Thursday, December 03, 2009
East Ramapo rehires fired lawyer
The East Ramapo school board on Wednesday night announced that longtime district lawyer Steve Fromson would continue to work on behalf of the district.
The board also is going to hire a special counsel to deal with the state commissioner of education's action about whether to reverse the original, controversial vote to hire Albert D'Agostino.
The firm — Feerick, Lynch and MacCartney of South Nyack — will be contracted for 15 days until the next board meeting on Dec. 16.
The hiring of D'Agostino ”is on hold for the next two weeks,“ school board President Nathan Rothschild announced, adding ”this special counsel will advise us through the process until we are able to sort this all out.“
The night before, the school board voted 8-1 to hire the law firm of Kuntz, Spagnuolo and Murphy.
The Bedford Village-based firm was to counsel the district in the aftermath of hiring of D'Agostino, who, through a 5-3 vote, was hired to replace Fromson.
Kuntz, Spagnuolo and Murphy backed out before Wednesday night's meeting and was replaced by Dennis Lynch of Feerick, Lynch and MacCartney.[0xa0]
Fromson had been abruptly let go after serving as East Ramapo counsel for the past 33 years.
Trustee Aron Wieder apologized to the public and tried to answer some of the unanswered questions from the Nov. 18 meeting.
”Change we can believe in comes with bold and daring actions that can be controversial,“ Wieder said.
The board's action Wednesday night followed a tumultuous public sesson in which about 40 people spoke and board members met in executive session for more than two hours.
More than 400 people crowded inside the East Ramapo administration building gymnasium Wednesday night, while about 150 others listened from the halls.
Parents, students and residents addressed the board on issues ranging from the privatization of East Ramapo transportation to the contentious hiring of Long Island-based D'Agostino.
The lawyer has been embroiled in a controversy over more than a half-million dollars in state pension payments.
The five members who voted in favor of hiring D'Agostino had not provided an amended budget. D'Agostino would charge $130 an hour more than Fromson.
He also would charge for transportation to and from his offices on Long Island.
Several members from the Orthodox and Hasidic Jewish communities have expressed that D'Agostino's expertise would be worth the additional monies.
The five-member bloc that voted in favor of D'Agostino's hiring represent the Orthodox and Hasidic Jewish communities in the district, most of whom send their children to yeshivas, or private religious schools.
http://www.lohud.com/article/2009912030404
The board also is going to hire a special counsel to deal with the state commissioner of education's action about whether to reverse the original, controversial vote to hire Albert D'Agostino.
The firm — Feerick, Lynch and MacCartney of South Nyack — will be contracted for 15 days until the next board meeting on Dec. 16.
The hiring of D'Agostino ”is on hold for the next two weeks,“ school board President Nathan Rothschild announced, adding ”this special counsel will advise us through the process until we are able to sort this all out.“
The night before, the school board voted 8-1 to hire the law firm of Kuntz, Spagnuolo and Murphy.
The Bedford Village-based firm was to counsel the district in the aftermath of hiring of D'Agostino, who, through a 5-3 vote, was hired to replace Fromson.
Kuntz, Spagnuolo and Murphy backed out before Wednesday night's meeting and was replaced by Dennis Lynch of Feerick, Lynch and MacCartney.[0xa0]
Fromson had been abruptly let go after serving as East Ramapo counsel for the past 33 years.
Trustee Aron Wieder apologized to the public and tried to answer some of the unanswered questions from the Nov. 18 meeting.
”Change we can believe in comes with bold and daring actions that can be controversial,“ Wieder said.
The board's action Wednesday night followed a tumultuous public sesson in which about 40 people spoke and board members met in executive session for more than two hours.
More than 400 people crowded inside the East Ramapo administration building gymnasium Wednesday night, while about 150 others listened from the halls.
Parents, students and residents addressed the board on issues ranging from the privatization of East Ramapo transportation to the contentious hiring of Long Island-based D'Agostino.
The lawyer has been embroiled in a controversy over more than a half-million dollars in state pension payments.
The five members who voted in favor of hiring D'Agostino had not provided an amended budget. D'Agostino would charge $130 an hour more than Fromson.
He also would charge for transportation to and from his offices on Long Island.
Several members from the Orthodox and Hasidic Jewish communities have expressed that D'Agostino's expertise would be worth the additional monies.
The five-member bloc that voted in favor of D'Agostino's hiring represent the Orthodox and Hasidic Jewish communities in the district, most of whom send their children to yeshivas, or private religious schools.
http://www.lohud.com/article/2009912030404
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