City of Beacon Fires Highway Department Employee One Day After He Files Harassment Complaint

On January 7th, 2026, the City of Beacon fired Highway Department employee James (aka Jimmy or Jim) Cottrell one day after he submitted a formal Discriminatory Harassment Complaint to the City of Beacon, received by the City’s Human Resource Director, Sara Morris on January 6th, 2026.

Jimmy was hired by the City of Beacon on December 19th 2022 as a Motor Equipment Operator, according to the Resolution appointing him. This date is also on his Letter of Recommendation that his supervisor and Highway Department Superintendent of Streets, Michael (Mickey) Manzi wrote when hiring James. In that letter, the hiring of James was due to a “recent resignation,” though the name of the person who resigned was not given.

One Highway Department resignation that year was from Edward (Eddie) McNair from the same position of Motor Equipment Operator, who resigned effective April 25, 2022 due to unresolved “racial issues” and “forms of retaliation,” according to Eddie’s resignation letter submitted to the City of Beacon’s HR Director Sara Morris that A Little Beacon Blog has seen. Eddie is also known in the community as a coach for Beacon Hoops and the middle school boys basketball team, among other involvements.

James Cottrell’s Termination Letter Packet from the City of Beacon dated January 6, 2026.

James’ Discriminatory Harassment Complaint form was submitted to Beacon’s HR Director Sara through the window at Town Hall, and hand-stamped to have been received on 1/6/2025. However, James submitted it on 1/6/2026, the day before he was terminated. He received a text from Sara saying that she received the complaint, but wondered if the hand-written typo was an error or on purpose. That was the last he heard from the City of Beacon about his complaint.

The next correspondence James received was his Termination Letter the following day 1/7/2026, attached to a thick stack of charges of Misconduct and/or Incompetence against him. A picture of that letter has been published here.

James’ First Days On THe JOb In The Highway Department

The complaint James made was for “workplace harassment and retaliation” that occurred throughout his employment, he alleges. Six examples were listed in his complaint. These are listed in short here, and expanded upon for detail further down in this article:

  • Radio Harassment

  • Continued Targeting

  • Unequal Enforcement of Rules

  • Green Street Park Incident (involved tree stump removal and best practice)

  • Misuse of City Equipment

  • Unequal Treatment in Timekeeping Policy Enforcement

In his first days on the job, Jimmy told ALBB that his boss, the Superintendent of Streets, Mickey Manzi, approached him in person to say hello. “He came over to welcome me aboard and everything, saying ‘Good to have you here, and just watch out for the guy Reuben Simmons, when you meet him.’” James thought that welcome message was odd.

“I just looked at him,” James told ALBB, “and I said ‘What?’ And I was just thinking that you would think that the boss would want me to get along with all the coworkers there. That’s not something a boss should say to a new employee.”

ALBB has written about Reuben Simmons before, who faced his own combinations of harassment of retaliation by employees in the City of Beacon, including attempted termination, being put on administrative leave without pay during Overtime Season (snow plowing) in January 2021, and ongoing filings of disciplinary charges: “Black Highway Department Employee & Community Organizer Put On 30-Day Unpaid Leave Since January 2021” This period was during the first new days of City Administrator Chris White’s first days on the job, who just recently unexpectedly retired.

After working in the Highway Department for a bit, James did meet Reuben and they did become friends. As did another co-worker, Chris Servedio, who told ALBB that he was told the same thing by his boss Mickey when he was hired. The friendship between these employees, and another co-worker, Kyle Sacket, became, in James’ opinion, a point of tension for their boss Mickey and other employees in not only the Highway Department, but with an employee in the Water Department as well.

Where James Alleges The Targeting and Harassment Stems From

James alleges that the retaliation he says he experienced is rooted in crosshairs with friendships, which caused a combination of an unequal application of employment rules, “bashing” on the department radio and in meetings, and an overall uncomfortable work environment.

“It's all a baby stuff to me,” James told ALBB. “And I don't want to be a part of it. I even told Mickey that in a meeting. So basically, Employee A started not liking me because I became friends with Kyle, and Mickey didn't like me because Employee A doesn't like me now because I became friends with Kyle, and that's kindergarten stuff. I told Mickey, 'I don't want to be a part of it.’ So basically, this is where it all started, and then they were just bashing me.'"

Over the course of his employment, Jimmy served through what he said was a “toxic work environment.” On his formal complaint outlined below, four co-workers signed on to be witnesses and speak publicly about this situation: Chris Servedio, Ruben Simmons, Zach Ross, and Kyle Sacket.

Before we get into the Charges of Misconduct And/Or Incompetence, some context must be presented:

The City of Beacon’s Pattern Of Termination By Numerous Alleged Misconduct and/Or Incompetence Charges

The pattern of attempted termination by stack of Misconduct and Incompetence charges was first noticed by ALBB when longtime Highway Department employee Reuben Simmons was put on unpaid leave in January 2021, two years after his position of Highway Superintendent was dissolved in part with efforts from current Superintendent of Streets Michael Manzi who replaced him. This was revealed in Reuben’s arbitration hearings when he was disputing his termination. Charges against Reuben at that time were later dropped. But new charges would be made, followed by new disciplinary actions.

In January 2021, Reuben declined to sign a statement from City Administrator Chris White that he would resign, or agree to let the City of Beacon terminate him for any reason, according to documents that ALBB has seen and reported on that year. Reuben went on to advocate for himself through arbitration hearings. He eventually won, in that he did not get fired and is still currently employed, though continues to face employment challenges.

During that time, ALBB reported on cited tensions in the Highway Department here: “Beacon’s New HR Director (Gina Basile) Hears From City Employees About Discrimination, Inequality, Growing Tensions; Suggests Solutions; Begins With Highway Department.”

Gina then left her position within the year without the issues she brought up being resolved, according to employees in the Highway Department. Gina was replaced by Sara Morris, who is Beacon’s HR Director today.

During Reuben’s unpaid leave, City Administrator Chris banned Reuben from speaking to any Highway Department employees or touching any property of the City of Beacon during work hours.

After the City of Beacon extended his unpaid leave by another 30 days (but had to pay him for those, as per CSEA Union rules) Chris put Reuben on a second unpaid leave later that June 2021, while Reuben fought in arbitration hearings to keep his job. Reuben was placed back into employment, but was isolated in the Street Sweeper truck, where he is only connected to other employees via walkie-talkies.

A suspected $111,000 of City of Beacon’s budget was allocated to pay the City’s legal efforts to terminate Reuben during that process under Chris White’s recommendation. Reuben’s efforts to keep his job continue as new actions by City Administrator Chris continue.

ALBB ITSELF WAS ALSO Banned By City Administrator Chris For Saying “Hot Mess” In Headline Of Article in 2021

After ALBB published that article series, which included “During Hot Mess Of Water Department Hires, Beacon Passes Diversity and Inclusion Statement,” Beacon’s City Administrator Chris scolded Katie at ALBB via email, and declined to answer any more of her questions unless he could have editorial control over her word-choice in articles (see his letter to her at the bottom of this article here).

Chris went so far as to ban every City Department head from answering Katie’s questions for other reporting (not even to answer a summer paving schedule when Katie served as the Spirit of Beacon Chair), according to several department heads, including Mark Price (Parks and Recreation Director), former Chief of Police Sands Frost, and then Lt. Tom Figlia who is now the Chief of Police.

Who Is James (Jimmy) Cottrell?

