West Hempstead School Board Again Appoints Trocchia to Vacant Seat

The West Hempstead school board once again tapped former Trustee Vincent Trocchia Tuesday night to fill an empty seat that opened up when one of its own members resigned.

With a vote of 4-2, the board appointed Trocchia to temporarily take over the seat that had been held by BOE President Walter Ejnes, who resigned in early September because his family and business decided to relocate to Florida. Ironically, Ejnes first earned a seat on the board in 2009 by beating then-incumbent Trocchia, who had been a trustee since 1990.

This is the second time that the West Hempstead school board has turned to Trocchia when they've need to fill a vacant seat. They appointed Trocchia on Sept. 20, 2011 after Anthony Brita resigned and he served in the seat until May 15, 2012, when voters elected Karen Brohm to take over. Similarly, Trocchia will remain on the board, this time in Ejnes' spot, until voters pick someone on Election Day, May 14, 2013, to serve out the remainder of the term. (Trocchia could run in the election if he wishes to try to maintain his spot on the board.)

Trustees Cynthia DiMiceli and Rudy Schindler voted against Trocchia's appointment, but the board's new President James Mariano and VP Karen Brohm, along withTrustees Pamela Lotito and Carole Rilling, supported it.

Rilling had made a motion last month to appoint Trocchia, but the proposal failed because even though Rilling, Mariano and Lotito voted for it, Brohm abstained. She explained that she voted this way because, before re-appointing Trocchia again, she wanted to first see what other residents were interested in the position.

"Maybe there is somebody else out there," Brohm said on Sept. 11. "And in the end, it may end up being that Vinny is the best choice."

Perry Fogg and Bill Signorile, both candidates in last year's election, both told Patch that they applied for the vacant seat. The board met on Oct. 2 for an executive session to review the resumes and cover letters they received from all interested residents.

What do you think of the board's decision to re-appoint Trocchia? Tell us in the comments section below.