Lesko: Town hearing officers 'too lenient'

Brookhaven Town, which lost more than $500,000 last year due to what Supervisor Mark Lesko calls too-lenient hearing officers, is considering legislation establishing qualifications for the posts.

The town keeps a roster of seven hearing officers, who are responsible for listening to residents' pleas about parking tickets and other infractions. The job pays $500 per night, and the hearings are typically held twice a month, town officials said.

The town -- which has struggled with declining revenue in recent years -- collected only 32 percent of about $730,000 in tickets issued last year, officials said.

Lesko's proposal, which will be the subject of a March 29 public hearing, would require hearing officers to have:

five years of experience as a judge, magistrate, hearing officer or court attorney referee in the New York court system, or in the federal court system for eastern or southern New York districts, or

10 years experience as a police officer or peace officer, who must be retired, or

five years experience as a prosecutor.

Lesko, a former federal prosecutor, said the town is losing revenue due to hearing officers who are "much too lenient," and that requiring that judges, prosecutors and police hold the officer posts would result in a better collection rate.

"The town shouldn't be dismissing two-thirds of its tickets," Lesko said.

The town board voted Tuesday night to set the public hearing.