According to his resume attached to the Resolution hiring him in 2022, James is a “self-starter, physically fit and strong.” His specialty and passion is climbing trees and evaluating them before trimming or removing them and grinding the stumps. He owns Cottrell’s Tree Service, where he ran a crew of workers when not serving in municipal Highway Departments.

James was a Tree Trimmer for Yorktown Highway Department, and assumed the position as foreman in their absence. He operated and taught coworkers, how to operate excavators, skid, steers, brush hogs skidder buckets. This, while he served as a main climber and taught crews how to operate equipment like bucket trucks, and how to climb trees safely and properly.

He got his start at Lewis Tree Service in Westchester County from 2004-2016, where he developed operational knowledge of using stump grinders, a stump router, forklift and bobcat.

James had since been terminated by the time the Highway Department took down the fallen tree during a violent storm last month, so ALBB does not know his impression on if proper safety measures were taken, or if a professional tree removal crew should have been hired.

When Did The Alleged Harassment and Targeting Of James Start?

James said it started early when one Employee A began not liking him. Then James became friends with Kyle, which James said caused tension between him and his new boss Mickey. James told ALBB: “So basically, Employee A started not liking me because I became friends with Kyle, and Mickey didn't like me because Employee A doesn't like me now because I became friends with Kyle, and that's kindergarten. I told Mickey, ‘I don't want to be a part of it,’ you know? So basically, this is where it all started.”

After several incidents, James filed complaints with his union representative, Jordan Rider. One impressionable time for James was when he was driving the truck during snowplowing. The Highway Department came in during a storm and were plowing at 10pm through the night. “The next morning,” James told ALBB and Jordan for her union paperwork: “everybody's out getting breakfast at 9 o'clock in the morning, and I was one of them. I have to eat too. So Employee A drives by and he sees me at Bob's. Employee A gets on the radio. He's like, ‘Oh, I see Jim getting a breakfast sandwich at Bob's, 9 o'clock in the morning.‘ Meanwhile, we're supposed to be plowing. Meanwhile, we've been out since 10 o'clock at night.”

Before continuing, there are two things to know about snowplowing:

  1. “Areas” Highway Department employees are assigned to “areas” of town that they are responsible for. These are unofficial grids that even former Mayor Randy Casale enforced when he was Highway Superintendent for 16 years (Randy is who appointed Rueben to the Superintendent Role role after Zep Thomesalli retired, and before Mickey Manzi’s involvement to kick Reuben out of that department head position). Randy confirmed to ALBB that these invisible grids are not formed or regulated by the union or any other entity. Just neat and tidy attempts to organize the crew. These “areas” have since been used against employees like James and Reuben when collecting charges of Misconduct and/or Incompetence, if they are to venture out of the area. Like to Bob’s Corner Store instead of Mr. V’s, if Mr. V’s is in the “area” of that employee.

  2. Radio Walkies: Everyone can hear on the radio, including Reuben when he’s in the Street Sweeper truck being kept away from other employees. Though usually in the winter he is “allowed” to drive the snowplow truck. Dutchess County can also hear dialogue on the radio, which is recorded. Both later commented about how unprofessional this radio interaction about a breakfast sandwich was.

James continued with his story in an interview with ALBB: “I call Employee A on the phone, and he doesn't answer. Then I call him an hour later. I said, ‘Employee A, is this really necessary?’ I was like, ‘This is not kindergarten. I'm not dealing with this. Why would you want to do that?' I'm hungry and I'm getting breakfast.’

“Employee A was like, ‘Well you're out of your area.’

“I was like, ‘My area is a quarter mile down the road and there’s a deli up the road from my plower area. What are you talking about?’

“Employee A said, ‘Well, you know, you shouldn't be going out of your area.’

“I was like, ‘So I should starve. What's this really about?’”

“So this is the stuff like the petty stuff that Mickey was doing. Another example is when Mickey would go over to radio. All the roads would be black. He'd go on the radio purposely to make me look like an ass. He’d be like, ‘Jim, your plow is not down.’ I was like, ‘Yeah, that's because the road is black Mickey, and, uh, you know, it's, it's not snowing right now.’”

What Are The January 7, 2026 Termination Charges Against James?

There are nine charges total, presented in full below, that were in his Termination packet, which was signed by Mayor Lee Kyriacou:

Charges 1: “On [specific date], you called out of work without having enough accrued time resulting in your use of unpaid time without authorization.”

Charges 2, 4, 5 and 6 were more specific: “On August 28, 2025, you were absent from work and disregarded a counseling and/or memo from the Superintendent of Streets, Michael Manzi, without having enough accrued time resulting in your use of unpaid time without authorization.”

Charge 3 had to do with the punching in the timeclock: “On October 24, 2025, you were late to work and failed to follow a directive from the Superintendent of Streets Michael Manzi, when you asked another employee to punch you into work on your time card at 6:59am when you were not at work, engaging in theft of time and/or public money.”

James concedes to ALBB that these instances did happen. He says there are more charges than these examples, which an employee would need to dispute each one with proof and paperwork to absolve them.

When being terminated by the City of Beacon, the employee has the right to object to the notice of termination and statement of charges by filing a grievance within 8 days or exercising their rights under Section 75 and/or 76 of the Civil Service Law. James opted to pursue rejecting the charges.

Elaboration On Charge Of Earned Time Off (ETO) and Approved Time Off

In some situations, the charges of Misconduct are debatable, and are rooted in technicalities that his boss Mickey has discretion to wave or pass charges on. For example, James told ALBB, he gained verbal approval from Mickey on being able to leave for an appointment with his attorney (James was going through a divorce at the time), but James neglected to get a note from the attorney, which then counted as the unapproved leave as a charge of Misconduct or Incompetence, though he had verbal approval of it, but forgot to follow through on the attorney note as evidence.

In another example, James told ALBB that he requested time off for an appointment with the ETO (Earned Time Off) he earned from overtime in snowplowing, but Mickey denied him the privilege of using his ETO for the time off. “He denied me on that ETO,” James told ALBB, “but he granted ETO to a new guy who had been there three months who also accrued the time. I had accrued the time in overtime I completed that year, but Mickey said that in a previous year’s bracket, it was off. I told Mickey I’ve been here 3 years and this guy has been here 3 months and this is a new year. Mickey told me ‘don’t worry about it,’ and did not grant me my ETO for my appointment.”

Elaboration on Time-Card Punch-In or Out

As for the punching in or out on the time-card charge, that issue was in James’ Discriminatory Harassment Complaint, as he alleges that he witnessed this policy be enforced selectively, with other employees punching in and out for each other without getting penalized.

James said that after 2 years of his alleged ongoing discrimination and harassment, one time of having someone else punch him in on the time clock was reported. "There was a notice up there on the time clock that said nobody could punch anybody in or out on the time clock. Sometimes when someone was like 6 minutes late, someone called someone, saying, 'Hey, can you punch me in?' So, I mean, I’m not saying it's right. But everybody was doing it.”

When ALBB asked if the notice had always been up there, James answered that it got put there because so many employees in the department were doing it, including the person who made the initial observation complaint to the boss Mickey. “The notice went up because, Employee P, the mechanic and Union Shop Steward at the Highway Department, went to Mickey to tell him he saw it happening. But Employee P was doing it as well. So that didn’t make sense. After the sign went up, Employee P still did it, as did other employees. In fact, one employee regularly comes in to work 30 minutes late, and nothing is said about that.”

