Irving and Golub Tussle Over Water Quality Issues

Clean water and infrastructure consultant to Northport Village Dr. Avrum Golub, an Asharoken resident, is taking aim at the Irving administration's handling of water quality in the run up to the Asharoken Mayoral election on Tuesday.

According to Golub, a past Asharoken village trustee and supporter of Mayoral Challenger , certain measures concerning water quality have been "ignored and subverted" by Mayor Patricia Irving, undermining her .

Northport has taken major steps to improve Northport Harbor and surrounding waters including the upgrading of its sewage treatment plant to meet 2014 NYS Department of Environmental Conservation requirements, Golub cited. Suffolk Legislator William Spencer and the Town of Huntington have extended their support, particularly through a resolution Spencer introduced to the Suffolk County Legislature in February that would help fund Northport’s plant upgrades and this was endorsed by the Town of Huntington in a bi-partisan Town resolution, unanimously adopted by the Town Board.

"Noticing no mention, action nor concern offered by Asharoken’s Mayor Patricia Irving, I drafted a brief, simply worded resolution, on behalf of Asharoken, to support “Doc” Spencer’s and Huntington’s resolutions for the Mayor in March 2012. At Asharoken’s April 2012 Board of Trustees meeting, Mayor Irving stated she did not have enough time to review this 755-word resolution and would place it on the Board’s May agenda," said Golub. "The Mayor failed to place any resolution supporting Northport’s application and Legislator Spencer’s efforts on behalf of our water quality on the May agenda, as she had promised."

Irving responded by saying that she spoke with Mayor George Doll and he did not expect Asharoken to become involved in Northport's business, but would call if need be. She also added that Legislator Spencer told her the resolution had been tabled. "He and I are planning on getting together for a tour of Asharoken waters and discussions on Village business," she added. Golub retorted that the legislation has not been "tabled," but merely delayed.

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Golub also took issue with Irving's involvement level with the Northport Harbor Water Quality Protection Committee (NHWQPC), of which Asharoken is a member, and alleges that Irving has not attended a meeting of the committee for a year.

"It took an August 2011 inspection by EPA showing Asharoken’s violations of the federal Clean Water Act for Asharoken to take action related to the health and safety of our waters and to correct the Irving administration’s false claims of implementation of certain stormwater management requirements. In fact, Mayor Irving was not present at the August 17, 2011 EPA inspection," said Golub, "delegating her Mayoral responsibilities to her lavishly paid, pervasive Village Attorney."

Irving responded by saying, "As to the Oct. 2011 letter, it was a result of an EPA audit that required explanation or amplification of information in our MS4 report and our Stormwater plan. It was provided and the Village clerk has a letter of full compliance," she said, adding that Golub is a paid consultant doing his job for Northport which also received a similar violation letter, and has refused to serve as a consultant for Asharoken even when he was a one term Trustee.

"Irving does not understand her commitment to the Northport Harbor Water Quality Protection Committee, her responsibility to her constituents, and her neighboring municipalities," said Golub, citing three documents from the Northport Harbor Water Quality Protection Committee which are attached to this article as PDFs. "Don't successful politicians and good people offer support to their neighbors? After all, we are our sisters' and brothers' keepers."

The Asharoken Mayoral election is Tuesday, June 19 from noon-9 p.m. at Asharoken Village Hall. Asharoken Mayor Patricia Irving is running for reelection to a third term in the June 19 elections against . She is joined by incumbents Deputy Mayor Joe Tilleli and Deputy Police Commissioner Mel Ettinger.