White Plains DPW Commissioner Ousted by Council
White Plains Department of Public Works Commissioner Joseph (Bud) Nicoletti was let go from his job last week during a special meeting of the Common Council on Wednesday at 9:30 p.m.
The announcement of the Resolution and vote on the termination of Nicoletti was made at about 2:45 p.m. the same afternoon. It specifically stated that Joseph Nicoletti Jr. was to be removed as Commissioner of Public Works from the City of White Plains according to Section 20 of the city’s charter, which relates to employee resignations and removal.
Having heard of the imminent dismissal of a popular city commissioner, several resident groups within White Plains began circulating emails to get people to the meeting to try and stop the vote. The meeting was heavily attended. Several residents who had spoken with Nicoletti during the day indicated he was surprised and upset about the decision to let him go, although media reports quote Mayor Tom Roach saying that Nicoletti had the opportunity to resign but chose not to do so.
Nicoletti showed up in Council Chambers minutes before the vote to remove him from his job took place.
Shortly after 9:30 p.m. Mayor Tom Roach released this statement: “I have worked with Commissioner Nicoletti for many years and appreciate his service to the City, but have decided, in consultation with the Council, that it is time for a change. This decision was not made lightly, but I am confident it is in the best interest of the City and its residents. I thank Commissioner Nicoletti for his years of service and wish him well.”
Despite the mayor’s comments, two Council members voted “No.”
Milagros Lecuona and Dennis Krolian spoke strongly in support of Nicoletti and against firing him. They also indicated that they had not heard anything about the proposed resolution until the announcement of the special meeting that afternoon.
A $45,000 independent audit of the Department of Public Works by Matrix Consulting Group, completed in March and commissioned by the Common Council is said to have been the impetus for the decision to oust Nicoletti.
According to an article published by The Journal News the report repeatedly cited a lack of proactive planning and communication on the part of the DPW Commissioner that resulted in delayed projects and an increased reliance on staff overtime – findings that do not bode well for a city trying to hold the line on departmental budgets.
When the Proposed White Plains Budget for 2015-16 was released earlier this spring, Budget Director Michael Genito indicated that because of state mandated costs, the tax cap, and disappointing revenues, it was becoming increasingly more difficult for the city to find places to cut costs to balance the budget and keep spending and thereby property taxes down.
At the time the Council promised a line-byline analysis of every spending item in the budget.
No discussion about why the decision to let Nicoletti go was forthcoming at the Wednesday night Council meeting nor was anything from this report quoted in the public forum.
In an interview Thursday, Councilwoman Milagros Lecuona said she had received the complete 215-page audit in March but had thought there would be open discussion among the Council members before any action was taken. She was completely surprised by what appeared to be a rushed meeting and continued to voice her support for Nicoletti. Lecuona also questioned the technical capability of Matrix Consulting because they had to hire an outside engineering consultant to complete the report.
DPW staff, who gather at morning breakfast stops near the Gedney Recycling Yard, were in dismay Thursday morning according to a resident in that neighborhood.
An email from the Gedney Association thanked Nicoletti for over 30 years of service and demanded answers from the Mayor and Council about the timing of the Special Meeting and lack of explanation as to why Nicoletti was being let go.
Nicoletti is well known regionally for his work as an engineer, remaking city vehicles for efficiency, innovations in environmental technology and programs, and being “Green” long before it became popular.
Nicoletti said he will take vacation time and a retirement package. His position was terminated at the tally of the vote.
First Deputy Commissioner of Public Works Rick Hope is now Acting DPW Commissioner in White Plains.
