Brookhaven names Felix Wienclaw as new tax assessor
Pictured is Brookhaven Town Hall, where Felix Wienclaw soon will take over as assessor. Credit: Randee Daddona
A Brookhaven Town assistant attorney will step down from his post in two weeks to lead the office that establishes for tax purposes the values of nearly 200,000 residential and commercial parcels.
Felix Wienclaw, 60, who is also a Lake Grove village trustee, will succeed Town Assessor Richard DeBragga, who is retiring for health reasons, Brookhaven Supervisor Edward P. Romaine said Thursday.
Wienclaw, who also is a certified public accountant, will start in his new post on July 15 and complete the final two years of DeBragga's six-year term. The town board voted 7-0 on Thursday to approve his appointment.
DeBragga, 72, of Bellport, had been assessor since 2018 after also previously serving as an assistant town attorney.
He said Wienclaw was "very serious-minded and well-informed,” adding that Wienclaw's background in law and accounting would serve him well in his new role.
“It’s very helpful and I have every confidence he’ll do a good job,” DeBragga said.
Attempts to reach Wienclaw were unsuccessful Monday.
Town Councilman Neil Manzella, a former Brookhaven deputy assessor, said Wienclaw will be an "excellent addition to that department."
Councilman Dan Panico said he and Wienclaw were law school classmates, adding Wienclaw has "impeccable character."
Property taxes for the town and school districts, along with library and fire districts, are based on valuations from the assessor's office. The assessor also updates ownership and property inventory records and reviews applications for property tax exemptions.
Wienclaw earned a bachelor's degree in business administration in 1986 from the City University of New York and a law degree in 2002 from Touro Law Center in Central Islip, according to his biography on the Lake Grove village website.
The website says he served as the village's treasurer from 1995 to 2013 and that he computerized the village’s accounting systems during that time.
Carl MacGowan is a Long Island native who covers Brookhaven Town after having previously covered Smithtown, Suffolk County courts and numerous spot news and feature stories over his 20-plus year career at Newsday.
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