Antwerp DPW head reinstated after firing

ANTWERP — After being fired two weeks ago, Richard J. Pitts will return Monday as the village Department of Public Works superintendent.

Mr. Pitts was fired from the job he held for 22 years on May 18 following a confrontation with Mayor Bert A. Corey. Mr. Pitts said he was given a letter notifying him of his termination on May 22. The firing sparked a village movement to get Mr. Pitts reinstated.

Village residents circulated petitions and spoke out during a special meeting held by the village board on May 28. At that meeting, Mr. Corey and Mr. Pitts decided to meet privately to see if they could work out their differences.

And they did just that Monday morning.

"We've got things straightened out and everything's good," said Mr. Pitts. "We had a nice talk this morning and I'll be back starting next Monday."

Mr. Corey declined to say why he fired Mr. Pitts in the first place, but said he listened to the concerns of the residents and the Board of Trustees. He said he was happy that Mr. Pitts and he could come to an understanding.

"There was concern because they didn't know why he was being terminated and my opinion is that I never degrade someone like that in a public meeting," he said.

"That's not appropriate and it shouldn't be done. The most important thing that everyone should remember is that we are trying to move on and make things better and get the work done."

Some village residents said that Mr. Corey fired Mr. Pitts because of a personality conflict. Others believed it had something to do with Mr. Corey's vision for the management of the water and sewage treatment plants.

His plan would hire an outside agency to maintain the facilities, work currently done by Mr. Pitts and David Deans, the village machine equipment operator.

Mr. Corey said that neither was the reason. In fact, he said, contracting out the maintenance of the treatment facilities would give the two DPW employees more time to attend to other village matters.

"We only have two employees and there is no way to go have just one," said Mr. Corey. "It would be impossible to function the DPW with one person, even if someone else came in and ran the facilities."

No decision on hiring an outside firm has been made yet, but Mr. Corey said it would be a topic of discussion at the next village meeting at 7 p.m. June 9 at the town hall, 45 Main St.