LIVE COUNCIL: Residents Speak Out Against Layoffs

Although the City Manager said that the layoffs were made to spare city services, resident after resident upbraided the Council Wednesday night largely over the layoff of integral workers at the Library and Recreation Center.

Residents said that the loss of the Young Adult Librarian, Reta Nappi, will impact countless teenagers who use the basement resource room after school to read, watch videos, play games and do their homework. They also questioned how well the popular Recreation Center will run with the loss of its long-time operations manager, Deb Smith.

Resident Angie Griffiths echoed the comments of many residents when she urged the city to review the methodology for eliminating the positions it did, and also to listen to the laid-off workers who are alleging that their dismissals are not just for financial reasons.

Resident Buzz Sanborn was the first at the podium and urged the Council to reverse the layoffs of five veteran workers.

“What a shame and a travesty to lay off people with 28 and 41 years of services that benefited you and me,” said Sanborn,  who identified himself as a former city worker. “I request the Council to stay the execution or ill-conceived firing of these seasoned employees.”

He also said that the city should “review top management positions,” with an eye toward cutting positions. He took exception to the recent creation of a deputy director of Parks, Recreation, Public Works and Library.

Lucy Weaver, a student who used the teen room at the Library, spoke in support of Reta Nappi, the young adult librarian. Students had gone to the basement resource room reserved for adolescents. With Nappi’s layoff, that room is closed with plans to move teen services upstairs.

“The library is a life saver for children and parents. Keep the young adult room downstairs and give Miss Nappi back her jobs. We teens are citizens, too,” she said.

Gabby Ferrell, a midde-school student, described Reta Nappi as “awesome.” “The teen room is a great and safe place,” said Gabby, urging the city not to move the teen resource room upstairs into the adult library. She said it is a good place for teens to hang out after school.

“Why was this decision made without any input from the people most affected by it? This needs to be corrected immediately,” said Gabby, who submitted a petition calling for the reinstatement of “our beloved librarian.”

Darcy Halvorsen spoke on behalf of Deb Smith, the operations manager at the Rec Center who was laid off. “This woman gave almost 28 years of her life to the city… and this was the way she was treated? This could have been done in a different fashion.

“I’m dismayed that Deb Smith asked for an exit interview with the city manager and it was canceled. Put yourself in their position. Isn’t their some loyalty here. Is that the way we want to lead this city?”

Resident Mary Kahl (shown in the video) said the city is obligated to pay 65 percent of the COBRA insurance costs of the employees laid off, under the new terms of the federal stimulus package, resident Mary Kahl told the Council. “When people are laid off, it deepens the recession,” said Kahl, the former city attorney. “We hear of businesses and people who refuse to lay off people,” such as the Oxford School Dept., which voted to take a pay cut instead of laying off people.

“I was hoping that my city would be among the heroes. I was hoping to hear pay cuts off the board or asking employees” to do so, Kahl said. “I was hoping to hear discussions of closing City Hall one day a week. I was hoping the Council would throw in the taxpayer-funded health insurance program” that benefits Council members.

Kahl urged the Council to ask an economist for advice on moving the local economy toward recovery. “At the minimum I thought there would be full Council discussion about the proposed cuts. Instead of being heroes South Portland ... was reactive,” she said. “We’re a community. No one should be thrown out of this lifeboat.”

Ed Pearlman described Deb Smith as a treasure for the city and Rita Nappi as a valued librarian who showed care and compassion for children.

Carol Bartlett, a city pre-school teacher, said she saw Deb Smith in the parking lot, right after she was laid off. She said Smith urged her to go to her job and do the best she could without letting emotions overwhelm her.

“As far as morale, it has been a challenging place,” Bartlett said. “Those I work with at the pre-school, we’re doing well… There are other departments that have yet to have any explanation about what happened. The front desk staff has not had any meeting or discussion (to inform workers of the layoff). Deb Smith has been the face of the community center… There are many within the community center (who) would have taken a furlough or unpaid time off.”