The majority said the move was designed to streamline meetings and to make sure they end at a reasonable hour. But Democrats see things differently; they view the move as a partisan swipe at Councilwoman Connie Kepert, a teacher at Longwood High School, who will now be forced to miss the first two-plus hours of each work session.

"What you're saying here," Ms. Kepert said to the board minutes prior to the vote, "is that the only people who can serve on a board like this is lawyers and professional politicians. Do we want that? Is that all we want to welcome on this board? Lawyers and politicians. I say no. I say we want to welcome the citizen legislator."

Members of the Town Board's majority insisted the move was not "partisan payback," as Ms. Kepert characterized it, but rather a decision designed to help them better serve their own districts.

Councilwoman Jane Bonner and Councilman Keith Romaine both said work sessions -- which generally end between 5 and 6 p.m. but have at times extended beyond 7 p.m. -- have kept them from attending public meetings as well as meeting with citizens in their district.

Town Board work sessions have historically been held at 11 a.m. The past Democratic majority on the Town Board changed the time in 2006 to accommodate Ms. Kepert.

Democratic Councilman Steve Fiore-Rosenfeld proposed the idea of passing a resolution to ensure work session meetings end at 5 p.m. He also said the board could consider holding a separate work session for land-use issues to reduce the amount of time spent in work session.

"How about working together?" Mr. Fiore-Rosenfeld said. Neither suggestion was entertained by the majority.

Several residents spoke out against the proposal Tuesday.

"I feel as a 4th District resident we will now not have a voice at work session," said South Yaphank Civic Association president Johan McConnell.

No one member of the public spoke out in support of the plan, which passed along party lines.

n Dark nites

The Town Board unanimously approved a measure that directs the town's finance director to conduct an audit of last year's Brite Nites program, a holiday event hosted at the Ecology Center each year by the highway department.

Majority Leader Tim Mazzei proposed the audit after he said the board received misinformation in a report given by a town highway worker at a previous meeting. At that meeting, the highway employee said the town had been given a check for $47,000 from Brookhaven Wildlife Organization, the group the display benefits, for revenues raised from Brite Nites in 2007.

Mr. Mazzei said he later learned the check had not yet been given to the town. When it was, he said the check was for just $43,000.

"I want to know what happened," Mr. Mazzei said.

Highway Superintendent John Rouse was attending a conference out of town, so he sent his assistant to read a statement to the board. While Mr. Rouse said in the statement that he would welcome an audit, he questioned Mr. Mazzei's intent in proposing the audit.

"This smacks of the very same partisan politics that have stalled Brookhaven government," Mr. Rouse said.

Democrats on the board supported the measure anyway and Ms. Kepert agreed she, too, is curious to see what happened with the revenues raised from the event.

n More cuts

The Town Board majority voted to defund two more positions in the town supervisor's office Tuesday, bringing the total number of jobs cut from the office up to nine.

The positions that were removed were held by Thalia Bouklas, who was previously let go as the town's deputy finance director, and John Leonard. Ms. Bouklas had been working as the director of program evaluation, where one of her primary responsibilities was to oversee the town's 451-TOWN call center. Mr. Leonard, an attorney from Mount Sinai who had previously worked in the law department, had been working part time as the town's intergovernmental relations coordinator.

Republicans said the firings were not to usurp authority from the supervisor, but to save tax dollars. The cuts will save the town $44,000 for the remainder of 2008.

The Democrats on the board expressed extreme disappointment in the decision.

"I can honestly say I am ashamed to sit up here with all of you today," Ms. Kepert said to her Republican colleagues.

Said Mr. Foley, "This move will end up costing the town money because you are getting rid of two people who are very good at what they do."

gparpan@northshoresun.com

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