BUT BLACKSTONE CLOSER TO HIRING HELP FOR HR
Will Blackstone Town Manager Philip Vannoorbeeck escape “unscathed” from recent unpleasantries at Town Hall that forced the resignation of Mayor Ben Green?
It’s too early to tell, but — whether he wants it or not — Vannoorbeeck likely will be getting Human Resources assistance.
Council’s Employment & Police Committee last week agreed to further explore options offered by OneDigital, a company associated with the Town’s liability insurance carrier, VAcorp.
“It’s not terribly expensive,” Vannoorbeeck told the committee last Wednesday, April 23rd. “I’ve decided that I’m going to involve myself in what we’re doing here and get this done. I know it’s the wish of Council…I don’t know if they’ll solve EVERY problem, but we’ll see…”
Vannoorbeeck said the service would cost around $1,750 per month instead of $50,000 or $60,000 a year — plus benefits — for a full-time HR employee at Town Hall.
“Philip, how is this gonna help us?” Committee Chair Nathaniel Miller demanded, saying a third party consultant would only “waste time.”
“Well, it can’t get any worse than it is,” Vannoorbeeck replied.
“My suggestion,” countered Miller, “is that we talk to a PERMemorial SON — a Human Resources person — and give them an opportiunity.”
“Are you talking about an employee?” Vannoorbeeck replied.
“Philip, we never asked you for full-time,” Miller responded.
Miller also wanted to know, “How is this going to benefit our employees?”
Vannoorbeeck replied, “It’s going to give them a process by which they can make their complaint. It is NOT somebody who’s going to receive complaints directly from employees. That’s inappropriate, and that’s not the way it should work.”
Vannoorbeeck said One- Digital already has reviewed the Town’s personnel policies and found them to be “very sound.”
Miller said regardless, a proposal of 10 hours per month “is not gonna cut it.”
Councilwoman Carolyn Williams agreed. “I’d like to get a person in here, but we never said anything about a full-time person with benefits and all that.”
“Here’s the problem, ma’am,” Vannoorbeeck responded. “Not to be rude — and I don’t want to steal your thunder — but after events of the past six months, we don’t need a staff person being influenced and being threatened and all those kinds of stuff. We don’t want anybody having influence over this person’s decision making process. We need to have an independent third party…because, as we know, there are influences on people’s decision-making process, and that’s not fair to the employee.”
“We’ve been saying that for years,” Ms. Williams said.
“I thought you were just saying you wanted an employee,” Vannoorbeeck replied.
“We never asked you for a full-time employee,” Miller chimed-in.
Committee member Jake Allman said OneDigital would be similar to the the Town Attorney. “This is a professional service.”
Vannoorbeeck declared, “Nobody needs to be subjected to what’s been going on the past six months…People calling down here and sendingin fraudulent grievances and dropping them off at people’s houses.”
Vannoorbeeck and his supporters have suggested that an HR employee at Town Hall could be used by some employees — and sympathetic members of Council — to undermine the Manager’s authority.
Others, however, say the manager’s handling of the recent sexual harassment complaint against Green — as well as accusations about the work environment made by former Treasurer Brittany Morgan in her resignation letter — make it imperative for the Town to hire an HR specialist.
Wednesday’s committee meeting comes on the heels of an unsuccessful attempt in March to remove Miller as Chairman of Council’s Employment & Police Committee.
Miller survived that attempt, 4-3. During Council discussion about Miller, he was accused by the Mayor of interfering with the Town Manager on personnel matters after the full Council — including Miller — had given Vannoorbeeck authority to discipline a Town employee, reportedly a Sanitation worker.
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