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Employees read letter criticizing mayor's remarks; mayor promises written apology and council adopts recognition resolution
Summary
Human Resources read a letter from staff objecting to mayoral comments that characterized some employees as "desk jobs"; the mayor said he did not intend offense and promised a written apology; council approved a resolution to create an employee recognition policy.
At the July 20 council meeting the Human Resources committee read a letter submitted by municipal employees objecting to comments the mayor made at the previous meeting that staff described as "dismissive" and divisive. The letter was read into the record and called for acknowledgment and an apology.
The letter, presented by a council member on behalf of signatories including Police Chief Michael Rizzo and Fiscal Officer Daniel Romanowski, described the characterization as "inaccurate, disrespectful and offensive" and said it damaged morale. It asked for an apology and fair recognition of all employees’ work.
The mayor responded that his intent was to seek a "win-win" and said he did not intend malice. "I will have a written apology to every employee tomorrow," he said on the record.
Separately, the council's HR committee proposed and council adopted Resolution 24-6 to create an employee recognition policy and set aside funds and a date to recognize village employees, with discussion about consolidating multiple small recognition events into a single annual recognition.
Why it matters: The exchange reflects internal personnel tensions and prompted a formal promise from the mayor to apologize; council also moved to institutionalize employee recognition to address morale concerns.
Next steps: Mayor to deliver written apology; HR committee to finalize the recognition policy and return with details and any required funding requests.
