NR City Council authorizes a settlement in its quest to remove City Manager Gill 

In a victory for representative government, on April 4, New Rochelle’s Mayor, Yadira Ramos-Herbert, convened a Special Meeting of the City Council, which went immediately into executive session.  After almost two hours, the Mayor announced there would be a vote to allow Council to move forward on a resolution to enter into a settlement agreement with City Manager Gill at its next meeting on Tuesday, April 9.  By a  vote of 6 to 1, the measure passed.    This unprecedented  action came two weeks after Ramos-Herbert asked  Gill to resign and negotiations over a smooth departure appeared to have broken down.  

Over  the last 25 years, the City of New Rochelle has moved away from a City Council-City Manager form of government to what many consider an autocracy.  With each move to consolidate the administrative and economic power of the City Manager,  political leaders have assured the community that the City Manager “serves at the pleasure of Council” and can be removed at any time with or without cause.   Many of  those same voices now decry the removal of the City Manager,  undercutting elected officials who are well within their rights and fiduciary duty to seek a change. 

The next meeting of the City Council will be at City Hall on Tuesday, April 9 starting at  3:45 pm.  New Rochelle residents will be able to comment at the public hearing and Citizens to be Heard portions of the City Council meeting, which will begin at 7 pm.