LI briefs: Two cops, including only woman, retiring from Amityville police force

Two longtime members of the Amityville Police Department, including its only female officer, have filed for retirement.

Sgt. Pam Slack will retire in her 21st year of service, and mechanic and marine officer Raymond Fleming in his 42nd.

Slack, the daughter of former village trustee Joe Slack, taught school before joining the force and was known for applying skills from that job to law enforcement, Chief Donald Dobby said at last week's village board meeting.

"She had empathy when it was needed, and she could be stern when the situation called for it," he said. "We'll miss her."

Fleming was responsible for maintaining the department's vehicle fleet, Dobby said, a job he started when police sirens were still operated by hand-crank. In more recent years, he built police cruisers from bare shells into computer-equipped mobile offices, handling all of the wiring himself.

"We used to joke that if Ray can't fix it, nobody can," Dobby said. "These are huge shoes to fill."

Fleming also served as the village marine officer on nights and weekends.

Slack will retire with $208,957 in accumulated sick and vacation time. Trustees voted Monday night to transfer $8,957 from the contingency fund for part of the payout.
-- NICHOLAS SPANGLER

NASSAU COUNTY
Mangano names 3 judicial nominees

Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano, a Republican, has asked the GOP-controlled county legislature to confirm three appointments to the district court.

All three nominees are Republican. Mangano has nominated Hempstead Town Board member James Darcy to fill an opening in Hempstead district court created when Terrence Murphy was elected to county court in November.

The county executive also has appointed Joseph Girardi and Donna Bifulco Swanson to vacancies on Oyster Bay district court. Girardi, whose resume says he has served as an assistant town attorney in Oyster Bay since 2007, will take the place of Anna Anzalone, who was elected to state Supreme Court.

Swanson, whose resume indicates she has been a deputy town attorney in Oyster Bay since 1994, will take the place of William O'Brien, who was elected to county court.

North Hempstead also has a district court opening after Sharon Gianelli was elected to state Supreme Court. No nomination has been made to that seat as of Dec. 19.
-- CELESTE HADRICK

HUNTINGTON
Depot Road to get brighter lighting

Town of Huntington crews will be installing new, brighter lights on Depot Road from Ninth Street to 17th Street to make the area safer for residents, Councilwoman Susan A. Berland announced in a news release.

Berland said she had been lobbying to upgrade the lights from 40 watts to brighter 80-watt bulbs. The work recently started and will take three to four weeks to complete.

"Brighter bulbs are needed to deter crime and provide our residents with a safer environment," she said. "The residents of Depot Road deserve to feel safe and I believe these measures will help."

The Huntington Department of Transportation and Traffic Safety is studying whether the town needs to install new light fixtures along the same stretch of road in addition to replacing the bulbs.

Berland said in a statement that after consulting with the Suffolk County Police Department's Second Precinct, she asked the transportation and traffic safety director to "assign a member of his staff to survey the streetlights."
-- VALERIE BAUMAN

OYSTER BAY
4 board members get longer terms, raises

The Oyster Bay Town Board this month doubled the length of terms of four appointments made to the Planning Advisory Board, making them 10 years.

The five-year terms of Angelo Stanco of Glen Head, Anthony DiLeonardo of Massapequa, Michael Spinelli of Massapequa and Clifford Chabina of Syosset started in 2010 and 2011. The resolution did not extend the term of planning advisory board member Frank C. Merenda of East Norwich, who was appointed to a five-year term beginning in February 2010.

In a separate resolution, the board approved raises for the four advisory board members, increasing their annual pay to $1,800 from $1,500.

The term extension was offered as an amendment to a 2011 resolution and was recommended by town planning department Commissioner Frederick Ippolito, also a board member.

The planning advisory board issues nonbinding advisories to the town board regarding zoning and planning issues. The seven-member board canceled most of its monthly meetings in 2014.
-- TED PHILLIPS