Ex-legis. Towle pushes for new contract

Ex-con and ex-Suffolk Legis. Fred Towle is seeking a new yearlong contract with Mastic Beach Village that sources said would double the current fee for his part-time consulting to $3,000 a month. But the village board decided last Monday to issue a request for proposals.

Towle pitched for the new pact in a recent executive board meeting. His current $1,500 per month deal expires May 31. Towle proposed to produce village newsletters, along with serving as liaison with other levels of government. Towle acknowledged his new proposal but declined to discuss details. Village administrator Timothy Brojer confirmed that the village board chose to issue the RFP for someone to produce newsletters and handle the village website, and no government-relations work. Towle, who quit as lawmaker in 2003, was later jailed for taking bribes and misusing campaign funds. He's sales manager of the weekly South Shore Press and a public-relations consultant.

-- Rick Brand