James continued: “Three weeks later, another guy who was doing it before starts doing the same thing already again, having somebody punch him out because he wanted to leave 15 minutes later. I'm like, 'What the heck's going on here?' So, a few weeks later, I had my buddy punch me in because I was running like, I don't know, 4 minutes later or something. I should have just took it on the chin and not even asked him the favor, but I asked him, he's like, yeah, sure, I'll punch you in. Everybody else was still doing it. But then Employee P, the guy who was also doing it and first reported it before the sign went up, reported me after the sign went up. And it seems he reported only me and no one else.”

James got called down to City Hall to have a meeting with Mickey. “I get called down to City Hall, and the other guy did not. I'm said, 'What's this about?' and Mickey said 'Somebody punched you in. We got you on camera.'“

James explained to ALBB that the room with the time clock in it had no camera, but they may have seen him drive in his truck. “I'm like, 'Everybody else was doing it, and you didn't call them out.' He told me it doesn't matter. So I said 'So you're still targeting me.' And Mickey said 'I didn't say that.' So we had another meeting about me being targeted. Nothing got done.”

He told ALBB: “I went to Jordan and I went over all this stuff, dating back for like 2 years of all the bashing that came to me and all the targeting. We went over it and she wrote all the notes of all the bad stuff that happened. But nothing got done about it. We had a meeting with the CSEA representative Jordan and Scott Hughes, our Highway Department employee union president, Beacon’s HR Director Sara, and Mickey Manzi, Beacon’s Highway Superintendent of Streets. In that meeting, I said: ‘You guys are targeting me.’ Mickey said ‘No, no.’ I was like: ‘I'm telling you, in front of Jordan and Scott, that you are, because you know you are, and you're denying it right now in front of me and them. It’s got to stop.”

The First Reporting Of Alleged Employee Recording

James told ALBB of the first time he reported what he says was an employee videoing other employees. "When the Mickey doesn't like somebody,” James said, “he wants you fired and he'll do everything he can in his power to do it. Even though you're out doing your job. So then you gotta do your job and then look over your shoulder. With Mickey, you got Employee A from the Water Department. He's his buddy out there. He also got Employee RK. Foreman. He was actually filming my buddy, Chris Servedio. Employee RK was Mickey's crony for videoing us to make sure we're out not doing anything wrong, which we weren't.

"Finally, I said in the last meeting that I had with Jordan, the union rep, and Scott Hughes, the employee union president, and then Mickey and Sara. I said: 'You guys are aware that Employee RK videoed us, right, for 2.5 years now?'

"Mickey's like, 'No, I'm not aware of that.'

"So I said: 'I'm telling you right now.'

Mikey's like: 'Well, he's not.'

"I'm like: 'No, I'm telling you he is.'

"He's like: 'Oh, you have an example?'

"I was like: 'Yeah, Mickey, I do.' And Sara is there looking at me all wide-eyed, waiting for an answer. I was like: 'Here's the example: 2 weeks ago. Chris was sitting in his dumptruck taking his 10 minute break from 9-9:10am while collecting Bags and Brush over at Forestall School where the little Central Hudson driveway is, not doing anything wrong. Employee RT passes him, comes back, has his phone out and he's videoing Chris taking his break.' And I tell Mickey that, he's like: 'Ah, I'm not aware of that happened.'

"I was like: 'Well, I'm making you aware in this meeting and I'm making all you aware of what's going on.'

"And then Scott was like: 'I didn't know what was going on.' And I said: 'Yeah, you don't even know the half of it.’”

James concluded in his interview with ALBB: “After I said all that in the meeting, he stopped videoing us. But after I brought it up in the meeting, they told me to video him back to get proof. I just left it alone. I was filmed about 20 times and saw him. Filmed me when I was with him and not with him. Pretty crazy environment out there. I tell you, it's very toxic."

James’ Complaint One Month Prior To Being Terminated About Being Recorded by An Employee Wearing Video Glasses

On December 10, 2025, one month before filing his next set of complaints, James filed a formal workplace complaint regarding a different unauthorized recording of him by a second person, Employee RB, thus causing a hostile work environment, he said in his complaint.

His letter read:

To Whom It May Concern,

James Cottrell’s letter of complaint about being recorded without his consent by a fellow employee wearing video recording glasses.

I am submitting this letter as a formal complaint regarding ongoing concerns about potential unauthorized recording in the workplace and the discomfort and distress it has caused me. I was assigned to work with co-worker Employee RB. I observed Employee RB wearing a pair of glasses that I believed may have contained a recording device. While we were completing our tasks, he questioned me about the route I was taking in a manner that made me further suspect I was being recorded.

Previously, Employee RB informed me that his former supervisor in the Water Department, Employee RK, had recorded multiple employees of the Highway Department, including myself. I have already raised this matter with Superintendent Manzi and HR Director Sara Morris.

At the end of the workday, I observed Employee RB in Superintendent Manzi’s office, which further heightened my concerns that I may have been the subject of discussion without my knowledge.

Today, December 10, 2025, when I reported to work, I again saw Employee RB in the time clock hallway wearing the same glasses. I directly asked him if he was recording me and noted that it was very dark day outside (overcast). The incident proceeded into the restroom where he stated to me that “Employee C is wearing glasses” and followed that by saying: “I can do what I want.”

Being recorded without my knowledge or consent makes me extremely uncomfortable and creates a work environment that feels hostile, unsafe, and intimidating. I do not feel this behavior is appropriate or acceptable in the workplace.

I am requesting that this matter be formally investigated and that steps be taken to ensure that no employee is being recorded without explicit consent or a clear, authorized purpose. Additionally, I ask for assurance that I will not be subjected to retaliation for bringing this concern forward.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. I am available to provide additional information or a statement as needed.

James’ Second Set Of Complaints

The following complaints were submitted by James to the City of Beacon’s HR Director Sara Morris on January 6, 2026, one day before he was terminated.

In his complaint, James wrote:

“This matter was previously raised with my Labor Relations Specialist in the CSEA Union, Jordan Rider. At that time, I was informed that a meeting would be scheduled with the City of Beacon to address these concerns. As of today, no such meeting has taken place. Since raising these issues, I believe I have experienced retaliation and have frequently felt unconformable and distressed coming to work throughout the year. Below is a summary of the incidents talked about with the Union on April 8th, 2025 forming the basis of my complaint:

  • Winter 2023 - Radio Harassment:
    While on the radio, Employee A from the Water Department stated, “Looks like we have another J. P. on our hands,” referring to me. When I asked what that meant, I was told that “J.P.” was viewed as being “slow,” which I took as an insult. Following this, both Employee A and Mickey made fun of me over the radio. This was particularly upsetting as it occurred publicly in front of coworkers and others with access to the radio system.

  • Winter 2023 - Continued Targeting:
    During the same winter, Mickey and I exchanged words over the radio regarding plowing operations. I believe this incident escalated the situation and contributed to me being further targeted.

  • Spring 2024 - Unequal Enforcement of Rules
    I was counseled for dropping my children off in a City vehicle. However, in early Spring 2023, I personally observed Employee A dropping children off at Sargent School using a Water Department truck. This inconsistent enforcement made me feel singled out.

