Two former members of the Port Washington Police Athletic League say the league and the Port Washington Water Pollution Control District are mired in dysfunction, conflicts of interest and actions that they claim have harmed their families.
Their concerns center on Brandon Kurz, a commissioner on the Pollution Control District Board who has also been involved with PAL. Kurz stirred controversy in July when he claimed the district was planning to transfer Sunset Park to the Town of North Hempstead without public input, a claim denied by both the town and the district.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Kurz became executive director of the Police Athletic League in April 2024. After resolutions were made by the Port Washington Water Pollution Control District that required Kurz not to be compensated for his service to the league, his title has since changed to volunteer executive director. But former members contend that his overlapping roles raise conflicts of interest, particularly in the Police Athletic League’s use of district-owned property.
In interviews, Rob Elkins, former executive director of the Police Athletic League, and Stephen Sombratto, former vice president, recounted years of involvement with the organization and detailed their disputes with Kurz.
Elkins, who joined the Police Athletic League nearly two decades ago, said he helped grow the group from just 23 participants to more than 600 children annually. He served as executive director for 12 years, overseeing programs ranging from softball to summer camps before he stepped down in 2020.
“It was a community service organization, not a business,” Elkins said. “When that stopped being the purpose, I knew it was time to go.”
Elkins said his daughter Danielle was deeply involved with the Police Athletic League and even spearheaded fundraising after a swastika was painted on the Police Athletic League property. She helped raise $25,000 in a single day, which the organization used to purchase storage facilities.
But both men say that after they became critical of the Police Athletic League’s current leadership, their families were unfairly targeted.
According to court filings cited by Sombratto, a document known as the “Kurz Agreement” included a clause banning their children from participating in the Police Athletic League programs. It is not known who drew up the clause. Elkins said Danielle, now in her 20s, was devastated.
“She cried when she saw it,” Elkins said. “She told me she needed to talk to a counselor. This was her childhood playground, and now she was banned from it for no reason.”
Sombratto has filed an Article 78 proceeding, a lawsuit that challenges administrative decisions, arguing that the Police Athletic League’s license to operate on district-owned land was improperly reinstated while Kurz was serving as commissioner. It created what he calls a “clear conflict of interest.”
Records show the water district voted in 2023 to terminate the Police Athletic League’s license. Yet Sombratto says a new agreement appeared months later in 2024, allowing the league to continue operations.
“The district itself acknowledged there was a conflict of interest,” Sombratto said. “But instead of resolving it, they negotiated with the very people who caused it. That’s not accountability.”
Kurz did not respond for comment. The district referred to previous resolutions to explain their stance on the issue.
On Sept. 9, 2025, the district issued a press release emphasizing its commitment to community resources, accountability, and updated governance for PAL. The board revoked PAL’s 1980 license and replaced it with a new agreement that ensures access to the same fields while requiring anti-discrimination policies, a code of ethics, expanded board membership, quarterly financial reporting, and updated insurance coverage. The district also announced it would not discuss transferring Sunset Park to the Town of North Hempstead for at least five years.
The board also authorized legal action to remove Kurz from his commissioner role following a Sept. 3 court order obtained by Sombrotto and due to his failure to comply with prior resolutions regarding financial reporting and conduct.
“This was not a decision we made lightly,” water district Commissioner Melanie Cassens said in the release. “But accountability, transparency, and integrity must guide all of our work.”
Elkins said his focus is on seeking an apology for his daughter and accountability from current league leaders.
“She gave her time, her energy, and raised money for them,” Elkins said. “To retaliate against her is beyond wrong. There has to be a public apology and acknowledgment that they crossed a line.”
The men also criticized the pollution district’s handling of the dispute. They said taxpayers could be exposed to liability if the league continues to operate on district property without a valid license and proper insurance.
“You’re talking about millions of public dollars at stake,” Sombratto said. “If they can’t govern something as small as a youth sports lease, what else is slipping through the cracks?”
Kurz, who has publicly defended his role on Facebook and during the district’s weekly meetings, said he did not write the Kurz agreement and that Sombratto’s children have been welcomed to play in the Police Athletic League.
For Sombratto and Elkins, the issue is no longer just about sports or facilities, but about trust.
“At the end of the day, this is about accountability,” Elkins said. “If you discriminate against children, if you put your own interests ahead of the community, you’ve disqualified yourself from leading.”
