The Howland Public Library is offering a free workshop for students starting the college application process. The workshop, Applying to College: From Getting Started to Finding Your Fit, will be led by Adam Kendis and will be held via Zoom on Thursday, April 8th, at 6pm.
The college application process can seem overwhelming to students and families. But deciding on your next steps in life doesn’t need to produce anxiety. Instead, it can be a fun and powerful journey. This workshop will offer tips and practical resources that will help students and families learn:
How to start the college search process;
How to find colleges that are a great fit - academic, social and financial- for you;
What resources can help you confidently navigate this journey;
How to make yourself and your applications stand out in the process;
How to approach this journey in a way that emphasizes self-discovery and fun over anxiety and pressure.
This workshop is designed for students in 11th grade and the adults who support them but is open to all students and parents. To register, email Michelle Rivas at community@beaconlibrary.org .
About Adam Kendis
Adam Kendis is the Director of College Guidance at a small, independent school in Fairfield County, CT and a local Beaconite. He has been working in college guidance for 15 years and has worked with hundreds of students and families. In 2011 Adam was named a Counselor That Changes Lives by the Colleges That Change Lives.
After a series of articles highlighting hiring practices in the City of Beacon’s Water and Highway Departments, in March 2021, Beacon’s City Administrator Chris White declined to answer any questions from A Little Beacon Blog unless a face to face meeting was held. City Administrator White has also instructed all staff to not take questions sent via email or voice mail, including the Park and Recreation Director, Mark Price. The previous City Administrator Anthony Ruggiero continued to answer questions from ALBB, even when the questions were about employment and grew uncomfortable.
Beacon’s former Mayor Randy Casale, known for his brazen and outspoken style, told ALBB when asked if he ever declined to answer reporter’s questions: “Not during my administration unless the lawyer advised him because of litigation, but that would only be about that subject. I do not believe it wise if you want transparency!”
Later, when Mayor Kyriacou participated in a COVID-19 vaccination event, City Administrator Chris ignored questions seeking comment about the event, to encourage others to get vaccinated.
Chip Rowe, the Managing Editor of the Highlands Current, a leading newspaper in the region had this to say when asked by ALBB if having a standing no-comment policy from a local government administration was normal: “There have been politicians who said they won't talk to certain outlets, Obama did that to Fox for a while.”
When A Little Beacon Blog was researching disciplinary action taken by the City of Beacon on Highway Department employee Reuben Simmons, after he was put on paid leave the first time in January 2021, and was seeking confirmation of the unpaid leave from the Highway Department’s CSEA Union Representative, Paula Becker, I left two voicemails with Paula seeking confirmation of the unpaid leave status. At the time, I did not know that Paula was an employee with the City of Beacon in the Finance Department.
City Administrator Chris emailed me in response, saying: “I received notice from other staff that you had called regarding a personnel issue. As I mentioned previously, the City does not comment on personnel issues. I would appreciate you contacting me if you have questions in the future.”
Paula Becker is an employee of the City of Beacon, and the President of the CSEA for Beacon. That combination, in this case, has led to a conflict of interest for pursuing research for employment articles.
Reuben Simmons, the City of Beacon employee in the Highway Department on unpaid and paid leave, was also at one point the President of the CSEA for Beacon, and says he understands the pros and cons of having an employee be a Union President. While in that leadership position, he recalls how he as the president needed to advocate for employees, as well as give them answers they did not like.
To get the background on Reuben’s employment situation, listen to ALBB’s podcast with him here. The podcast also provides an employment and demotion timeline.
Below is City Administrator Chris’ email outlining his position. I declined to meet him for the conversation, as I do not think it necessary to outline or negotiate editorial standards with a governmental entity, or any subject a publication is reporting on. Other reporters may have chosen to meet, in order to warm a relationship. With three kids in Remote Learning at the time, and 3 jobs I hold down, this is not something I wanted to make time for. All I need are answers to simple questions, and those can be sent via email. It should also be noted, with regards to the “simple conversation” he referred to below, I had asked him these questions via email. The opportunity to clear anything up had already happened
Katie,
Thank you for your response. I am unable to respond to further questions until you and I have some discussion about journalistic standards for your articles. Since I replaced Anthony, I have tried to treat you as I would a news outlet, but I’m realizing that your blog does not operate in the same manner. I have to say that I also liked your blog’s focus on small businesses in Beacon so I tried to give you the benefit of the doubt in responding to you as time allowed.
The article that you just published on City hiring, which is referred to as a “hot mess,” certainly does not meet basic journalistic standards for unbiased reporting. If you would like the City to respond to you as we do with news media, we will need to establish some comparable reporting standards. With a simple conversation, we could have cleared up some of the inaccuracies and misleading assertions in this article, which is what the local papers would have done before publishing.
If you would like to have a conversation at some point to discuss this further, please let me know, and I will try to be available to you. However, until we can establish some sort of standards, I am not able to respond to further questions.
As spring pushes through 2021, March’s winds are coming in like a lion, blowing around a few snow flakes on Sunday in between a glorious sun surrounded by dark clouds holding what could be more snow at any moment. At 3:29pm, Central Hudson reported that at least 2,218 customers in Beacon were affected by an outage, and that crews were on site repairing.
Some traffic lights were out along Wolcott, including the intersection of Main Street, and the intersection at Beekman (the road to the train station), as well as the intersection at Verplank. At least 1 Highway Department employee was out on Sunday, and Stop signs had been placed at dark traffic lights.
Trucks from Central Hudson were repairing a line in the trees at Verplank at Wolcott, and cars were routed around the area, causing backups on side streets.
People who have allergies may want to have medication for itchy noses and watery eyes on hand as the wind blows new spring buds around the block.
CSA ALERT!
2021 CSA signups are open! Field and Larder is offering weekly produce and fruit out of their farm in Chester, NY. 22 weeks of organically grown, chemical-free produce for $550. Early Bird signup available for $525 until May 1st. This includes weekly delivery to Beacon. Program is May-November 2021. You also have the option to pick up locally at Meyers Olde Dutch. Learn more about this great mini-farm share program on their website.
SPORTS: If you organize a kids sports program and want it listed in A Little Beacon Blog's Kids Sports Guide, please email us with registration information so that we can get it all in one place for parents and caregivers to utilize. Same goes for fundraisers for all schools, no matter how small or defined a fundraiser. This listing is free.
SPONSORS: We are looking for business sponsors for the Kids Sports Guide and Fundraising Guide. Sustaining sponsors allow us to pay our staff to keep this information current, and further promoted on ALBB's social media. Thank you for your consideration.
THE RETAIL THERAPY GUIDE Edited and Written By: Marilyn Perez and Katie Hellmuth Martin
"Severance" Films In Beacon's East End - Storefronts Are Dressed - Here's What We Know
If you were walking past your favorite cafe down on the East End of town near Mt. Beacon and saw that it was called something else, your heart may have skipped a beat as you thought: “Oh no! Not another business moving out!” But this time it’s not another business moving out! It’s a film production coming to town. Dressing the storefronts in costume for the Apple TV+ produced show “Severance.” This production is the the real deal - it's a union gig employing set dressers, camera operators, etc. from NYC and elsewhere. Some locals have been able to slide into the gig as well. If you're one of them, send us a tip! Meanwhile, here's what we know. Read This >
Live TV Streaming Saturday Nights, Then On Demand Limited Time Only
Beaconite and singer Tara O’Grady has been busy since moving to Beacon from NYC after she survived her long battle with COVID-19 one year ago, which did weaken her voice, thereby canceling her singing career. Upon moving to Beacon, she searched around for new creative income opportunities. Since then, she has been selling her vintage clothing collection from the 1940s-1960s at Jaz On Main; as well as her 5 albums of jazz, blues and folk music; hosted a book signing for her memoir “Migrating Toward Happiness” at Draught; making music videos with collaborator and film maker Jon Slackman of Five Corner Films; and this week, aired their first live-streamed TV show, “Howlin’ at the Howland," also created with Jon, currently streaming On Demand for limited time. Learn More >
Ice-Cream Time!
While Beaconites know that this spring weather can easily turn on us, the instinct for ice-cream is awakened. Hyacinths may be emerging from the ground, but well-seasoned locals know that snow could fall on those soon to be blooming magnolia trees one last time, thereby killing the beautiful bloom. Will it happen this year? Tune in to the weather outside to find out! While licking ice-cream out at a park or picnic table. Learn More >
Recycle Lots Of Kinds Of Plastic Bags At Key Food & VFW Hall
Day: All Days
Beacon's Conservation Committee has announced a new initiative to make recycling different kinds of plastic bags (i.e. sandwich bags, toilet paper packaging bags, produce bags, etc.) easy and possible. Drop your plastic bags at Key Food 7 Days/Week, or the VFW Hall during the Farmer's Market on Sundays. Learn More >
Sallyeander Spring Pop-Up
Day: Friday & Saturday, March 12-13, 2021 Time: 10am-3pm Location: Sallyeander, 18 W Main St #6, Beacon, NY Enter the door between Brett's Hardware and Two Way Brewing and following the signs down the hall!
FOUR customers at a time. Masks required.
EAT CHURCH
3091 U.S. 9, Cold Spring, NY
We could not resist featuring this little love today in Eat Church's spot. As they say: "Did someone say NOODLES?! Come get yours Friday and Saturday at our food truck at Marbled Meatshop from 4-6pm. Cali has already placed her order...
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Find them at Marbled Meat Shop, 3091 Route 9 in Cold Spring Friday & Saturdays. Order Online Now >⠀ Eat Church is an ALBB Sponsor!
MEYERS OLDE DUTCH
184 Main Street, Beacon, NY
Check out this selection of beverages at Meyers Olde Dutch! Amazing to see options from Beacon, Newburgh, Fishkill, New Paltz, Warwick, and Brooklyn.
Open everyday for take out and delivery 11:30-9pm. Click here and order for takeout or delivery! Or call them at 845.440.6900. Follow on Instagram > Meyers Olde Dutch is an ALBB Sponsor!
HOMESPUN
232 Main Street, Beacon, NY
and the Cafe at the Dia : Beacon
Available now! The Wine Trio Subscription! Hand-selected bottles of wine ready for you to pickup once a month at Homespun. Of course, you can buy bottles of wine in between, but for this monthly subscription, you at least guarantee yourself that a wine of your liking has been set aside just for you. Learn more > View Homespun Menu > Homespun is an ALBB Sponsor!
HUDSON VALLEY FOOD HALL 288 Main Street, Beacon, NY
What's a good drink to pair with oysters? At Hudson Valley Food Hall, try the amazing Snow Island Oysters with a Tom Collins.
Pop-Ups This Weekend In The HV Food Hall: - Tommy Empanada (selling in the First Stall) - A Little Wild Soul Co. (she makes jewelry, oils, and wrapped crystals...find her in the Projection Room) - Will Teran (an artist based in Newburgh, who will open his show in the HV Food all. Find his art on the walls.) - Local 30s (a Newburgh-based clothing company...you'll have to go inside to find it if they really are popping up here!)
Information > Hudson Valley Food Hall is an ALBB Sponsor!
BAJA 328 328 Main Street, Beacon, NY
The garage door has been open at BAJA 328! You can dine inside in the spacious and ventilated restaurant, and/or order a cocktail to go. Pictured here is a margarita made with Don Julio. Enjoy! BAJA 328 is an ALBB Sponsor!
BRETT'S HARDWARE
18 West Main Street, Beacon
It's that time of year! The weather is getting warmer, the sun is setting later, AND grass seed is on sale at @bretts_hardware! The outside of your home deserves just as much love and care as the inside. Brett's Hardware got you covered there too!
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Brett's Hardware is a Sponsor, thank you!
LUXE OPTIQUE
181-183 Main Street, Beacon
"Using my sense of emotion enables me to bring an extra layer of softness, emotion, poetry and warm sensuality to these spaces."
Architect @daniellesiggerud shares what makes Danish architecture unique in the latest #OPStories featuring Copenhagen creatives.
Danielle wears Oliver Peoples Gregory Peck 1962. : @tibods // 🕶️: @oliverpeoples
Walk-ins welcome. Shop Online > Luxe Optique is a Sponsor, thank you!
BINNACLE BOOKS 321 Main Street, Beacon
Deesha Phillyaw, “The Secret Lives of Church Ladies”
“‘The Secret Lives of Church Ladies’ explores the raw and tender places where Black women and girls dare to follow their desires and pursue a momentary reprieve from being good. The nine stories in this collection feature four generations of characters grappling with who they want to be in the world, caught as they are between the church's double standards and their own needs and passions.”
LA MÉRE CLOTHING AND GOODS
436 Main Street, Beacon
When you shop at a small, local boutique like La Mére, you can browse and shop knowing that each item on display has been carefully selected with the customers in mind. They bring you the most up to date fresh trends. Shop Online > La Mere is a ALBB Sponsor, thank you!
