Personnel Coordinator's Position Eliminated

Personnel Coordinator Bernadette Welch has agreed to retire as part of a series of budget cuts in the mayoral administration budget, Mayor Daryl Finizio announced today.

Welch, who has held the position since 2004, said in a letter to Finizio on Tuesday that she is eligible to retire and made the decision to retire due to budget issues facing New London. The retirement goes into effect on June 30, the end of the current fiscal year.

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“I have greatly enjoyed my time serving the city of New London and the professionalism of the department heads and associates I have dealt with,” Welch wrote. “Although I am saddened to be leaving, the time is opportune for me to move on to new ventures.”

Finizio said the personnel coordinator position will be eliminated and Chief Administrative Officer Jane Glover will assume its responsibilities. Finizio said the budget currently proposed by the City Council includes a 30 percent reduction to the mayor’s office.

Finizio said that his office administrator, Tammy Daugherty, and executive assistant, Zak Leavy, will each take a five percent pay cut effective July 1. He said the staff in the mayor’s office does not accrue overtime or compensatory time.

In addition, Finizio said he will donate an additional five percent of his salary to the Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship Foundation since the City Charter does not allow the mayor’s salary to be reduced. Finizio has already announced that he will .

“These actions demonstrate that every office of city government will be affected by these cuts, including administrative positions,” said Finizio. “I will not ask city workers to absorb cuts, or taxpayers to endure rate increases, if those at the top are not wiling to share in the pain.”

Finizio proposed a $46,100,026 municipal budget as part of an approximately $87.1 million overall budget including the New London Public Schools. The City Council reduced the municipal budget to $42,466,252 as part of an approximately $83.3 million budget. Finizio said department heads are looking to find savings, which may include laying off staff, and that more announcements on department decisions will be made in the next several days.

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