Two weeks after a feud amongst members of the Syosset Board of Fire Commissioners accelerated the controversy surrounding an auditor's report from the office of the state comptroller, the five commissioners met publicly once again on Monday, February 8 hoping to restore some semblance of peace, revert to normal business, and begin their mission to run an efficient fire district with the proper internal procedures.

Though the modestly-attended meeting reflected a sense of order and civility which was not present at the previous gathering, the occasional outburst intimated that the four older commissioners - Chairman Henry Marzola, Peter Morley, William Strong and George Wulforst Jr. - still are at odds, in principle, with Ronald Geraci on how the district should be run and what measures are needed to correct the poor image which the extensive audit engendered.

Nevertheless, Geraci seemingly backed off from his most steadfast demand from last week - the resignation of Morley, who as district secretary was responsible for many of the internal procedures which, according to the report, were followed improperly over the past decade. He also did not specifically allude to Morley, or assess him blame, when addressing the audit. "We all are responsible for what appears in this audit," stated Geraci, who also said that it would be the entire board's task to return to the good graces of the community. That will be particularly important in Oyster Bay Cove, where much public outcry originated because of residents' particularly high fire district tax rates there.

Observers have indicated that Geraci and supporters are easing off because pressure from the media and community catalyzed their most important goal, which was to compel the inveterate board members into acknowledging past mistakes in procedures and sincerely attempting to improve them.

"I think the board is starting to realize we made a mistake, and we're finally doing something about it," said Geraci. Before that said, he added, "We were paralyzed."

It is also understood that shortly after Geraci and supporters, including Oyster Bay Cove Mayor Michael Peragine, had asked Morley to resign from his paid secretarial position because of the district's undeniable state of disorganization and because the public might construe a commissioner's employment as a conflict of interest, the commissioners met privately to hash out some of their differences. While in an interview Geraci said he still believes a resignation would be appropriate, it appears that no one at this time is fervently pursuing that demand. It is within the law for a commissioner to also have a paid position, and it does happen in numerous districts throughout the county.

If Geraci directed culpability at any one individual at this last meeting, it was former longtime fire district attorney John Lewis. Geraci explained that the commissioners had for years required the assistance of a competent, diligent attorney to guide them through tricky procedures where legality of conduct could come into question. Lewis, however, was an absentee-attorney, according to Geraci, who continues to demand documentation from Lewis proving that the lawyer worked the hours for which he was paid. Geraci asked current attorney Raymond Lavallee to request this from Lewis.

"I'll tell you what he'll say," replied Lavallee. "It's none of your business." Lavallee claimed that because Lewis was what is called a Tier 1 employee, and because he no longer is an employee of the department, he has no reason to cooperate. Geraci did not like the fact that his own board's attorney would not honor his request. Lavallee finally agreed when Chairman Marzola, who argued that Lewis had fulfilled his job responsibilities, directed him to ask Lewis anyway.

Lewis resigned shortly after the audit began in 1997, a decision some find suspicious. It is the claim of Lavallee that Lewis' resignation was solely related to health reasons, following a stroke. However, said Geraci and supporters, that stroke happened several years before he retired. Lavallee responded that he had been assisting Lewis during his recovery, but after a while Lewis no longer wanted the responsibility of the job. That, however, contradicts a letter written by Lewis upon his resignation, obtained by the Tribune, in which Lewis states that he was resigning from the board because it was "going in a different direction" than he.

Although Lewis' employment remains a source of controversy, the five commissioners have made early strides at correcting some of the other past mistakes listed in the report.

For example, Morley has been very deliberate in his minute recording, visibly audio-taping meetings and enforcing that everyone speak loud enough, and only during recording. The district set a cap on certain ambiguous expenses, such as the department's annual installation dinner, so that no one can accuse it of overspending.

Most significantly, Morley, Geraci and the remaining commissioners arranged for some of Morley's duties to be transferred to District Superintendent Bob Swanson. It was long contended by Geraci and supporters that Morley, to his credit, took on more responsibility as secretary than he should have, particularly with financial matters.

Geraci said it was important to have an outside employee responsible for collecting bids and determining expenses, and present his findings to the board of five. That way, said Geraci, the board members can never be accused of collusion because a separate individual, "responsible to all five, is doing the inquiry."

The next public meeting of the commissioners will take place on Monday, February 22 at 7:30 p.m.