Sound Healing Workshop
Day: Saturday, March 13, 2021 Time: 6:30-7:30pm Location: beBhaki Yoga, 89 Dewindt Street, Beacon, NY - also on Zoom
Join sound healer, Lisa Knowles for a 60 minute sound bath using singing bowls and other healing instruments. You’ll leave the workshop feeling relaxed, balanced, and rejuvenated. Information >
Beacon Performing Arts Center
- Spring Classes Available in person and on zoom
- Registration for the Summer Camp is Open! Information >
Looking for some community service hours? The Poughkeepsie Public Library (@poklibny) is looking for teen bloggers !
Use their guidelines to create your own content for a teen Café blog then send your post to teencafe@poklib.org for their review!
For questions email teencafe@poklib.org
HIRING: SEO Copywriter At Local Digital Agency, Hyacinth Group
The Hyacinth Group is looking to add a talented SEO Copywriter to our team. The position is part-time, but will ideally grow into a full-time position in the future. Details >
BUSINESS FEATURE - LAWN CARE
Looking for Lawn Care, Painters or Gutter companies? You'll find locals who might work in A Little Beacon Blog's Home Improvement section of the Business Directory. Check out Blue Green Lawns for your landscaping needs. Details >
ANTALEK & MOORE INSURANCE AGENCY
340 Main Street, Beacon
Join Antalek & Moore in wishing Vince Lemma a Happy Anniversary with the agency. Vince is a partner and has almost 20 years of industry experience specializing in Employee Benefits, Life Insurance and Property & Casualty Insurance. His primary focus as an independent agent is to be an advocate for his customers. "Thank you for the leadership and commitment you bring to our office, our clients, and our community."
Antalek & Moore takes care of you. Give them a call today: 845-831-4300 and visit their website. Antalek & Moore is a Sponsor, thank you!
TIN SHINGLE
Editorial Calendar Season has delivered! Tin Shingle has the Editorial Calendars of several magazines in the Idea Center Database for members of Tin Shingle to search through as they see where a magazine is in their print production schedule. It is a nice way to force a business to think so far in advance and pitch an idea for the right month, which is how they get print features. Learn More >
KATIE JAMES, INC.
The farm fresh eggs and beef from Eggberts Free Range Farm aren't only available on Sundays at the Beacon Farmers Market anymore...Owner Carrie Sabins went online to let you order 24/7, and is offering Free Delivery to Beacon, Cold Spring and Newburgh. Katie James, Inc. was happy to enable Carrie to stay connected with her customers through COVID, some of whome have long-term COVID and need regular delivery. This website was designed in Shopify, which allows Carrie to run the whole thing from Shopify's app on her phone. Check It Out >
Under the ornamental rafters of this historic landmark building, Tara will be interviewing Jon Slackman of Five Corner Films about their music video collaboration, and also performing with guitarist Tony DePaolo. DATE: ON DEMAND: March 11-25 ORDER TICKETS HERE > WATCH PROMO HERE >
Beaconite and singer Tara O’Grady has been busy since moving to Beacon from NYC after she survived her long battle with COVID-19 one year ago, which did weaken her voice, thereby canceling her singing career. Upon moving to Beacon, she searched around for new creative income opportunities.
Since then, she has been selling her vintage clothing collection from the 1940s-1960s at Jaz On Main; as well as her 5 albums of jazz, blues and folk music; hosted a book signing for her memoir “Migrating Toward Happiness” at Draught; making music videos with collaborator and film maker Jon Slackman of Five Corner Films; and this Saturday, March 11, 2021 at 8pm, is airing their first live-streamed TV show, “Howlin’ at the Howland," also created with Jon.
The singer/songwriter moved to Beacon, New York in August 2020 and “discovered the jewel of her new town, the Howland Cultural Center,” she says. The show will be performed live from within the Howland Cultural Center and then streamed On Demand for limited time, showcasing the Howland’s revered, architecturally ornate backdrop. Viewers can buy tickers here to support the show.
In each episode, Tara will be interviewing a local artist and co-creating with them using their artform, whether it be filmmaking (episode one), music, painting, writing, dress making, photography, etc. In addition, between the art making interviews. Tara will then perform live with different musicians.
Tara tells A Little Beacon Blog: “The show airs a full year and a day after I last performed live in front of an audience in Manhattan. I have not been able to sing since last March when all my gigs and my income ceased. It took me all year to gain back my strength and my voice after having COVID.” Musicians and other live performers have felt the emotional withdraw from connecting with a live audience in the same room, as we heard with the Beacon-based Wynotte Sisters.
About The First Episode
The premiere of Episode One is called "Seasons of Love" featuring the 4 seasons Tara has experienced in the Hudson Valley through cinematography and classic jazz songs about summer, autumn, winter and spring.
Under the ornamental rafters of this historic landmark building, Tara will be interviewing Jon Slackman of Five Corner Films about their music video collaboration, and also performing with guitarist Tony DePaolo.
And Inside Look At This Beaconite’s Battle With COVID
Tara, a writer, shared with us her experience surviving COVID in the early months of 2020 that it was recognized in this country. This is her story:
I just moved to Beacon two weeks ago. It was love at first sight. I had never been here before July when I decided to escape NYC. I stepped on to Main Street and within seconds said out loud, this is my new home. I'm a jazz singer. My last day performing in Manhattan was March 10. I didn't know it would be my last. I didn't know how serious the virus was. My fever started March 24. It lasted 21 days. The shortness of breath lingered for 5 weeks. I couldn't sing. I couldn't even walk half a block to a store. It took me all summer to build up my strength to be able to walk two miles and not get out of breath, to be able to ride a bike up a low incline. But I'm better now. Despite being an unemployed musician. My unemployed neighbors in Queens were also struggling. They are still lining up daily at community centers to receive free food. They are sleeping on mattresses on the sidewalk. Crime has increased. So has suicide. I wanted to get out and find a place where I felt safe. I've only been here two weeks and I've been able to attend live music in the Towne Crier, outdoor yoga at the Stony Kill Farm, and connect with musicians and other artists in town who are as open and friendly as my family back in Ireland. I've never felt so embraced by a community so quickly, except for Donegal where I spent every summer on a farm with my grandparents.
Before I even found an apartment, Jaz on Main, the vintage store, offered to host a book signing for me when I went in to try to sell them my vintage clothing collection that I wear when I perform. I'm also an author with a published memoir. I had plans to continue to perform at book launches and teach writing from here to Europe, but all was put on pause. Living in Beacon for me will me more than a pause to wait out the global pandemic. I have finally found a place to call home, something I've been searching for my entire life. I really love it here.
If you were walking past your favorite cafe down on the East End of town near Mt. Beacon and saw that it was called something else, your heart may have skipped a beat as you thought: “Oh no! Not another business moving out!” But this time it’s not another business moving out! It’s a film production coming to town. Dressing the storefronts in costume for the Apple TV+ produced show “Severance.”
According to the Poughkeepie Journal: “Severance" is a drama featuring Adam Scott, Britt Lower, Patricia Arquette, Christopher Walken and SUNY New Paltz graduate John Turturro. Ben Stiller is listed as an executive producer and director of several episodes. According to IMDb.com, the show is scheduled to premiere sometime this year.” As stated on IMDB, the premise is: “Lumen Industries, a company that's looking to take work-life balance to a new level.”
Beacon business owners in the area could not confirm or deny if filming was happening, but for those of us window browsing at night, onlookers were puzzled by the newly named storefronts, and were trying to piece together the mystery. Facebook was of course lighting up with speculation. Couples walking along the sidewalk stopped in front of storefronts to ask each other: “Wait, this vintage piece of furniture looks very similar to that piece of vintage furniture in that storefront over there….What is going on?” A person walking their dog really wanted to go inside of a shop, even though the shop was closed.
Storefronts who seem to be selected to be Main Street stars are Beacon Bath and Bubble, Reservoir, The Vault, 13 Floor Mod, Beacon Realty, Beacon Falls Cafe, La Mère Clothing and Goods, Raven Rose, and possibly others. No one would confirm, however, as they alluded to agreements that required disgression.
The boutique, for instance, that is normally called La Mère Clothing and Goods is now called The Midcentenarian. A Little Beacon Blog knows that owner April has not moved her business, as La Mère is an advertiser with A Little Beacon Blog, and we have a shopping date coming up!
A white Haddad truck, which is usually a sign of a big movie production nearby. Photo Credit: Ruby Martin
Thankfully, a Citizen Reporter called in to the Mayor’s Office, and received confirmation that the production is “Severance,” a production from Apple TV+, and will be filming on Monday and Tuesday. Set dressers have visited storefronts who will be in the scene. April of Le Mere’s shop employee called her to suggest she might want to come in to see the new items in the store, after many antiques were deposited into the store. April had been tending to her three children and mother.
“My employee Facetimed me the situation, and I came in right away. You know me - the store has to be perfect, and all of these antiques were here in the front of the store.” We do know April quite well over the years, and could see that she was twitching. The evening we encountered her, she was pulling a late-nighter in order to make her shop presentable to the public in order for them to shop the weekend before the Monday shoot.
Courtney of Raven Rose says she is a huge fan of Adam Scott, and told A Little Beacon Blog she is very happy that the East End of town is getting this filming action.
The City of Beacon issued a robo-call on Friday evening, listing what street closures would be happening (see below for the street closure list). The City’s robo-call did not mention the film production or the purpose for the street closures. The coordination of rolling street closures may be due to the parking of large film production trucks from Haddad’s, a truck rental company that is used for several union productions in New York City and elsewhere, as well as camera positions for different takes of the scenes.
What We Know About The Scene Being Filmed
Earlier reporting from the Poughkeepsie Journal revealed that scouts had visited Beacon Bread Company and Hudson Valley Food Hall earlier in February 2021, which are storefronts on the other end of town.
We know that the producers are keeping this production very hush hush, that it is episodic, and may have a “futuristic mind-bending” kind of twist to its storyline. However, the set dressing of Beacon’s storefront windows for this upcoming week are set back in time. This particular scene may only be one minute in the episode.
Excellent reporting from Geoffrey WIlson in the Poughkeepsie Journal revealed that the production is currently going under a different name, “Tumwater," which is common in the early stages of filming in order to not attract attention. According to the article, some residents had received a letter from the Location Department: “The Location Department for ‘Severance’ listed 'Tumwater"‘ as the project's working title in its letter to Beacon residents.'“ The article went on to say: “Laurent Rejto, director of the Hudson Valley Film Commission, confirmed that a project titled "Tumwater" is starting filming in the City of Kingston Wednesday, and that project was filming at the Rondout Friday.”
According to the resident letter, the production will be filming in Beacon late into the night, with cameras positioned on the rooftop of the 1 East Main Street building in order to take night shots of a couple walking on Main Street down below. 1 East Main houses lofts, Lambs Hill Bridal, Urban Links Design, and Trax Coffee.
According to locals on the ground, the scene filmed on Monday and Tuesday will be a “walk-and-talk.” According to an anonymous source, the “script is awesome” and may have “a futuristic, mind-bending” element to it. Which is interesting, since the storefronts in Beacon are currently set decorated to have a much older look from the past.
Sometimes during a big production, there are members of the film crew called Production Assistants (PAs) who will close a street or sidewalk, and tell you to not cross the street just now. We do not know if there will be PAs closing the streets, or if Beacon Police officers will be closing the streets.
For those interested in the City’s income on this, usually when Police Officers are used to close the streets and direct traffic for film jobs, they are paid by the production company. Usaully the officers used are off-duty, so an Overtime Rate is paid. Additionally, the City is paid a day-rate for a union-produced show permit. A Little Beacon Blog reached out to the City of Beacon’s City Administrator Chris White to inquire as to the game-plan and income stream, but he did not respond.
If you, Citizen Reporter, get the answer on what was paid to Beacon, let us know! We are also inquiring via our other sources re the details of the City’s contract.
According to the City of Beacon’s robo-call, parking and street closures will be impacted as follows:
The following streets will be closed and parking will not be allowed on Monday, March 15th from 3pm - 7am Tuesday morning. And from Tuesday March 16th from 3pm - 7am Wednesday morning.
Municipal Parking Lot on Churchill Street North Street from Main Street to Locust Place South Street from Main Street to Locust Place Leonard Street from Amity Street to East Main Street Verplanck Avenue from Davis Street to Main Street Churchill Street from Main Street to Spring Valley Street where there will be local traffic only
On Monday March 15th there will be rolling closures, and parking will be allowed on the following streets:
Russell Avenue Spring Street Locust Place Falconer Street Boyce Street Grove Street Liberty Street
On Monday, March 15th from 3pm - 7am Main Street from Tioronda Avenue to Ackerman Street will be closed and parking will not be allowed.
