Glen Cove council members clashed over the city’s salary adjustment process at the Wednesday, Sept. 24, meeting after a raise for three Department of Public Works employees was added to the agenda the previous Friday.
Some council members said they do not have the proper time or resources to make decisions about employees’ pay grades.
“I continue to not get complete information to do my job as I should. This is no way to run an organization,” said Council Member Marsha Silverman, who is challenging current Mayor Pam Panzenbeck this November.
Silverman asked why information regarding the salary adjustments was not provided to the council members in a timely manner.
“We didn’t have any opportunity to ask questions,” she said.
Panzenbeck said she needed to find time to speak with the employees’ supervisor before adding it to the agenda. She had taken two days off last week to visit family.
She said Deputy Mayor Donna McNaughton emailed every council member on Friday, alerting them that the salaries would be added to the meeting’s agenda.
“It was an accident. I made a mistake; I’m not perfect,” Panzenbeck said to Silverman.
Silverman said the council can not ask personnel questions in a public meeting and requested to go into executive session, which was approved by the board.
Council Member Fugazy Scagliola said it was “not unreasonable” to be given the time to discuss it, as the council “didn’t hear anything about this in a timely manner.”
Council Member Kevin Maccarone said there was time for council members to ask questions before voting, if they deemed it necessary.
“I just don’t understand — this email was sent to us on Friday by the mayor; it’s now Wednesday. You had plenty of time to ask these questions, instead of waiting for a public forum,” Maccarone said.
Silverman said she took “great offense” to his statement because the 48 hours before the meeting were the “holiest days on the Jewish calendar,” and she had been attending synagogue. She requested he retract his statement, and Maccarone said he would not.
Silverman said the work should have been completed at the proper place and time, namely at the board’s pre-council meeting the week prior.
“The burden should have been on the mayor to do the right thing… There was not an opportunity for me to go out of my schedule on a holiday to get information that should have been provided in a timely manner,” she said.
Maccarone said Silverman consistently waits for public meetings to speak about the “proper process,” but does not bring those issues up to the board in private.
Silverman said she thinks Maccarone’s father provided him with information on the salary adjustments before the council was informed via email.
“What’s your hunch? Or are you just making more continuously false statements about people in public?” Maccarone asked her. Silverman did not respond.
The salary adjustments were passed with six votes. Silverman abstained from the vote.
Silverman said it was “not because I don’t think they should get [a raise],” but because she did not receive performance reviews, additional documentation, or “rationale” to substantiate the raise.
Scagliola said she feels “like a broken record” and that a better process should be in place for salary increases.
During public comment, resident Adam Lorenzana said he has been frustrated with litter throughout the city. He said over the past three weeks, he has collected over seven bags full of trash, which he collects while walking his dog in the neighborhood. He said he has seen litter on both public and private properties.
“What good is all of the natural beauty of this town if I have to stare at the ground to make sure I don’t step in glass or sh*t,” he said.
Lorenzana said he does not blame the Department of Public Works employees.
“I put the blame on you all,” Lorenzana told the council. “Because this is a quintessential community problem… It’s the government’s job to solve these communal issues.”
Theresa Moschetta, who is running for city council this November, said code enforcement should have better regulations for homeowners who do not maintain their properties.
Panzenbeck said litter is her “pet peeve,” and that she picks up litter in her neighborhood each week.
“It is not rolling off our garbage trucks. People just throw litter,” she said.
Panzenbeck said the city has initiatives to teach children not to litter and that the Beautification Commission can work on litter patrols more often in the future.
