DePasquale calls allegations lies and mayor incompetent

By Jordan Cohen

news@vindy.com

NILES

James DePasquale, fired from his position as safety-service director earlier this week, branded as “lies” allegations made against him by Mayor Thomas Scarnecchia and lashed out at the mayor, describing him as “incompetent.”

DePasquale, who had not spoken publicly since he was terminated, told The Vindicator he wanted to go on record after the newspaper reported on the contents of the termination letter Thursday.

In that letter, the mayor accused the former director of an “inappropriate back-room deal” involving unauthorized additional money for a union member, later identified as Kevin Robertson, the city’s grants coordinator.

It also said DePasquale tried to obscure his action by having Robertson track the hours and “submit them for payment at the end of the year.”

Robertson was employed as a draftsman along with his work as grants coordinator.

“Those are all lies,” DePasquale said. “There was never any back-room deal or effort on my part to cover anything up [because] Kevin kept track of the hours, and it was all there for everyone to see.

“This mayor is incompetent and has been,” the former director said.

“I fired him, so I expect him to blast me,” Scarnecchia responded Friday. “Kevin did [the grants] work during regular business hours as a draftsman, and he shouldn’t be paid extra for it.”

Robertson said earlier last year, DePasquale handed him a letter on stationery with the mayor’s letterhead but signed by the director stating he would be paid extra for working on the grants.

“The letter was CC’d [courtesy copied] to the mayor, auditor, law director and some of the council, so I thought it was good as gold,” Robertson said. “He’s my boss, and I’m going to do what he tells me to do.”

When the promised money was not funded, Robertson filed a union grievance that remains unresolved. A new position was subsequently created for him that includes both of his positions and a pay increase.

DePasquale said without Robertson’s work, the city would have lost nearly $1 million in grants for street resurfacing and downtown lighting. He then blamed a council member, whom he would not identify, as “pressuring the mayor” to fire him.

“I worked 10 to 12 hours a day, and [Scarnecchia] still stabbed me in the back,” said the director who served for 14 months in the administration. “I’m not taking any more hits because of the way he trashed me.”

Scarnecchia said an attorney from Clemans Nelson, the firm the city retains for labor negotiations and other purposes, gave DePasquale his notice in the mayor’s office, which incensed the fired director.

“The mayor said nothing until after the [attorney] finished,” DePasquale said. “I walked out without taking the letter for obvious reasons.”

Scarnecchia said his relationship with the director had been deteriorating for some time. “He knew of my displeasure of not sharing with me what was going on,” the mayor said, a point DePasquale disputed.

“There was never a time that he [Scarnecchia] was out of the loop, and that’s another example of his incompetence,” he responded.

DePasquale also took exception to a comment by the mayor that DePasquale’s decision-making may have been influenced by his lengthy union background.

“If you want to call me a union man, that’s fine, but I bridged the gap between the unions and the city because I don’t believe in us versus them,” he said.

“I feel I did the right thing,” responded Scarnecchia.

DePasquale had served as a fiduciary employee at the discretion of the mayor. Despite that, he said he is considering possible legal action. He had been earning $51,000 a year.