  • Summer 2023 - Green Street Park Incident
    I was asked to assist Employee C with a rotten tree at Green Street Park. When I arrived, Employee SG and Employee C were present. It was clear that the City did not have the proper equipment to safely handle the job, and I expressed concerns about safety.
    Employee C then made a joke along the lines of ‘Yeah, and we’re not going to do that for $29 an hour,’ which I laughed at.
    When I returned to the shop, I was called into a Meeting with Mickey and reprimanded for allegedly refusing the job and joking about pay. I explained that I did not refuse the job, that my concerns were about safety and lack of equipment, and that I did not make the joke, Employee C did. Despite this, Employee C was not spoken to or disciplined. Again, I felt unfairly targeted.

  • Winter 2024 - Misuse of City Equipment
    At the beginning of Winter 2024, I observed Employee R plowing his personal driveway with a City truck.

  • Timekeeping Policy Enforcement - 2025
    Mickey informed all employees that no one is permitted to punch in or out for another employee, and a notice was posted above the time clock. Since that announcement, I have observed Employee S having other employees punch him in and out when he arrives late or leaves early, without apparent consequence.

Taken together, these incidents demonstrate a pattern of harassment, unequal enforcement of policies, and retaliation after I raised concerns. This has negatively affected my work environment and my comfort and well-being at work. I respectfully request a formal investigation, a meeting to discuss these matters, and appropriate corrective action to ensure a fair, respectful, and non-retaliatory workplace.

Thank you for your time and attention to this serious matter. I am willing to cooperate fully with any investigation.

Sincerely,
James Cottrell - Motor Equipment Operator
City of Beacon

James was fired the next day.

What Happened To James After He Was Terminated?

James was escorted out of the the Highway Department building by City Administrator Chris White and Mickey Manzi. Being called down to meetings throughout his employment "felt like an interrogation," James told ALBB. "Like if you're at a state trooper barracks or something. Pretty crazy stuff. I actually never been involved in this ever in my life, with a job. Never even got fired. This is the 1st time," James told ALBB.

"But I learned a lot. I tell you that, and you know, Ruben schooled me on a lot of things. He used to be the employee union president for the Highway Department years ago. He encouraged me to go to union meetings about harassment and interrogation. There was a certificate you could get, so I got the certificate. I thought I needed to, the way they are here."

James told ALBB that he hung his certificate on his mailbox in the Highway Department, "Just so Mickey could see it too. That I went to one of them classes."

Does James still have the certificate? "I was going to leave it there, but I knew they were just going to throw in the garbage when they terminated me because they walked me out to my truck, you know, like I was some kind of criminal. They sure did escort me out, and they meant business. But I think that's standard procedure anyway."

James thought about it a minute. “I wasn’t even mad or upset when it happened. I knew it was for the better, that I had to get out of there. My time was up.”

To see what “meaning business” could look like, a few years ago, Chris White had a memorable moment putting his hands on a local Beacon activist who was protesting the Palestinian genocide in the Veterans Building, which you can see here and watch video. A complaint was made against Chris by NYCLU for violating the Open Meeting’s Law as Chris called for the arrest of citizens and blocked their sign.

Those familiar with the employment situation in the Highway Department tell ALBB that Chris Servedio has since quit, as he felt he was next to be fired. The City has since posted for the position, but one applicant allegedly never showed, another did not want the position, and the third applicant did not have the required license.

James has since accepted a new position as Laborer for the Village of Sleepy Hollow in Westchester County. “It’s a normal work environment!!” he explained to ALBB.

On March 16th, City Administrator Chris White, age 56, announced his retirement, which Mayor Lee Kyriacou stated in a later meeting was sooner than expected. Chris White’s last day was going to be in this summer in June, but yesterday, it was revealed that he has taken a leave of absence and will not return to his job.

This week, James’ attorney with the CSEA, Bill Burke, informed James that the City of Beacon is willing to drop all of the charges and pay out the 5 personal days and 2 weeks vacation owed to him for “falsely terminating” him.

This is a developing story. Another article will be published soon about a different situation James was involved in that relates to workplace safety.

Opinion: City of Beacon Should Announce All Terminations, Resignations, Retirements and Publish Current Employee Names and Photos

The City of Beacon only publicly announces when a person is hired or promoted in the City of Beacon because it requires a formal vote and Resolution from the City Council. From time to time, a high-profile retirement or resignation is announced publicly. For example, if a department head, like a Building Inspector, resigns, that is usually announced because it is a department head position.

A resignation or termination for Motor Equipment Operator for the Highway Department, for instance, is not generally announced. Nor are resignation letters read publicly, if an employee writes one with the hopes of being heard to better the employment situation as a whole. As Ed McNair did when he resigned from his position in the Highway Department before James Cottrell was hired to fill the open position.

After writing articles about employment issues and employment positions in the City of Beacon, it is the opinion of this blog that the City of Beacon should publish the names and photos of all employees of the City of Beacon.

The City should continue on its promise of not only publishing all current Police Officers positions, as Mayor Lee Kyriacou vowed to do during the Black Lives Matter Movement in 2020 and did start one, updated it in January 2022, and updated again in 2024. There may be other updates, but those would be buried in Google, as there is no direct link to the current staff of Police from the Police Department page, or any department page, including Highway, Water and Sewers, Wastewater, Transfer Station (aka “The Dump”), Fire, etc. The Parks and Recreation Department has the most names who are not department heads published on their page of current employees.

For all of the praise that civil service employees of the City of Beacon receive, it would be helpful knowing who they are. This is also important for accountability.

Terminations and Resignations Generally Not Released

Also not shared with citizens of the City of Beacon who pay their salaries are when these employees are no longer working for the City of Beacon. Aside from select individuals who are praised at their retirements (not all employees are offered public farewells), the people of the City of Beacon, are not told when a person has been terminated, has resigned, or has retired.

For each new hire, the City Council is presented with the proposed candidate by the department head, who will describe the qualifications of the potential employee. The City Council then must take a vote on hiring that person. The Resolution for that person’s hire is published on the City’s website in the “Agenda Packet” that is published with each City Council Meeting.

The only way the people of the City of Beacon would know that a new employee had quit 3 weeks after being hired, for example, would be by word of mouth.

Unpaid Administrative Leave Also Not Announced - Employee Discipline Dollars Required For Budget

Also not published is when an employee is placed on Administrative Leave - Paid or Unpaid. For example, when Reuben Simmons was placed on Unpaid Leave in January 2021, just days after City Administrator Chris White’s first days on the job after replacing Anthony Ruggiero who resigned his position in Beacon to work for the Department of Behavioral and Community Health of Dutchess County, the people of Beacon did not know that in an official release from the City of Beacon.

Beacon’s first Human Resources (HR) Director, Gina Basile, resigned after 1.5 years on the job in January 2022. During one of her presentations after meeting with city employees, she stated: “I have heard employee concerns about discrimination, inequality, and growing tensions,” Gina stated in a printed presentation. “We need to address these issues head-on, and policies and procedures are only the beginning. We need a long-term plan on how to address these issues.”

Employment Issues Are Discovered During Arbitration Hearings

Also not disclosed was the amount of tax dollars spent on trying to terminate Reuben during that time, for example. Only people who were following the story very closely could surmise that the City Council was being briefed on Reuben’s various Arbitration Hearings during the City Council’s private “Executive Sessions” after the public City Council Meeting ended.

City Administrator Chris tried terminating Reuben since Chris entered his job in Beacon. However, Reuben had elected to go to Arbitration, which means that he contested the reasons he was being fired. During that time, City Administrator Chris requested and was authorized the release of funds. This was written about here at ALBB: “Over $111,000 Unplanned City of Beacon Dollars Spent On "Employee Discipline" Matter(s) - What's Going On?”

