Atlantic Beach's mayor just bailed, leaving taxpayers fuming. George Pappas, a New York Republican, resigned on July 3 after slamming residents with an 87% property tax hike that sparked outrage, as the New York Post reports. His deputy, Charles Hammerman, ditched the sinking ship the same day.
Pappas and Hammerman’s exits followed a controversial May tax increase and a $950,000 settlement in a federal discrimination lawsuit filed by Chabad Lubavitch of the Beaches. The village’s attempt to seize Chabad’s property via eminent domain ignited accusations of religious bias. Legal fees already topped $500,000 before the settlement was approved.
In 2021, Chabad bought a former Capital One bank to convert into a synagogue and community center. The village, under Pappas’s watch, tried to block the plan, claiming the property was needed for a municipal facility. This heavy-handed move backfired, landing Atlantic Beach in a costly legal mess.
The Chabad lawsuit accused the village of blatant religious discrimination. Rather than fostering community, Pappas’s administration burned through taxpayer dollars fighting a losing battle. The $950,000 settlement, greenlit days before the resignations, left residents seething.
“We shouldn’t be footing the bill for their antisemitism,” one resident told The Post. That’s a fair gripe when your property taxes skyrocket 87% to cover legal blunders. The village’s excuse? Decades of faulty Nassau County assessments.
Nassau County assessor Joseph Adamo pushed back hard. “Nassau County is not responsible for the Village of Atlantic Beach budget or tax levy,” he said. Translation: Don’t blame us for your fiscal trainwreck.
The 87% tax hike, implemented in May, wasn’t just a number -- it was a gut punch to homeowners. Village officials pointed fingers at Nassau County’s assessment practices, but residents smelled a rat. Many suspect the increase was a sneaky way to offset the Chabad lawsuit’s legal tab.
Atlantic Beach’s leadership imploded with Pappas and Hammerman’s resignations. The village board shrank to three trustees -- Patricia Beaumont, Nathan Etrog, and Barry Frohlinger—by July 3, 2025. Beaumont and Etrog are set to exit on July 7, leaving Frohlinger as the last man standing.
Newly elected trustees Joseph B. Pierantoni and Laura Heller, fresh off June 2025 village election wins, will be sworn in on July 7. Their arrival signals a potential reset, but the damage is done. Residents are stuck with the bill for Pappas’s missteps.
The timing of the resignations couldn’t be worse. With only Frohlinger holding the fort after July 7, Atlantic Beach faces a leadership crisis. The incoming trustees inherit a village reeling from distrust and financial strain.
Pappas’s tax hike was sold as a fix for long-standing assessment errors. Yet Nassau County’s denial of responsibility casts doubt on that narrative. The county claims the village mismanaged commercial property billing for years, forcing the massive tax jump.
Residents aren’t buying the official story. The Chabad lawsuit’s $1.45 million total cost -- $950,000 settlement plus $500,000 in legal fees -- lines up suspiciously with the tax hike’s timing. It’s hard to see this as anything but a cover for poor governance.
The settlement with Chabad closed an ugly chapter, but it didn’t erase the sting of betrayal. Taxpayers feel duped, forced to bankroll a fight that reeked of anti-religious bias. Pappas’s resignation feels less like accountability and more like an escape hatch.
The village’s claim of assessment woes doesn’t hold water when the county disputes it. If Atlantic Beach botched commercial billing, that’s on local leadership, not Nassau County. Residents deserve better than excuses and runaway taxes.
As Pierantoni and Heller step in, they face a tall order: restore trust and stabilize finances. The Chabad fiasco and tax hike exposed a leadership failure that won’t be forgotten. Atlantic Beach needs a conservative fix -- less woke overreach, more fiscal sense.
