Audit: Lindenhurst Village skipped sex harassment prevention training
Lindenhurst Village Hall in July 2016. Credit: Steve Pfost
The state comptroller has criticized Lindenhurst for skipping a year of sexual harassment prevention training for village employees and officials.
State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s office noted in a report Friday that none of the village’s 240 employees or six elected officials received sexual harassment prevention training from the audit period of March 1, 2021, to Feb. 28, 2022.
Sexual harassment is illegal and is a form of workplace discrimination under state law. The law requires employees to receive sexual harassment prevention training annually.
The state report said former Lindenhurst Village administrator clerk Doug Madlon was responsible for providing and ensuring completion of the training.
Madlon retired in August before Mayor Mike Lavorata appointed him in September as a village trustee after Joan Masterson stepped down.
Madlon said in an interview Friday the village was in “survival mode” in 2021.
“It was during the pandemic; people weren’t in the office,” Madlon said. “We were just trying to survive. The last thing we were thinking about was doing any extra training.”
The comptroller's report questioned that same explanation and noted the village could have provided the training “by other means, such as via webinar or online training module.”
Lavorata said in a written response to the report that there are many senior employees in the village who aren't computer-literate or don't have internet access.
He added in an interview Friday that the training resumed in 2022 and has continued this year.
A comptroller’s office spokesman said Monday it would be up to state labor officials to determine if any penalty would be given to Lindenhurst, but a Labor Department spokesman said no penalties are included in the law.
The state comptroller has criticized Lindenhurst for skipping a year of sexual harassment prevention training for village employees and officials.
State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s office noted in a report Friday that none of the village’s 240 employees or six elected officials received sexual harassment prevention training from the audit period of March 1, 2021, to Feb. 28, 2022.
Sexual harassment is illegal and is a form of workplace discrimination under state law. The law requires employees to receive sexual harassment prevention training annually.
The state report said former Lindenhurst Village administrator clerk Doug Madlon was responsible for providing and ensuring completion of the training.
Madlon retired in August before Mayor Mike Lavorata appointed him in September as a village trustee after Joan Masterson stepped down.
Madlon said in an interview Friday the village was in “survival mode” in 2021.
“It was during the pandemic; people weren’t in the office,” Madlon said. “We were just trying to survive. The last thing we were thinking about was doing any extra training.”
The comptroller's report questioned that same explanation and noted the village could have provided the training “by other means, such as via webinar or online training module.”
Lavorata said in a written response to the report that there are many senior employees in the village who aren't computer-literate or don't have internet access.
He added in an interview Friday that the training resumed in 2022 and has continued this year.
A comptroller’s office spokesman said Monday it would be up to state labor officials to determine if any penalty would be given to Lindenhurst, but a Labor Department spokesman said no penalties are included in the law.
Denise Bonilla has worked at Newsday since 2003 and covers the Town of Babylon, including the villages of Lindenhurst and Amityville.
Updated now Newsday travel writer Scott Vogel took the ferry over to Block Island for a weekend of fun.
Updated now Newsday travel writer Scott Vogel took the ferry over to Block Island for a weekend of fun.
