Letter: Republicans Weren't Silent On Voluntary Retirement Plan

To the editor,

In response to a recent letter to the editor from RTM member Bill Gerber claiming that RTM Republicans sat largely silent on the First Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick’s Voluntary Employee Retirement Incentive Plan (VERIP), we would like to set the record straight.

Mr. Gerber’s statement is misleading.

As Republican caucus leaders, we spent many weeks working with the first selectwoman in a collaborative effort to adjust the VERIP program based on feedback received from RTM members.

What Mr. Gerber failed to mention was that after VERIP was first presented to the RTM, he was the only Democrat to take the opportunity to meet with the first selectwoman to offer advice. The VERIP program, which was one of many steps taken by the current administration to address an antiquated operating structure and lack of accountability at Town Hall passed by a 21-19 vote with only three Democrats joining the Republican RTM members to pass this modernization initiative.

Two of those three RTM Democrats subsequently resigned from the Democratic caucus shortly after their vote and joined the Republican RTM caucus. That, in and of itself, speaks volumes.

We, as leaders of the Republican caucus on the RTM, would also like to emphasize that we hardly stayed silent. Quite the opposite. We offered support with an open mind, while also providing our opinions, concerns, and analysis of the VERIP program throughout the process — both in consultation with Brenda and her staff, and during public discussion. We both ensured there was accountability for any potential risks and costs, but also embraced the opportunities to modernize our government and affect change. In fact, the VERIP program yielded an immediate savings of $250,000 in the FY21 budget, with continued savings projected moving forward. Why are the RTM Democrats now so adamant in claiming credit for saving millions of dollars under VERIP when most of their members voted against it, and only three crossed party lines to pass the program?

We welcome and embrace the ability to ask questions, to speak our minds, and represent our citizens through proper due diligence and debate. Good governance and accountability among our town employees and elected officials are crucial tenets of a fair, properly functioning government.

We worked collaboratively with First Selectwoman Brenda Kupchick offering meaningful insight and advice. In the end, we helped pass a positive initiative to reorganize and modernize how our town operates because we truly believe it was a positive step towards providing streamlined and efficient services for our residents.

Sincerely,

Pamela Iacono

RTM Republican Caucus Leader

Jeff Steele

Deputy RTM Republican Caucus Leader