Chester town board votes to eliminate account clerk position

The Chester Town Board has voted to abolish the position of account clerk, where town employee Nicole Griffin served for many years. Griffin is crying foul, claiming she was targeted for political reasons.

Griffin told The Chronicle, “I was told my position was going to be abolished last Friday before the town board even had a chance to vote on it. That is illegal. it is in retaliation for grievances I filed against [Town Clerk Linda] Zappala and [Councilman] Bob Courtenay...I worked really hard, this is very wrong and unfair.”

Griffin said she had hired a lawyer and would not comment further.

Supervisor Brandon Holdridge denies there was anything political about the decision, saying that instead it was part of the reorganization of the finance department under the town’s new comptroller. “This decision was extensively reviewed by our labor attorney before it was decided on,” he said. Holdridge said Courtenay had recused himself from all discussions and the vote on the matter because of the grievance Griffin had filed against him.

The town is already facing one lawsuit for alleged political retaliation as former Deputy Town Clerk Nanette Batista-Perez filed a first amendment lawsuit against Chester Town Clerk Linda Zappala and the Town of Chester that recently was introduced in federal court in White Plains. Now they may be facing another. Holdridge referred to the existing lawsuit and a potential new one as “frivolous.”

Other business

In other news from the April 10 town board meeting, a public hearing was held and a new law passed regarding the town’s code enforcement program aimed at slowing down development in the town.

The board voted to end the probationary period for assistant building inspector John Hand and approved an increase of his salary to $85,000. The board also passed a resolution to hire Tanya McPhee as a deputy comptroller at $73,364 and passed a resolution to promote Keith Meyer to Highway Department foreman at $110,000.

The board authorized a refund to resident Joe Schatz for $2631.35 in order to correct improper building department charges from 2022/2023. It also passed a resolution to post for a seasonal park attendant at $15/hour and a resolution to post for a water laborer at $22.46/hour.

The board accepted the resignation of Connor McPhee from the Water Department, who will be joining the U.S. Army. “Thank you for your future service Connor,” Holdridge said in a post to the Chester, NY Facebook page.

The board approved $126,331.38 in federal ARPA funding for the purchase of two vehicles for the Highway department.

Coming up, the ward maps for voting will be voted on at the next town board meeting on April 24.