| Amelio will vote on new chief |
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| Written by Mark Lungariello |
| Thursday, 04 February 2010 16:50 |
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State says no conflict of interest Councilwoman Marlane Amelio (R) will not recuse herself from the vote on Harrison’s next police chief. An opinion received from the state comptroller’s office on Tuesday stated that there was no law preventing Amelio from voting on the appointment of a new chief. Harrison Mayor Joan Walsh (D) sought an opinion from Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli last week, citing Amelio’s relationship with Capt. Anthony Marraccini, one of three candidates up for the job of chief (Marraccini is married to Amelio’s niece).  According to law, the comptroller said Amelio was entitled to vote. Mayor Walsh said that she was surprised. “I certainly think it’s a conflict of interest,” Walsh told us. “It’s a family member whether it’s marriage or blood.”Amelio said the talks of a potential conflict were distracting from the real issues of Harrison. “I am pleased that they determined that there is no conflict of interest,” Amelio said. “We all need to move forward since there are many issues of importance facing the town at this juncture.” Despite the many issues of importance, the appointment of a new chief has been the main topic of discussion in neighborhoods throughout Harrison over the last several weeks. A very public and often personal debate has taken place as residents chime in on who they think should - and also who should not - be the chief of police. Capt. Marraccini for his part felt the process had been tainted by politics. The brother of former Town Supervisor Phil Marraccini (R), the captain said he believed the discussion would not have become so divisive if his last name had not been the same as the former mayor. “To me, I think it’s clear that this is orchestrated and unfair,” he said. The discussion reached controversial proportions when a letter to the editor from Democratic District Leader Deborah Notkin was printed in the pages of The Harrison Report on Jan. 8. Notkin believed Marraccini should not be promoted to chief. The captain wrote a letter of his own the following week, stating Notkin’s comments were motivated by an incident several years ago when Harrison Police visited Notkin’s residence on a complaint over underage drinking. Critics took issue with Marraccini bringing up the incident (charges were later dismissed), saying as an officer Marraccini should not be publicly discussing the case and may have broken the code of conduct. The captain himself said he did not disclose specifics of the case. The back-and-forth has prompted a massive response and discussion from the community, with many letters of support and also phone calls of dissent to the Town Board members. Also up for the job are Lt. Douglas Buschel and Lt. Larry Marshall. Both have been mum during the process. The Town Board is compelled by law to choose a new chief within 90 days from the seat being vacated. The position was vacant effective Jan. 1 when former Chief David Hall retired. The board is obligated under Civil Service law to fill the position with one of the three in-house candidates. The three took a county civil service chief’s test (Marraccini scored the highest of the three, and top in the county). To hire a chief from outside of Harrison, the Town Board would need to appeal to New York State which has not occurred in recent memory in any police chief search. According to town officials, an appeal is unlikely, as the town would need to provide reasoning for not promoting within their own ranks.
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