GOTV and Vote for Dr. Gordon Charlop for GNPD Commissioner on Dec. 10!

The Great Neck Park District is beset by corruption of a depth and breadth that is simply breathtaking.

As was revealed in a public meeting at the Lakeville Civic Association on Dec. 3, Dr. Charlop has now received and published the full report of a forensic handwriting expert of absentee ballots from last year's election between incumbent Tina Stellato and himself: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid025c3zSNQYaRzSYrW9ZAxKBm4EucJJ6FPfiMfy8AcWr24fyjuQZGZE65V1XUqBvbSKl&id=61569182227760

Not only were ONLY 3 of the 144 random pairs of absentee ballots and corresponding applications examined determined to have matching signatures, but (and this isn’t in the report because it doesn’t involve handwriting forensics), 70 of those other 141 “problem” applications had Tina Stellato’s name on them as the designated person who was to pick up those absentee ballots on behalf of the applicants! The person with the 2nd highest number of applications out of those 141 as the designated pickup person was Vanessa Tamari with 16! There are also affidavits from residents who applied for absentee ballots but never received them, and from others who never applied for an absentee ballot, but whose name appears on applications and ballots.

Are you getting the picture? It’s no wonder that Ms. Tamari, this year's incumbent, doesn’t want to debate her opponent: she would have to answer for those facts and more. In fact she didn’t even give the League of Women Voters, her opponent, or the public which she serves the courtesy of a response to the League’s invitation to debate. That's disqualifying in my view.

You are likely wondering: if there is such damning evidence, why is Ms. Stellato still seated as Commissioner? Why hasn't legal action been brought? Short answer: it has been brought and likely will be again, but it’s not so simple. Only 144 absentee ballot/application pairs were examined (just one third of only ONE of the four park election districts) because forensic specialists are very expensive, on the order of lawyers. A judge so far has deemed this number insufficient to support a case. There is more, but remember, the Park District has lawyers on its side and they do not make access to these ballots and applications easy or time efficient. Remember also how hard it was to unseat George Santos with all the evidence against him.

Dr. Charlop actually won 3 out of the 4 districts last year in live (in-person) voting, losing only the 1st (the north side of town, the area that gets the disproportionate share of services), but badly enough to wipe out his lead in the other 3. But the margin of his live loss was only 60 votes. The normal percentage of absentee ballots to live ballots is 8-10% which is about what he received. But Ms. Stellato received 55% of her votes from absentee ballots.

More than 1500 absentee ballots for next Tuesday’s election have already been issued. That’s more than the total number of live votes in last year’s election (c. 1400).

We cannot allow absentee ballots to be abused in this way. We have a Commissioner who is apparently employed by a major synagogue and looks to be engaged in quid pro quo favoritism, including but not limited to, harvesting of ballots and inconsistent application of Park District “no campaigning" rules for political candidates, poisoning our politics and governance. We have multiple accusations of harassment of GNPD employees engendering lawsuits against GNPD. We have employee sinecures and financial mismanagement including the Allenwood Park dog fence debacle where a fence was put up, then taken down, at who-knows-what cost. The September concert at Steppingstone cost $600,000 while dilapidated and unsafe basketball courts on the south side of town could be refurbished at one-third of that cost. Board meetings are sometimes scheduled or re-scheduled with one day's notice and FOIL requests often go unfulfilled. Phone calls to the Park District office for information are often met with wariness and a "what is your name and number and someone will get back to you", but no one calls back. So much for public participation and transparency. And there is the Kings Point Park land scandal where we risk losing our precious parkland to outside interests. On and on.

We need someone in the position who is willing and able to put a stop to this, and Dr. Charlop is that person. He brings impeccable credentials to GNPD with a nearly 30 year career as a manager in the financial arena and compliance officer. He has an MBA, a doctorate in Organization and Management, and numerous certifications in finance and investment. These are just the skills needed to manage finances prudently and transparently, manage employees effectively, ensure that GNPD is operating in full compliance with legal regulations and industry-specific guidelines. and monitor internal policies and bylaws. Equally important, he has demonstrated his commitment to cleaning up the corruption that has seeped insidiously into this treasured institution.

Hear directly from Dr. Charlop himself about his vision for the Park District and why no one else is coming close to it:
https://drive.google.com/.../1Fhips0GggTthEUiDZKF.../view...

THUS IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT WE TURN OUT THE LIVE VOTE FOR DR. CHARLOP ON DEC. 10! The numbers above paint an uphill battle for sure, but do not be discouraged! If Dr. Charlop can erase his small live vote deficit of last year, even if he loses after absentee ballots are added, he will be in a much better position to challenge the result. And frankly, in a town of some 30,000 registered voters, we ought to be able to overcome the absentee ballots too if everyone pitches in by spreading the word.

Please GOTV (Get Out The Vote) and VOTE ON DEC. 10 between 1 and 9PM! Full voting information is here: https://www.gnparks.org/DocumentCenter/View/8872/GN-Park-District-Election-Newsletter-2024 . You may look up your Election District at https://voterlookup.elections.ny.gov/ to find your corresponding polling site in the preceding link.

Please circulate this on your social media, by email, and word of mouth as widely as possible. The attached flyers may also be printed for hand distribution (they look especially great in color!) We will not have a better chance than we have right now to end this and restore integrity and good governance to our treasured Park District.

Thank you for your attention to civic duty and best wishes to all.

Robert Yamins

Great Neck