On Tuesday, March 16th from 3pm- 7am Main Street from Teller Avenue to Ackerman Street will be closed and parking will not be allowed.
Have fun, everyone! High fives to the participating businesses.
The weather is getting warmer and you know what that means… it’s time for ICE-CREAM (although we are truly big fans all year round)! A reader already wrote to us about it on Thursday: “Urgent question: When is Ron’s opening?” By Friday afternoon, the Beacon Creamery had happy patrons sitting outside of it on their carved wooden bear bench.
People are gearing up to stand in socially distant lines (remember, don’t over-crowd!) to begin practicing how to order ahead from an ice cream shop, if they offer it. It is time to revisit Beacon’s ice-cream shops, as the spring weather has everyone itching to get outside in the sunshine.
The Beacon Creamery is located at 134 Main St in Beacon, NY and they have mouth-watering flavors that you need to try now! Some include, “New York, New York” which includes cappuccino Kahlua, hot fudge, whipped cream, and raspberry sauce. They also have floats, ice cream sundaes, specialties, tipsy shakes, and regular ice cream with an option to add WINE ice cream for $2.00!
Pictured: Blue Panda
Ron’s Ice Cream
Ron’s Ice Cream is located at 298 Fishkill Ave in Beacon, NY and they have all of the fun flavors you want like Birthday Cake or Cookies and Cream. And always sprinkles. Some special flavors include Chocolate Moose Tracks, Graham Central Station, Crazy Vanilla, Cookies n Cream, and many more! They also carry sundaes, specialty sundaes, flurries, milkshakes, slushies, and more. Oh, plus, they have hotdogs, burgers, snacks, sandwiches, and sides!
The parking lot is small for line crowding during a pandemic. Last year, Ron’s initiated a call-in service with no walk-up service. ALBB does not have word yet on how they will do it this year. Stay tuned!
Zora Dora’s
Zora Dora’s Micro Batch Ice Cream And Paletas is located at 201 Main St in Beacon, NY, and makes ice creams and sorbets in the form of paletas! If you don’t know what a paleta is, it’s a frozen treat on a stick! Their handmade products are produced in small batches every day and they source and handpick the freshest seasonal ingredients available. They also offer catering and cart rentals!
Pictured: Vegan Chocolate Orange
The Chocolate Studio
The Chocolate Studio doesn’t only have delicious chocolates and signature treats, but they also have ice cream! Vegan flavors too. You can pick-up vegan and gluten-free treats (or nonvegan/gluten-free) OR they ship nationwide! Sadly, ice-cream is excluded from the shipping part so you will have to stop in the store for that! But you’ll want to! So many flavors, you might have to get a few.
Yankee Clipper Diner
You can also stop in the Yankee Clipper Diner for ice-cream! They have a few sundaes on their menu, including the Waffle Sundae, which is a freshly baked Belgian waffle with 2 scoops of ice cream, chocolate syrup, whipped cream, sprinkles, walnuts, and a cherry on top! I mean, this could be your breakfast! Add additional toppings for only $1.
To send the recently published articles about the racial discomfort happening in some departments of the City of Beacon, namely Highway and Water right now, I wrote something special to the newsletter subscribers. I wanted you to see it too - because not everyone is subscribed to the ALBB newsletter. A few notes, however, before I proceed:
I do not like using first person here. And I do not like interjecting myself into these stories. There is a person commenting to me in the 30-Day Unpaid Leave story, who seems very upset at the City Administrator’s treatment in that article. This is not a drama I want to continue. We all have better things to do. Like keep our jobs and treat people with respect. But.
This type of story needs a personal narrative. Otherwise, it will get glossed over. Civil Service is too boring with this slodge of requirements. And that tedium is what has given all of this protection. Boring Civil Service stuff, and decisions made in “Executive Session,” those private meetings that happen after public City Council meetings.
This story is being pursued so heavily because it is not just about Reuben Simmons. It is about so many employees with the city - Water, Highway, Beacon City School District Building Department, maybe Police. And it’s not just this year. It’s decades ago. It’s part of Beacon’s fabric. And probably Wappingers. And Fishkill. And Poughkeepsie. So we’re going hard on this topic. A slap of cold water on the face because it’s not OK. I mean… What personal stories do you want us to put up here? Personnel files are denied paper trails. There are no other places for inquisitive people to go. Don’t challenge this story if you don’t want inequalities revealed, of what white employees get away with when employed, while Black employees are dismissed. Keep insisting on this, keep treating people unequally, and the stories will follow. I don’t know what else to tell you.
The Message Newsletter Subscribers Received:
On Friday, while ALBB sends the happy weekend retail newsletter, one of the City of Beacon’s employees, who normally plows snow from the streets and fixes stop signs, was in a “Hearing” with city officials, listening to how his job would be taken from him. Community organizer and volunteer, Reuben Simmons, is mixed race and identifies as Black. He has worked for the City of Beacon since 2002, coming in as “Summer Help” and at one point, making it up to Highway Superintendent. He was placed on Unpaid Leave for 30 days starting January 2021, during a pandemic, during Black History Month, and after the City of Beacon legislated a Diversity and Inclusion Mission Statement.
A Little Beacon Blog has been following this story for two years, recorded a podcast on it, and has several articles that present more of the story than what is widely known today. The story is being told because it impacts other people - people who work in Civil Service (jobs in Police, Highway, Water, etc. departments) and in many ways, how Black people are treated in an environment within those jobs.
While Reuben's professional fate at this time is unknown, he says this about his years-long experience with this issue: "Maybe I'm the best person to be in it. I'm embarrassed to be in this. I'm ashamed of the city. In my 19-year career here. It's disturbing and disgusting. Beacon is better than this."
The articles closely covering this are below. But first, we have to unpack the silent segregation in the room.
The Silent Segregation In The Room
Listen. When your family says racist things to you - thinking you'll laugh at their statement, observation, joke, whatever - you don't divorce your family. I mean, you could divorce your spouse of course, but your blood family is your family. When they say an egregiously racist thing to you - about any race - Black, Arab, Puerto Rican, Asian - anybody - it takes a tremendous amount of courage to call them out and ask them to stop. Better to get that out of their heart. To not think those statements in the first place.
The only way to do that is to call out your friend. Your family. Beacon as a community is family. We have all heard the racist statements made. To different degrees, we have heard them in our homes. In our driveways. On the sidewalk. In the grocery store. At a City Council Meeting from the Public Comment microphone to whispers or hollers in the audience area of the courtroom (listen to minute 51 of the City Council meeting years ago when the Highway Department cheered a new hire after someone or something triggered Reuben's job to get dissolved by Civil Service law).
Additionally, extremely condescending statements or chuckles count as impacting someone's life the same way direct racist statements do. Those in and of themselves are oppressive in any situation for any race or gender. Every day, every one of us - even those of us writing about it - needs to keep ourselves aware of what we say and think and do to others. Little people around you - kids in school - may have already put someone in their place. Because they are growing up right now in this open environment, are seeing their adults struggle through it, and are so far, hopefully, having clearer vision.
Black people in this community have not been heard regarding their employment opportunities and experiences. Laws exist to keep those experiences very private and confidential. Having no other official and legal avenue to be heard (lawyers are expensive, and even during that time they’re involved, rules can require something to be private; sometimes nondisclosure is a requirement for settlements, thereby locking the issue into secrecy forever), people from the Black community - mixed race, Jamaican, and people from more cultures - have started using open mics at rallies in Beacon, Newburgh, Poughkeepsie, and surrounding communities to hope their voices are heard.
Beaconites cannot not hear these voices anymore. No PDF on a website or a wall is going to fix this. It has come time to say: "Dude. Bro. Girlfriend. It is time to take a deep look into your roots, into your soul, ask yourself why you are so comfortable making someone else so uncomfortable and not heard, and begin your journey to uproot that from your body."
Some of you are going to unsubscribe from this newsletter right now. We see you each time you do it when we feature something remotely Black. Others will reply with a "Thank You." And that's all we need to keep going.
The time has come to talk about this. Beacon is not alone in the treatment of people in Civil Service (aka City or County jobs). This is a nationwide issue that is currently not on the national radar, as police reform is/was. Civil Service needs a second look.
Months ago, a caller from the public, Stefon Seward, asked the City Council why the City of Beacon’s Water Department was “all Caucasian.” That question led to other questions and some revelation of events that you can read about here.
Additionally, another member of the public, Wendel Henson, who lives in Beacon, called in to say that he was confused, as he had applied for the Water Department job, was interviewed for the Water Department job by Beacon’s new HR Director Gina Basile, and never heard from the City of Beacon again. You can hear his voice in the video of that City Council member here.
John and Tyree gave us permission to share their stories:
John Galloway, Jr. Beacon City School District Board Member; Co-Founder The Label
John Galloway, Jr. is known as “John John” by almost everyone in Beacon. He is very tall, very involved in the community, very much walking up and down Main Street in his pursuits of activities. I know this because I saw him often when I had my office on Main Street, and saw him interact with people on Main Street all of the time.
John most recently worked for the Gap Inc. Distribution Center, from which he was laid off. He campaigned in 2020 to be appointed to a vacant seat on the Beacon City School District; he did so at a time when the Board could have appointed 2 Black candidates to the positions that night (“What Shook The Room At Beacon's Board Of Education (BOE) Meeting: 2 Open Seats, But 1 Was Filled”), and was met with resistance from the board in the name of establishing “process.”
People in the Black community came that night to speak on behalf of the appointments, and on slow experiences with process they had experienced over the decades. John was eventually appointed and currently serves on the Board. “My role on the School Board is to speak on behalf of the community who are facing educational and financial disadvantages in our community.”
Lately, he has been fundraising for a new youth basketball league through a foundation, The Label. He describes himself as a “a co-founder of The Label Foundation Inc. but all members are co-founders.”
Here is what he submitted:
Good afternoon Katie,
I read your article about the Water Department positions, and I just wanted to let you know that I too applied for it. To my knowledge, it is a laborer/entry level position with a future of a career ladder.
I did not receive an interview, but I did receive a letter stating that the position has been filled. I would have loved the chance for a job and to establish a career especially right here in my hometown of 24 years.
From time to time I still question why I didn’t at least get the opportunity for an interview. An interview could have provided me with feedback I could improve on for potential future position(s).
You have my permission to use my name and the information above for your article(s).
Thank you for your time,
John Galloway Jr. (John John)
UPDATE 3/8/2021 10:53pm: After this article published, John Galloway commented on Instagram: Dear Readers: I also would like to make it another point that not getting a job for my city isn’t always a racial thing and it may not be the case here, I just think that as a member of the community, I think I speak for everyone when I say that we deserve a chance to obtain a career working for the city. It would make life easier if we were given the opportunity to work for the city we grew up in and connect and learn from others that have been doing said job and are on their way out, continuing a cycle of hiring from within, and that goes for any department, the Water Department isn’t the only issue when it comes to labor issues.
Tyree Burns
I have not met Tryee in person yet, so I’m not in a position to describe him like I did with John above, but perhaps one day soon. Tyree Burns says he has applied for jobs with the City of Beacon, and says he has never been called back or made it to an interview. The reference he used in his note below, Ed McNair, is a longtime Beaconite in the Black community who works in the Highway Department, under Superintendent Manzi, mainly assigned to the Park.
My name is Tyree Burns. I've applied to work for the City of Beacon multiple times, but never got a call back or an interview.
My older brother told me the city was hiring so I went & picked up an application, and filled it out. I used of the City of Beacon's employees, Ed McNair, as a reference both times I applied. I handed my application to the City office & never got an interview or even a call or email back stating they received my application & were considering me or not.
As we head into the weekend, the Beacon City School District announced today that they have been planning for and are anticipating a re-open of the Elementary Schools to a 4-day a week schedule for those who want it, starting in April. Remote-only will continue for those who want to remain at home, while the district is hiring an additional teacher to support remote-only children, according to the Reopening Slides presented by Superintendent Landahl.
Dr. Landahl mentioned that an increase in spread in virus had not occurred with the current in-person learning model, with safety measures put into place, like masking, social distancing and contact tracing. However, he stressed that "there has been an increase of mental health concerns among our students," citing a New York Times survey of scientists and doctors who study infectious disease in young children. Access Dr. Landahl's entire presentation here, where the plan is broken down into easy bullet points.
SPORTS: If you organize a kids sports program and want it listed in A Little Beacon Blog's Kids Sports Guide, please email us with registration information so that we can get it all in one place for parents and caregivers to utilize. Same goes for fundraisers for all schools, no matter how small or defined a fundraiser. This listing is free.
SPONSORS: We are looking for business sponsors for the Kids Sports Guide and Fundraising Guide. Sustaining sponsors allow us to pay our staff to keep this information current, and further promoted on ALBB's social media. Thank you for your consideration.
