Political Rift in Union/Endicott Causes Bertoni Bros. Feud

8/15/2012 (Updated 11:27:32 PM)

And in the Town of Union  and the Village of Endicott, two *brothers* are on opposite sides of a political feud.
 
Union officials recently agreed to a huge tax break for the owners of the Huron Campus--  leaving Endicott residents facing a big tax increase to take up the slack.

Endicott Mayor John Bertoni blames Union for not letting Endicott in on the negotiations.

But the Union town board --which includes the mayor's *brother* Frank, says it is the mayor's fault, for refusing an invitation to take part in the negotiations:

In talking with Frank Bertoni, Larry Sparano asked,  "What's your brother up to?
Frank Bertoni: "I have no idea...I agree with (Town Attorney) Mr. Pope and really, truly believe that we did everything we could to get the best deal we possible could."
 
In talking with John Bertoni, Larry Sparano asked:  "How does this affect family relations?
John Bertoni: "uh, my brother hasn't called me. 
Sparano:  "How do you think the next holiday dinner is going to be?
John Bertoni: "I'd like to say OK, but there may be a couple of empty seats, I'm not sure, it's unfortunate:"

Union, which controls tax assessments for itsself and Endicott, says it had little choice in reducing Huron's assessment, after a ten-year tax abatement deal expired