No. Castle Comptroller Resigns, Cites Lack of Reappointment
North Castle’s new town board already must fill the town administrator’s vacancy and appoint another councilmember. Now it needs to search for the next comptroller as well.
Faith Berland, whose allegations of harassment at the hands of former administrator Joan Goldberg prompted her to file a complaint and threaten a lawsuit, resigned from the comptroller’s post this week after she was recently informed that she wouldn’t be reappointed to the position but could remain on as a holdover until a replacement is found.
Berland submitted a two-page letter to Town Clerk Anne Curran on Monday detailing how she had made her decision because of Supervisor Michael Schiliro and Councilman Stephen D’Angelo’s “lack of conviction, integrity and decency” and their opposition to Goldberg’s Dec. 20 firing.
She is one of two town employees who have filed formal complaints stemming from Goldberg’s alleged misconduct. Last month the husband of court clerk Nancy Hall filed a discrimination complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission as a result of a separate incident.
In her Jan. 6 letter, Berland stated that she would no longer serve the new administration after Schiliro was quoted in a recent news article saying he was unaware of various claims of misconduct against Goldberg before the previous board dismissed her last month. She said she had emailed the entire board multiple times last year about Goldberg’s “bullying and discrimination” and met with Schiliro and D’Angelo in June to discuss the matter.
“It was readily apparent to me after Supervisor Schiliro’s comment and both his and Councilman D’Angelo’s unwillingness to back the firing of Ms. Goldberg that there was absolutely no chance I could work for or with either Supervisor Schiliro or Councilman D’Angelo,” Berland wrote.
Schiliro, a six-year councilman who was elected to supervisor in November, and D’Angelo voted against Goldberg’s termination.
Berland previously worked for 12 years as director of finance for Thomson Reuters, a multibillion dollar international company managing of $1 billion in revenue. She was hired in September 2012 with an $80,0000 salary at almost the same time Goldberg came on board as North Castle’s first-ever administrator.
Her husband, Jason Berland, an attorney whose law firm is representing her in the matter, said Tuesday that he and his wife are still weighing whether to sue the town. He said much depends on whether the board reinstates Goldberg to the administrator’s post as some residents in town have speculated.
“Should the board bring back Joan Goldberg we are going to file a lawsuit imminently,” Jason Berland said. “If they do not, it will weigh into our decision to strongly consider not filing.”
The town board is scheduled to discuss the open administrator’s position on Wednesday night at its first regularly scheduled meeting of the year. The meeting will be held at town hall at 7:30 p.m.
Return for updates and read next week’s Examiner for more details on this story.
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/