THE RETAIL THERAPY GUIDE Edited and Written By: Marilyn Perez and Katie Hellmuth Martin
Decarceration Teach-In Virtual Event
Day: Saturday, March 6, 2021 Time: 6pm Location: bit.ly/B4BL306
Join Beacon4BlackLives, Beacon Prison Action, and Guest Speaker Marvin Mayfield this Saturday for a Decaceration Teach-In.
"We'll be exploring THE JUSTICE ROADMAP- a comprehensive statewide plan and movement toward dismantling our racist systems of criminalization and incarceration." Register to get the Zoom link here: bit.ly/B4BL306 Information > The Label Foundation Basketball Club Fundraiser
Day: Now Location: GoFundMe
The Label Foundation started in the summer of 2020, at the height of the protest marches in Beacon. One of the founding members is John Galloway Jr., who back then decided to run for a vacated seat on the the Beacon Board of Education, and was appointed. The Label Foundation started with a bunch of young men who you can meet here in little videos, and has been busy every since doing clothing drives and other service initiatives.
This fundraiser is to introduce their Basketball Club, which includes people from all walks of life together, especially inner-city and underprivileged kids who have not had the opportunity to participate in extracurricular activities within a safe environment for nearly a year. Players will be educated and mentored on academic topics, including early financial literacy, with formidable role models within the area, and civic engagement. Money raised goes to fees for tournaments, equipment, jerseys, and gym time. Donate Now >
Recycle Lots Of Kinds Of Plastic Bags At Key Food & VFW Hall
Day: All Days
Beacon's Conservation Committee has announced a new initiative to make recycling different kinds of plastic bags (i.e. sandwich bags, toilet paper packaging bags, produce bags, etc.) easy and possible. Drop your plastic bags at Key Food 7 Days/Week, or the VFW Hall during the farmers market on Sundays. Learn More >
EAT CHURCH
3091 U.S. 9, Cold Spring, NY
The perfect winter soup. Pho. Popular Vietnamese beef broth and rice noodle soup. Try theirs with braised beef short rib and roast pork. Round it out with sides of fresh herbs, crunchy sprouts, citrus and chiles.
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See you this Friday & Saturday @marbledmeatshop 4-8pm!
Find them at Marbled Meat Shop, 3091 Route 9 in Cold Spring Friday & Saturday, 4-8pm with their Double Double Bang Bang Revue menu! Order Online Now >⠀ Eat Church is an ALBB Sponsor!
MEYERS OLDE DUTCH
184 Main Street, Beacon, NY
Meyers Olde Dutch poses a very important question on their Instagram - should they bring back their Beet Slaw? We vote YES!
Open everyday for takeout and delivery, 11:30am to 9pm. Click here and order for takeout or delivery! Or call them at (845) 440-6900. Meyers Olde Dutch is an ALBB Sponsor!
HOMESPUN
232 Main Street, Beacon, NY
and the Cafe at the Dia : Beacon
With their new hours opening at 10am, get in on the Avocado Toast love at Homespun Foods. They make this treat with crushed avocado, sorrel, crispy chickpeas, and pickled red onion on griddled sourdough. Learn more > View Homespun Menu > Homespun is an ALBB Sponsor!
HUDSON VALLEY FOOD HALL 288 Main Street, Beacon, NY
Miz Hattie had a photo shoot this week to get new food photos for her easy-to-order-online website, and donated the dishes to Fareground, a food justice organization who delivers food to people in need. Fareground will take unused food, to find a good belly for it to warm.
Order Now > Hudson Valley Food Hall is an ALBB Sponsor!
BAJA 328 328 Main Street, Beacon, NY
Just wanted to show you this guy again...to get you ready for spring! And eating outside at BAJA 328 from their sidewalk patio. They open their garage door when the weather permits, and are serving dishes all winter long, until it ends. Someday it will be spring! Meanwhile, get a cocktail to-go. BAJA 328 is an ALBB Sponsor!
BRETT'S HARDWARE
18 West Main Street, Beacon
Canning jars from @bretts_hardware! You need them for fermenting, to put snacks in, or coffee, or whatever! They have plenty in stock and they're so good to have. They also make nice gifts when treating your neighbors to your special-recipe tomato sauce!
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Brett's Hardware is an ALBB Sponsor - thank you!
LUXE OPTIQUE
181-183 Main Street, Beacon
Desmon is your everyday statement frame and we're loving the modern Washed Lapis acetate finish on these frames from @oliverpeoples.
Stop in today to peek at all of their newest arrivals!
Walk-ins welcome. Shop Online > Luxe Optique is a sponsor. Thank you!
BINNACLE BOOKS 321 Main Street, Beacon
Here's @binnaclebooks prepping a bunch more books to send off to your incarcerated neighbors. "Thanks as always to all our sponsors and remember, if you’d like to contribute to our postage and PO box and packaging fund, please PayPal us at info@prisonbooksproject.org — funds are ALWAYS NEEDED to keep this thing afloat! If you’re curious about the Beacon Prison Books Project, check out the highlight in our Instagram stories." Visit their Instagram for more details.
Binnacle Books is an ALBB Sponsor, thank you!
LA MÉRE CLOTHING AND GOODS
436 Main Street, Beacon
With new items arriving every week, there are only a few Brooke Blazers left in stock! Didn't think you needed a pink blazer until now did you? Spring is coming and this would be perfect!
Download the La Mére app now! It is available for iOS users and coming soon for Android users. Download our NEW app now and receive 10% off your first in-app purchase. Apply code 10OFFAPP in checkout to receive the discount. Visit https://lamereclothingandgoods.com/ to download. Shop Online > La Mére is an ALBB Sponsor, thank you!
Looking for some community service hours? The Poughkeepsie Public Library (@poklibny) is looking for teen bloggers !
Use their guidelines to create your own content for a Teen Café blog then send your post to teencafe@poklib.org for their review!
For questions email teencafe@poklib.org
HIRING: SEO Copywriter At Local Digital Agency, Hyacinth Group
The Hyacinth Group is looking to add a talented SEO Copywriter to our team. The position is part-time, but will ideally grow into a full-time position in the future. Details >
NEW BUSINESS FEATURE - TUTORING
Heads Up Learning offers courses in French literacy, English literacy, and academic support, grades 1-9. Students learn best when given the opportunity to make discoveries, find patterns, and think critically about new ideas, which is why their curriculum is built on student-centered pedagogies, and themes of citizenship, activism, and environmentalism. Details > https://www.alittlebeaconblog.com/tutoring List your business in ALBB's Business Directory >
ANTALEK & MOORE INSURANCE AGENCY
340 Main Street, Beacon
The temperatures are starting to rise back up and all of the leftover snow is melting away. While it may be a welcome sight, Antalek & Moore would like to remind you that it could also lead to possible stress on your home foundation and more. They share tips on seasonal maintenance items that can help protect your home. Read more in their latest blog post.
Need better or easier Homeowners Insurance? Antalek & Moore takes care of you. Give them a call today: 845-831-4300 and visit their website. Antalek & Moore is an ALBB Sponsor - thank you!
TIN SHINGLE
Editorial Calendar Season has delivered! Tin Shingle has the editorial calendars of several magazines in the Idea Center Database, so members of Tin Shingle can search through to see where a magazine is in their print production schedule. It is a nice way to force a business to think so far in advance and pitch an idea for the right month, which is how they get print features. Learn More >
KATIE JAMES, INC.
It's ready! Homespun has launched a Subscription Wine Box. Yes, you heard that right! Subscribe to 3 bottles a month that Homespun's sommelier picks out for you, based on your personal preferences. The e-commerce flow is designed by Katie James, Inc., and we help strategize how it will all work. Do You Need A Website Too? >
This is the notice to the public that Beacon’s City Council will be going into a private meeting called Executive Session, after the public meeting, to discuss “Personnel.” They don’t divulge which city employee it is they are talking about. So we don’t know for sure if they will be talking about Reuben on Monday. It is notable that Reuben’s employment “hearing” after his 30-day unpaid leave was Friday, March 5, 2020. He has not returned to work, as the unpaid leave letter stated that he would not until after the hearing.
Beacon’s new City Administrator, Chris White, in his first days on the job after he finished training with former City Administrator Anthony Ruggiero, put a Black employee on unpaid leave for 30 days in January into February, after that employee declined to resign, and declined to sign a document saying that Beacon could fire him at any time for any reason, but wouldn’t give a reason, according to that employee, Reuben Simmons.
“Civil Service” Jobs - An Employment Chess Game
Designation of an Unpaid Leave of 30 Days comes with a letter. And a packet of complaints, which fulfill an obligation of finding satisfactory grievances for a “Civil Service” job to get rid of someone. These jobs exist within a city or town. Civil Service guidelines are the rules that govern how it’s all going to work. Like a game of chess. We learned a little (OK, a lot) about this when Reuben spoke about it on a podcast the summer of 2020.
Reuben at the time was speaking about how his job title of Highway Superintendent dissolved in 2018. Disappeared. Into dust. He went back down to Maintenence Worker because Dutchess County told the City of Beacon that the job title didn’t exist for Beacon - after Reuben had been promoted by others into the job. But how or why or when did Dutchess County know that? After then-City Administrator Anthony Ruggiero recommended Reuben? And after Mayor (at the time) Randy Casale, who referred to himself as “Highway Superintendent for 16 years” every chance he got, also recommended Reuben?
Beacon’s “Highway Superintendent,” which - according to why he got the job that replaced someone else and made their job title dissolve - should be titled “Superintendent of Streets.” This word choice is what dissolved former Highway Superintendent Reuben Simmons’ job in 2018.
A technicality was triggered. Which is what made Reuben’s co-worker, Michael Manzi, get promoted to the job title that Dutchess County said was accurate for Beacon: Superintendent of Streets. This simple word change (with at least one more job qualification that came with it), dissolved Reuben’s position of Highway Superintendent. To be replaced by Michael Manzi as Superintendent of Streets. There was a lot of hooting and hollering by the Highway Department the night of the vote on Michael’s promotion back in 2019. Reuben wasn’t even demoted. His position just dissolved into Maintenance Worker. All legal. See minute 50:17 of the Beacon City Council video.
But even today, March 6, 2021, Michael Manzi is still identified as Highway Superintendent, not the job title with which he allegedly checkmated Reuben. This isn’t the only job title inconsistency on the City of Beacon’s website: See “During Hot Mess Of Water Department Hires, Beacon Passes Diversity and Inclusion Statement.” But the City of Beacon currently won’t comment on it.
Former Mayor Randy Casale spoke about this job situation also on a podcast. Off-mic, Randy called Reuben’s then-demotion the “biggest regret” of his mayoral career, because he couldn’t stop it. But he tried. Issues of Civil Service, run by Dutchess County, can be triggered by anyone who wants to switch up how a job hire or promotion is going to go, and can make a job disappear. Legally.
But that demotion was in 2018. The 30-day unpaid leave comes in 2021.
The Only Reason ALBB Knows About The 30-Day Unpaid Leave - The City of Beacon Won’t Comment
When people are hired or promoted, there is a public vote on it by City Council. When they are put on unpaid leave, or perhaps fired or asked to resign, there is nothing public. In fact, police officers who were recently hired, fired or resigned are only traceable because of a public inquiry via a FOIL (freedom of information law) request. That link is offered here on the City Clerk page, but has not been updated since the mayor promised it would, in August of 2020.
How did I find out about Reuben’s $0 income? And how he’s looking at a career loss at the end of it?
He called me. After the first mega blizzard dumped 2.5 feet of snow on Beacon, I answered the phone and right away thanked my friend Reuben Simmons for keeping Beacon plowed. In every City Council meeting, councilmembers had been thanking the Highway Department for plowing.
Reuben had been part of the team driving the trucks clearing the streets for years. This January was another year where he would have been out in the early morning into night, earning overtime that is part of Beacon’s annual budget each year. The overtime is not a surprise. The employees count on it. And they plan for surplus salt, trying to estimate how the winter is going to go.
“I’m sorry, Katie,” Reuben responded to my appreciation. “I haven’t been in the trucks. I have been put on unpaid leave since mid-January 2021. I am embarrassed and I don’t know what is going to happen.”
This isn’t the start of Reuben’s story. His story started years ago. This is the current step.
30-Day Unpaid Leave - How That Works
In the letter sentencing Reuben’s 30-Day Unpaid Leave, City Administrator Chris White instructed Reuben to not speak to any staff of the City of Beacon, or touch any property of the City of Beacon, during work time.
Reuben, who served as the department’s CSEA Union President from 2009 to 2017, had been organizing employees - those who would listen to him, anyway, since not all of them liked him. Especially those who he gave low marks to when he was CSEA Union President, like the employee who allegedly casually brought in a gun to the workplace 6 months after Reuben filed a harassment complaint against him for circulating an unsanctioned petition against Reuben to keep him off a negotiation committee for a contract, or those who didn’t like him being their boss. And then they became his boss when his job title conveniently dissolved.
