Lawrence N. Gray, Esq.
20 Fireplace Drive
Supervisor
Patrick Vecchio
99 West Main
Street
Smithtown, New
York 11787
March 5, 2009
Re: Commercial Property
Open Permits, Taxation & 35 Chestnut Stump Road Ft. Salonga
Dear
Supervisor Vecchio:
Recently, David Ambro of the Smithtown News reported that Smithtown’s
Chief Building Inspector went into a room and found more than 3000 files
showing open residential building permits.
Ambro’s article was as internally contradictory as it was deliberately
ignorant. He’s your boy.
Do you think that everyone is so
gullible that they believe that open building permits in Smithtown are limited
to residential properties? Your
indicted former 18-year Chief Building Inspector Robert Bonerba did not just
deep six open permits for residential properties. Are we to believe that all commercial building permits have been
timely closed out? Any Supervisor
worth his salt let alone an honest one which excludes you – after learning of
3000 permits in a box in a room would have personally visited his building
department demanding an immediate in-house audit and inventory of commercial
permits issued and commercial permits closed as immediately interfaced with
records in the Tax Assessor’s Office. A
commercial permit illegally kept open for 10 years with a tax saving of $5000
per year is $50,000. Are you ready to
prove that all commercial properties in Smithtown are paying what they are
obligated to? How many commercial
building permits are open in this town, and for how long? What real estate taxes are they paying? This is one woodpile that you won’t hide in.
Next we have 35 Chestnut Stump Road
with which you, Bonerba, Town Attorney Yvonne Lieffrig and Tax Assessor Gregory
Hild have played peek-a- boo with. It
is 5 1/2 acres. A barn is on 4 ˝
acres. A house is on 1 acre. In and about 2004 another house was built of
the same 4 ˝ acres as the barn. Its
water and electricity is hooked up. The
barn is assessed at $4,010. The house
is assessed at $12,333.97. It was
renovated to 6,000 feet. During the
renovation a “phantom” house was built.
The phantom house does not appear on the tax rolls even though this
matter has been brought to your personal attention. Bonerba began to visibly shake when confronted. “I’m getting blamed for it,” said the
currently accused bribe receiver. Was
there a point when a folder in the Building Department for 35 Chestnut Stump
Road had multiple pink post-its interspersed throughout it? Ask Deputy Planning Director David Flynn if
the 5 ˝ acres at 35 Chestnut Stump Road has ever posted a sign for a proposed
subdivision or whether this acreage has a subdivision at all. Ask Flynn if he ever said words to the
effect, “once in a while we do one for free.”
Consider this letter to be a form filled out so that an inspector
can go out to 35 Chestnut Stump Road and see for himself what pictures of the
phantom house have already shown you, Lieffrig and Hild. Maybe Newsday
would like to see the phantom house that has not been taxed.
Don’t make me come looking for you
on the 26th. Show up for
work. Don’t stay home sick or all of a
sudden check into St. Catherine’s.
Yours
truly,
Lawrence
N. Gray, Esq.