Specifically: “During the 12/13/2021 Monday Night Workshop Meeting, the City Administrator Chris White put forth to the City Council an approval to move $45,900 more dollars from an unrelated area of the budget - a real estate area of the budget - into a legal section of the budget to cover ‘associated employee discipline beyond the budget to date.’”

ALBB also reported during that time: “The second noted proposed transfer tonight of $45,900 to ‘Employee Discipline’ is being transferred from ‘In REM Sale of Property.’”

Therefore, ALBB sees it valuable and necessary to publish the hires, fires, resignations and retirements of each employee in a published log that does not disappear and does not discriminate against length of time - no matter how short or long a person worked for the City of Beacon. Each employee should have their own timelines since their time of interning, to official hiring, subsequent promotions, and exits.

Additionally, this publication asked if the City of Beacon conducts Exit Interviews with exiting employees, and if those interviews are made public.

City of Beacon Water Filtration Plant Leaked Aluminum Sulfate Into The Fishkill Creek

Photo Credit: City of Beacon

On Monday, March 30th at 3:21pm, the City of Beacon announced via Facebook with a photo that the City of Beacon Water Filtration Plant on Liberty Street had “experienced a leak into the Fishkill Creek of Aluminum Sulfate (or ‘Alum’), which is a coagulant used in the water filtration process.” The photo that they shared showed the water just downstream of the Groveville Hydroelectric Dam, where there are several residential apartments. While Comments were open at first, the City of Beacon shut Comments down shortly after posting the announcement.

The City of Beacon did not robo-call residents to alert them of this leak, which did cause the water in the Fishkill Creek to “appear milky,” their announcement described. The City did not mention the drinking water status, but did state that “there is no threat to human health and safety, and a full review will be done to understand better how the chemical made its way into the Creek.”

In their announcement, the City of Beacon also stated that “the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has been working with our staff to confirm that the leak has stopped and monitor the Fishkill Creek for fish impacts.”

Trout season officially opens Wednesday, April 1st. Two sets of yearling trout were stocked into the Fishkill Creek the 3rd week of March: 360 Brown Trout (9"-10") and 40 Brown Trout (12"-15"), according to the Department of Environmental Conservation.

The librarian of South Avenue Elementary School, Mr. Aaron Burke, usually releases his hatchery of trout in May. He raises his trout as a group educational project with the 5th graders of South Avenue.

Update 4/3/2026: Dylan Hetrick told ALBB readers via Facebook:

Brown Trout fished and caught after the spill.
Photo Credit: Dylan Hetrick

1. Brown Trout were stocked above Jean Van Pelt Park in Glenham.
2. The Texaco Dam and The Groveville Dam are above the spill and the trout stocking site, it's highly unlikely the trout were affected.
3. What about the other wildlife impacted, like Smallmouth Bass, Panfish, Invertebrates, herring, and aquatic plants?
4. Having fished Fishkill Creek for years, I've seen no change in the Brown Trout's behavior this year.

VIDEO: Beacon Building A Mini-Glacier To Store The Plowed Snow At Dennings Point Parking Lot

Where is all that plowed snow going of the January 2026 storm? The People of Beacon are asking. Well…Katie took a field trip with a Good Grandma friend of hers, and they found out. It’s going down to Denning’s Point, just past the Transfer Station (aka The Dump).

Said Gregg Houghtalin, whose Facebook profile says he used to work at the City of Beacon, upon learning that the City of Beacon was also dumping snow at the base of the Memorial Park sledding hill in the Beacon Bear’s Parking Lot: “We used to dump the snow outside the shit plant why here 🤔” He is referring to right here at the Dennings Point Parking Lot, which is across from Beacon’s wastewater treatment plant.

Trucks are being filled up with snow at various points in Beacon, and then carting the snow to this parking lot, where an employee of the City of Beacon is pushing it into this giant mound. He (and others like him) have been working for 31 hours straight.

The employee told ALBB he looks forward to a good night’s sleep tonight. He has been snacking on a high calorie diet, which includes avocado, vegetables, and a protein to keep him awake and alert on this assignment.

Cars Need To Move From Public Parking Lots For Snow Removal To Continue - Subject To Towing

Mounds of snow surround the public parking lot on Eliza Street.

Snow removal continues from the combined departments of the City Beacon’s Highway and Water Departments. According to the City of Beacon, 20 city employees have been involved in the effort to clear the roads, fire hydrants and parking lots of snow. Hudson Valley Post reports that Beacon received 17” of snow, sourcing the National Weather Service.

“Thank you again to our dedicated staff for their hard work,” the City said in an announcement on Facebook, “and thank you to their families who had to cover childcare and other demands while our staff came in and persevered through the storm. Job well done!”

Diggers and large snow blowers have been cutting the snow from curbs of Main Street and other areas of town. Snow removal has now prioritized to the public parking lots, with the City ordering all cars be removed from the public lots so that snow can be removed.

The City of Beacon Police have issued directions and a towing warning: “Starting Thursday (1/29) at 9am, we will begin enforcement of overtime parking in the City owned parking lots. Usually, you have 24 hours to move your vehicle after snow ends, however, due to the parking restrictions on Main Street, we have to give more time in those lots. However, if you leave your car in the lot, covered in snow and plowed in, you will likely be towed starting Thursday. If your car has been cleared, moved out and moved back into a space that is not full of snow, then you are okay.”

The City of Beacon has expressed that this is an all hands on deck situation to clear 50 miles of street, stating that the Highway and Water Departments have been working around the clock with little sleep. “City Police coordinated removal of cars blocking the plows, and our Fire Department is out helping to clear fire hydrants.”

Summary of the 9/13/2021 Beacon City Council Workshop Meeting :: Housing, Meeting Time Off, Etc.lea

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The September 13, 2021 City Council Workshop agenda and video recording of the meeting have been added to A Little Beacon Blog’s Easy Access City Government section.

In short, a brief summary of some of the items discussed on the agenda is below. Click here for links to the agenda items for any digital resources linked to the topics discussed, as well as the video recording of the meeting.

Housing Initiative Prioritization + Parking

The City Council discussed Mayor Kyriacou’s Affordable Housing Proposals, lingering on the Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) component. The Mayor, who is a landlord who has owned several properties in Beacon, wants to see the right to have an Accessory Dwelling Unit be approved as of right for homeowners to build and rent out. An Accessory Dwelling Unit is like a giant garage/studio, that is a stand-alone structure built next to someone’s home, that can have water and electricity flowing to it. There are restrictions as to how far it needs to be from the house, and how large it can be.

***

Editorial Note 9/20/2021: The paragraph above originally included a line stating that Mayor Kyriacou “is married to a realtor,” which has since been deleted. Mayor Kyriacou submitted what can be taken as a correction during the City Council Meeting on 9/20/2021. While he did not email or phone in with this correction, as is standard with most publications, he included it after his public service announcements, leading with sarcasm: “I've been made aware that I am a bigamist, which I find interesting. My spouse of 30-some years is a professional and spent most of the last dozen years in higher education as a marketing and communication executive. The last 6 years at West Point, but before that at Fordham and at RPI. But apparently I have a second spouse who is a realtor. So, unbeknownst to me, I've been married twice. And I wanted to say, whoever you are out there, come say ‘Hi,’ and I'll learn a lot more. I could at least have some fun, right? Oh, and I learned that online, by the way.”