Reuben’s organizing efforts included supporting the 2 other Black employees. Contract negotiations were happening for their salaries. He wanted all employees to know about their rights, and think about their best interests. Employees of the Highway Department have been without a new contract for some time. The City of Beacon links to one from 2015. According to Reuben, the employee health insurance payments have increased, and with the rising cost of rents and property taxes, people are not earning enough to keep up.
To begin researching the story, I sought verification from the City of Beacon. I emailed City Administrator Chris White. Chris replied: “We do not comment on personnel matters.”
I then pursued the CSEA Union President, Paula Becker. Not being able to find her anywhere on the internet, and not realizing that she was a City of Beacon employee, I called her number and left a voicemail. And again the next day. The day after that, I received the following email from Chris: “I received notice from other staff that you had called regarding a personnel issue. As I mentioned previously, the City does not comment on personnel issues. I would appreciate you contacting me if you have questions in the future.”
Respecting his original request, I hadn’t contacted any staff. His response got me thinking that someone was impersonating me. I didn’t realize that Paula’s phone number extension was one digit different from Chris’, and that the CSEA Union President was a staff member of the City of Beacon. Did that yield fair representation or advocacy?
Union President As City Of Beacon Employee - Helpful or Fair?
Reuben was used to the dual role of staff and union president. He used to be the CSEA Union President as a Highway Department employee, before he was Highway Superintendent. “I was comfortable with it because I was a strong individual. Some people are not fine with it because the employer can give them certain benefits. Makes it an uncomfortable and tough situation. I was comfortable with having those battles,” Reuben reflected. '“It depends on your character and your personality. Paula, I believe, has a great heart, and wants to see the good in everybody. That's not necessarily the characteristics that sometimes you need, to be tough and fight back face-to-face.”
Verification Gained - ALBB Sees The Unpaid Leave Letter & Complaint Log
To publish this story, I felt better seeing the letter outlining the unpaid leave. I believed Reuben, but I wanted to see the letter and see how it was worded. I wanted to see the complaints behind the disciplinary action. The first response from anyone I verbally tell this story to is: “Well, what did he do? He must have deserved it.” Reuben maintained his answer: “I don’t know.”
“But did they show you a list of complaints?” I pressed.
“Yes, but they don’t say exactly what I did,” Reuben explained. “For example: I ‘drove out of City limits in a company vehicle.’ But I went to Glenham. But Glenham is outside of City limits if I have to service it. If I drive over the I-84 bridge to turn around in the Hudson View apartments to turn back to Beacon, I’m outside of City limits.”
Eventually, Reuben trusted me and showed me the letter. It said exactly what he said it said. Behind the letter was a thick stack of papers. “What are these?” I asked.
“The complaints,” he answered. He was reluctant to let me see them. We chatted some more, and I asked again if I could see them. “What could be so bad that I cannot see them? Is there something unimaginable?” I rattled off some unimaginable things. Surprised, he smiled and said “No,” and his hesitation disappeared. I turned the page to start looking through the stack of complaints. The stack of paper was thick, about half an inch.
These complaints started in the summer of 2020. They weren’t the first against Reuben in his life. He’s already been through another set in 2019, which you can read about here. The summer of 2020 was the same time that Reuben began speaking out at Black Lives Matter speaking events at Pete & Toshi Seeger Riverfront Park about his long history of working in the Highway Department, and racially charged and unfair treatment he has seen, experienced, and been told about while working there.
The complaints read as rows and rows of almost the same words on different line items of dates that said something vague like:
“On July 23*, 2020, Reuben Simmons was at the intersection of South Avenue and Main Street fixing a sign, and did not complete his work.”
“On July 23*, 2020, Reuben Simmons returned late from lunch.”
Copy/Paste those two complaints, change the dates and the intersections, and multiply by 50. Many, many rows of the same repeated. And then finally, a different complaint:
“On September 12*, 2020, Reuben Simmons…” and it was something about how he used a certain number of his Personal hours within a 4-hour period in a way that did not fit compliance.
*The number of this exact date has been estimated. I didn’t take a screenshot. But these were the months.
The worst complaint was a vehicle accident at the transfer station where he hit a civilian car with a company truck. OK. People have accidents. I’ve turned around several times in the transfer station, and it is tight. Question is: Have other employees who have also had accidents in company vehicles been disciplined with a 30-day unpaid leave? We wouldn’t know, because the City of Beacon won’t comment on personnel matters. And they may not answer all FOIL requests. None of mine, at least. And none of them, if answered, have been published since August 2020, as Mayor Kyriacou promised.
So what happened? The accident itself was reported as a complaint. Reuben was supposed to call his supervisor to report an accident, which he did. But the next complaint was that Reuben used curse words to his supervisor during that conversation.
“Curse words?” I asked? Reuben answered: “Yes. I used curse words about the situation in response to what my supervisor was saying. Not calling my supervisor any curse word directly. But speaking about the situation.”
Having a potty-mouth myself, I asked Reuben: “Does no one use curse words in the Highway Department?”
“They use them all the time. Worse. They use racial slurs,” he said matter-of-factly.
Next Step: A “Hearing.” With Witnesses Called By The City Of Beacon
After Reuben refused to resign or sign the letter saying that Beacon could fire him at any time for any reason, he had the option of having a “hearing.” At that hearing, the City of Beacon told him that they were bringing witnesses.
Ironically, back in the day when Reuben filed a harassment complaint about the unsanctioned petition, that the City of Beacon via City Administrator Anthony Ruggiero did not pursue because of lack of physical evidence of the paper petition, the City of Beacon did not care about witnesses. Reuben said he had 2 witnesses: the 2 Black employees who were eventually shown the unsanctioned petition. And Paula, the current union president who allegedly had the unsanctioned petition show up on her desk (perhaps how like Councilperson Jodi McCredo had a mystery letter show up on her front porch, putting her in a very awkward position), which then allegedly disappeared. None of these witnesses mattered for that hearing.
But on March 5, 2021, in a hearing to further detail complaints made against Reuben, the witnesses mattered. What’s that people say about All Lives Matter?
How Long Has Reuben Worked For The City Of Beacon?
Reuben has worked for the City of Beacon Highway Department since 2002, starting as “Summer Help.” His resume goes like this: City of Beacon Summer Help in parks, 2002-2008; Laborer, 2008-2012; Union President for City of Beacon CSEA Local 814 unit 6662, 2009-2017; Maintenance Worker, 2012-2017; Highway Superintendent, 2017-2018; Maintenance Worker, May 2018-August 2019; Working Supervisor, August 2018-March 2020; Maintenance Worker, March 2020-present.
After the summer of 2020 rush of complaints, the City presented Reuben with the opportunity to resign. When he declined, they offered him a letter that he could sign saying that they could fire him for any reason. He asked what that reason could be, and they would not specify. So it easily could have been: “Reuben was at the intersection of Liberty and East Main fixing a sign and did not complete his work.”
He declined to sign these. As he said he did years ago when the City presented him with a letter stating that there were no “racial tensions” in the Highway Department.
“Why Would This Be Happening To You?”
The obvious question is: “Why is this happening to you?” Due in part to Reuben’s role as union president for those years, he may have made people upset. Recently, however, the public has started speaking out, beginning with Stefon Seward, a founding member of Beacon4Black Lives who spoke out on a City Council call during the public comment period, resulting in this deep dive by ALBB to learn new information.
Reuben concluded: "I try to exhaust all internal avenues and best efforts to avoid the situation I am in today, and the City ignored all of that (see past article for reference). Maybe I'm the best person to be in this. I'm embarrassed to be in this. I'm ashamed of the City. In my 19-year career here. It's disturbing and disgusting. Beacon is better than this."
What is at stake if Reuben is fired or resigns? “My career will be cut short and I will lose the opportunity to receive my full retirement potential.”
How ALBB Knows Reuben
Unfortunately, in hearing stories of Black lives, or maybe any life, it comes down to who you know, and why you know it. I first got to know Reuben in 2019 when he got the idea to organize Beacon’s live music event, Rock Out 4 Mental Health, the first music event to bring mental health services throughout the Hudson Valley together in one place set to music, so that the community could easily meet them and get to know these services better. Reuben wanted to de-stigmatize mental health.
I didn’t know at the time that his good friend had died of substance abuse. I heard that friend’s story from his mother, who spoke at the event that June. In attendance at the event were Dutchess County Executive Marcus Molinaro, who is a huge advocate for mental health, and state senator Sue Serino, whose brother died by suicide.
Reuben’s nonprofit organization, I Am Beacon, asked me to be on the planning committee for Rock Out 4 Mental Health. I don’t say yes to many things because of time, but I said yes to this immediately. Reuben ran every planning meeting that we had in my old office on Main Street every other Tuesday. I brought my toddler. Reuben ran in one morning in his bright yellow Beacon Highway Department sweatshirt, to give us notes and direction for the meeting. Reuben says he got personal time approved through Payroll, then attended the meeting. He said he saw his boss, Michael Manzi, that morning. They waved to each other, but then 2 months later Reuben was written up about the attendance of that meeting as a form of discipline, which Reuben says he later disputed.
That morning, he got written up by his supervisor, Highway Department Superintendent of Streets Michael Manzi, for being late. The complaint went into Reuben’s personnel file. If you have heard the podcast about it, you’ll know that it was during this event planning experience that I learned that Reuben was no longer the Highway Department Superintendent. You’ll remember that when I went to write the article about the event, I visited his LinkedIn to get his proper job title. LinkedIn said he was Maintenance Worker.
I asked Reuben about it, thinking nothing of the question. “Hey Reuben - what’s your job title? I see something different in LinkedIn.” He answered that he couldn’t talk to me about it. Couldn’t answer the question. Was going through some things at work legally, but maybe he could tell me later.
Later came one year later during the Black Lives Matter movement. We were going to have the Rock Out 4 Mental Health event again, and were going to ask the City, which had a new Mayor in place, if we could use Riverfront Park again. The former Mayor Randy Casale and Reuben had been close. They argued in public - both having loud voices coming from passionate places - but they were tight.
Randy Casale was part of why Reuben was promoted to Highway Superintendent. Not long after, however, Reuben’s job title of Highway Superintendent dissolved. Turned to dust. Never existed. He was demoted but there was nothing to demote him from. He just was Maintenance Worker again. Why? That doesn’t make sense, right? Right. Two words of how it happened: “Civil Service.”
The pandemic hit, and all events paused. Except Black Lives Matter marches. Or protests in the name of Black Lives Mattering more than the status quo. Whichever you want to call it. Whichever brand you feel comfortable saying, as people tried to chip away at the original meaning of BLM. Which was that Black people were dying, being fired, being ignored, and having to work extra hard to sustain success they made for themselves. Because of white people keeping them down. You. Me. All of us. Systems in general. “All lives” were keeping them down in the name of comfort. That feeling you get when you feel discomfort, so you turn your eyes away and feel comfortable again in your own little world.
Reuben attended a protest march and took to the microphone at Pete and Toshi Seeger Riverfront Park, and for the first time, in a shaky but strong voice, told his story. Even prior to his taking the microphone, there had been tensions between Reuben and the Highway Department. Complaints had already been written about him.
City Cuts Off ALBB From Responding To Questions
Since ALBB published the article, “During Hot Mess Of Water Department Hires, Beacon Passes Diversity and Inclusion Statement,” Beacon’s City Administrator Chris White has refused to answer any questions from this publication. Our door remains open. We will continue to send questions on this and other totally different matters. Even if we send them into the abyss and only hear crickets back.
City Administrator Chris White asked for a FaceTime-type call to get to know each other, since I keep emailing him questions. I email questions to lots of people. To the office of Dutchess County, or to business owners. No one else has requested a video chat to get to know each other better. I get it. I’m a people person too. I like to meet people. But in the media sense, it’s not necessary.
Chris’ final words, for now, to this publication are below. These are very similar to when Mayor Kyriacou responded to one of my questions asking him if he really said something that I had heard. Mayor’s Kyriacou’s response was to give me the definition of hearsay. Hearsay is when you don’t seek confirmation after you hear about what someone may have said. I’m not sure what it’s called when someone doesn’t answer the question but gives you a run-around, condescending, derogatory response.
For the record: Chris seems to do very great work. I am looking forward to his work in project management that he will do in the name of the natural environment. In the name of personnel matters, the experience thus far has been surprising. Perhaps that will change some day.
Until that time, while the City stonewalls any questions about treatment of employees by its employees and its employers, A Little Beacon Blog will continue to receive stories from residents of the community, and will continue to listen to them with compassion. If these stories line up with other stories, and begin matching and forming a pattern, those stories will continue to get published.
some physical proof cannot be seen in words. Slinging racial slurs will never have proof. Unless they are recorded, as with much, much worse happenings like with Rodney King or George Floyd. No one is free from racist behavior. Every day, every single one of us must keep ourselves in check. We must educate ourselves; reach out to make new friends and deeper friendships, to keep ourselves in check.
