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Parks Commissioner Says She's a Victim in Mott House Debacle

October 8, 2009
By PATRICK WHITTLE patrick.whittle@newsday.com

 

A few hours before Brookhaven Town formally announced that former county police commissioner John Gallagher will head an investigation into the collapse of the historic Mott House, deputy parks commissioner Carol Bissonette - who has been blamed for allowing the collapse to happen on her watch - told reporters that she has been the victim of a political smear campaign.

Bissonette, who is running for County Legislature on the Republican line, says the reason the 19th-century Coram house fell apart has little to do with the job contract workers were doing while attempting to clean the structure. She blamed Democratic Supervisor Mark Lesko and the previous Democratic administration for neglecting to refurbish the Coram house when it was obviously deteriorating - a charge Lesko adamantly denied.

Bissonette, who was stripped of her oversight of historic sites by Lesko after the collapse, made the statements in a news conference on the site of the collapsed building. She also said the town has failed to credit her for salvaging the few remaining pieces of the house, which include doors, windows and a cornerstone.

"I risked my personal safety to go in there," Bissonette said.

The house collapsed Sept. 23. The town has launched an investigation, headed by Gallagher, that will determine the cause of the collapse and help the town avoid a repeat at another historic property, Lesko said.

The town has also retained Joel Snodgrass, a historic construction specialist, to evaluate other historic sites in town for their structural integrity, Lesko said.

Lesko denied Bissonette's claim that she has been scapegoated by town Democrats because of her race against Legis. Kate Browning (WF-Shirley).

"Carol can revise history all she wants," Lesko said.

Brookhaven Town plans to spend up to $200,000 and use pieces salvaged from the collapsed Mott House to erect a new building in the style of the historic structure. Assemb. Patricia Eddington(WF-Medford) has secured $250,000 in state funds for the project, and another $250,000 to restore the 18th-century Davis House in Coram, town officials said.

Some town officials have also criticized Bissonette for allowing most of the remains of the collapsed house to be taken to the landfill. Bissonette said the reason the debris was cleared was because the site was dangerous.