Peekskill Employees Lash Out at Officials for Budget Cuts
Peekskill employees and residents were up in arms last week over proposed cuts in the city manager’s proposed 2013 budget.
Several of the 24 full-time employees slated to be laid off lashed out at City Manager Brian Havranek and the Common Council for putting the blame on Albany for a $4.94 million deficit that not only could lead to the reduction of Peekskill’s workforce by 14 percent, but also raise property taxes for most property owners by 6 percent.
“The residents of the City of Peekskill deserve so much more from you, so do the employees,” said Diane Blank, who has worked in the Assessor’s Office for 21 years and has been targeted by Havranek to be on the unemployment line.
Nick Longo, a business agent for Teamsters Local 456, said white collar workers were being “devastated” by the proposed $51.49 budget. He also criticized Havranek for refusing to release a detailed list of the titles and employees facing the axe.
“That’s not asking too much,” asserted Longo, who called on Mayor Mary Foster to order Havranek to provide the union with the list. “Refusing to turn that over is unacceptable, unprofessional and unethical.”
Havranek contended he gave the Teamsters a list of positions without names attached, noting “the whole list could change during the budget process.”
The Kiley Center, which provides city youths with many activities, including a popular canteen, was another hop topic, since Havranek has proposed eliminating two recreation administrators and other staff at the center.
The cost of running the Kiley Center is shared by the city and the Housing Authority and Foster insisted the council would not close the facility.
“There’s no chance that it will be shut down and there will be no programs,” Foster said. “We haven’t stopped anything that’s happening there.”
However, with Havranek proposing slashing the Kiley sports program budget from $269,021 to $22,493, many questioned who was telling the truth and how the Kiley Center would function with less funding and personnel.
“Where there’s smoke there’s fire, and it’s smoking right now,” said city employee James McNair. “You need to come clean and tell the truth. You’re going to give us some answers and some positive answers.”
Genetta Rodriguez blamed the city’s fiscal problems on “dirty politics” and “a failed administration.”
“Brian (Havranek) is the fall guy. Nobody should lose their jobs,” she said. “There are solutions. Get on the ball and save these people’s jobs.”
DPW employee Jared Williams also asked the council to restore jobs since the sluggish economy has made available jobs scarce.
“Will you guys please tell me how you would report to your family and tell them you got laid off from your job and you can’t pay the bills?” he said. “Because that’s what everyone is this room is going to have to do.”
The next public hearing on the budget is scheduled for November 26.
Rick has more than 40 years’ experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, running the gamut from politics and crime to sports and human interest. He has been an editor at Examiner Media since 2012. Read more from Rick’s editor-author bio here. Read Rick’s work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/pezzullo_rick-writer/