Since February, East Hampton Town has lost four department heads: Kevin Cooper, the director of Code Enforcement; Eric Schantz, the head of Housing and Community Development; Joseph Palermo, the chief building inspector, and Robert Connelly, the town attorney. Only one position has been filled.
Last week, Jameson McWilliams, the deputy town attorney, also announced her resignation.
"We don't comment on personnel matters," Patrick Derenze, the town's public information officer, said by phone. "But we've been pretty open about how difficult it is to keep and retain employees given the cost of living in the town and traffic issues for commuters."
Three of the recent departures are staying local, and in conversation with the departing employees pay was not a consistent issue. Mr. Palermo took an offer to work as East Hampton Village's chief building inspector. Mr. Connelly will be starting a law office in the village for a Manhattan firm, and Ms. McWilliams has been named as a partner at the Adam Miller Group, a local real estate law firm.
"Pay was not an issue," Mr. Connelly said. "It's one of the best paid town attorney jobs on Long Island." Mr. Connelly's job is now advertised on the town website for $190,000. "I'm leaving because I have a friend with a very successful real estate law firm in New York. They're trying to grow in East Hampton. I'll be a partner."
When Mr. Connelly announced his departure at the end of March, an information vacuum descended on the already short-staffed town attorney's office.
"Once Rob gave his notice, I got a call from a number of local attorneys' offices with some great offers," said Ms. McWilliams. "However, the town posted the job of town attorney online but never actually spoke to me about it."
The loss of the top two town attorneys (Mr. Connelly was counsel for the town board and Ms. McWilliams to the zoning board of appeals and Planning Department) is fueling concerns about the processing speed of building applications, concerns that spilled into the open at Tuesday's town board meeting.
"I'd like to set the record straight," Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez said before she read a statement addressing criticisms of the speed at which the Planning Department is processing applications. (The department lost previous director, Jeremy Samuelson, in August.)
The statement said that "applications are moving through the town's Planning Department more swiftly than in years past, thanks to targeted improvements in workflow management." The ongoing implementation of OpenGov, "a digital platform that allows residents to submit and track planning applications online" and the town's retention of AKRF Inc., a consultant that will "conduct a best practice study of the site plan review process" will further "improve efficiencies."
"While staff capacity is often cited, a major factor affecting review timelines is the quality of applications submitted. Delays frequently stem from incomplete materials, repeated corrections, or lack of responsiveness to established requirements, challenges that consume time and resources," she added.
"It's now taking well over two years to get . . . a natural resources special permit," Jon Tarbet, a local land-use attorney and frequent critic of the town regulatory boards, said during the public comment portion of Tuesday's meeting. "This is not an issue with staffing. The process is broken."
In a phone conversation after the meeting, he went further with his criticism. "She blamed it on applicants not having complete applications, which is their old standby. But even complete applications they don't schedule. There's a huge list of complete applications that haven't been processed," he said.
The supervisor also read a statement about the recent departures.
"At present we have department head vacancies in our Housing Department, town attorney's office, and Building Department, along with a handful of staff-level openings in the Planning Department," she read. "Despite these gaps, our team remains committed to delivering high quality service and we continue to make steady progress across departments. We're actively working to fill these positions with individuals who are eager to serve our community."
"We don't like to hear that employees are unsatisfied," Mr. Derenze said when read Ms. McWilliams's statement. "We have a process where we go through the town board for hires. Maybe we could have communicated better. Jameson is still working with us on a number of items, and we haven't heard from her directly with these concerns."
Mr. Cooper left after his Section 211 waiver, which would have allowed him to continue receiving pension benefits (he is a retired New York City police officer and transit cop), wasn't approved by the New York State comptroller. He indicated that the town could have done more to keep him on staff.
"From the top to the bottom, the town needs to have their supervisors attend leadership and management courses," he said in a text. He was with the town for "three years, 10 months, four summers" and is now head of enforcement for Port Jefferson Village in a part-time role, making far less than he was with the town, where he was paid $120,000.
(Employees under 65 need that Section 211 waiver if they are earning more than $35,000.)
"Many of the people hired as supervisors have zero leadership or management experience. The experience and training will help them hire the right people, train them properly, and retain them. And if they want to stay, that means morale is good. That's how I feel. That's what I saw, and what I experienced."
Mr. Cooper accrued vacation time, personal time, and health benefits and was to be paid $9,443, according to a resolution passed at the March 20 town board meeting. He was replaced by Martin Culloton, who now works as an investigator for Southampton Town.
The day after Mr. Cooper's payout, the East Hampton Village Board passed a resolution hiring Mr. Parlermo to replace the village's outgoing building inspector, Tom Preiato. Mr. Palermo received a five-year contract, at a rate of $145,000. He was making $130,000 with the town.
Mr. Schantz, a longtime staffer in the Planning Department before becoming head of the Housing Department, reportedly moved out of town and could not be contacted for this article.
Currently there are 15 full-time positions listed as open on the town's website. While the town argues that hiring problems are not unique to East Hampton, Southampton Town lists only five full-time positions and is searching for only one department head, the director of traffic safety.
Mr. Derenze, in another statement, highlighted steps the town has taken to support the work force and attract talent, including a new temporary paid parental leave policy and a new flex-time policy. Further, he said the town continues "to advocate for improvements to the South Fork Commuter Connection, a service that many of our employees rely on each day."
"We remain deeply committed to supporting the individuals who serve our residents every day and to ensuring that the town continues to be a workplace that reflects the values of our community: service, accountability, and progress."
