DeSena Launches "OpenGov" to Clean-up N Hempstead Building Dept

By Leader Staff

The Town of North Hempstead Building Department has a long, notorious history of incompetence, corruption, sloth - and outright criminality - that has cost town residents hundreds of millions.

When she was elected four years ago, Town Supervisor Jennifer DeSena (R-Manhasset) made cleaning-out the Building Department a huge priority.

But for two years she was blocked by a hostile Democratic majority on the Town Board that used the Building Department as a patronage sump and to squeeze town residents and developers for political donations.

Now, with a Town Board majority, Supervisor DeSena - together with Councilmembers Dennis Walsh (R-Mineola) and Edward Scott (R-Albertson) - announced the latest reform to make the Building Department a "customer-friendly" resource for town residents:

The Town’s new "OpenGov" software program that cuts delays and speeds-up residents applications and permits with the town. 

DeSena was joined at the OpenGov announcement by Long Island Builders Institute (LIBI) CEO Michael Florio and the Association for a Better Long Island’s (ABLI) Executive Director Kyle Strober.

OpenGov is a cloud-based government software platform designed to improve efficiency and modernize public service.

As part of DeSena’s reform of the Building Department, she requested that Nassau County Comptroller Elaine Phillips conduct an independent audit of the TNH Building Department.

The audit revealed huge problems, including that the Building Department's previous software system - purchased by the prior administration - was never properly implemented nor equipped to meet the Town’s needs.

In 2020, the prior Town administration purchased only a portion of the platform in an effort to digitize services during the pandemic, but the incomplete system could not support a town-wide transition to digital records.  Instead of modernizing operations, the prior administration made things even worse, erected a "digital barrier" between residents and their government, and forcing significant delays. 

“Our buildings department has made tremendous strides in efficiency this past year, and this marks the highpoint of that progress,” stated DeSena. “Our team has put in hours of online and in-person training to successfully implement OpenGov, and I’m excited to make life easier for our residents...”

The program features a user-friendly, intuitive interface and is widely used by local and New York State municipalities, which enables collaboration with neighboring jurisdictions. It will also allow Building Department inspectors full remote access to records, a critical time-saving function that will significantly reduce previous delays and improve workflow efficiency.

“OpenGov has transformed governments across Long Island, and I’m thrilled that Supervisor DeSena is bringing it to North Hempstead," stated LIBI CEO Mike Florio. "It’s easy to use, it’s fast-acting, and it will help the buildings department continue to run an extremely efficient operation… that’s a win for everyone.”

"[We] applaud Supervisor Jen DeSena and the Town Board for their commitment to leveraging technology on behalf of economic development and North Hempstead residents," added ABLI Executive Director Kyle Strober.

DeSena and her team's efforts to reform the Building Department have focused on restoring efficiency, accountability, and public trust. Her administration has modernized operations, reduced backlogs, retrained staff, strengthened internal oversight, and digitized records to streamline applications and inspections.