Village of Mamaroneck Closes Day Labor Site

Reopening Is Contingent on Neighbors Opening Own Sites

by Judy Silberstein

(January 26, 2006) A Village of Mamaroneck Board’s resolution to temporarily close their day labor site in Columbus Park near the train station passed 3 to 2 at the end of a long meeting on Monday, January 23. The move throws down the gauntlet for the Town of Mamaroneck and Village of Larchmont to open their own sites by April 1 or risk permanent closure of the Columbus Park operation.

Advocates for the workers expressed dismay and Town Supervisor Valerie O’Keeffe and Larchmont Mayor Ken Bialo both said they had not received any formal requests from the Village of Mamaroneck to open their own sites.

According to Trustee Joe Angilletta, who offered the resolution, he was motivated by a sudden increase in the number of workers showing up in Columbus Park, including many from outside the village. An informal outdoor “hiring hall” has existed for generations in and around the park, but after considering and deciding against an alternate location for an official site, steps were taken in 2004 to reduce the numbers of workers and increase supervision at Columbus Park. (See: Mayor & Local Summit Discuss Day Laborer Situation.) Recently, the number had crept back up, from fewer than 25 to more than 60, according to various estimates. Mr. Angilletta said, “ New Rochelle closed their site and everyone swarmed to Mamaroneck like locusts. They only take, they don’t contribute.”

“When I made the motion, I intended to close the site once and for all,” said Trustee Angilletta, who added that having the workers in the park creates a financial burden and discourages children from playing there. But he went along with Trustee Bill Paonessa’s suggestion to allow for the possibility of a reopening on April 1 “if the Village of Larchmont and Town of Mamaroneck pony up during the next two months.”

“I’m 100% positive they will not come through,” said Trustee Angilletta.

The motion passed with support from Trustee Anthony Vozza and Trustee Paonessa. Mayor Phil Trifiletti voted no along with Trustee Tom Murphy.

Mayor Trifiletti explained his “no” vote. “I think the site should still be there for our Village residents.” However, he stressed, “I also expect everyone else along Metro North to follow our lead and set up sites in their communities.” He would also like to see Westchester County get involved.

Trustee Murphy said, “Closing the site is not going to solve the problem – it will just disperse the day laborers throughout Mamaroneck where the situation will be harder to control.” He added, “It’s counterproductive to call any group by dehumanizing names.”

Advocates for Day Laborers Distraught

The board’s move took advocates for the mostly Hispanic day laborers by surprise, particularly since they had agreed at a meeting with Mayor Phil Trifiletti only days before, on January 19, to step up efforts to urge Larchmont and Mamaroneck municipal leaders to consider opening their own sites. Members of the Hispanic Resource Center and a task force on day labor from the Local Summit have been meeting for over a year with the mayor.

“We are distraught,” said Mariana Boneo, a Village of Mamaroneck resident and co-president of the Hispanic Resource Center. “The workers are resilient,” she said, “They have nothing to lose, they will stay. But it’s our community that will be hurt,” she said, expressing concern that Mamaroneck will join “Farmingville, Freehold and, lately, Brewster as communities stigmatized as unfriendly and inhumane.”

“All had agreed that Columbus Park was not ideal and would not be considered a permanent site for Mamaroneck Village,” said Mary Lee Berridge, a Larchmont resident and a leader of the Summit task force. The group had been studying alternatives in Mamaroneck and working towards acquiring a recreational vehicle that would help solve the laborers needs for bathroom and shelter. She had brought the issue to the attention of both Larchmont and Town of Mamaroneck boards earlier and on Monday morning was again reaching out, she reported.

“No unmanageable new problems had appeared at the site,” said Ms. Berridge, who was baffled and saddened by the board's action. However, Village of Mamaroneck Manager Lennie Verrastro reported that following the closure of New Rochelle’s site for the winter, “We’re the only site between the Bronx and Port Chester. We should not have to bear the entire burden.”

Mamaroneck Town & Village of Larchmont Open to Discussions

Town of Mamaroneck Supervisor Valerie O’Keeffe said on Wednesday that there had been no official requests from the Village of Mamaroneck, though there had been unofficial suggestions from Mayor Trifiletti that his village would “appreciate it if the Town of Mamaroneck and the Village of Larchmont would consider some sort of site in their municipalities.”

“There has never been, to the best of my knowledge, a hiring site at the Larchmont train station,” said Supervisor O’Keeffe. “Neither side [in the Town of Mamaroneck or the Village of Larchmont] lends itself topographically,” she noted.

“[Mayor Trifiletti] did say he wants everyone to play a part – so there’s equity and fairness – and I think it’s probably a good idea,” she said, agreeing that there should be discussions with all the communities on the Sound Shore. Mayor Bialo had a similar view and suggested a regional approach. “In the bigger picture, this is not just a Village or Town problem, it's a tri-state problem. Across the region, people need to have access to obtaining work in a way that does not overtax local public facilities.”

Front Page

Print This Page
Email this page