Village lays off eight

Joseph Carnevale is upset, frustrated and unsure of the future. He was one of eight full-time employees whose positions at the Lawrence Yacht and Country Club were eliminated by the village last Friday.

Carnevale, a Lawrence resident who had been a village employee since 2005, and seven others were let go in an effort to save money at the village-owned club. The staff reduction is expected to save Lawrence approximately $100,000 in salaries and benefits through mid-March, according to village officials.

Mayor Martin Oliner said that the layoffs were necessary because the club continues to lose money. The action was announced at the village board meeting on Dec. 15.

“The employees are mostly people who are providing seasonal services at the golf course and other things such as maintenance,” said Oliner, who met with most of the affected employees on Dec. 16. Other functions at the facility, including the Mezza restaurant and parties, will not be affected, Oliner said.

“The reaction that I have is a little bit of anger about the way it was done,” Carnevale said, referring to the layoffs’ taking place during the holidays.

“To my chagrin, this was done now,” Oliner said, adding that he abstained from an executive-session vote that was otherwise unanimous.

Oliner said he did not know whether the laid-off employees would be asked to return in mid-March, when the club will begin to prepare the golf course for the spring and summer season. He also did not know whether they might be brought back as full- or part-time workers.

Carnevale began working for the village as an outside contractor in 1988, but eventually closed his painting business and became a Lawrence employee attracted by the benefits and the relative job security. He said he is upset about losing his job, and believes the village could have averted the layoffs.

“From what I understand in speaking with others, the board and the mayor could have avoided this if they acted earlier than they did,” said Carnevale, claiming that the village was slow to enact cost-cutting measures at the club.