By Stephanie Mariel Petrellese

Second Deputy Mayor Thomas Lamberti has announced that he will be stepping down from the Garden City Board of Trustees when his term expires in April. He has served on the Board since April, 2005.

"I will end my public service at the end of this term," he said at the October 16th Board of Trustees meeting. "I will not serve under Mayor Mauk."

Lamberti claims that Deputy Mayor John Mauk, who is the next in line to possibly begin a two-year term as mayor in April, has repeatedly exhibited "intemperate behavior" in executive sessions.

Most recently, Lamberti cited an executive session that occurred October 2nd during the last Board meeting. The Board moved to executive session when Lamberti began explaining the new affordable housing law and its possible affect on any future deal with AvalonBay. According to Lamberti, once the trustees were in executive session, Mauk stood up across the table and screamed at him using profanity. Lamberti said he had to leave the room.

"I have been in this Village and served this Village for 50 years. I'm 78 years old," Lamberti said. "I volunteered for this job. I take it seriously, and I expect people on this Board-grown men, bankers, lawyers-to control their emotions if somebody disagrees with them. I disagree, and that's fair...No one has a right to abuse me in an executive session with intemperate language and threatening actions, and this has happened repeatedly."

Lamberti said he has asked Mayor Peter Bee to take steps to correct the situation, but his gestures have not been effective. "All I get from the Mayor is, 'Hey guys, let's calm down. Let's be friends,'" he said. "But he takes no action other than to say, 'I deplore this.'"

Mayor Bee questioned Lamberti's version of the events that took place in executive session. "I have repeatedly deplored the lack of civility which I think has begun to demonstrate itself amongst the public addressing the Board, amongst the public addressing itself and amongst Board members addressing each other. I think that's unfortunate. I have done what I believe is appropriate to address that. If Deputy Mayor Lamberti feels it is insufficient, that is his right to hold that opinion. I will tell you that that is not my recollection of the specifics of the executive session. I have found that all Board members from time to time have grown heated in an executive session. But Deputy Mayor Lamberti's characterization of it is at variance with my recollection."

Second Deputy Mayor Mauk said he was surprised that Lamberti waited so long to voice his concerns if he felt so insulted. "There are often differences of opinion among Board members. Sometimes they get expressed in not always the most cordial manner. Mr. Lamberti I think has had his share of being on the side where he hasn't been all that cordial and respectful with residents. So, I think, be careful of what you say Mr. Lamberti, because you may have lived there yourself as well."

Several residents expressed disgust with the lack of civility among trustees, especially when it comes to discussing the future of the historic Main Building at St. Paul's. When resident Virginia Bolack sarcastically addressed the Board as "boys," Mauk objected. He said the trustees have differing opinions and have at one time or another expressed their annoyance with each other. Mauk also claims that he seldom uses profanity. "For you to stand up there and represent that what he [Lamberti] says is the gospel truth, when the Mayor has said that it's not and I'm saying that it's not, I absolutely object to that. This is the sort of instability that we are talking about. When people come up here and rather than talking about the issues, they want to make character assassinations..."

"Who was to say I was making it to you?" she interrupted. "Perhaps I was addressing it to Mr. Lamberti. I was being very general. Guys, this is not about you. This is about us and the people who live in Garden City."