This treatment of a friend is nothing I would have expected from the City of Beacon. But this story is not new. It’s just not told in a public way.
Below is the current City Administrator Chris White’s last response to me. My response to him follows. Again. I think Chris is very talented. Anthony Ruggiero is very talented too, and I’m so bummed that he resigned. As the City of Beacon has stated: “We have work to do.” Anyone, in any position they are in now, can do better, and shift moves made in their past.
3/4/2021 In response to an invitation to speak on Zoom to get to know each other, which I declined.
Katie,
Thank you for your response. I am unable to respond to further questions until you and I have some discussion about journalistic standards for your articles. Since I replaced Anthony, I have tried to treat you as I would a news outlet, but I’m realizing that your blog does not operate in the same manner. I have to say that I also liked your blog’s focus on small businesses in Beacon so I tried to give you the benefit of the doubt in responding to you as time allowed.
The article that you just published on City hiring, which is referred to as a “hot mess,” certainly does not meet basic journalistic standards for unbiased reporting. If you would like the City to respond to you as we do with news media, we will need to establish some comparable reporting standards. With a simple conversation, we could have cleared up some of the inaccuracies and misleading assertions in this article, which is what the local papers would have done before publishing.
If you would like to have a conversation at some point to discuss this further, please let me know, and I will try to be available to you. However, until we can establish some sort of standards, I am not able to respond to further questions.
Best regards,
Chris
3/4/2021 Response: Hi Chris,
I understand where you are coming from.
I do not know about other news outlets having conversations with administrations about how those administrations are covered, but having that discussion is not something I would need to have in order to get accurate information for a story, or try to at least. Informing about known or unknown information is what I would do.
Oftentimes, when a positive adjective is used, people are happy. When an unflattering one is used, the word “unbiased” gets returned.
As for coverage of businesses in Beacon, thank you. However, there may be times when local government decisions are unfavorable to business, or a certain businesses, and you may then not like that coverage, or that article.
Any reporter is biased, as a human. Only so many words and topics can get covered because of time and space (paper and digital), so by the very nature of publishing, every piece of content produced is biased.
With a simple email response, you can always shed light on inaccuracies if there are items that need corrected.
As a local paper would have done before publishing, I did try to get answers from you, in order to get as much accuracy as possible. Which you would not give. And now are stating will continue to not give any unless we have a conversation.
Thank you for your consideration in time in responding prior. We are all busy.
Thank you for the rest of the work that you do. There is a lot on your plate.
Best, Katie
###
This article is not just for Reuben. As torturous as this is to watch. This is for all of the other Black employees who have been ignored by the City of Beacon, or squashed down into dissolved positions.
The people involved in that - are probably some of the best people. Some of the best friends. Families who your family may have had play dates with. This is your check. My check. Everyone’s check. The check of all people’s lives.
Stories resulting from past articles on this are already coming from people who have been ignored on repeat. Most likely, this will extend into the Hispanic, Arab, Jamaican, Everyone community. Get comfortable with people who sound different than you. Are louder than you. Move differently than you.
Maybe you could shake it up and move differently too! Let your own passion out! Without shaming someone when they do it.
During the December 14, 2020, City Council workshop meeting, Beacon’s new HR Director Gina Basile, who was hired in July 2020, gave a presentation about “many discussions with our employees about how they feel about working for the City.” She also met with community group Beacon4Black Lives. After holding a Meet and Greet with all department heads individually, she scheduled a Meet and Greet with the Fire Department, which needed to be rescheduled due to COVID-19-related issues. Gina held a Meet and Greet with the Highway Department, which is where she began her focus to discover overall themes employees experience when working for the City.
Gina started by presenting her first 4 months as HR Director (hired in July, presented findings in December), according to Gina’s presentation, which she delivered in-person during the City Council Meeting held over video conference, several themes emerged, including:
“Concerns surrounding diversity and equality.”
“Concerns regarding our Hiring Practices.”
“Growing Tensions in the Workplace.”
“Lack of clarity in intra-departmental policies and inconsistency.”
“I have heard employee concerns about discrimination, inequality, and growing tensions,” Gina stated in her printed presentation. “We need to address these issues head-on, and policies and procedures are only the beginning. We need a long-term plan on how to address these issues.”
She recruited the assistance of the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provider The Work Place, a work-based intervention program designed to identify and assist employees in resolving personal problems. She called for “a third, neutral party to help us develop a plan on how we move forward.” They assigned 4 of the EAP counselors to assist the City of Beacon, and stated that “based on need, we began with the Highway Department.”
“Needs Assessment Counselors met virtually with all Highway Department employees one-on-one to ask questions about working for the City of Beacon, their Work Environment, and to hear any concerns they want to bring forward. The virtual meetings were held in the conference room in the Highway Department, and I was present in the building so employees knew their confidentiality is maintained,” Gina said.
After the meeting, “the Counselors presented us with Overall Themes that they heard from our employees. They did not tell us what a specific employee said.” From there, a plan has been developed, which includes recommended group and individual training, as well as suggestions on how to improve the City of Beacon’s work environment. EAP recommended and will provide individual counseling, as well as recommended development of policies and procedures. EAP “provided us tools on how to handle issues as they arise,” Gina continued in her presentation.
In conclusion, Gina said that EAP “will guide future group and individual conversations that may be difficult, and uncomfortable at times, but are necessary. We acknowledge that this will take time, and this is something that is going to take commitment and a lot of work.”
Steps To Address The Concerns
Gina presented a plan for how to address the concerns, which include:
“Diversity and Inclusion Statement” (this was completed soon after, on October 5, 2020, during a night that included confusion about new hires in the Water Department, and reported on here by ALBB)
“New Hiring Procedures”
“Standardizing the Promotion Process”
“Diversity and Inclusion Certification Program”
“Diversity and Inclusion Training for ALL Employees”
“Multi-Year Plan”
“Open-Door Policy/Investigate All Concerns”
“Streamlining Policies and Procedures throughout the City”
“Third-Party Involvement”
“Open, Community-Based Chief of Police Search Committee”
In terms of next steps, Gina outlined that they “would review the findings of the needs assessment … and discuss the kind of improvements we will be making.” She indicated that she wanted “everyone to be a part of the process and part of the solution.” She then thanked the Highway employees "for taking part in this process, and helping us identify issues, and develop a plan to move forward.”
A Step Signed Off On By City Administrator
One of the next action steps, signed by City Administrator Chris White, soon after his own first day on the job, was to place a longtime Highway Department employee, Reuben Simmons, who is mixed race and identifies as Black, on unpaid leave beginning in January 2021 for 30 days. January is also overtime season for the Highway Department, where they are out plowing and salting city streets during winter storms.
Reuben has been outspoken in complaints about behavior in the Highway Department (listen to his podcast with ALBB here from the summer of 2020), both as an employee and during his time as a Union President advocating for fellow employees during contract negotiations. Reuben told ALBB that he declined an opportunity to resign, or to sign a document that he would agree to be fired for any reason, without that reason being stated or indicated in advance, he told ALBB.
He opted instead for a hearing, during which the City of Beacon will reportedly present witnesses, to further clarify details of a stack of complaints that include dates and general areas of topics but no specific details that ALBB has seen.
The hearing for Reuben’s employment is today, Friday, March 5, 2021 at 10am. The hearing was scheduled to be in City Hall in an office in the basement, but has been moved to be on Zoom. The hearing is not open to the public. Reuben was told that the city will be presenting witnesses, but did not provide a list of those witnesses, or what details they would be expanding upon.
For the record, since this statement was made about the Water Department being “completely Caucasian,” on September 21, 2020, a person of Color may have been hired to the Water Department.
On September 21, 2020, many issues were discussed in the public City Council meeting: how the virtual Spirit of Beacon Day Parade was going to work (a day that was founded as a method of healing, coming together, and showing appreciation after racial eruptions and riots in Beacon in the 1970s), the spike in COVID-19 cases in a local nursing home, easements for Edgewater (a hot-button property for development hawks), handling of the 2020 Assessment Roll as it pertains to Property Taxes, etc.
The promotions of 3 employees of the Highway Department that were also on the agenda otherwise seemed mundane. Under the surface, however, in private meetings of City Council called “Executive Session,” where no press or the public is allowed, these promotions were a loaded topic. Steve Bechtold, Peter Delfico, and Nicholas Durso are Highway Department employees slated to receive promotions.
In order to approve the promotion, the City Council needed to vote on it. The vote was postponed that night, after Stefon Seward, a community member called in during Public Comment to voice his concern, was later validated by Councilmember Jodi McCredo, who stated she was uncomfortable with the vote. The vote was tabled, and A Little Beacon Blog has reached out to the City of Beacon to see if any movement has been made since then. We are awaiting a response, but the City usually doesn’t comment on personnel questions.
This article explores the details between the question from a member of the public at the beginning of the meeting, and the response from a Councilmember, which was almost silenced by the then-City Administrator Anthony Ruggiero (who has since left that job) by the end of the meeting.
Question On “Behaviors Are Questionable” Expanded Upon
Stefon Seward, a founding member of Beacon4BlackLives and an appointed committee member to the Beacon Police Chief Search Committee, called in to that September 21, 2020 night of the City Council Meeting to voice his concerns about the promotions in the Highway Department.
He stated: “I'm calling to talk about the 3 individuals that are going to get a raise, who you are voting on today. I think you should put a freeze on that, because some of their behaviors are questionable. I think there should be a little more talk before they get that raise.”
A Little Beacon Blog inquired about what behaviors Stefon was referring to. In an earlier podcast recorded this summer at “Wait, What Is That?” ALBB learned from Reuben Simmons, a Highway Department employee, that Steve Bechtold had brought a personal gun to work on company time, making other employees uncomfortable. Reuben, who is Black, emailed management Michael (Micky) Manzi about it. Michael is the current department head (Reuben used to be his boss, but was demoted on a job title technicality), Superintendent of Streets. Michael emailed back that Steve would be told not to bring the firearm to work in the future.
Reuben requested to have Michael’s email about the gun included in Reuben’s personnel file, but City Administrator Anthony Ruggiero declined that request, Reuben told ALBB.
The bringing in of the gun was about 6 months after Reuben filed a harassment claim against Steve in 2019, after Steve allegedly circulated an unsanctioned petition which advocated to have Reuben not be on a negotiation committee for the Highway Department’s new contract, which has remained unsigned after it expired (the City of Beacon’s website links to a latest contract of 2015), and is up for renewal any day, or whenever it makes it to the next agenda of the public City Council meetings.
According to Reuben, who served as CSEA Union President from 2009 to 2017, Steve made an assumption that Reuben was on the negotiation committee, and Steve did not want him there, so he had written a petition and circulated it around to the white employees of the Highway Department, without showing it to the 2 other Black employees also in the Highway Department, according to Reuben.
Reuben learned about the petition, and went to the department’s current Union President, Paula Becker, about it, who allegedly said she did not know about the petition. “My issue was that if you're going to petition,” Reuben told ALBB, “show it to everybody so that it's fair.”
Paula works for the City of Beacon as a staff member, in addition to serving as the Union President for CSEA. The union structure is to have the president also be an employee of the city. When A Little Beacon Blog reached out to Paula in her capacity as union president to confirm a future development concerning Reuben’s current employment status with the City of Beacon, the current City Administrator Chris White (Chris replaced Anthony Ruggiero in January 2021) gave instruction not to contact any staff about these issues, and to contact him directly. Chris also did not comment as to Reuben’s current employment status.
According to Reuben, the 2 other Black employees were then shown the petition, and did not sign. The petition allegedly was delivered to Paula’s desk. Superintendent Manzi knew about the petition, Reuben said, as he and Manzi discussed it during a meeting with then-Mayor Randy Casale in his office. “Management [Michael Manzi] should not have been influencing and condoning this behavior,” Reuben told ALBB. Current Mayor Lee Kyriacou was a city councilmember at the time.
To follow up on the harassment claim rooted in the petition against Steve, then-City Administrator Anthony Ruggiero inquired with Paula to see the petition, but that time he was told that this was a Union issue, and protected under certain laws, according to Reuben. No one saw the petition after that, according to Reuben. He said that the City of Beacon, by way of City Administrator Anthony Ruggiero, did not investigate the harassment claim, citing that there was no physical evidence of its existence.
Months later, when the gun was allegedly brought to work, Reuben did not seek to file another harassment claim because of how his first claim was handled. Reuben still wonders why the petition to keep him off a committee was circulated, since he was not on the negotiation committee in the first place, he told ALBB.
