BY M. JUNAID ALAM
“This is not a certificate of need, it's a certificate of greed,” East Bayside Homeowners President Frank Skala said, referring to the hospital's state-approved $105 million expansion plans.He was joined by Blanche Felton of the Golden Park Block Assocation in slamming both St. Mary's Vice President Edwin Simpser for allegedly withholding key information about the proposal, and Newman, the CB 11 chair, for purportedly siding with the hospital against community wishes.”They put one over on us,” Felton said of the hospital, adding that she was never properly informed of key dates.The EBHA also expressed its desire to prevent Newman “from any future discussion/voting about St. Mary's” certificate of need at board meetings because of his alleged bias. The action came on the heels of Newman's own move against Skala, in the form of a Feb. 12 letter he sent Borough President Helen Marshall and Councilman Tony Avella (D-Bayside) asking them to “discipline” Skala for disruptive behavior at community board meetings.The backdrop for these events was a raucous Feb. 4 CB 11 session during which eight residents neighboring St. Mary's vehemently opposed the hospital's expansion plans and voiced concerns about traffic, parking and noise. The state Department of Health approved the plans on Feb. 7.After the Feb. 4 meeting, several community board members criticized Newman for sending a letter, which they described as favorable to St. Mary's, with a community board seal to the state Department of Health. They also cast doubts on the purpose of his meeting with hospital directors in July 2007.Newman, on vacation with his grandchildren in Florida, responded to those complaints in a phone interview on Tuesday.”It's not a surprise for Skala to speak negatively about anything,” he said of the outspoken Bayside activist, adding that it was common practice for board chairs to send letters without having a board vote.The July meeting, he said, was hardly secret, as he was accompanied by four other board members and reported back to the board at a CB 11 meeting in September.Newman also said a wall of misunderstanding — one enforced by the opposition's shouting down of Simpser at the Feb. 4 meeting – prevented many residents from hearing the facts about the St. Mary's proposal. He said he spoke to seven of the complaining residents and volunteered to set up a “quiet meeting” between them and hospital's representatives.The board chair said he thought the hospital had made “reasonable attempts” to accommodate neighbors, but conceded not everyone was convinced. Referring to the hospital's most strident opponents, Newman said, “Those people will never be satisfied.” Reach reporter M. Junaid Alam by e-mail at malam@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300 Ext 174.
