Oyster Bay hires new inspector general: John Wighaus, ex-Nassau detectives union leader

The Town of Oyster Bay has hired John Wighaus as its next inspector general, tapping a former president of Nassau County's police detectives union to fill a job that has been vacant for more than two years.

The appointment ends a lengthy search after the town’s former inspector general, Brian Noone, resigned from the post amid an investigation by the Nassau County District Attorney's Office. The hiring of Wighaus immediately drew criticism from Democrats in the town and county, who accused Oyster Bay of hiring a longtime political insider as its watchdog over public spending.

Oyster Bay sidelined Noone from his responsibilities in March 2023 after he recommended the town board approve a $2 million cybersecurity contract with a vendor tied to his private company, Newsday previously reported. The town's ethics board cleared Noone of any conflict of interest. Earlier this year, the Nassau district attorney's office confirmed its investigation into Noone was closed. 

Oyster Bay sought an inspector general to vet contracts before they are routed to the town board for final approvals. A team of attorneys who work for the town have been handling those responsibilities since Noone's resignation, Newsday reported in January. 

Jay Jacobs, chairman of the state and Nassau County Democratic Committees, called Wighaus' selection “a continuation of the Republican insiders' game.”

“He’s been working with the Republicans for years and now this is his reward,” Jacobs said in a phone interview on Thursday. “Everything is about political connections. It’s not about competence, it’s not about independence, it’s not about taking care of the taxpayer’s money.”

The town did not immediately provide Wighaus' salary. Newsday filed a Freedom of Information Law request for Wighaus' compensation.

Oyster Bay Supervisor Joseph Saladino, in a statement, lauded Wighaus' experience.

"His wealth of experience and unshakable commitment to accountability make him the ideal choice to serve as Inspector General and ensure taxpayer dollars are protected," Saladino said.

No 'pressure'

The all-Republican town board appointed Wighaus to the role during its meeting on Tuesday. The vote was 6-0; councilman Andrew Monteleone was absent.

Wighaus, 60, of Franklin Square, a registered Republican, according to state voting records, is expected to start full-time in the coming months, he said.

"I don’t feel pressure," Wighaus said in a phone interview on Wednesday after being asked about filling the long-vacant role. He added, "I just feel the ability to do the job and to do the job the proper way."

Wighaus said he wants to make sure the town's contracting process is followed, adding, "if there's any criminal investigations or labor violations, or if [a vendor] was convicted of any criminal matters, my job is to make sure the town board is aware."

Saladino supported the concept of an inspector general during his 2017 campaign. Democrats in the Nassau County Legislature were pushing for a county inspector general following contracting scandals that led to the arrests of Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano, his wife Linda Mangano, and Oyster Bay Supervisor John Venditto. Venditto was acquitted on federal charges in 2018, while the Manganos were convicted in 2019. In 2019, Venditto pleaded guilty to corrupt use of position or authority, a felony charge, and official misconduct, a misdemeanor, Newsday reported.

Bennett Gershman, a former prosecutor and a law professor at Pace University, said given earlier scandals, the town should feel a responsibility to hire the right individual.

“The town is under pressure because of the previous inspector general,” Gershman said in a phone interview. “Wighaus is under pressure to come through in a good way.”

The Democrats' candidate for supervisor, Sam Sochet, a former teacher and principal who lives in Syosset, criticized the hiring process.

"We don't know how they arrived at this," Sochet said in an interview. "There should be a way that's not in closed session, that is in verifiable, public session from a town board meeting where they discuss it out front."

Won new detectives' contract

Wighaus works as an asset protection specialist for PSEG Long Island and was a member of a committee responsible for distributing Nassau County's share of opioid settlement funds, according to his resume.

He retired from the Nassau County Police Department in 2022, capping 33 years in law enforcement that included time with the New York City Transit Police. When he retired, the county paid him nearly $560,000 for unused sick and vacation days accrued over decades, Newsday previously reported. It was the county's highest termination payout in 2022.

Wighaus was elected president of the Nassau County Detectives Association in 2017. In 2020, he secured an 8½-year contract for his union that was designed to incentivize more police officers to become detectives, Newsday reported. His union later endorsed then-Nassau County Executive Laura Curran, a Democrat who lost her reelection bid to Republican Bruce Blakeman.

Unions are “part of the political ecosystem,” said Craig Burnett, a professor of political science at Florida Atlantic University. It’s up to voters, he said, to decide if the appointment is “out of bounds.”

“The truth of the matter is, the Republican Party has a pretty clear advantage in the Town of Oyster Bay,” Burnett said. “There’s no real expectation that will change in the short term, maybe not even in the medium or long term.”

By Joseph Ostapiuk

joseph.ostapiuk@newsday.com@OstapiukJ