***

Currently, Beacon’s zoning laws make building Accessory Dwelling Units difficult. In general, ADUs have not been popular with the public - rather - the public who is motivated enough to attend public meetings to speak out against them. Including when homeowners want to build an ADU for in-laws or caregivers. The fear by some of the public is that the ADU will be used by developers and homeowners as rentals. Which seems to be the goal of affordable housing.

The Mayor’s proposal encourages small residential units and more cluster housing. City Administrator Chris White projected his vision of who Accessory Dwelling Units was intended for: couples and single people moving from New York City who do not need large homes, he said, and move to Beacon without cars. He referred to this concept for the ADUs as “workforce units,” and stated that he did not think homeowners would build luxury Accessory Dwelling Units, similar to the expensive apartments on Main Street. He assumed homeowners would use low or moderate grade materials to keep costs down. Which does not indicate what the homeowner may then charge for that unit.

Perhaps he has not seen the adorable tear-down renovation of the tired house with studio garage on Cross Street.

Parking Requirements Possibly Waved For Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)

Parking requirements for Accessory Dwelling Units is also under consideration to be waved. Parking requirements are the number of parking spaces a property owner must make available to tenants. Often, these requirements are used to stall a building project if street parking cannot be found.

Councilmember George Mansfield suggested that people are moving to Beacon without cars. City Administrator Chris stated his belief that generally, people moving to Beacon do not have cars, and therefore do not need parking spaces. Councilperson Air Nonken Rhodes suggested that people do buy cars after moving to Beacon in order to leave the bubble of Beacon for necessities, jobs and enjoyment.

City Administrator Chris stated that with people moving from New York City without cars, there is less of a need for parking. He stated that he feels that assuming someone would want to buy a car after moving to Beacon, and to park that car in one of the property’s parking spots that the building owner is required to offer, is a “social justice” issue, concluding that poor people do not want to own cars and absorb the burden of incurred expenses from car ownership, and instead can rely on existing public transportation as a better idea.

City Administrator Chris stated: “Where is the evidence that you need that level of parking that we require in our code? I felt like, as a planner, a lot of this was made up. 'You have this size unit, you need 2 cars or 3 cars.' There is no evidence that you necessarily need that. Also, just be aware that we have new technology and common solutions that we could implement. The new technologies...George rode here on an electric bike. We see the proliferation of micro-mobility through scooters. If you watch people whipping up Beekman from the train station, you'll see a lot of people are looking at these things as much cheaper than maintaining a car with insurance and repairs. Again, a social justice issue is that we shouldn't have to require every poor person to own a car to get around. The other part is the societal thing which is moving toward that micro-management where there is on-demand transit. The County seems to be moving in that direction, and I've talked to them about piloting something like that in Beacon. Because again, you have 5 square miles. It's a walkable, compact community. Particularly with the new e-bikes. It really makes it accessible to someone who never would have been able to ride a bike."

Councilmember Air reiterated: "The issue is getting out of town."

It should be noted that there is no requirement of a person living in a building or house to own a car, even if they have access to a parking spot from the building owner.

Additionally, for couples who move into these units, who start families and stay in these small dwellings because they cannot afford to buy larger homes, may eventually have kids old enough to go to soccer or ice-hockey practice. Getting the family to soccer practice in Beacon on an e-bike would be impossible, and getting the family to ice-hockey practice in Poughkeepsie would be very difficult on public transit.

No Discussion Of Families With Children

There was no discussion of families - parents with children - who have moved out of Beacon because they grew out of their small apartment or rental in a duplex, and cannot afford to buy a house in Beacon with a yard. Nor was it discussed how many families are living in cramped quarters in their current small apartments because they do not want to move out of Beacon, or move out of the Beacon City School District.

City Administrator Chris stated: “Now you see more people moving in who are single adults, empty nesters, younger people who maybe have a different...or are single or are just 2 people. We are building houses for these huge families...and I know I look a lot of the housing as someone who is single, and it doesn't fit. It would never fit. I don't need that much house. I think a lot of people think that way."

Several families have also left Beacon because they could not find a house to buy with several bedrooms with a yard in their price range.

Also not discussed was how many people of high and low incomes do buy cars after moving to Beacon from New York City. Leaving the bubble of New York City for any community outside of that island usually involves leaving the municipality for doctor appointments, different grocery shopping experiences, dining out in new locations, visiting family, going to the Dutchess County Fairgrounds, etc.

Some people who do not have cars hire taxis to get their children to school, to the public pool, to Girl Scouts. Some take the bus, however, getting children onto public transportation is work.

Recreation Needs Assessment Scoping

Parks and Recreation Director Mark Price was called to the meeting by City Administrator Chris to present Mark’s early vision of what the Recreation Study could look like. Now that the Recreation Department is done with the Kids Camp Program and the Public Pool Program, the City Administrator said that he felt that Recreation Director Mark had time to think about preparing the study.

In last year’s budget planning, where there was a groundswell of demands from the public for more money to be placed into the Recreation Department, which Recreation Director Mark voluntarily decreased. Mayor Kyriacou earmarked at least $50,000 for a Recreation Study to discover what people needed.

During this City Council Workshop, Councilmember Dan Aymar-Blair pointed out that he wanted to see the building of a new and larger Recreation Community Center be part of that study, and recalled that the budget earmarked two studies for $50,000, totalling $100,000: one for programs, and one for a building. He did not want to see the building left out.

Mayor Kyriacou and City Administrator Chris responded that they wanted to see programs first in order to see what kind of building to build. For instance, City Administrator Chris suggested that a theater program could happen in the Memorial Building, which has a stage and according to him, sits empty most of the time, he said.

It should be noted that the Memorial Building was dedicated to the Veterans, where Veterans are regularly requesting maintenance to it as it is in disrepair.

Councilperson Air Nonken Rhodes stressed their desire to see a space for “hanging out,” that is not structured with programming, but just is a place for kids to come hang out, in addition to programming going on around the space.

Hiring and Promoting City of Beacon Employees

In the hiring and promoting of City Employees, the Council has requested more information before they make hires, which they do by voting at public meetings. Spearheaded by Councilperson Jodi McCredo, who wants to see more information before the Council votes to hire people, she has made a suggestion to City Administrator Chris to see resumes before being presented with a candidate at public meetings. In past workshops, City Administrator Chris has responded to that concept that he did not want to “waste their time” with sending resumes, but could consider obliging.

It should be noted that the public is not regularly informed when city employees are terminated or quit, unless the position is in the the public eye, such as the City Administrator position last year, Police Chief, etc. Terminations or resignations of employees of Police Officers, Highway Department, Water Department, etc. are not regularly shared in public meetings or in Resolution documents that are uploaded to the internet. One usually needs to find out by submitting a FOIL request.

Proposed Amendment to 2021 City Council Meeting Schedule

Mayor Kyriacou would like to have less City Council meetings, similar to what was tried during the summer of 2021 when public City Council meetings were paired with Workshops where the public is not allowed to speak. The lighter summer schedule left some Monday nights open with no meetings scheduled.

Mayor Kyriacou consistently tells his constituents that he is a “part time” mayor while he is out chatting in the community, or even during his most recent testimony against the Damskammer plant, as reported by the Beacon Free Press.

City Administrator Chris referred to the preparation for weekly meetings as a “hamster wheel” that was a lot of work. Mayor Kyriacou positioned the proposed change of reduced meetings as not necessarily a reduction of meetings, but as a way to favor seasonally crowded meeting agendas, such as October’s budget season.

