Independence Township residents have been duped by an outrageous manipulation – how the four-day work week came to be.
Here is what went down.
There was a great lead-up to the idea with employee surveys and reports of how favorable township employees viewed a three-day weekend.
No surprise there. Overwhelming approval. No survey of the users of township services was conducted.
Better not do that. Could result in an unfavorable reaction.
Then there was the supposed “workshop” where the board spent time trying to cover all the contingencies that could arise with a four-day workweek.
The room was packed, but only two people spoke. Everyone was a township employee. The meeting was scheduled for 5 p.m. instead of the usual 6 p.m. to make it more convenient for employees to attend.
The board was short two trustees that evening, Terri Nallamothu and Matt Stoian. Were they told not to bother coming?
And in the middle of this “workshop,” Paul Brown made a motion to go ahead with the pilot for the four-day work week. He got a second from Cari Neubeck, and when the vote was taken, the two trustees, Ron Ritchie and Sam Moraco, voted no and the three employees (Paul Brown, Jose Aliaga, and Cari Neubeck) all voted yes.
Should they have recused themselves given they are receiving a personal benefit?
It reminded of when Paul Brown was one of a few candidates for treasurer and then he ran around the table to vote for himself.
Attorney Dan Kelly was there but did not say anything. Sam Moraco wanted to wait for the full board before taking a vote, but Paul Brown bulldozed it through.
Perhaps the full board would have rejected the idea.
We’ll never know.
Vincent Bozzone
Independence Township