Huntington Retains Ethics Board Counsel

Huntington’s Town Board voted on Feb. 10 to retain a Roslyn law firm with expertise in municipal ethics to assist with the town’s effort to examine and revise its ethics code.

During its Feb. 10 meeting, the board voted to retain Leventhal, Cursio, Mullaney & Spector as the new counsel to the town’s Board of Ethics and Financial Disclosure.

Steven G. Leventhal and the firm of Leventhal, Cursio, Mullaney & Spector will actively assist the town in the revision effort, which the town says has been ongoing for several months and will include public comments and suggestions.

Leventhal will replace James Matthews, who was elected to the Suffolk County District Court.

The effort began when Supervisor Frank P. Petrone asked Councilwoman Tracey Edwards to research ethics codes in other jurisdictions and to explore revisions. Edwards collaborated with Howard Glickstein, dean emeritus of Touro Law School and the ethics board chair, on possible changes.

Leventhal and his firm were selected based on their qualifications, in response to a request for proposals issued in late 2014. Petrone said the RFP process was designed to ensure transparency in the selection process and to attract the most qualified firms.

Petrone said he expected that Leventhal’s guidance would prove “invaluable as Councilwoman Edwards, Dean Glickstein and I work on the revisions that will best serve the public.”

“The process is on track, and I look forward to tapping Mr. Leventhal’s expertise in municipal ethics matters as we move forward,” Edwards said.

Edwards said the revisions would also incorporate comments from the ethics board’s annual public meeting, scheduled for March 5. The meeting is held annually for the board to take testimony from the general public on whether the code is functioning effectively and to hear recommended improvements.

A former member and chair of the Nassau County Board of Ethics, Leventhal has lectured and written extensively on the subjects of government, legal and corporate ethics. He has been engaged frequently to provide ethics advice, training and continuing professional education to municipal officers and employees throughout New York, municipal associations, bar associations, law firms and universities. He also serves as co-chair of the Ethics and Professionalism Committee of the New York State Bar Association’s Municipal Law Section.

The Town Board resolution sets the firm’s compensation at the rate of $200 an hour, with a maximum annual amount of $15,000.

Image: Steven G. Leventhal/Screenshot Leventhal, Cursio, Mullaney & Spector website

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