New Paltz village officials have started a series of conversations with local business leaders to facilitate sharing of frustrations and successes in a locked-down world. Last Thursday, village resident Rich Suoto, director of Learning Through an Expanded Arts Program, Inc. (LEAP), recounted the uncertainty of working as a vendor for large governments.
On March 13, Mew York mayor Bill DiBlasio affirmed that city schools would be remaining open, only to announce two days later that he was closing them all. That resulted in Suoto notifying 310 part-time employees Monday morning that they were being laid off. The organization is still owed close to $1 million for work already completed, but city education officials “won’t pick up the phone.”
Mayor Tim Rogers advised that similar talks with other local business owners via the Zoom platform are being planned, and will be announced on the village’s Facebook page.
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