It should be noted that the City Administrator works with a labor attorney on these issues. In this issue, the City was working with Lance H. Klein of Keane & Beane, the law firm that the city works with on real estate, labor, etc. When ALBB first started reaching out to get more information on this employment story in the summer of 2020, City Administrator Anthony Ruggiero could not answer all of our questions, and CCed the labor attorney Lance Klein on the responses, and offered to have a phone call instead.
This year, City Administrator Chris White has also offered to have a phone call in response to questions asked about job titles, and has decided that until an in-person conversation about how ALBB writes articles happens, after the publication of yesterday’s article “During Hot Mess Of Water Department Hires, Beacon Passes Diversity and Inclusion Statement,” he will not be answering any questions from ALBB.
Now that we have partially unpacked that issue from 2019, let’s get back to September 21, 2020, the night of the City Council meeting and votes for Highway Department promotions. Stefon went on to state: “We need more diversity in the Water Department. It is a completely Caucasian department, and that's a little scary, being that we are a diverse town. I feel that we need to have a diversity look in every walk of life, everything we do for our town.”
A Little Beacon Blog looked into the demographics of the Water Department. The City of Beacon will not release stats, even when we asked about the demographics of the Police Department and were told by then-City Administrator Anthony Ruggiero to submit a FOIL to get the information. The FOIL was apparently ignored. This was before the City of Beacon published all of the names of the police officers on their website, after pressure from the national Black Lives Matter movement that went local on Beacon’s Main Street in the form of protests, emails, and calls into public City Council meetings, along with the New York State ordered re-imagining of the policing in the community with Executive Order 203.
To get an idea of the demographics, we asked for thoughts from Reuben Simmons, who has worked for the City of Beacon since 2002, and who served as the union president for the City of Beacon CSEA Local 814 unit 6662 from 2009 to 2017. His response: “I did look into it a few years ago while I was the union president, because an employee from the Water Department who was white was uncomfortable with racial slurs being spoken regularly by Water Department employees, including supervisors, in reference to other city employees who were Black. It resulted in me having to have an employee transferred from the Water Department to the Highway Department.”
City of Beacon Regulates Personal Guns In The Workplace in 2021
On December 14, 2020, during a City Council workshop meeting, Beacon’s new HR Director, Gina Basile, introduced new policies that she wanted the City of Beacon to adopt, one being a Firearms Policy. The Firearms Policy states that City employees cannot bring personal guns or weapons of any kind, including knives that are 4 inches or longer, and cannot store them on City property (ie inside of a locker or vehicle).
During that December 14, 2020, public City Council meeting, the councilmembers pondered the ramifications of this for Police Officers, wondering if this was confusing with their professional guns used for work. Gina and Anthony advised that there was no crossover; guns assigned for work were fine. The City Councilmembers were mostly certain that no person would bring a personal gun to work, but Councilperson Dan Aymar-Blair said that he had received a complaint from a constituent about a police officer bringing a personal gun to work.
Councilmember Jodi McCredo’s Statement To Pause Highway Department Promotions, Wanting More Information
Councilmember Jodi McCredo has been aware of the employee tensions in the Highway Department for some time, as have other councilmembers and Mayor Lee Kyriacou. Years ago, Jodi was the subject of a hand-delivered, unsigned letter written in the first person (using the word “I”) but from the Highway Department at large, delivered to her front porch.
That letter described discontent using ill logic at the appointment of a fellow employee, Reuben Simmons, to the position of Highway Superintendent (which he was later stripped of, using Civil Service rules to legally do so). The letter stated that the appointment did not encourage promoting “from within,” despite Reuben being a current employee. It was if he did not exist. A Little Beacon Blog has seen that letter, and published it along with the podcast here. At the time years ago, Jodi brought in the letter to a private Executive Session meeting, not knowing what to do with it, she told ALBB.
The results of that letter campaign resulted in Dutchess County telling the City of Beacon that Reuben did not have the qualifications to hold the Superintendent of Streets title because he “never held a supervisors title.” Thereby moving him and his salary back down to Maintenance Worker. The Superintendent of Streets position went to Michael (Micky) Manzi after Mark, the City’s first candidate off the Dutchess County list, turned the job down, according to Reuben.
Michael Manzi currently holds the position today. Back then, on February 4, 2019, Jodi was part of a unanimous public City Council vote for Michael’s promotion, where before casting it, she turned to the audience in the courtroom and asked: “What do you guys think?” She was met with shouts of agreement and applause, which can be seen on the Council video here at the bottom of the page. Jodi has gone on to say to ALBB that the letter “had absolutely no influence on any decisions.”
Back to September 21, 2020, with the promotion of the 3 Highway Department employees on the agenda for the evening. Jodi was not so sure this time. Resulting from Stefon’s comments, and having the prior experience of not knowing details and then learning them later, Jodi moved forward with speaking about her hesitation concerning the promotions. She stated:
“Stefon Seward mentioned a couple of things that I want to address: He spoke about people getting raises today. I want to clarify - “ At this point in her statement, then City Administrator Anthony Ruggiero, who has since left this job for another in Dutchess County, attempted to interrupt her to stop her from speaking with an "Um…".
Normally, the City Administrator likes the Council to not discuss personnel issues in public, but Jodi continued and kept speaking.
“It’s not an issue with a raise, it's an issue with a promotion because of position. But I also want to go back to something I have said in the past many times, which is I really don't feel comfortable voting on things like that without having all of the information. I don't know what it was he [Stefon] was referring to when he said what he said. Now I am in a position again where I do feel uncomfortable about this and I do think it is something we need to talk about.
“I'm just going to throw that out there because if I'm not in the situation and people aren't coming to me, I don't know what questions to ask, and it's a little awkward. I also want to put out to the public if you do have information that you think Councilmembers should have before a vote, please share that information with us. You have our phone numbers and you have our email addresses. Contact us, talk to us. Inform us. Nine times out of 10 we don't know, and that helps us know what questions to ask and what information to look for. I'm not saying anything about what he said specifically, because I have no idea. But the point is, I have no idea. And I probably should.”
All of the other City Council Members agreed to table the promotion, and Air Nonken Rhodes made an enthusiastic motion to move the discussion to Executive Session, where it could be further discussed in private.
There are times when people do know or are told about something, but may not be presented with paper documentation to prove something without a doubt, and then the information gets dismissed, contributing to a silent segregation. During this time, decades after the Civil Rights movement resulted in laws that are intended to prevent discrimination, actions taken even within those laws can still create a form of silent segregation that is harder to prove.
While the City of Beacon recently apparently hired a person of Color in the Water Department - Ricardo Brown - Mayor Kyriacou stated the night of that vote that diversity was added. Not only has the City of Beacon not confirmed with A Little Beacon Blog what Ricardo’s job title is - after a possible mix-up on the City’s agenda for Justin Herring (the agenda said Justin was Water and Sewer Superintendent but Edward Balicki is currently listed as that, even though Ed’s LinkedIn has him listed as Chief Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator at City of Beacon) - having true diversity means to embrace others, to listen to them, and believe them. Call them back after a job interview. Include an email complaint in a personnel file.
As to the confusing development of Water Department job titles after October 5, 2020’s meeting to hire employees, City Administrator Chris White has declined to provide confirmation.
Diversity Is Not Guaranteed By A PDF On A Wall Or Website
Any city can put up a PDF of a Diversity and Inclusion Statement on the City of Beacon on a wall or on a website, but that’s not a guarantee that diversity or even fairness and decency are happening. Not when complaints are ignored, dodged and delayed with FOIL requests. When Mayor Lee Kyriacou said that Beacon delivered diversity on October 5, 2020, with the hire of one person of Color, that does not make the diversity cup even half-full.
Diversity is speaking up against a vote. It is believing a story. It is asking questions about a story in public to find more connections in order to believe it. Diversity is being anti-racist, which means that you are actively speaking up against something that feels like a person was just made to feel invisible, and then became invisible, with a legal checkmate of a demotion. Diversity means to question current Civil Service laws, to see if they are working as intended, or if they are protecting a comfort level that doesn’t serve all equally.
Editorial Note: This article is long, but please consider reading in full. This article was intended to be a simple announcement of the City of Beacon passing “Resolution Adopting Diversity and Inclusion Mission Statement” on October 5, 2020. However, during the City Council Meeting where that vote took place, a lot of discussion happened around the hiring practices of Beacon’s Water Department.
Reporting on employment within the City of Beacon has been difficult because discussions about the hiring, firing and disciplinary action of employees happens in a private meeting called an Executive Session, which happens after a public City Council meeting, or within City offices presumably during the work day. The Executive Session will be announced, and Council will go into it for a designated reason, for example: “Personnel” or “Real Estate,” and the camera shuts off.
Therefore, what is said in public is often framed carefully by the speaker, and can imply further issues, but not state them explicitly. It requires the listener to read between the lines in order to follow along with what is happening. Once the full picture is learned, often these public meetings about employment make more sense. Until then, many quotes are needed in order to figure out what is happening, or not happening.
Beacon’s Presentation Of Its Diversity and Inclusion Mission Statement
Beacon’s Diversity and Inclusion Mission Statement, posted on the new Human Resources page, like a shield. Job Postings are now listed underneath this document.
The City of Beacon signed into law a Diversity and Inclusion Mission Statement on October 5, 2020. It came on an evening where the City of Beacon was announcing 2 new appointed hires to the Water Department: Justin Herring as Water and Sewer Superintendent, and Ricardo Brown as a Water and Sewer Maintenance Worker. During the presentation of the Diversity statement, the term “we’ve got work to do” was used several times. Councilperson Air Nonken Rhodes made a point to say: “This isn’t lip service.”
Mayor Kyriacou told the public: “We hired a professional HR person, Gina. We're not a big city; it's the first time we're doing this. We are sharing it with the Town of Fishkill. I look for sharing opportunities with the Town of Fishkill. I thank Gina for her work recently. Makes a difference on the messages we communicate to our managers, to our staff, and to our community as a whole.”
Public Calls In To Question The Hiring Process Of Water Department Hires
Stefon Seward, a founding member of Beacon4Black Lives and appointee to the Police Chief Search Committee who identifies as Black, asked about the City’s expectations about that Water Department position, plus the Highway Superintendent position.
The second caller was Weldon Henson, who called at the end of the meeting during the second opportunity for public comment, in order to express that he interviewed for an advertised Water Department job with Beacon’s new HR Director, Gina Basile, on August 26, 2020, but was never contacted after that. A Little Beacon Blog has reached out to Gina and the current City Administrator Chris White for confirmation, and received this response from Chris: “We do not comment on interviews and personnel issues.” ALBB would like to verify with Weldon, and if he is reading this, please feel free to reach out.
The callers’ questions, and the City’s answers, have been transcribed in full below. Because of their questions, more was expressed about the hiring process of city jobs, otherwise known as the Civil Service process. The hiring and firing process of city employees is hard to follow, namely because most discussions about them happen during Executive Session, which is a private meeting that happens after the public City Council meeting. Reporters reaching out with questions are usually told: “You’ll need to submit a FOIL,” (former Administrator Anthony Ruggiero told us this), or “The City does not comment on personnel items” (what current Administrator Chris White said to ALBB). Questions to the HR Director Gina Basile usually go unanswered, or she defers to someone else on staff.
Was The Water Department Job Posted Internally? What Is The Hiring Process?
During the City Council meeting, questions were raised about if the Water Department job(s) were posted internally. It is not clear where that would be posted, or what the requirements are for that posting. As of today, there are job listings on the city website’s Human Resources Page, which is a new page for the City of Beacon. It is unknown if people are expected to refresh the page daily for new listings, or refresh a Dutchess County Civil Service employment page, or if employees are expected to simply notice flyers on the wall while they are walking by (if they are walking by), thereby putting the responsibility on them to see internal listings. It is unknown if emails are sent out to any lists, or if announcements are made in Department meetings, if such meetings happen.
The City Administrator last year, Anthony Ruggiero, explained that the job for the Water Department was posted internally at first, before being advertised publicly. After Anthony’s explanation, City Councilmember Amber Grant asked one more time about the internal posting before the final vote on the appointments of two people into the Water Department titles. This question of an internal posting seemed to be of high interest during the meeting.
In the past, and for another department, when asked if he knew about a Highway Department job opening, Reuben Simmons, a Maintenance Worker for the Highway Department, answered that he was not aware of open positions in the Highway Department toward the end of 2020 that were mentioned during City Council meetings in ways that indicated people were already being considered for the positions by the current Highway Supervisor, Michael (Micky) Manzi.
Reuben was the Highway Superintendent before Dutchess County told the City of Beacon that his job title did not exist - even though the former Mayor Randy Casale also held that job title decades ago - despite being recommended by and approved of by Anthony Ruggiero. Reuben was thereby demoted back down to Maintenance Worker, and Michael Manzi, a former co-worker, became Highway Superintendent of Streets. A slightly different job title that comes with a different required test and certification. It’s like being called “Boss” or “Boss The Boss,” with different tests to prove worthiness of either job title, but with similar (or the same) job responsibilities.
