Town Supervisor Jennifer DeSena on Wednesday proposed the first of what she called many reforms for the North Hempstead Building Department. 

DeSena plans to seek to amend a chapter of town code that since 2007 has allowed members of the Town Board to override the building commissioner’s decision on expedited permits.

According to a press release from the supervisor’s office, over the past five years council members have rejected the commissioner’s rulings 50 times.  

“This Town Code provision grants an unheard-of level of power and sway over the future of an application to Town Councilmembers and is done in no other Town on Long Island,” said the press release.

Any change in the code would have to be approved by the Town Board, where Democrats hold a 4-3 majority. DeSena was elected on the Republican line in November and is part of the board’s minority.

Last Thursday, Blank Slate Media held a virtual town hall with DeSena where she said she would offer  one of her many reforms “soon” to help streamline town operations and make the Building Department more efficient. 

“We are evaluating things and some ideas,” DeSena said regarding the department. “We didn’t get into this problem overnight and we won’t get out of it overnight. When I propose some reform, it’s going to be substantial. We don’t want to just put a Band-Aid on this.”

“We are developing ideas and will be proposing the first of many reforms shortly,” DeSena said. 

DeSena said she has spoken with Town of Oyster Bay officials but doesn’t want to copy and paste their solutions. She mentioned Mineola, where Deputy Supervisor Joe Scalero previously served as a clerk for over a decade, as a good example of what may work in the town but said a “culture change” is most important for moving forward.