North Hempstead's financial disclosure deadline to be moved

The North Hempstead Town Board will vote to extend the deadline for filing financial disclosure forms after new reforms were enacted following Newsday stories about nepotism and the town’s failure to collect the forms from town party leaders.

Town Attorney Elizabeth Botwin said there was a “production issue” with the forms that requried extending the deadline to June 1 from May 15 for the 2015 reporting year. The board will vote on the extension at its meeting today.

The town board in March required vendors who advise town boards to file financial disclosure forms, after Newsday reported that Gerard Terry, the former North Hempstead board of zoning appeals attorney and town party chairman, had compiled nearly $1.4 million in federal and state tax debts.

Town officials also said they would enforce the requirement that party leaders file financial disclosure forms after failing to collect them for 25 years.

The board also required employees to list all relatives employed by North Hempstead Town, after Newsday reported that Helen McCann, an employee charged with stealing more than $98,000 from the town’s Solid Waste Management Authority, was related to several town employees.

Town Supervisor Judi Bosworth has said she did not know how many relatives of McCann’s were employed by the town.

The changes to the financial disclosure form were approved in a 6-0 vote, with Democrat Viviana Russell abstaining.