North Castle Police Chief D’Angelo Expected to Retire
North Castle Town Board members revealed last week that Police Chief Robert D’Angelo is likely to retire by early 2013 prompting officials to reduce staffing in next year’s budget by $190,000.
After passing its $28.9 million spending plan last week, Supervisor Howard Arden said that the board is anticipating D’Angelo’s retirement and would probably elevate one of the police department’s three lieutenants to step in and take over at the helm.
Under the plan, the board is not expected to fill the vacated lieutenant’s position, which will account for the $190,000 savings in salary and benefits, Arden said.
He would not divulge who the town is considering to replace D’Angelo or if there is a firm retirement date. When contacted last week, several town board members confirmed that is the likely scenario.
Town Administrator Joan Goldberg said Monday formal retirement papers have not been submitted on D’Angelo’s behalf and that the matter remains “under negotiation.”
D’Angelo, the longtime chief who has served the department for about 40 years while rising through the ranks, declined to discuss the matter when contacted last week.
Councilman Stephen D’Angelo, who stopped short of confirming the chief’s retirement, said the board wouldn’t have agreed to reduce funding in any line in next year’s budget unless there was a high level of confidence that it would happen. The $190,000 reduction was part of the $418,000 that was cut during the past two weeks to get the spending plan under the tax cap and minimize the tax rate increase, which is 2.22 percent for next year.
“We wouldn’t budget for it if we were not very certain of the likelihood that we weren’t going to need those services next year,” said Stephen D’Angelo, who is not related to the chief.
Board members praised the chief for his years of service and for being a stabilizing fixture in town and for the police department.
“During the time I’ve been here he’s just been a real good guy, clearly a good police officer, a good chief,” said Councilman Michael Schiliro.
Councilman John Cronin echoed similar sentiments..
“The chief has served the town well for many years,” Cronin said. “He’s from town and he rose through the ranks. There is something to be said for individuals who will dedicate a career to serving the town.”
Although North Castle would operate with one two lieutenants should the succession go according to plan, Cronin and Schiliro agreed that the change should pose no problem for the department. Schiliro cited two studies that concluded the force would function effectively with two lieutenants.
Cronin added that the department’s leadership has been very strong and a succession plan has been discussed for awhile. If there was one area that needed bolstering in the future it would be the number of patrol officers, he said.
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/