Councilperson Dan disagreed with the proposal, and cited that he saw this as a reduction in meeting times. Though he figured his kids would like to see him on Monday nights, Councilperson Dan felt it right to continue with the weekly meetings. Councilperson George Mansfield noted that while he has been attending the weekly meetings for 12 years, and would appreciate an open Monday, he also wanted to continue with regular meetings for consistency for the public.

The Council was not aligned with the Mayor’s vision of a reduction in meetings, so the Mayor suggested hiring an additional support person for the City Administrator, to which the Council agreed was a good idea.

Community Facilities Grant Applications

Movement has been made on the awarding of unused grant money that can be used to improve buildings owned or leased by non-profits or by building owners whose buildings have been designated historic, or are in the Historic District. The monies need to be used for permanent structures that cannot be removed. The first entities who look the most promising are the Beacon Historical Society for an accessible ramp, and the Howland Cultural Center for facade improvements.

The River Pool of Beacon did apply for money to help with this temporary pool that it sets up in the Hudson River each year, but the City Administrator said that the grant rules state that the structure needs to be permanent, but that he was happy to see them apply and had not considered an entity like that. Applications are still open for this financial opportunity.

Executive Session Items

Personnel and Contract Negotiations

Details on what is talked about during the Executive Session portion of the meeting are never revealed. Only the City Council members, Mayor, City Administrator, Attorney, and if anyone else was in the meeting have access to this knowledge.

During Hot Mess Of Water Department Hires, Beacon Passes Diversity and Inclusion Statement

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Related Links:

Editorial Note: This article is long, but please consider reading in full. This article was intended to be a simple announcement of the City of Beacon passing “Resolution Adopting Diversity and Inclusion Mission Statement” on October 5, 2020. However, during the City Council Meeting where that vote took place, a lot of discussion happened around the hiring practices of Beacon’s Water Department.

Reporting on employment within the City of Beacon has been difficult because discussions about the hiring, firing and disciplinary action of employees happens in a private meeting called an Executive Session, which happens after a public City Council meeting, or within City offices presumably during the work day. The Executive Session will be announced, and Council will go into it for a designated reason, for example: “Personnel” or “Real Estate,” and the camera shuts off.

Therefore, what is said in public is often framed carefully by the speaker, and can imply further issues, but not state them explicitly. It requires the listener to read between the lines in order to follow along with what is happening. Once the full picture is learned, often these public meetings about employment make more sense. Until then, many quotes are needed in order to figure out what is happening, or not happening.

Beacon’s Presentation Of Its Diversity and Inclusion Mission Statement

Beacon’s Diversity and Inclusion Mission Statement, posted on the new Human Resources page, like a shield. Job Postings are now listed underneath this document.

Beacon’s Diversity and Inclusion Mission Statement, posted on the new Human Resources page, like a shield. Job Postings are now listed underneath this document.

The City of Beacon signed into law a Diversity and Inclusion Mission Statement on October 5, 2020. It came on an evening where the City of Beacon was announcing 2 new appointed hires to the Water Department: Justin Herring as Water and Sewer Superintendent, and Ricardo Brown as a Water and Sewer Maintenance Worker. During the presentation of the Diversity statement, the term “we’ve got work to do” was used several times. Councilperson Air Nonken Rhodes made a point to say: “This isn’t lip service.”

On the same evening, Mayor Lee Kyriacou also announced the hiring of Beacon’s new Human Resources (HR) Director, Gina Basile, who was hired on July 20, 2020 and previously worked as Human Resources Manager for the New York State Bridge Authority. She wanted the diversity statement published, which is currently included on the new main page of the Human Resources page, like a shield. You can read the Diversity and Inclusion Statement here, or it has been republished below for easy reading.

Mayor Kyriacou told the public: “We hired a professional HR person, Gina. We're not a big city; it's the first time we're doing this. We are sharing it with the Town of Fishkill. I look for sharing opportunities with the Town of Fishkill. I thank Gina for her work recently. Makes a difference on the messages we communicate to our managers, to our staff, and to our community as a whole.”

Public Calls In To Question The Hiring Process Of Water Department Hires

Two people called in to the public City Council Meeting on October 5, 2020, asking about the Water Department hiring process:

  • Stefon Seward, a founding member of Beacon4Black Lives and appointee to the Police Chief Search Committee who identifies as Black, asked about the City’s expectations about that Water Department position, plus the Highway Superintendent position.

  • The second caller was Weldon Henson, who called at the end of the meeting during the second opportunity for public comment, in order to express that he interviewed for an advertised Water Department job with Beacon’s new HR Director, Gina Basile, on August 26, 2020, but was never contacted after that. A Little Beacon Blog has reached out to Gina and the current City Administrator Chris White for confirmation, and received this response from Chris: “We do not comment on interviews and personnel issues.” ALBB would like to verify with Weldon, and if he is reading this, please feel free to reach out.

The callers’ questions, and the City’s answers, have been transcribed in full below. Because of their questions, more was expressed about the hiring process of city jobs, otherwise known as the Civil Service process. The hiring and firing process of city employees is hard to follow, namely because most discussions about them happen during Executive Session, which is a private meeting that happens after the public City Council meeting. Reporters reaching out with questions are usually told: “You’ll need to submit a FOIL,” (former Administrator Anthony Ruggiero told us this), or “The City does not comment on personnel items” (what current Administrator Chris White said to ALBB). Questions to the HR Director Gina Basile usually go unanswered, or she defers to someone else on staff.

Was The Water Department Job Posted Internally?
What Is The Hiring Process?

During the City Council meeting, questions were raised about if the Water Department job(s) were posted internally. It is not clear where that would be posted, or what the requirements are for that posting. As of today, there are job listings on the city website’s Human Resources Page, which is a new page for the City of Beacon. It is unknown if people are expected to refresh the page daily for new listings, or refresh a Dutchess County Civil Service employment page, or if employees are expected to simply notice flyers on the wall while they are walking by (if they are walking by), thereby putting the responsibility on them to see internal listings. It is unknown if emails are sent out to any lists, or if announcements are made in Department meetings, if such meetings happen.

The City Administrator last year, Anthony Ruggiero, explained that the job for the Water Department was posted internally at first, before being advertised publicly. After Anthony’s explanation, City Councilmember Amber Grant asked one more time about the internal posting before the final vote on the appointments of two people into the Water Department titles. This question of an internal posting seemed to be of high interest during the meeting.

In the past, and for another department, when asked if he knew about a Highway Department job opening, Reuben Simmons, a Maintenance Worker for the Highway Department, answered that he was not aware of open positions in the Highway Department toward the end of 2020 that were mentioned during City Council meetings in ways that indicated people were already being considered for the positions by the current Highway Supervisor, Michael (Micky) Manzi.

Reuben was the Highway Superintendent before Dutchess County told the City of Beacon that his job title did not exist - even though the former Mayor Randy Casale also held that job title decades ago - despite being recommended by and approved of by Anthony Ruggiero. Reuben was thereby demoted back down to Maintenance Worker, and Michael Manzi, a former co-worker, became Highway Superintendent of Streets. A slightly different job title that comes with a different required test and certification. It’s like being called “Boss” or “Boss The Boss,” with different tests to prove worthiness of either job title, but with similar (or the same) job responsibilities.

