Tensions escalated and tempers flared last night at the first Greenport village board meeting since the election, with the mayor and new board members sharply divided over chain of command and other issues.
At the end of last night’s set agenda, new Trustee Doug Roberts faced off with newly elected Mayor George Hubbard when he read a memo that he said Hubbard had sent out to all trustees regarding “village board member responsibilities and chain of command.”
Roberts told the mayor that he felt as though he were being “muzzled”.
The memo stated, “Communications — in any form — from individual trustees are not to be disseminated without prior approval from the Mayor. Existing committees are not to be altered and committees are not to be created, without prior discussion with, and approval from, the Mayor. Meetings regarding village business should not be arranged or attended by individual trustees without prior approval by the Mayor, and trustees are not to individually negotiate any contract(s) on behalf of the village.”
Next, the memo states that Hubbard is easily accessible by cell phone and “welcomes discussion with each and every one of you. Thank you in advance for your teamwork inspired approach and anticipated cooperation.”
The mayor also questioned why trustees were disseminating information about this week’s power outage without speaking to him first and said the memo was sent out with an eye toward communication. Hubbard said the trustees were able to speak to reporters, just as he always had as a trustee, but said they should reach out to him regarding in instances such as the recent meeting with Russell so that the entire village board was on the same page.
Roberts said he didn’t realize the Southold town board would be appointing liaisons for joint village/town conferences, something that was discussed in Southold this week; had he known, he would have updated the village board in advance, he said.
Next, Roberts read a list of resolutions he said were “left off the agenda.”
Roberts introduced a resolution revoking health care benefits from the mayor and trustees as of December 31, 2015, with all remaining balances from these budget lines to be re-allocated for road repairs (in the general fund) and infrastructure repairs in the sewer, electric, and water funds.
The resolution was voted down after Hubbard and Trustees Mary Bess Phillips and Julia Robins voted “no”. Next, Martilotta read a resolution directing the treasurer to apply funds returned to the village treasury originally budgeted for his and Roberts’ healthcare plan, that he said should be earmarked specifically for road repairs; with sewer, electric, and water fund monies allocated to infrastructure repair. Again, only he and Roberts voted “yes”.
Roberts said he “was disappointed” with the vote. ” I thought this was a nice opportunity for us to send a message to the public that we are prioritizing their needs over our own compensation,” he said.
Finally, Roberts introduced a reso directing the clerk’s office to open a village Facebook page, entitled “Greenport Village Official Facebook Page” for the purpose of providing a real-time communication with the public about events and happenings with the village, village government, and various village committees, as well as announcements from the mayor and board of trustees. He said such a page would help all trustees to be able to share information with the public in the event of a power outage, so that the information wasn’t found on a trustee’s private Facebook page.
Hubbard said he was concerned that such a page could become a blog, and said perhaps only outgoing messages could be posted on the page. Phillips said she’s been working on the issue of a Facebook page, the village website and social media for months, and also read a resolution of her own asking that a committee be formed to shape policy regarding Facebook and other social media, something Village Attorney Joe Prokop also advocated. Phillips and Hubbard both voted “yes” to the resolution but pointed out that the matter was already being addressed.
In fact, Hubbard said, he’d announced at the start of the meeting that the village would be creating an “information only Facebook page”.
Roberts also asked for clarification over the recent election when he said there were questions involving some residents who were not “allowed to vote”. Village Clerk Sylvia Pirillo presented an entire post-election report and explained that the two residents who had not voted were not registered.
