$250G settlement for elections board clerk

The Suffolk Legislature's Ways and Means Committee voted last week to approve a $250,000 settlement of a lawsuit brought against the county by the niece of the late state and county Democratic chairman Dominic Baranello.

Francine Baranello Lippman claimed in state Supreme Court last year that Democratic officials at the Suffolk Board of Elections illegally fired her from her job there as a clerk. She also said she faced a hostile work environment stemming from the fact that she has a rare autoimmune disease affecting the skin and mucous membrane. Lippman's lawyer didn't return calls.

-- Rick Brand