Principals of Triple Five, his partner in the joint venture, sought to minimize Preston’s importance in the project. “He has nothing to do — he has no say — he has no power, no nothing,” Triple Five chairman Nader Ghermezian stood up and told the board. Preston’s longtime lawyer Robert Hasday blamed his client’s absence on ‘a hatchet job of an article’ published on RiverheadLOCAL yesterday.