North Hempstead councilman resigns for new post

North Hempstead Councilman Thomas K. Dwyer stepped down from his post Friday evening, saying a consulting job he is in talks to take would pose a conflict of interest.

Dwyer, 49, a Democrat from Roslyn Heights, has been a councilman since 2002, when he was appointed to fill a vacancy. He was re-elected four times and was in the middle of a four-year term.

Dwyer declined to identify the firm he may join, but said he would serve as a senior strategist with a government affairs and consulting firm with an office in Manhattan.

Dwyer plans to continue as chief operating officer of American Land Services, a title insurance firm with offices in Syosset, where he has worked since 2004.

"The workload, plus being in government is not going to be conducive to my success," he said in an interview shortly before submitting his resignation to the Office of Town Clerk.

The recently remarried Dwyer said he plans to move to Dix Hills, outside North Hempstead, in "the near future," but that did not influence his resignation.

Town board members can choose a replacement and an election will be held in 2014, town spokesman Justin Meyers said. Another election will follow in 2015, when the term ends.

Town Democratic chairman Gerard Terry had no comment when asked about replacing Dwyer.

Dwyer leaves the board with one fewer Democrat. John Riordan, the supervisor, was appointed last month to replace Jon Kaiman, who resigned in September to become Long Island's storm recovery czar and chairman of the Nassau Interim Finance Authority. With Riordan, a Democrat, the board now has four Democrats and two Republicans. Supervisor-elect Judi Bosworth, a Democrat, takes office in January."We've done tremendous work: our parks, roads, 311," Dwyer said. "We've brought North Hempstead well into the 21st century."

Dwyer said he was most proud of championing environmental initiatives and the recently approved Roslyn Country Club; he choked-up during a September meeting as plans were finalized.

Dwyer -- whose father Thomas W. Dwyer was a longtime Nassau County district court judge and whose mother, Mary Ita Dwyer, ran the town Democratic Party -- spoke wistfully of his departure from office. "I've enjoyed every minute of it," he said.