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Overcast Noone resigns amid District Attorney's investigation
Oyster Bay’s first, and thus far only, inspector general, resigned last Friday amid allegations of ethical violations and an investigation by the Nassau County district attorney’s office.
Noone, who has served as inspector general since the position was created in 2019, approved town cybersecurity contracts with previous business associates of his.
Noone announ-ced he would resign on June 21 in a statement in which he denied any culpability and described the accusations against him as “false allegations.”
He has not responded to the Herald’s request for comment, and has accused local media of being “unscrupulous” in their coverage of his case.
“Enduring libelous allegations published by social media trolls, further adopted by elected political opponents in addition to articles written in local press regarding my involvement in cybersecurity contracts, is not an easy task,” Noone’s statement read. “Their allegations and falsehoods have been determined by an independent Board of Ethics to be categorically unfounded.”
Noone was referring to an investigation undertaken by the town’s Board of Ethics in May, which found that he had not violated the town’s Code of Ethics.
Nonetheless, the town board had sidelined Noone, limiting him to administrative work at town offices while Angelo Delligatti, a retired State Supreme Court justice, handled the inspector general’s duties.
Delligatti will continue to do so as the Town Board appoints
a new committee to search for a permanent replacement, according to a press release issued by Brian Nevin, the town’s public information officer. Supervisor Joseph Saladino added that the board has been kept up to date on the matter, and would continue to focus on serving its constituents.
“Safeguarding our taxpayers and integrity is the Town Board’s top priority,” Saladino stated. “That’s why we created the Office of the Inspector General in 2019, and it’s why we referred this matter to the Ethics Board immediately upon learning of it.”
The board also added new disclosure requirements for the position at its public meeting on Tuesday. Among them, future inspectors general are prohibited from having any financial relationships with town vendors and contractors.
In his resignation statement, Noone also insisted that he had served the town ably and honorably, and insisted that he was stepping down not because the allegations were true, but because they “detract from the mission of the Office of the Inspector General.”
He also cited his many years of honorable service with law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, the CIA and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
“I intend to defend myself against defamatory claims and protect my lifelong stellar reputation,” Noone stated. “Out of respect for my family, friends and the taxpayers, I shall step down and address these nefarious claims in a more appropriate venue than the bowels of social media or the gutters of political theater.”
Delia DeRiggi-Whitton, a Nassau County legislator whose district includes parts of the Town of Oyster Bay, commended the Town Board for making the changes, but stressed that problems like this are all too common in Nassau County.
DeRiggi-Whitton, who has been a strong proponent of the county inspector general’s office, also said she approved of Noone’s resignation, because maintaining the public integrity of the position is essential to its operations.
“Especially in that position, transparency and honesty is so paramount,” DeRiggi-Whitton said.
“Corruption is a hidden tax, because it costs taxpayers and all of our residents a lot of money.”
