Village Board News: Accusations Fly and New Detectives

During the public comment session of Monday's Village Board meeting, former village trustee Andrew Karamouzis accused current Trustee Ed Oppenheimer of being a "village vigilante" after an incident that occurred with Karamouzis' 14-year-old daughter on Halloween.

According to Karamouzis, his daughter, along with a group of friends, were trick-or-treating on Halloween. The group met at Wilson Elementary School when they were done, Karamouzis said, and his wife was on her way to pick their daughter up for dinner.

Karamouzis claimed that Oppenheimer showed up at the elementary school lot with Auxiliary Police, told the kids to leave because school grounds were closed, then searched their candy bags for eggs and shaving cream. He questioned the board why Oppenheimer was allowed to ride along with police, allegedly illegally search his daughter's bag and "act in a police capacity."

"Was this sanctioned by the village?" he asked. "I think he should leave the law enforcement to the Rockville Centre Police Department...It is wholly inappropriate to engage in that kind of conduct."

Oppenheimer said that he did ride along with Auxiliary Police Chief Gerry Chafetz on Halloween, but Trustee Mike Sepe added that board members are allowed to do ride-a-longs because it helps them gain a better understanding of the village.  Oppenheimer denied that he "acted in police activity" or that he searched the kids' bags and detained them. Oppenheimer expressed,  "denial to all facts as you [Karamouzis] have presented them."

Karamouzis said that during his four years on the board, he never conducted a ride-a-long with police. When asked what he wanted from Oppenheimer, Karamouzis said his family deserved an apology.

In other news, two village officers — Christoper O'Connor and Salvatore Mazza — were promoted to detective. The board also held a public hearing on , which deals with increasing the amount a homeowner can expand their home when compared to its floor to area ratio. The hearing will continue on Nov. 21 at 8 p.m.

The board also approved a new Farmers Market agreement, which allows businesses to sell its products in Lot No. 12 every Sunday for five hours from June to Thanksgiving. The fee to host it is $250 a month. Mayor Fran Murray voted against the agreement, saying he didn't think it was fair for businesses at the Farmers Market to sell their goods in the village, when there are businesses who pay rent and taxes to sell the same goods in Rockville Centre.