Board Recap: Oppenheimer Questions Cancellieri Hiring, South Nassau Deal

Fireworks sparked among trustees at the Village Board meeting on Monday after Trustee Ed Oppenheimer openly questioned the hiring of Tony Cancellieri and the he helped negotiate with South Nassau Communities Hospital.

Cancellieri was hired a month ago — at a rate of $20,000 a month — as a consultant to the village and will perform the duties of village administrator for the next two months until a replacement is found for former administrator Frank Quigley.

Cancellieri helped negotiate a deal to lease 150 parking spots in Field No. 12 to South Nassau Communities Hospital, netting the village at least $50,000 and potentially more over the next five years. Oppenheimer said when he found out that Cancellieri was a board member at South Nassau, "it made me wonder just who Mr. Cancellieri was negotiating with."

Mayor Fran Murray said Cancellieri's connection to South Nassau was fully disclosed to the board, and when Oppenheimer tried to butt in during Murray's explanation, tempers began to boil. "Excuse me, I'm not finished!" Murray yelled. "Do not interrupt me!"

Oppenheimer added that South Nassau paid Park Strategies — a firm that helps navigate public policy and business development for its clients — to lobby on its behalf. Oppenheimer said Cancellieri is currently employed by Park Strategies. "In my mind, this raises questions as to where Mr. Cancellieri's allegiance lies in this matter."

Acting Village administrator Mike Schussheim questioned Oppenheimer on why he was so adamant that the village did not receive a fair deal for the spots in Lot No. 12. "I could understand if the rates were out of line," he said.

Schussheim noted that the village received a better rate per spot than it had when it initially negotiated leasing parking spots to South Nassau two years ago, and the current rate is higher than the Molloy parking deal. "If the complaint is that we should get more...no one is willing to pay a significantly higher rate," he said. "I don't understand the issue."

Deputy Mayor Nancy Howard agreed with Schussheim, saying it's additional revenue for the village by leasing spots that are barely used. "It's land that sits, unused for most of the time," Howard said.

Oppenheimer agreed that it's underused, but said that South Nassau was in dire need for parking and the village should have taken advantage of it. Trustee Kevin Glynn said the village needed an alternative source of revenue and this was a perfect opportunity to gain it.

"We as village trustees owe a duty to the tax payers to do everything we can to find viable sources of revenue other than through higher taxes," he said in an email to Patch. "The demand by Trustee Oppenheimer that the village allow the parking lot and our coffers to remain empty due to unrealistic expectations and an unwillingness to compromise exhibits an unfortunate dereliction of that duty. I am proud of my vote in support of the lease agreement and wish that we had entered into it much sooner."