A screen shot from the March meeting of the Aldermen/Alderwomen.
DERBY — ‘Abuse of power’ or ‘political BS?’
Both phrases were used in a debate over former interim finance director Keith McLiverty’s continued work for the City of Derby. The issue rose to the surface again during the April 8 meeting of the Derby Board of Aldermen/Alderwomen.
McLiverty started working a new government job in Virginia on Nov. 30, but remained on Derby’s payroll in a transitional capacity to help his replacement.
In January, the Aldermen/Alderwomen voted to continue working with McLiverty — but set a cutoff date; he was to stop working for the city no more than 10 days after his replacement was hired.
In March, Alderman Ron Sill and others asked Mayor Rich Dziekan why McLiverty was still working for the city when his role should have ended Feb. 1, at which point Derby had hired another interim finance director, based on the Alders’ legislative vote.
Dziekan and his chief of staff Andew Baklik pointed out that McLiverty is involved in almost every aspect of Derby government — major construction projects, the annual budget creation, the annual audit — and has been for decades. The need for his services were even greater after the untimely passing of Patricia Finn, who, like McLiverty, wore many hats in Derby City Hall that went far beyond her job title.
McLiverty is being paid $30 per hour, according to the Dziekan administration.
In addition the city’s corporation counsel invoked the emergency order put in place last year during the start of COVID-19 that gave Mayor Dziekan expanded powers.
During the public portion of the April 8 meeting, Aniello Malerba III, the chairman of the Derby Town Democratic Committee, said the Dziekan administration was abusing those powers
“I would urge the board to remove the emergency powers, effective immediately. It is clear that this administration is no longer using it for COVID-related purposes, and it is blatantly abusing the power entrusted to them by our residents by failing to be transparent,” Malerba said. “This abuse is clearly on display when the mayor failed to inform the board of the recent re-hiring of former finance director Mr. McLiverty.”
Resident Tom Lionetti defended the administration, saying the meeting “was not the forum for political BS.”
“I disagree with him (Malerba) 1,000 percent. I think the mayor, you’re doing what you have to do in the city. The city is running on all cylinders. You’re not hiding anything, and we needed Keith McLiverty for $30 an hour. No big deal, he’s helping the city out.”
Later in the meeting, the mayor and the Aldermen/Alderwomen talked about modifying the emergency powers granted to the mayor last year.
Alderman Ron Sill put forth a motion calling for the city to continue following Gov. Ned Lamont’s COVID-19 protocols, but that the protocols need the approval of the Derby Aldermen/Alderwomen by a majority vote.
Alderman Charles Sampson doubted whether Derby’s legislative body had the authority to pass the motion. Sampson asked Sill to clarify his motion. Local laws cannot supercede state laws.
Sill indicated his motion wasn’t meant to override the governor, but to apply to actions taken specifically by the Derby mayor as it related to COVID-19 matters moving forward.
“This is just to straighten out this COVID thing and hopefully to work together on it,” Sill said.
Mayor Dziekan said he worried that such actions could disqualify the city from federal COVID-19 relief. There was no answer during the meeting.
Sill’s motion was unanimously approved by the board.
On a related matter, the board has asked for a complete accounting on how much city government has spent on COVID-19 issues since last March.
The Derby mayor’s office provided the following list of tasks McLiverty has performed recently. The city opted to redact names connected to medical claims:
Donate.ValleyIndy.org during The Great Give May 4 and May 5.
