North Hempstead building commissioner to retire as town plans reforms
North Hempstead Building Commissioner John Niewender will retire next month. Credit: Danielle Finkelstein
North Hempstead Building Commissioner John Niewender will retire next month as town officials plan reforms to the department, officials said.
Niewender will retire in mid-October after serving 10 years as commissioner, town officials told Newsday. The town board hired a new deputy commissioner, Stephen Haramis, at its Sept. 3 board meeting. Haramis will lead the department along with Glenn Norjen, another deputy commissioner, town officials said.
Supervisor Jennifer DeSena said in a statement that Niewender was asked to remain in his post. Niewender declined to comment.
"Our intention in hiring Stephen Haramis was to give Commissioner Niewender a well-regarded professional to assist him in carrying out our planned departmental reforms," DeSena, a Democrat who caucuses with Republicans, said in a statement. "We were saddened to hear that John had already decided to retire after nearly 30 years."
The town's building department has long been a source of controversy. In February, the Nassau County Comptroller's Office issued an audit that identified "significant" deficiencies within the department.
In June 2023, DeSena suspended Niewender for a month without pay after an investigation by an outside law firm found he committed misconduct by retaliating against an employee who had filed a complaint against him, according to records.
After a building department inspector filed two equal opportunity complaints with the town, Niewender and Joseph Geraci, then an assistant to the commissioner, reprimanded the inspector for "bashing" them to other employees, according to records obtained by Newsday. During the same meeting, Niewender told the inspector he could be fired for misconduct. Geraci resigned in November.
The incident happened about three weeks after the inspector filed a complaint against Niewender, records show. Investigators found no wrongdoing there, according to the report.
DeSena, who took office in 2022, said she was concerned about the department's operations.
In July 2022, DeSena asked Nassau Comptroller Elaine Phillips, a Republican, to audit the building department.
The audit, which was released in February, found "significant" deficiencies in the department, poor communication, backlogs for permits and "mismanagement at the highest level of Town Government."
In 2007, a 16-month investigation led to arrests and convictions of North Hempstead building department employees.
Niewender earned $133,200 in 2023, according to town payroll data. He had worked in the town building department since 2004. In 2014, then-Supervisor Judi Bosworth, a Democrat, appointed Niewender commissioner.
Haramis was most recently the building department superintendent in the Village of Sands Point and has held similar positions in the villages of Great Neck, Lawrence, Lynbrook and Hewlett Harbor.
The board approved Haramis’ appointment in a 4-3 vote along party lines. Republicans hold a majority on the town board.
Council members bickered about the selection process. Robert Troiano, a Democratic board member, asked why the job wasn't posted online.
"We want the best employees we can get, especially a building department that has been so maligned by you in two straight campaigns," Troiano said. "A way of assuring that is to post positions widely, so that everybody who has an interest, and the capability, knows, and has the opportunity to apply. Wouldn’t you agree?
DeSena bristled at the question. "Thank you for your lecture," she responded.
In a news release announcing Niewender's appointment in 2014, Bosworth lauded his credentials: "John has been working so diligently to implement my administration's goal of providing exemplary customer service to the residents and professional contractors who use our services. I am confident that he will help move the Building Department forward."
North Hempstead Building Commissioner John Niewender will retire next month as town officials plan reforms to the department, officials said.
Niewender will retire in mid-October after serving 10 years as commissioner, town officials told Newsday. The town board hired a new deputy commissioner, Stephen Haramis, at its Sept. 3 board meeting. Haramis will lead the department along with Glenn Norjen, another deputy commissioner, town officials said.
Supervisor Jennifer DeSena said in a statement that Niewender was asked to remain in his post. Niewender declined to comment.
"Our intention in hiring Stephen Haramis was to give Commissioner Niewender a well-regarded professional to assist him in carrying out our planned departmental reforms," DeSena, a Democrat who caucuses with Republicans, said in a statement. "We were saddened to hear that John had already decided to retire after nearly 30 years."
The town's building department has long been a source of controversy. In February, the Nassau County Comptroller's Office issued an audit that identified "significant" deficiencies within the department.
In June 2023, DeSena suspended Niewender for a month without pay after an investigation by an outside law firm found he committed misconduct by retaliating against an employee who had filed a complaint against him, according to records.
After a building department inspector filed two equal opportunity complaints with the town, Niewender and Joseph Geraci, then an assistant to the commissioner, reprimanded the inspector for "bashing" them to other employees, according to records obtained by Newsday. During the same meeting, Niewender told the inspector he could be fired for misconduct. Geraci resigned in November.
The incident happened about three weeks after the inspector filed a complaint against Niewender, records show. Investigators found no wrongdoing there, according to the report.
DeSena, who took office in 2022, said she was concerned about the department's operations.
In July 2022, DeSena asked Nassau Comptroller Elaine Phillips, a Republican, to audit the building department.
The audit, which was released in February, found "significant" deficiencies in the department, poor communication, backlogs for permits and "mismanagement at the highest level of Town Government."
In 2007, a 16-month investigation led to arrests and convictions of North Hempstead building department employees.
Niewender earned $133,200 in 2023, according to town payroll data. He had worked in the town building department since 2004. In 2014, then-Supervisor Judi Bosworth, a Democrat, appointed Niewender commissioner.
Haramis was most recently the building department superintendent in the Village of Sands Point and has held similar positions in the villages of Great Neck, Lawrence, Lynbrook and Hewlett Harbor.
The board approved Haramis’ appointment in a 4-3 vote along party lines. Republicans hold a majority on the town board.
Council members bickered about the selection process. Robert Troiano, a Democratic board member, asked why the job wasn't posted online.
"We want the best employees we can get, especially a building department that has been so maligned by you in two straight campaigns," Troiano said. "A way of assuring that is to post positions widely, so that everybody who has an interest, and the capability, knows, and has the opportunity to apply. Wouldn’t you agree?
DeSena bristled at the question. "Thank you for your lecture," she responded.
In a news release announcing Niewender's appointment in 2014, Bosworth lauded his credentials: "John has been working so diligently to implement my administration's goal of providing exemplary customer service to the residents and professional contractors who use our services. I am confident that he will help move the Building Department forward."
Joshua Needelman covers the Town of North Hempstead for Newsday. A Long Island native and University of Maryland graduate, his work has appeared in publications including The New York Times and The Washington Post.
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