Atlantic Beach Mayor George Pappas resigns

Longtime Atlantic Beach Mayor George Pappas resigned Wednesday, Village Hall confirmed Thursday.

Pappas was elected in 2014, beating incumbent Mayor Stephen Mahler. Last year, Pappas was reelected in an uncontested race.

Pappas did not respond to requests for comment Thursday.

Deputy Mayor Charles Hammerman also resigned, village officials confirmed. Hammerman had been appointed to the board of trustees following the resignation in May of Trustee Anthony Livreri. 

On Wednesday, Village Clerk Emily Siniscalchi notified residents of the resignations by email, stating that they were effective that day at 11 a.m. The email did not include a reason for them. 

Pappas' resignation followed approval earlier this week of a legal settlement by the village board of trustees regarding a federal discrimination lawsuit brought against the municipality by Chabad Lubavitch of the Beaches, a Jewish religious organization that is seeking to build a religious and education center.

The organization alleged that the village had improperly blocked its plans. 

Under the settlement, approved Tuesday, the village will pay Chabad Lubavitch of the Beaches $950,000 and the zoning board will take "certain action ... with respect to zoning relief," according to village documents. 

"After more than a decade of serving this community, George was planning to spend more time with his family and wanted to steer the village towards a settlement with Chabad [Lubavitch] of the Beaches," Hammerman said in an interview Thursday. 

Earlier this year, Pappas came under criticism over the village budget, which increased the property tax levy to $3.7 million from $3.4 million.

The resignations leave the village, for now, governed by three trustees. But the terms of two of those, Patricia Beaumont and Nathan Etrog, are expiring Monday when two new trustees, Joseph B. Pierantoni and Laura Heller, are scheduled to be sworn in. Pierantoni and Heller won elections last month.

Between the resignations and expiring terms, only Trustee Barry M. Frohlinger, who was elected to the board last year, will remain from the existing board.

Hammerman said the Tuesday night meeting had been "critical ... for the village to finally settle the dispute with Chabad."

Following the meeting, he said he participated in an open-ended question-and-answer session with residents and that some had linked his appointment on May 28 with Pappas. When Pappas informed him the next day that he was resigning, Hammerman decided to resign as well, he said. 

"To respect the remaining trustee and the two new trustees who will be taking their seats on Monday. I felt it prudent to resign my post," Hammerman said.

Hammerman said if the three-member board that convenes Monday would like him to serve on the board, "they have the power to appoint me to continue to serve the community, and that if they chose to do so, [I would] be more than willing and honored to continue to serve the community."