Time Has Come to Reform New Rochelle Civil Service Commission

Written By: Talk of the Sound News

NRCSCMeeting.jpgIt might be asking too much for Mayor Noam Bramson to replace Dominic “Combat Vet” Procopio at this time. After all, the Mayor said on his WVOX radio show about a year ago that Procopio was doing a “fine job” as Chairman of the Municipal Civil Service Commission in the days after Talk of the Sound first reported that Procopio had pocketed thousands of dollars in property tax exemptions to which he was not entitled, including over $2,000 in exemptions specifically reserved for military veterans who saw combat action. It might even be too much to ask for City Manager Chuck Strome to replace Civil Service Administrator Jeanett Medina given his desire to “protect” his staff. It is not even worth going into the whole Koehler 211 fiasco.

So, how about starting simple by bringing some much needed reform to New Rochelle’s Municipal Civil Service Commission:

1. Require that the Municipal Civil Service Commission notify other departments including the City Manager, the Media Relations Department and the City Clerk when they are having their meetings. Readers will recall that “no one” knew about the meeting last month.

2. Require that the Municipal Civil Service Commission properly notice their public meetings per the New York State Open Meeting Law and post their meeting announcements on the City of New Rochelle web site including the calendar.

3. Require that the Municipal Civil Service Commission hold all of its meetings in a room already equipped with video cameras such as the room in 90 Beaufort and broadcast then archive the meetings as is done for meetings of the City Council, IDA, Zoning Appeals and Planning Board; require that signs be posted in and outside the building directing the public to the meeting room on the day of the meeting.

4. Require that a PDF version of the meeting agenda for a Municipal Civil Service Commission be posted on the City web site along with the calendar event; require that copies of the meeting agenda be made available to the public in or near the meeting room on the day of the meeting.

5. The Municipal Civil Service Commission already posts notices of job openings on the City web site; add to that by uploading PDF versions of all job application forms and linking the appropriate forms to the various job opening notices. Just as there is no reason a Job seeker should have to go to City Hall to learn about available positions; the job seeker should be able to obtain a job application form through the mail, via fax, via email or on the City web site.

Many of these suggestions are actually required under the New York State Opening Meeting Law, some are common sense, all will better serve New Rochelle by allowing residents to monitor the activity of the Civil Service while creating greater awareness of job opportunities and, hopefully, a larger applicant pool from which to select when making hiring decisions to give New Rochelle the best chance to get highly qualified individuals working for both the City of New Rochelle and the City School District of New Rochelle.

Any other suggestions on how processes and procedures of the CSC might be improved?

12 thoughts on “Time Has Come to Reform New Rochelle Civil Service Commission”

  1. Imburgia: Weren’t you
    Imburgia: Weren’t you bounced out of the police academy a few years back for not knowing how to keep your emotions and mouth in check?

    1. No. Don’t be ———— or a
      No. Don’t be ———— or a wanna-be-shrink. Be a low paid civil servant–you are much better at that than trying to insult people. Keep up with the insults and you will get the same kind of low life treatment in return. Get the message?

      EDITOR’S NOTE: This comment was edited for language. Please refrain from using bad words.

      1. Sounds like one and the same!
        Sounds like one and the same! Real quick to attack anyone who doesn’t agree with(or look like) you.

      2. Hey Irish, seems like your
        Hey Irish, seems like your the one that is quick to attack. Now let me explain reality to you.

        First, you must think I am a real idiot if you think I don’t know why you asked that question of yours on a public forum. That question about my “emotions” was inflamatory and designed to discredit me. You could have easily contacted me privately if you truly were asking an honest question strictly for you own info.

        Second, if you know so much about me, publish some hard facts. Go out and show me the criminal acts I committed, or name the people I have physically harmed that somehow proves I am uncapable of
        perform a particular job. If the all you can claim is that I have a non-criminal, non-violent emotional disorder, you have no case.

        Third, go you and tell everyone the name of the psychologist or psychiatrist who evaluted me and made the report which shows I have an “emotional” problem. You see, your opinion as an uneducated lay person is completely meaningless.

        Just so we understand each other, anyone would take offense to YOUR question. You asked an insulting question that was clearly phrased to tarnish the reputation of another. I will not respond to you or such stupid, irratating questions again. Do I make myself clear?

  2. Yes, they should follow the
    Yes, they should follow the State’s recommendations. Base the qualificatins for taking an exam on “merit and fitness” rather than imposing half-baked requirements that only exist to make sure candidates live in Westchester. Get someboby with brains in the NR civil service office. How the selection of emploees–one of the city’s most important functions–could be left up to functional idiots is beyond me.

    1. Mr. Imburgia, you are proving the City correct in not Hiring you
      Firstly, residency should be a factor in hiring and we have residents that are qualified. If New Rochelle opened their civil service exams to the entire state or country I doubt you would have been in the running for the job anyway. I mean no disrespect but this must be your 50th post on the same topic. I understand the importance of this to YOU, however, you are using this site as a means to bash the City when all you need do is follow the proper legal channels. Let the courts decide who is correct. You made your point, you threatened a lawsuit, so go forward with it and let us know the outcome. Your handling of your situation on this site leads me to believe you may not be able to control your emotions or know how to properly handle a situation and we have all read about other employees that have had the same problems.

      1. You must be a complet idiot.
        You must be a complet idiot. Are you the guy who use to live on Lincoln St and worked for the city?

        Also, I didn’t write this blog or start this topic. It was started by the Talk of the Sound many months ago. That is, it was this site that starting complaining about problems with in the NR CSC.

        If read what I posted, you would have learned that the state recommended that the city recruit more applicants because they weren’t getting enough people to take exams.

        Furthermore, you paid absoloutely no attention to the fact that the NR CSC hasn’t even followed the rule THEY made regarding residency.

        Obviously, you are a complete moron and do not have the brains to understand these type of issues. That tells me you must have worked for the city in the past. Now unless you why the First Amendment doesn’t apply to me–F*** OFF.

      2. Case Closed
        You have just self destructed with that response. I do not want to make this personal, but It is obvious you do not know how to handle criticism, can’t control your emotions, don’t know when it’s not appropriate to use fowl language and may be suffering from delusions of grandeur whereby you think you are the only person qualified for the job and want to dictate to the City what the residency requirements should be. Good luck with your effort but I will not be responding to you any longer.

      3. Good riddens!! And I hope in
        Good riddens!! And I hope in the future you will inform us where you got your PHD in case there are others who wish to be pshychologically evaluated by you.

      4. Haha!
        Tom,
        We are just lucky that Mr. Imburgia didn’t find talk of the sound until recently! He was too busy driving everyone crazy on LoHud…until now!
        You have to do what readers on LoHud began doing…ignore!

      5. Ignore? Another one who
        Ignore? Another one who knows everything that goes on and thinks they have the only opinion that matters. Fact is, (you do know what facts are don’t you?) a lot of people on the Lohud agree with my positions. I do, and will continue to, speak out on irrational and illegal behaviors within government. You don’t like it–ignore–but your idiotic replies that are directed at me will get a response. And note the term “response.” I don’t start the arguments–I just defend myself from mis-information.

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