The sale of the public open space in Franklin Court was totally shrouded in secrecy. The Garden City Board of Trustees had one public hearing regarding this sale. That hearing was held the night of Dec. 19, 2013; the closing (transferring title to a private owner) was held the next morning. Everyone can plainly see the fix was in and the New York State Open Meetings Law was violated. Now the board “agrees that it is appropriate to enhance the public notice procedures going forward in order to assure even greater transparency when it comes to the sale of village-owned properties.”
In this context the board’s assurance is meaningless. Even a fleeting glimpse of transparency is greater than none.
Rod Coyne
