Ex-No. Castle Comptroller Files Notice of Claim Against Administrator, Town
Another notice of claim was filed with the Town of North Castle on Monday stemming from allegations that Town Administrator Joan Goldberg “bullied, tormented and discriminated” against former comptroller Faith Berland.
The claim, the second in 11 days to be submitted to the town as a result of supposed actions by the town administrator, charges that Goldberg routinely targeted female employees and department heads for abuse, including Berland, because she could more easily intimidate them; discriminated against Berland when Goldberg learned she was pregnant; and lied about and misrepresented the former comptroller’s job performance to Berland’s superiors in hopes of getting her fired.
According to the accusations made in the claim, Goldberg’s attacks intensified when Berland made town officials aware of the hostile work environment.
“Respondent Goldberg’s intentional and malicious actions caused Ms. Berland to suffer economic and reputational damage and mental distress,” one portion of the 21-page claim stated. “Moreover, Respondent Goldberg–with the assistance of the current Town Board–retaliated against Ms. Berland by attempting to drive Ms. Berland out of her job as a result of Ms. Berland bringing to light the abuses she was facing at the hands of Respondent Goldberg.”
Berland, who was hired in September 2012, resigned from her positon on Jan. 6, about a week after she was informed by Town Attorney Roland Baroni that she would not be permanently retained by the new board. The current board is currently searching to fill the vacancy.
Berland’s husband, Jason Berland, an attorney who filed the notice on his wife’s behalf, had warned officials that his wife would sue the town if Goldberg was rehired. Goldberg was reappointed on Jan. 8 by the board, less than three weeks after being terminated by the previous administration in a split vote.
Jason Berland declined to answer additional questions Monday about the allegations contained in the notice.
“Joan Goldberg’s illegal actions and the Town Board’s gross negligence will soon be in the hands of the court,” he said in a statement. “I have no further comments at this time.”
Messages left for Baroni and Supervisor Michael Schiliro on Monday were not returned. Reached at her office, Goldberg declined to make any comments.
On Jan. 16, Police Chief Geoffrey Harisch also filed a notice of claim accusing Goldberg of retaliating against him for reporting alleged abuses in department overtime. Jason Berland filed the claim for Harisch as well.
The litany of accusations made in the claim stated that Schiliro and Councilman Stephen D’Angelo were aware of Goldberg’s actions.
Furthermore, Goldberg warned Berland in October that she would be out of a job if Schiliro was elected supervisor, the claim stated. It also charges that Goldberg gained unauthorized access to Berland’s work email account in an attempt to gain leverage in the event the comptroller initiated litigation and informed finance professionals in other municipalities throughout Westchester that Berland would soon lose her job.
The claim stated that the bullying and harassment was so bad that Berland even feared for her safety.
“During that year, Ms. Berland was constantly concerned that Respondent Goldberg’s deep-seated hatred might take an ugly turn, with Respondent Goldberg physically targeting Ms. Berland and her family,” according to the claim. “These concerns caused Ms. Berland to suffer many anxious and sleepless nights, an additional side effect to the financial and economic harm suffered as a result of Respondent Goldberg’s conduct.”
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/