The “job title” question reference is notable because a single word change in a job title can alter someone’s career. Chances are, you don’t have to deal with this at your job. But City of Beacon employees do. The wording in a job title can mean that you lose almost everything that you have been working up for, if someone else wants your job and uses Civil Service rules to checkmate you out. Your job title and duties could change in the blink of a Resolution.
About The Hiring Process for City Employees, AKA “Civil Service” Jobs
The questions of Stefon and Weldon are transcribed below from the recorded City Council meeting. The previous City Administrator Anthony Ruggiero was always patient with explaining how the process works. The results of that process, however, can be surprising.
Stefon Steward: “I'm just curious if the titles on the agenda for the new hires are correct, and if they are, did the City consider hiring someone internally for this position? I was looking at the website... It says that Ed is on the Water and Waste Department. I want to know what Department does he manage, and does he have the proper license to run this plant and do this job? What are the duties and responsibilities for the Highway Superintendent. What are the City's expectations for this? Is it true that one of the appointees' family members, Justin Herring, has… The family does business with Beacon, is anyone getting any financial kickback from his appointment for his position?”
Ed Balicki, shown on the City of Beacon’s website as Water and Wastewater Superintendent on 3/2/2021. Justin Herring was appointed to his position on 10/5/2020.
Toward the end of the City Council Meeting, Anthony answered Stefon’s questions. As of today (March 2, 2021), Ed Balicki, who has worked for the City of Beacon since 2013 according to his LinkedIn profile, is listed on his LinkedIn as Chief Wastewater Treatment Plant Operator at City of Beacon. But on the City of Beacon’s website, he is listed as Water and Wastewater Superintendent.
Yet this new job appointment is for Justin Herring to be Water and Sewer Superintendent. (Note the slight difference in words in the title there. That can play a major difference in Civil Service rules by disqualifying someone out of their current job.)
Further, according to Reuben Simmons of the Highway Department, Justin Herring was a candidate for the Operator or Maintenance worker position. In the Meeting Agenda, he is listed as Superintendent.
On March 2, 2021, ALBB has reached out to HR Director Gina Basile and City Administrator Chris White for confirmation of job titles since this October 5, 2020 meeting, and was told by Chris that a response would be forthcoming. This response of a job title confirmation so far has not come. If it does, this article will be updated. If you are reading this, then a response has not yet come.
Anthony Answers Questions Regarding The Job Title and Hiring Process
Anthony answered Stefon’s question: “Titles: Those titles are in the municipality known as Civil Service. There are ‘competitive,’ which means there is a list [of qualified people] where you have to take a test, and there are ‘non-competitive,’ where you don't [have to take a test.] These titles aren't, but by the Civil Service Employee Association (CSEA) contract, first you have to post them internally. If nobody applies internally, then you can go out and advertise.”
ALBB has inquired with the HR Director Gina Basile and the current City Administrator Chris White as to whether the City’s contract with CSEA is current. According to city employee Reuben Simmons, who served as a past Union President for the City of Beacon CSEA Local 814 unit 6662 from 2009 to 2017, the Highway Department contract has not been negotiated or signed since 2019. The current contract posted on the City’s Human Resources page as of today is dated 2010-2015, and looks to have been first uploaded to the City of Beacon’s website in October 2020. Which would seem to mean that the Water and Highway Departments are currently not in any contract.
Anthony continued: “In this particular case, that is what happened. Nobody applied internally, so we went out and advertised. Gina handled the process. As the Mayor indicated, she's creating something from nothing. She's trying to get organized. The department head prepares a memo to her ‘requesting this position is budgeted, I'd like to go through the process.’ It comes to me, we talk about it, and then I sign off on it. If it's OK, we go after the process. Gina takes it from there and advertises.
“She tries to make it as diverse as she can. As I was saying, she's creating a whole process as it is. She's got work to do, we've got work to do. She's been wonderful, by the way, let me just say.”
Anthony continued to address Stefon’s question about Herring: “They do not, from my understanding, do any work. They do haul. They do take their trucks and their haulers down to the wastewater treatment plant. We might rent some of the port-a-potties that we have in the parks, but that's to the extent that we know right now. Nobody's getting any kickbacks, certainly we will verify that. Certainly that has not happened.
“There was questions about some of the titles. Ed Balicki was switched up to the Water Department. He was handling both. His title was Chief Wastewater Operator. We do have to fix that title for him. He did go to school for Water Certifications and License, and also all the operators in the plants have all the license. So we are fully compliant.”
You can find this quote in minute 55 of the meeting video.
Question From An Apparent Applicant For The Water Department Position
At the end of the meeting, during the second opportunity for public comment, Weldon Henson called in to ask about what he describes as an un-responded-to interview he had for a job in the Water Department. His question is in minute 1:10 of the meeting video.
Weldon: “I didn't quite hear you on the Water Sewer Maintenance. Were they looking for inside Beacon or outside Beacon for the hiring?”
Anthony: “Both. First, the first part of the process is to advertise internally, within the workforce, and then to advertise externally to anybody, if nobody internally is interested. So then it goes outside. For these positions, there is no list. So you can just advertise and interview candidates.”
Weldon: “Oh, OK, because I was a resident that applied for the job, actually got the interview for the job, but I never heard or received anything back.”
Silence followed from the City Council.
Anthony: “I can follow up with Gina on that.”
Weldon: “I had the interview on August 26, 2020, I think it was a Wednesday at 12:30pm.”
Mayor Kyriacou: “OK. And Anthony, you are able to do that? And Colin (the Mayor’s Assistant) has it on the record.”
Weldon: “Thank you for your time.”
Mayor Kyriacou: “Of course.”
The Voting Of The Diversity And Inclusion Statement
Sometimes, councilpeople state their thoughts before or after passing a Resolution. Statements from two councilpeople are below:
Councilperson Air Nonken Rhodes: “This isn't just lip service. I've observed in the ways that I've seen the City operate behind the scenes, and in conversations around hiring, and in everyday work. This is something that everyone I've talked with really believes in. I'm really glad to see it put in writing here. This will be something we can aspire to and really live up to. I'm glad to see this enshrined, and something we can look to in every hiring process.”
Councilperson Jodi McCredo: “Like we've said with so many other issues, this is a starting point. We do realize that we have a ways to go. This is a nice guidance towards making those changes and improvements that need to be made.”
The City of Beacon is an equal opportunity workplace – and proudly so. We do not just accept differences – we embrace, support and celebrate them – knowing that diversity improves our performance and better serves our community.
The City of Beacon’s mission is to represent and serve all of our residents, including providing them with high quality services at reasonable taxes and fees, along with excellent customer service. The way we accomplish this is by representing everyone, listening to all ideas, and through the hard work and dedication of our employees.
We want to represent everyone. To do that well, we need a workforce that is representative of the community.
The City of Beacon is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workforce. Our employees thrive when we achieve this. We aim to create a workplace that reflects and recognizes the diversity of our employees, and residents. We strive to provide services that benefit everyone in the community by including perspectives from backgrounds such as those that vary by race, ethnicity, social background, religion, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, trans-gender status, veteran status, and national origin.
Having a diversified workforce builds a better team, enhances our skills, broadens our ideas, and is integral to effective performance.
The City Administrator for Beacon is a position that is responsible for knowing about every nook and cranny about the City, and managing the City’s projects and intentions. Without a City Administrator, Beacon would have a hard time functioning. The former Administrator, Anthony Ruggiero, had been with Beacon for 5 years, and gave his notice at the end of 2020 that he would be taking a new position as Assistant Commissioner for Administration with the Dutchess County Department of Behavioral & Community Health.
Background On Beacon’s City Administrators
When Anthony came to Beacon, he stepped away from an administrator position in Peekskill, where he reportedly had a “tumultuous” experience with the Peekskill Mayor Frank Catalina. Mayor Catalina took issue with a settlement for a suspended police officer that Anthony approved, according to reporting in the Poughkeepsie Journal. “‘The City of Peekskill is a council-manager form of government,’ said Ruggiero in that article in 2015, “which is a ‘weak-mayor’ form of government where the city manager handles hiring and firing,” he said. “Beacon, on the other hand, is a mayor-council, or ‘strong-mayor,’ form of government,” he said.
According to quotes from the mayors of Peekskill and of Beacon (then-Mayor Randy Casale) in the Poughkeepsie Journal, Anthony was encouraged out by Mayor Catalina, who introduced Civil Service-type rules to find disqualifications regarding whether Anthony was qualified for the job, which included having a college degree, having at least 3 years managerial experience, and living in Peekskill.
According to the article, Anthony was given a deadline to move to Peekskill, when he lived in Fishkill. When Anthony took the job in Beacon 5 years ago (Beacon does not have a rule where the Administrator needs to live in the city), he nevertheless worked very close to work, with a 5-minute commute, according to the article. Anthony went on to have a successful career in Beacon, shepherding it through many projects and the spending of improvement grants on the City’s infrastructure.
Civil Service Rules As Foundation For Employment Shifts
Anthony is no stranger to a city employee being pushed out of a job position due to Civil Service rules. He was the City Administrator when Reuben Simmons, a longtime employee with the Highway Department who is of mixed race and identifies as Black, was promoted to the Highway Superintendent position. He was recommended for that post by Anthony, according to Reuben, who stated that in a podcast.
After a stint in that position, someone disagreed, and found disqualifications in Reuben’s position when it was determined that Beacon actually had a Supervisor of Streets position, and not Superintendent, which required a different Civil Service test and management qualifications. Reuben was demoted back to a maintenance position after a process involving Dutchess County, Beacon’s City Council, and a letter anonymously delivered to the front porch of a Beacon councilperson from the Highway Department.
At the time, Anthony replaced Acting Administrator Timothy Dextor, who was a volunteer firefighter for the City of Beacon, and Building Inspector until he retired a few years ago, after a long history of aggressive fire code zoning and enforcement, and a dramatic sign battle with a business owner who hung a resist white supremacy sign, and a community of Airbnb owners who feared his code enforcement if they did not invest in fire-safety code requirements.
Enter Chris White As Beacon’s Newest City Administrator
After Anthony gave notice, Beacon Mayor Lee Kyriacou went through a hiring process and appointed Chris White, a former city councilperson for Beacon in Ward 3 from 1996-1997, with whom Mayor Kyriacou served years ago.
Chris told the Beacon Free Press in mid-February: “Serving on the Council also was the start of my career in public service, so my years in Beacon were a formative time for me.” Formerly, Chris had been the Deputy Director in the Ulster County Planning Department. Mayor Kyriacou has praised Chris’ management of land projects for infrastructure, development, and acting on the side of the natural environment.
According to the Highlands Current, Chris spent 10 years managing a district office for Rep. Maurice Hinchey, and holds a bachelor’s degree in politics from New York University and a master’s degree in public administration from SUNY Albany. He told the Beacon Free Press that serving as Beacon’s City Administrator was his goal job: “When I earned a Master of Public Administration degree more than a decade ago, my intent was to work towards being a City Manager. When the opening came up in Beacon, I thought it was worth leaving my position in Ulster County, particularly because of my familiarity with and fondness for Beacon and my prior experience here as a City Councilmember.”
According to Mayor Kyriacou, he screened over 30 applicants and felt the best with Chris. The Mayor had worked with Chris before in Beacon, during Chris’ councilperson days. “Chris stood out because of his planning and project expertise, his regional knowledge, and his genuine passion for Beacon,” the mayor told viewer-attendees during a City Council meeting.
Chris is known for being involved with stopping the construction of a proposed sewage sludge incinerator, telling the Beacon Free Press: “[My time on Council] was a time of transition for the community and for me personally. Beacon was sorely in need of revitalization when I was on Council in the mid-1990s and Main Street was dominated by vacant and underutilized properties. Some of the zoning changes and decisions made during my time on Council boosted early revitalization efforts.”
Since coming on board, Mayor Kyriacou, known for delegation of administrative tasks and responsibility, has taken action to give Chris as much administrative authority as possible. For example, during the 2/1/2021 City Council Meeting, after discussing “Resolution Authorizing City Administrator Christopher White as the Primary Log-In Holder for the City of Beacon Equitable Business Opportunities (EBO) Account,” the Mayor asked the City’s Attorney, Nick Ward-Willis, to draft a law “describing the nature of our government that we can provide to somebody that says something like: “The City Administrator can actually do this… You don’t need to go to the Mayor for… whatever, like taking title to a vehicle… It arises every so often, and it’s usually the dumb reasons, not the really good ones.”
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The City of Beacon entered into a contract with Legal Services of the Hudson Valley to provide increased access to Beacon tenants facing eviction. They may also be able to help with sources of rent arrears assistance. Call the paralegal, Steven Mihalik at 845-253-6953 to inquire.
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