John Niewender will retire as commissioner of the often criticized Town of North Hempstead Building Department.

His retirement, after 10 years with the town, was confirmed days after the board hired a new deputy building commissioner along party lines.

“We were disappointed to learn of Commissioner Niewender’s pending retirement,” North Hempstead Supervisor Jennifer DeSena said in a statement. “He has more than 30 years of experience as a buildings professional and is a highly regarded member of our team. That’s why I want to be abundantly clear that Stephen Haramis was hired as a deputy commissioner – to assist Commissioner Niewender in his efforts.”

The town’s board hired Haramis on Sept. 3, with only the support of the board’s Republicans 4-3 majority. All the board’s Democrats voted against the hiring.

Town Council Member Robert Troiano, a Democrat, said he voted against Haramis’ hiring based on the town’s hiring process. Troiano questioned why the job opening was not posted.

Fellow Democrat Council Member Mariann Dalimonte also questioned who conducted the interviews for Haramis.

Troiano said the town has a policy requiring the commissioner of the appropriate department to make recommendations for deputies.

He said the policy was not followed and the building department’s choice for the job of someone within the building department was not followed.

Ultimately, Haramis was hired and scheduled to assume his responsibilities on Wednesday,

“In that light, I did ask the commissioner to delay his plans and remain aboard a bit longer and help with any transition, but I will support him and wish him the best with any decision he makes,” DeSena said. “I’m not alone when I offer him sincere thanks for his service to our town.”

Niewender is set to retire in mid-October, town officials said.

Efforts to solicit comment from Niewender were unavailing.

The town’s building department has been frequently criticized for taking too long in granting approvals.

DeSena had promised changes during her first campaign for supervisor. Once elected, she asked Nassau County Comptroller Elaine Philips to conduct an audit.

The audit, which was released in February, found “significant problems” with the department’s online permit portal that underutilized software features, a lack of standardized procedures and operational oversight leading to operational inefficiencies, a lack of communication and transparency with permit applicants, and a lack of standardization for permit expedition procedures.

DeSena said in June that she planned to announce specific changes in the building department this summer.

No announcement has been made yet.

Dalimonte criticized the lack of action taken by the town in the seven months since the audit was released at the Sept. 3 meeting.

Niewender also faced controversies while in his post when he was suspended without pay from his position in June 2023 after an outside law firm’s investigation reported he had retaliated against an employee who complained of him. Newsdya’s reports were based on town records they obtained.

In 2023, Niewender was reported to have received an annual salary of $133,200.