Town Bd votes 4-1 to appoint Building Inspector to 2nd job: public works commissioner

Town Bd votes 4-1 to appoint new commissioner of public works (also building inspector)

I have asked the Ethics Board for an opinion on possible conflicts . List of weekly updates that I am seeking from the Building Dept to determine if this arrangement can possibly work

News & Town Board Reports (gblist)Posted on March 26, 2026

The Greenburgh Town Board voted 4-1 (with me opposing) and appointed Frank Morabito as Commissioner of Public Works on Wednesday. I would have voted for the appointment if the Board would have required Frank Morabito to devote full time to the position. But, the Board chose to allow him to also serve as Building Inspector. Frank is energetic, hard working and creative. The jobs of Commissioner of Public Works and Building Inspector are very important and require full time attention. Rich Fon, who is retiring, worked days, nights, weekends -even stayed in touch when on vacation. There is no job in town government as complicated as the Public Works Commissioner job. Highway, sanitation, pothole repairs, curbing, engineering, drainage, building maintenance, the water department, snow removal, and are under the jurisdiction of the Commissioner. If there is a major crisis (storm, flooding, snow storm) how will the Commissioner devote attention to the Building department? The deputy building inspector also is seeking a second job with the town -as Deputy Town Attorney. There are currently three vacancies in the Building Department . These vacancies have existed for a few years and the town of Greenburgh currently has fewer inspectors than many other municipalities.

On Wednesday morning I wrote to the Town Board requesting that the Board direct the Building Inspector to provide the Board with weekly updates

I would like to request the following going forward.

1) A weekly update of all Building inspections conducted during that period by the Building department.

2) Who conducted each of the inspections. And the name of the business or residence that received an inspection.

3) The time in which the inspection was requested and the time in which the inspection was completed. How long is the waiting period.

4) How many permit applications are outstanding and need an inspection.

5) I am concerned about collapses that have occurred in other communities. Do we have a proactive plan to randomly inspect structures and older buildings that have not made requests for inspections and haven’t been inspected for a period of time?

At Tuesday’s work session next week, I will ask the Town Board to require the above information to be provided. This will enable the Board to determine if the combination of the two major jobs can possibly work. We need oversight. I am very worried. I don’t have a problem with Frank but don’t think it’s possible for one person to manage both jobs part time -especially if the deputy building inspector also is working for another dept.

I have written to the Ethics Board asking for an opinion on potential conflicts. The Board is meeting April 16 to discuss.

PAUL FEINER
Greenburgh Town Supervisor