School Theft Case Raises Questions of Political Ties
By PATRICK HEALY

Published: July 1, 2004

GARDEN CITY, N.Y., June 30 - Suffolk County prosecutors investigating how more than $750,000 was taken from the William Floyd School District have begun to explore relationships between school officials and local Republican organizations, a spokesman for the district attorney said Wednesday.

"It's a school district that does have some political coloring," said Bob Clifford, a spokesman for Thomas Spota, a Democrat and the Suffolk district attorney. "They're definitely looking at it."

Prosecutors said they have noticed a number of odd and unlikely connections between educators and Republican organizations for Suffolk County and the town of Brookhaven, like political donations, school contracts and a political aide who received a job in the school district.

And the man who first pointed investigators toward the William Floyd School District was not a disgruntled teacher or outraged parent, but a disgraced former Suffolk legislator, Fred Towle, a politically connected Republican who pleaded guilty in May 2003 to taking more than $10,000 in bribes.

After talking with Mr. Towle, prosecutors subpoenaed boxes of school records in September and discovered signs of theft, Mr. Spota has said. The retired district treasurer, James Wright, was charged Tuesday with stealing $750,000 by writing checks to himself, drawn from the district's payroll account. The district is also investigating time sheets that Mr. Wright submitted after he had retired, a district administrator, Dennis Fidotta, said yesterday. The time sheets were rejected, but if they had been approved, Mr. Wright would have received both a paycheck and a pension check at the same time, Mr. Fidotta said. "It was a nice try."

Two weeks ago, after discovering spending irregularities, the district fired its acting assistant superintendent for business, Dan Cifonell. Prosecutors said they are investigating other suspicious contracts, vendors and construction projects.

Prosecutors have not called the school's political ties any indicator of wrongdoing, but some residents questioned the district's relationship with the Republican Party.

After Mr. Towle quit the county Legislature under a cloud of scandal, one of his aides obtained a job with the district in August 2003. The aide, Bill Doyle, worked five weeks before he re-entered the political arena as an aide to Mr. Towle's successor, Peter O'Leary, a Republican of Moriches.

For years, the district's insurance agent has been Thomas Neppell, who was the leader of the Suffolk and Brookhaven Republican Parties before he stepped down last year. Mr. Neppell's insurance company also did business with other districts.

Several residents who follow local politics said school board members have also been influential in local Republican politics for years.

The district superintendent, Richard J. Hawkins, said the district had simply sought to forge close relationships with politicians in power. And in Brookhaven, Republicans have long been the dominant political party.

"I have a strong connection with whoever I have to deal with," Dr. Hawkins said. "I contribute to virtually everybody's campaign. The local people, you try to be supportive of them. Everything you do is based on those relationships."

Suffolk Republicans have been mired in scandal in recent years and dogged by a continuing corruption investigation. In addition to Mr. Towle's guilty plea, the Brookhaven highway superintendent - a Republican - was convicted of 31 misdemeanors in May. Others have admitted taking bribes and misusing public money.

The problems are so notorious that residents have nicknamed the town "Crookhaven."

"I don't think the school should have anything to do with politics, but I'd be living in a fantasy world to believe that would come true," said John Sicignano, president of the Mastic Park Civic Association. "That's just a fact of life."