Judge’s report: Staff worked against Arroyo amid race woes
Suffolk Probate Register Felix D. Arroyo inherited an office where resistant employees undermined him and “racial name-calling” became a problem after he hired minority employees, according to an exhaustive internal report obtained by the Herald.
After defeating embattled Registrar Patricia Campatelli in the 2014 election, Arroyo took over an office that was already awash in problems and disorganization. But retired Judge Anthony R. Nesi, who authored the internal report, said the downturn in performance actually “accelerated” under his leadership.
The April report, commissioned by the Trial Court, underscored that the already problem-plagued office delved further into disarray due to Arroyo’s lack of experience and failure to control the office. He was suspended in February amid allegations of mismanagement before returning to work this fall.
But Arroyo, who assumed office in 2015, was also met “with disrespect, and arguably, sabotage” by workers who took advantage of his lack of experience, according to Nesi.
“From the start of his administration, he was met with disrespect by the staff — both for his lack of knowledge of the court and his ethnic background. This lack of respect for him limited his ability to produce results,” Nesi wrote.
But, Nesi also noted, Arroyo “was unable to control or manage the staff effectively.”
Many longtime staffers were “resentful of change,” and showed it, Nesi wrote. At monthly staff meetings, some would play on their smartphones and make “snide comments” about not being able to understand Arroyo’s accent, according to the report.
Some employees also took advantage of Arroyo’s “good nature,” Nesi wrote, adding that Arroyo, in promoting an open-door policy, “literally had the door removed” from his office.
Arroyo also hired several minority workers, who Nesi said were qualified but were met with “racial tensions” with older employees. He also brought in a deputy registrar who was unfamiliar with the operation, and exacerbated problems, Nesi wrote.
In a statement, Trial Court Chief Justice Paula Carey and Trial Court Administrator Jon Williams said Arroyo has since undergone management training and said the Trial Court is “supporting Register Arroyo,” while the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has been brought in to train staff.
Nesi noted that recent changes, including bringing in Terri Klug Cafazzo to help run the office, has led to improvements. “The most important outcome from this investigation for the public is to make sure that the changes that have put the Registry back on track are not undone,” he wrote.
Efforts to reach an Arroyo spokesman last night were not successful.