Apparently, North Hempstead Town Board Republicans have a different interpretation of what the “public comment” portion of board meetings means than the rest of us.

How else to explain the treatment of resident Eli Lefcowitz last week when he asked North Hempstead Supervisor Jennifer DeSena for greater support of the LGBTQ+ community and transgender residents?

Lefcowitz pointed to the town’s decision not to fly the LGBTQ+ pride flag over Town Hall for the entire month of June – as it had done the last three years when the board was controlled by Democrats.

“You would think that the flag’s presence over our town government building would signal that the town is a safe, welcoming, inclusive place for all residents regardless of their gender identity or sexual orientation,” Lefcowitz said, “But Supervisor DeSena’s actions speak louder than flags.”

Lefcowitz said Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman’s executive order and a recent bill in the county Legislature that would bar transgender girls and women from playing on female sports teams were attacks on LGBTQ+ individuals in the town.

At a previous board meeting, DeSena said the pride flag would not fly for the full month to create continuity with other recognized holidays that are acknowledged for just a few days.

As an example, she cited Organ Donation Month in April.

To say this is a ludicrous comparison would be too kind.

Encouraging people to donate their organs is a worthy cause. But it does not compare with showing support for the civil rights struggle faced by the LGBTQ community.

Before DeSena could respond to one of Lefcowitz’s points, Town Councilmember Dennis Walsh, a Republican, jumped in with his voice raised to accuse Lefcowitz of being a “political operative” who was part of a concerted effort to attack the supervisor.

“Because you can’t take the fact that you’re not in control of this town board anymore,” Walsh said to Lefcowitz, referring to the Democrats losing the board’s majority in the fall.

We are not sure what Walsh based his claim on that Lefcowitz was being a “political operative” – as if that is something bad.

The only connection Blank Slate Media could find of Lefcowitz being involved in politics, let alone being an operative, was a letter to the editor he submitted on behalf of Democrat Melanie D’Arrigo’s bid for the Democratic nomination for Congress in 2020.  Lefocwitz identified himself as a D’Arrigo campaign intern in the letter.

But what difference would it make if Lefcowitz was a “political operative?”

Don’t political operatives have the right to speak during the “public comment” section of town board meetings?

In the past, elected officials of both parties have spoken during this portion of town board meetings—as is their right.

Surely, party affiliation or level of political engagement should not prevent someone from addressing the town board.

Even worse, people commenting at the public comment portion of Town Board meetings should not be greeted by raised voices and accusations of ulterior motives.

This kind of bullying has no place in North Hempstead.

DeSena made matters worse when Lefcowitz asked her to protect LGBTQ+ town residents amid Blakeman’s efforts to ban transgender girls and women athletes from playing on girls’ and women’s sports teams at county facilities.

Blakeman introduced a bill to the county Legislature last week calling for the ban – a month after a New York judge struck down Blakeman’s similar executive order banning transgender girls and women athletes from playing on county fields. The New York Civil Liberties Union and a Massapequa women’s roller derby league had argued that Blakeman’s executive order exceeded his authority.

The bans are part of a movement adopted by Republicans across the country with wide popular support. The movement coincides with efforts to reduce protections to the LGBTQ community that go all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court and an increase in anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and hate crimes.

Rather than respond to his question asking DeSena if she would enact similar legislation to Blakeman’s, DeSena asked Lefcowitz who he works for.

This is a question rarely, if ever, asked by people speaking during the public comment portion of the Town Board meeting.

Which begs the question: What difference does that make? Would DeSena have answered the question if he worked for the Nassau County Republican Party but not the Nassau County Democratic Party?

Lefcowitz rightly refused to answer DeSena, noting the board does not question every citizen’s employment

Town Councilmember Robert Troiano joined fellow Democrat Dalimonte in defending Lefcowitz. He correctly said Lefcowoitz had the right to speak just like every other resident and asked for board members not to attack him.

“You may not like his comments, but he has the right to talk to the public any time,” said Troiano said. “But there is no right, there’s no obligation on anybody to reveal who their employer is or what their politics are. He’s making a statement that speaks to what he believes, which we should invite every citizen of this town to come and take this opportunity to speak truth to power.”

Troiano called it an “outrage” that board members were unwilling to listen to the resident. He was again right.

But as if to ensure that basic decorum was not observed, Walsh then accused Dalimonte of spreading misinformation by telling residents in an email that the town had taken down the flag and said she was conspiring with residents to raise this kind of issue at the meetings.

Dalimonte denied Walsh’s charge.

If Walsh has proof otherwise, we’d like to see it. If not, he should apologize to Dalimone.

We would have thought it unnecessary to say that in a democracy town officials represent residents and residents have a right to question them in public forums.

But apparently, not everyone in North Hempstead understands how this democracy thing is supposed to work.

So we will repeat that residents not only have the right to question town officials but they should be encouraged to do so as part of their civic duty.

And that residents who exercise their rights as citizens and taxpayers should be treated with respect. This includes not calling them “political operatives,” raising their voices against them or asking them who they work for.

Our question for DeSena and Walsh is who do they think they work for?