Bayville trustees make appointments, hire village attorney

The Bayville board of trustees appointed committee members and announced the hiring of a new village attorney last night -- among the first moves by Mayor Paul Rupp and three new board members elected last month.

Rupp said he welcomed residents' input and promised that the board will work fast on village challenges.

"There's a lot of issues facing the village," Rupp said, adding, "This board will be proactive in attacking and addressing the issues one by one."

The board hired Keith Corbett, a partner at Harris Beach PLLC in Uniondale, as the village attorney to advise on legal matters with an annual retainer of $30,000 and an hourly rate of $200 for work outside the scope of the contract.

Rupp, a two-term trustee, defeated former Mayor Douglas Watson. Rupp ran at the head of a ticket on the Bayville Revitalization Party line, with Tim Charon, Joe Russo and John Taylor also winning seats on the six-member board. Russo was appointed as deputy mayor and Village Clerk-Treasurer Maria Alfano-Hardy was reappointed to her position.

Before the meeting, board members met in a work session not on the village website calendar. The door to the Village Hall was locked during the work session. The door was opened by a board member to allow a visitor in but was then locked again. Visitors later knocked on the door and were let in.

Following a public comment period, the board met behind closed doors with a manager for the Crescent Beach Club. The club been the subject of noise complaints, Rupp said.

Corbett asserted Monday night the board could legally go into executive session.