NEW ROCHELLE, NY (April 6, 2024) — The New Rochelle City Council voted 4-1 tonight on a resolution authorizing a settlement agreement and a general release of claims between the City of New Rochelle and Kathleen Gill. The vote paves the way for a vote on Tuesday to approve a settlement.
There is no agreed settlement at this time.
David Peters and Martha Lopez attended the meeting remotely so were ineligible to vote.
Mayor Yadira Ramos-Herbert had “fired” Gill as City Manager on March 25, 2024 because, she said, she had the support of three other council members (Sara Kaye, Matthew Stern and Shane Osinloye) apparently unaware a public vote was required.
Ramos-Herbert also did not consider that Gill might file a lawsuit.
Over the past two weeks, an attorney hired by Ramos-Herbert to represent the City Council negotiated an agreement with Gill’s attorney. The process dragged out for two weeks and was only resolved tonight.
After an unexpectedly long executive session, the Council emerged at 7:14 pm from a closed meeting that began at 5:40 pm.
City Council meetings are not usually scheduled on a Friday evening because observant Jews will invariably have a conflict with Shabbat. None attended the meeting. Those watching at home had to turn off their television before 7:07 pm so were not watching when Ramos-Herbert called the public meeting back to order. Two council members are Jewish.
Mayor Yadira Ramos-Herbert called the open session back into order to announce that the Council would vote on a procedural item to allow the council to have further conversation and vote on an agreement at their next meeting.
The City Council is scheduled to hold their next meeting on April 9, 2024. The meeting includes a Citizen to be Heard session.
“It’s a resolution authorizing a settlement agreement and a general release of claims between the City of New Rochelle and Kathleen Gill whereas the City Council of the City of New Rochelle does hereby authorize the proper city officials to enter into the Settlement Agreement and General Release of Claims of Kathleen Gill,” said Ramos-Herbert.
The Mayor has had ongoing struggles with the procedural rules which govern City Council meetings.
Tonight, Ramos-Herbert had to be reminded by the Corporation Council to request a motion and a second and a vote on the resolution she had just stated.
Ramos-Herbert did so. She, Sara Kaye, Matthew Stern and Shane Osinloye supported the motion. Albert Tarantino opposed the motion. The motion carried, 4-1.
Ramos-Herbert then abruptly declared the meeting over without a vote on a motion to adjourn. The audio was cut briefly to signal the end of the meeting then restored after the Corporation Council told Ramos-Herbert she needed to request a motion to adjourn and call for a vote. Ramos-Herbert then requested a motion to adjourn which passed unanimously by voice vote.
Many have questioned the move to oust the City Manager and the abrupt timing. Why the urgency when Gill’s contract is up at the end of the year and in 2022, Noam Bramson sought to initiate a search to replace her predecessor Chuck Strome in March. Ramos-Herbert could have simply told Gill her contract would not be renewed and gone about replacing her while Gill looked for a new job.
The timing is not about New Rochelle at all but about Kathleen Gill as an existential threat to Sustainable Westchester. More on that in a future article. In the meantime, readers will want to brush up on the relevant history. Pay close attention to the ethics complaint filed against the entirely unethical member of the ethics board, David Blumenthal.
RELATED:
Ethics Complaint Filed Against David Blumenthal of the New Rochelle Board of Ethics
Upon reason and belief, David Blumenthal breached the attorney-client relationship invoked under §4503 of the Civil Practice Law and Rules and the relevant sections of the New York State Public Officers Law Article 6 §87 (access to agency records) and New York State Public Officers Law Article 7 §108 (exemptions/executive session) and/or any other applicable law, or policy, or aspect with respect to confidentiality or the lawful, ethical conduct of a member of a board of ethics.
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