By Jeff Lipton
A week after he agreed to stay for at least another year as Lawrence Village administrator, Peter Overs, who has criticized Mayor Dr. Jack Levenbrown for micromanaging village government, said he wants out as soon as it-s practical.
In an internal memo sent to the mayor and board of trustees, Overs, who has been village administrator for 35 years and has worked under seven mayors, said he has had enough, according to sources close to village hall. Even though he said in a May 14 statement that all matters have been addressed to everyone-s satisfaction and he will continue for the 2004-2005 year, he apparently has had a change of heart in the last week and will retire as soon as possible.
In a phone interview on Monday, Overs confirmed the existence of the memo and reiterated, I plan to retire as soon as practical, but refused to comment further. If the mayor has no comment, then I have no comment, Overs said.
Levenbrown did say he-s aware of the reasons for Overs- change of heart but would not comment on them.
I have no comment on the matter at this time, but we-re taking appropriate steps to assure a smooth transition, Levenbrown said in a phone interview Monday. We are sorry to lose this hard-working, extremely valuable member of village administration and I wish him well.
At a May 12 meeting of the board of trustees, trustee Martin Oliner read a letter from Overs, criticizing Levenbrown-s management style since he took over as mayor two years ago. In the letter Overs said he planned to retire since he has reached the retirement age of 55. Oliner and fellow trustee Joel Mael lashed out at Levenbrown for being unprofessional and for causing longtime village employees, such as deputy administrator Michael Perone, to leave village government.
Earlier in the spring, Deputy Mayor Simon Felder was endorsed for mayor by the Nominating Committee of the Lawrence Association. But that recommendation was overturned by the association-s Board of Governors, who supported the re-election of Levenbrown. In order to keep peace and harmony in the village, Felder said he deferred to Levenbrown, who is now running unopposed in the June 15 election.
Felder, who said at the May 12 meeting that the trustees wanted to return integrity to the position of mayor, said of Overs, I-m deeply, deeply troubled and sorry that we are losing one of the most dedicated public servants and professional administrators in the state of New York.
I-m bothered by the fact that it will be so difficult to put our house in order, but I hope with the help of my fellow elected officials we will be able to restore good government and sound administration to our community.
Felder said the trustees will work with Overs through a transitional period until the next village administrator is hired. I-m sure he will be helping us until we find an appropriate person to take up the responsibilities he filled so well all these years.
Oliner said Tuesday that, Peter is a great asset to the village and his experience is unequaled. Village government is seamless because of his efforts. Peter needs to be allowed to do his job unfettered. To the extent that anyone is suggesting that village government is divided along any personal, ideological or religious lines or on any such basis, they are simply wrong and their comments are misplaced.
Although Overs said he would not comment on the internal memo, which was circulated Friday, May 21, in his retirement letter read at the May 12 meeting he said since he announced his intention to retire in March, he had been besieged by village officials past and present as well as hundreds of residents asking him to reconsider his decision to retire and to continue as village administrator.
I have been truly overwhelmed by the outpouring of respect and admiration people have expressed for my many years of service, Overs said in the letter. Ironically, it is precisely because of this that I find myself in a position of having to retire. If I were to continue under the current circumstances, I would lose not only the respect of all the residents, but also my self-respect.
Under the current reign of Mayor Levenbrown, I have not been permitted to fully function as village administrator, he said.
At the May 12 meeting, Oliner tried to force Levenbrown to iron out his difficulties with Overs in front of the board and in public. But Levenbrown insisted that the public session was not the proper forum for the discussion and said he would meet with Overs in the following days to straighten out their differences. Two days after the meeting, Overs faxed a statement to the Herald, saying they worked out an arrangement and he will work on a year-to-year basis.
But during the past week, the mayor and Overs failed to see eye-to-eye on certain issues, leading to the latest fall out and Overs saying he wants to leave as soon as it is practical. Sources said Levenbrown allegedly reneged on certain agreements he made with Overs about leaving him alone and letting him do his job properly, which forced the village administrator to finally announce his plans to retire. Levenbrown would not comment on this.
During the May 12 meeting, Noah Fleschner, a resident of 36 years, told the board the village would make a serious mistake if they lost Overs. If it was a decision between Overs and the board, I would like the board to step aside and let Peter run the village.
Levenbrown has said he may be a little more hand-on than other village mayors but he believes each mayor has a different management style, and his style is good for the Village of Lawrence.
A new village administrator will probably be appointed by the mayor and approved by the board of trustees.