The “job title” question reference is notable because a single word change in a job title can alter someone’s career. Chances are, you don’t have to deal with this at your job. But City of Beacon employees do. The wording in a job title can mean that you lose almost everything that you have been working up for, if someone else wants your job and uses Civil Service rules to checkmate you out. Your job title and duties could change in the blink of a Resolution.

About The Hiring Process for City Employees, AKA “Civil Service” Jobs

The questions of Stefon and Weldon are transcribed below from the recorded City Council meeting. The previous City Administrator Anthony Ruggiero was always patient with explaining how the process works. The results of that process, however, can be surprising.

Stefon Steward: “I'm just curious if the titles on the agenda for the new hires are correct, and if they are, did the City consider hiring someone internally for this position? I was looking at the website... It says that Ed is on the Water and Waste Department. I want to know what Department does he manage, and does he have the proper license to run this plant and do this job? What are the duties and responsibilities for the Highway Superintendent. What are the City's expectations for this? Is it true that one of the appointees' family members, Justin Herring, has… The family does business with Beacon, is anyone getting any financial kickback from his appointment for his position?”

Ed Balicki, shown on the City of Beacon’s website as Water and Wastewater Superintendent on 3/2/2021. Justin Herring was appointed to his position on 10/5/2020.

Ed Balicki, shown on the City of Beacon’s website as Water and Wastewater Superintendent on 3/2/2021. Justin Herring was appointed to his position on 10/5/2020.

Toward the end of the City Council Meeting, Anthony answered Stefon’s questions. As of today (March 2, 2021), Ed Balicki, who has worked for the City of Beacon since 2013 according to his LinkedIn profile, is listed on his LinkedIn as Chief Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator at City of Beacon. But on the City of Beacon’s website, he is listed as Water and Wastewater Superintendent.

Yet this new job appointment is for Justin Herring to be Water and Sewer Superintendent. (Note the slight difference in words in the title there. That can play a major difference in Civil Service rules by disqualifying someone out of their current job.)

Further, according to Reuben Simmons of the Highway Department, Justin Herring was a candidate for the Operator or Maintenance worker position. In the Meeting Agenda, he is listed as Superintendent.

On March 2, 2021, ALBB has reached out to HR Director Gina Basile and City Administrator Chris White for confirmation of job titles since this October 5, 2020 meeting, and was told by Chris that a response would be forthcoming. This response of a job title confirmation so far has not come. If it does, this article will be updated. If you are reading this, then a response has not yet come.

Anthony Answers Questions Regarding The Job Title and Hiring Process

Anthony answered Stefon’s question: “Titles: Those titles are in the municipality known as Civil Service. There are ‘competitive,’ which means there is a list [of qualified people] where you have to take a test, and there are ‘non-competitive,’ where you don't [have to take a test.] These titles aren't, but by the Civil Service Employee Association (CSEA) contract, first you have to post them internally. If nobody applies internally, then you can go out and advertise.”

ALBB has inquired with the HR Director Gina Basile and the current City Administrator Chris White as to whether the City’s contract with CSEA is current. According to city employee Reuben Simmons, who served as a past Union President for the City of Beacon CSEA Local 814 unit 6662 from 2009 to 2017, the Highway Department contract has not been negotiated or signed since 2019. The current contract posted on the City’s Human Resources page as of today is dated 2010-2015, and looks to have been first uploaded to the City of Beacon’s website in October 2020. Which would seem to mean that the Water and Highway Departments are currently not in any contract.

Anthony continued: “In this particular case, that is what happened. Nobody applied internally, so we went out and advertised. Gina handled the process. As the Mayor indicated, she's creating something from nothing. She's trying to get organized. The department head prepares a memo to her ‘requesting this position is budgeted, I'd like to go through the process.’ It comes to me, we talk about it, and then I sign off on it. If it's OK, we go after the process. Gina takes it from there and advertises.

“She tries to make it as diverse as she can. As I was saying, she's creating a whole process as it is. She's got work to do, we've got work to do. She's been wonderful, by the way, let me just say.”

Anthony continued to address Stefon’s question about Herring: “They do not, from my understanding, do any work. They do haul. They do take their trucks and their haulers down to the wastewater treatment plant. We might rent some of the port-a-potties that we have in the parks, but that's to the extent that we know right now. Nobody's getting any kickbacks, certainly we will verify that. Certainly that has not happened.

“There was questions about some of the titles. Ed Balicki was switched up to the Water Department. He was handling both. His title was Chief Wastewater Operator. We do have to fix that title for him. He did go to school for Water Certifications and License, and also all the operators in the plants have all the license. So we are fully compliant.”

You can find this quote in minute 55 of the meeting video.

Question From An Apparent Applicant For The Water Department Position

At the end of the meeting, during the second opportunity for public comment, Weldon Henson called in to ask about what he describes as an un-responded-to interview he had for a job in the Water Department. His question is in minute 1:10 of the meeting video.

Weldon: “I didn't quite hear you on the Water Sewer Maintenance. Were they looking for inside Beacon or outside Beacon for the hiring?”

Anthony: “Both. First, the first part of the process is to advertise internally, within the workforce, and then to advertise externally to anybody, if nobody internally is interested. So then it goes outside. For these positions, there is no list. So you can just advertise and interview candidates.”

Weldon: “Oh, OK, because I was a resident that applied for the job, actually got the interview for the job, but I never heard or received anything back.”

Silence followed from the City Council.

Anthony: “I can follow up with Gina on that.”

Weldon: “I had the interview on August 26, 2020, I think it was a Wednesday at 12:30pm.”

Mayor Kyriacou: “OK. And Anthony, you are able to do that? And Colin (the Mayor’s Assistant) has it on the record.”

Weldon: “Thank you for your time.”

Mayor Kyriacou: “Of course.”

The Voting Of The Diversity And Inclusion Statement

Sometimes, councilpeople state their thoughts before or after passing a Resolution. Statements from two councilpeople are below:

Councilperson Air Nonken Rhodes: “This isn't just lip service. I've observed in the ways that I've seen the City operate behind the scenes, and in conversations around hiring, and in everyday work. This is something that everyone I've talked with really believes in. I'm really glad to see it put in writing here. This will be something we can aspire to and really live up to. I'm glad to see this enshrined, and something we can look to in every hiring process.”

Councilperson Jodi McCredo: “Like we've said with so many other issues, this is a starting point. We do realize that we have a ways to go. This is a nice guidance towards making those changes and improvements that need to be made.”

The Diversity and Inclusion Mission Statement

Find this statement here, and it has been republished below for easy reading:


 

The City of Beacon is an equal opportunity workplace – and proudly so. We do not just accept differences – we embrace, support and celebrate them – knowing that diversity improves our performance and better serves our community.

The City of Beacon’s mission is to represent and serve all of our residents, including providing them with high quality services at reasonable taxes and fees, along with excellent customer service. The way we accomplish this is by representing everyone, listening to all ideas, and through the hard work and dedication of our employees.

We want to represent everyone. To do that well, we need a workforce that is representative of the community.

The City of Beacon is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workforce. Our employees thrive when we achieve this. We aim to create a workplace that reflects and recognizes the diversity of our employees, and residents. We strive to provide services that benefit everyone in the community by including perspectives from backgrounds such as those that vary by race, ethnicity, social background, religion, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, trans-gender status, veteran status, and national origin.

Having a diversified workforce builds a better team, enhances our skills, broadens our ideas, and is integral to effective performance.