Islip workers get termination notices

The Croci administration is moving to terminate more than a dozen Islip Town employees who last week received letters advising them that their services would not be needed after Jan. 1.

The letters, which Supervisor Tom Croci called "a courtesy heads-up," thanked employees for their service and wished them luck. Sent by certified mail so they arrived at employees' homes Thursday and Friday, the letters were signed by Lynda Distler, Croci's chief of staff, on behalf of the Croci Transition Team.

Cynthia DiStefano, director of classification at the Suffolk County civil service department, confirmed yesterday that under state law, department heads are the appointing authority with powers to hire and fire departmental employees in Islip, so the new administration must instruct commissioners to formally fire those workers.

Supervisor Tom Croci said "that process will occur this week." He said "around 17" town workers had received the letters as the new administration makes a "fresh start."

Among those to receive letters was Joe Hagleman, secretary to the parks commissioner, Islip Town Democratic chairman and a town employee of five years. Gene Murphy, 58, Islip's longtime planner and recipient of numerous awards, who was kept on at $30,000 as a part-time planner largely because of his expertise and institutional memory of town development, also received a letter.

The new board is expected to appoint three commissioners at its first meeting tomorrow. They are: Thomas Owens, who will be Croci's public works commissioner; Linda Angello, who becomes the town labor relations director; and Eric Hofmeister, most recently deputy commissioner at Long Island MacArthur Airport and now returning to a post he held earlier, heading environmental control.

The 17-odd employees who received the letters do not include staff from former supervisor Phil Nolan's administration that Croci has already moved to replace -- among them, chief of staff George Hoffman, public works commissioner Rich Baker, town attorney Alicia O'Connor, labor relations director Rob Finnegan -- so the total firings by the new board are likely to exceed 25.

For now, Croci has moved to keep comptroller Joe Ludwig, planning Commissioner Dave Genaway and airport Commissioner Teresa Rizzuto.

Still being decided, Croci said yesterday, are appointments to the parks, human services and public safety and enforcement departments, the office of public information and the foreign trade zone.