return messages seeking comment.

Rouse, who is in his fourth term and has the power to hire on his own without town board approval, said the hirings are just a handful of more than 200 jobs he has filled since taking over and all were qualified. "This has nothing to do with any influence John Powell may or may not have in this town, and everything to do with giving a . . . qualified young man a chance at a career," he said.

Others, however, were critical. "I have heard politics makes strange bedfellows, but in Brookhaven, they seem to keep climbing back into the same bed," said MaryAnn Johnston, president of Associated Brookhaven Civic Organizations.

Rouse said the hiring of Powell's son has nothing to do with politics or rumors that he wants to be judge. He said he intends to run for re-election in 2011. Powell said there was never any talk of judgeships. "Absolutely not," he said, "It was not broached in the conversation."

But Lavalle said, "He's obviously concerned about electoral future that he feels he needs to appease as many Republicans as possible. But it's not going to save him."

Jon Schneider, Brookhaven Democratic chairman, said that he was unaware of Powell's hiring, that the job is low level with little influence and that he has "full confidence" that Rouse runs his department in a nonpartisan way.