Southampton police promotion stirs anger

Majority Republicans on the Southampton Town board voted Tuesday to promote a police lieutenant to captain, against the advice of labor counsel and the two minority party members on the board -- two months after $600,000 in concessions were made by the police union to save jobs.

The two minority party members also cited the need to resolve personnel issues before making the promotion.

The action angered PBA officials, each of whose officers gave up 10 of their 13 holiday days, worth an average of $4,000, to save jobs in a tight budget and help the town stay within the state's new 2 percent tax levy cap.

Councilmen Christopher Nuzzi and James Malone sponsored the resolution to promote Lt. Robert Pearce to the rank of captain, which carries a $14,000 raise as well as associated costs of benefits and pension payments. Fellow Republican Christine Preston Scalera also voted for the promotion.

Malone said he did not see a "significant impact," and mentioned Pearce's dedication to the department.

But union officials disagreed.

"It was a slap in the face," said Southampton PBA president Timothy O'Flaherty, calling staffing levels "at a dangerous level."

"There's way too many administrators now, and less officers on the street than ever before," he said.

Democrat Bridget Fleming and Supervisor Anna Throne-Holst, an Independent, voted against the promotion, saying the position was not included in this year's budget, and noted that Chief William Wilson was not in favor of the promotion at this time.

Nuzzi said the position was included in this year's budget and that the promotion merely formalizes the role of Pearce, who Nuzzi said has been acting as the captain.

Throne-Holst raised another issue, saying, "There are some, at this moment, unanswered questions around some personnel issues at the police department."

She declined to identify those issues.

Pearce, who was sworn in immediately after the resolution passed, said a captain is needed. "The chief is the public face of the department," he said.