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SILVER CREEK -- Janet Harmon, Silver Creek's treasurer for more than 16 years, complained to the Silver Creek Village Board during this week's meeting that: "I feel like this is becoming a hostile work environment and I'm very discriminated against."
Harmon expressed her frustration, wanting to know why no one on the board, nor the mayor, had responded to her requests to attend the New York State Conference of Mayors (NYCOM), a training seminar attended by a wide array of municipal department employees and officials across the state."On August 2nd, I emailed the board, asking permission to go to NYCOM training," Harmon said, reading from a prepared statement. "Not one person responded to my email. I have emailed and sent memos and have never gotten a response. I asked the mayor and he told me to put the (request) through and he said he'd talk to the board."
Harmon said the last time she attended NYCOM was in 2015, but that "I had to pay for my own mileage even though the training was budgeted."
Harmon added the reason she had to pay her own mileage was because she hadn't asked permission to go ahead of time.
"Last year I asked and I was refused; the money was budgeted," Harmon said. "The training (for this year's NYCOM) is in my budget. Municipal financing changes all the time and I need the training to do the best job for the village."
Harmon argued that it was through attending the last NYCOM training, she learned about a way to raise funds and has since "brought $100,000 to this village," Harmon said. "I learned that the village could charge administrative fees for relevying water and sewer on taxes.
"You put the money in my budget for training and you refuse to let me go and I would like to know the reason why."
Mayor Nick Piccolo replied to Harmon, explaining that the village is, and has been, in the process of saving as much money as it can.
"We made it very clear that unless it was something that was pertaining to the job for recertification or new training that needed upgrading like licenses or certificates…that we were going to put on hold (spending for training)," Piccolo said.
The reason the training has been budgeted since then, according to Piccolo, was due to Harmon paying her own mileage in 2015.
"You went and spent your own money to go to a training and you did pick up stuff," Piccolo said. "As a mayor, that's why I said go ahead and put it in (the budget) using the money that's allotted for training and gas mileage."
Piccolo's response seemed inadequate to Harmon as he failed to fully answer the question, and instead seemed to extol the virtues of attending training sessions.
"There are certain things that are changed every year and things get upgraded," said Piccolo. " I've always felt in a lot of ways it's for the betterment of the village overall."
Piccolo said he had been too busy to answer Harmon's emails, and apologized for Harmon feeling "like you're working under a hostile environment, because that's not the intent."
The mayor offered a way to mitigate the issue, by scheduling Harmon to meet with he and the board the following day.
"I believe we'll probably be asking you to come in to present something to us in person," the mayor said. "I'm not speaking for the board, but I want you to realize that I'm not trying to start a hostility situation or anything. I think the board feels the same way. We're just trying more or less to curb spending and do things accordingly."
Trustee Vincent Tampio, attempting to calm the tension in the room, told Harmon: "I believe Trustee Kelly is looking for another seminar to send you to that's a little bit closer and a little bit cheaper."
Harmon was quick with her response.
"I have looked, Tampio. The closest one to here for me for financing is in Canandaigua, which is three hours away, so I would still have to travel, and I'm not going to travel back and forth every day for three hours there and three hours home."
Tampio asked Harmon to "please don't take it personally."
"Well, I do, because I never get a response from any of you when I email you or give you memos," Harmon said. "I just feel that I'm being ignored and I don't appreciate that."
Tampio said, "I understand, I got the message."
Harmon told the OBSERVER that she had indeed met with the board the day after the meeting (Tuesday).
"It did not go well," Harmon said, adding that she was told she wasn't going to be allowed to attend training this year and that she was given no explanation to why.
"There's a real lack of communication," Harmon said. "I feel like it's discrimination and a hostile work environment. I don't have proof, it's just the way I feel."
Harmon says she feels like she's being kept from being the best employee she can be for Silver Creek.
"We just got an email that the Department of State is going to be there (at the NYCOM training). Everyone should be educated and keep up with the new changes."