Letters

If the success of a mayor’s term were judged by turnover in key positions, ousted Southampton Village Mayor Jesse Warren would have a statue outside Village Hall.

Of course, excessive turnover is neither a sign of success nor civic health but rather the opposite. And no village position is more practically vital than administrator, the most senior full-time employee, and the target, yet again, of Mr. Warren’s bizarre wrath [“Civil Service Commission Delays Decision on Southampton Village Administrator’s Waiver After Former Mayor Objects,” 27east.com, April 22].

Southampton Village was spoiled for more than a decade by Steve Funsch, an extraordinarily organized and effective person who combined his love for Southampton with a focus on efficiency and productivity. Mr. Funsch made the trains run on time, and it was always going to be difficult to replace him, not to mention for his successor to attain similar effectiveness.

Sadly, we have yet to find out. Why? Ask Warren.

Inheriting Mr. Funsch’s replacement, Russ Kratoville, Mr. Warren proceeded to keep Mr. Kratoville in the dark on certain issues, failed to empower him as administrator, and actively undermined Mr. Kratoville’s credibility with other village officials and employees. Mr. Warren then forced Mr. Kratoville’s resignation, during a meeting shockingly attended by an unelected and unpaid member of the public, a gross violation of common decency if not civil service law, during which Mr. Kratoville was reportedly reduced to tears.

This paved the way for Mr. Warren to install his hand-selected choice for administrator, Charlene Kagel-Betts. Like Mr. Kratoville, Ms. Kagel-Betts was kept in the dark on certain issues and undermined in the eyes of others. In addition, she claims Mr. Warren harassed and abused her, as outlined in a lawsuit Ms. Kagel-Betts filed against Mr. Warren and the village, an appeal of which is now pending.

It is also worth noting that Mr. Warren divided and reassigned certain responsibilities away from Ms. Kagel-Betts without seeking any pro rata reduction in her salary. Why is this important? Because it is a main complaint that Mr. Warren now makes against the current village administration — but it is Mr. Warren himself who failed to take this action. It takes a special kind of bravado to blame others for your own mistakes.

Of course, Mr. Warren doesn’t offer a productive solution. Nor does he offer an alternative arrangement or candidate (something for which, I suppose, we should be grateful, given his disastrous five-year history on this issue).

Having engineered or instigated the departures of Mr. Kratoville and Ms. Kagel-Betts, Mr. Warren now seeks to undermine or oust Anthony Carter, a gentleman he has already mistreated personally and professionally, apparently to score cheap political points.

Perhaps Mr. Warren believes his fourth time at changing administrators will somehow be the charm. Shame on us if we let him.

Rob Coburn

Southampton Village