New Greenport village board members and longtime trustees were sharply divided on whether or not to begin paying “Dances in the Park” volunteer Diane Mulvaney for her services.
A resolution on the Greenport village board’s meeting agenda for Thursday night, accepting Mulvaney’s proposal for event coordinator services, was voted down, with only new Trustees Doug Roberts and Jack Martilotta voting for the $1,200 payment.
Despite the fact that they said Mulvaney was doing a great job, Trustees Mary Bess Phillips and Julia Robins agreed passing the resolution would have set a precedent. Phillips reminded that many village committees are comprised of hard-working individuals who also receive no payment.
Resident Chatty Allen said she “strongly objects” to paying a person $1,200 when in the past, the work was done by a volunteer.
Roberts said she was the only respondent to the RFP.
The board also voted to pay $300 per musical performance, at a payment of $2,700 total, to J.C. Productions for providing sound services and equipment for all nine Dances in the Park performances.
Allen said she stood behind that decision.
Resident Bill Swiskey added, during the public comment portion,”We all know you’re going to approve money for the sound man. This whole thing got out of hand.”
Earlier in the year, the board was also divided on paying for the “Dances in the Park” event, with some trustees questioning paying one band a higher amount; Roberts said the band was a swing band and would attract an older crowd.
Roberts said he would seek sponsorships for the event, with those supporting “Dances” able to have their names on an event banner.
At the time, the board voted to approve funding the bands but did not vote for the sound company until last night’s meeting.
When it was time to vote on paying Mulvaney, sparks flew. Roberts began by saying that while Allen had “made a great point — a volunteer is a volunteer,” Mulvaney’s position, which she’s held for eight years, involves “a ton of work and institutional knowledge.”
Also, he said, since its inception, “The festival is more complex,” and has become a destination for the many who pour into Greenport on Monday nights all summer long.
“One of the things I heard very strongly from the Friends of Mitchell Park, who are funding the festival to the tune of $3,500, and from the IGA CEO, who’s funding $8,000, is that they very much want to see this festival grow and become even more complex and exciting,” Roberts said.
The event, which features all styles of music, kicks off on July 7 and runs through Sept. 1.
“Monday nights can be dead in the summer,” Roberts said. “The businesses make a lot of money from this.”
So far, Roberts said, $15,000 has been raised toward the event; last year, $4,000 in donations was collected at the concerts in a lock box. “This event pays for itself.”
He added that Mulvaney’s work is highly endorsed and paying her “won’t set a precedent.”
Trustee Mary Bess Phillips disagreed, stating that a long list of committees is comprised of volunteers. “I feel this is setting a precedent and I’m finding it difficult to approve.”
Martilotta said the event has grown into something that benefits businesses and the $1,200 is “an investment that this will continue.”
Robins, however, agreed with Phillips and said it would set a precedent. “We have many people who volunteer many hours on all sorts of boards and committees. Some jobs aren’t necessarily as much fun as this one, to be honest. We appreciate all she’s done and we hope she will continue as a volunteer.”
Roberts asked if the Tall Ships event coordinator should be asked to volunteer and not be paid.
“You keep coming back to the Tall Ships,” Phillips said. She said “Dances” began with a small group whose original committee members who put in just as much time as Mulvaney; other volunteers in the village also work equally hard. “That’s what we are about. It’s nothing against Ms. Mulvaney. She’s a great volunteer.”
The Tall Ships festival, she added, is a “much different event.”
Robert said if the resolution did not pass he planned to have conversations all next winder about whether or not the village should invest in “Dances” over events for tourists; the Tall Ships event, he said, equals a $275,000 vilage investment.
His goal, he said, is to make the “Dances” event, one that benefits locals, even stronger moving forward; if the reso was voted down he’d like to see Mulvaney honored with a proclamation and thanks.
Mayor George Hubbard said he feels the whole “Dances” package should be put together in January. “Right now we are asking people for donations who did not know that we would be paying someone.” He said while he is thankful to Mulvaney and the business owners who have donated, he didn’t feel the village, by paying Mulvaney, was being “transparent” by asking for donations and then, paying Mulvaney, a concept that wasn’t on the table when the process began.
Hubbard said he would certainly thank Mulvaney and honor her with a proclamation at one of the Monday night events.
Robert said two-thirds of the donors were fully in support of paying Mulvaney.
The measure was voted down, with Roberts and Martilotta the sole “yes” votes.
