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Another Peekskill Employee Suspended Following Building Department Break-In

PEEKSKILL, N.Y. -- A second employee has been suspended as the city continues to investigate a reported break-in at the building department.

Gregory Matera was suspended without pay by the City of Peekskill

Gregory Matera was suspended without pay by the City of Peekskill

Photo Credit: Facebook

Gregory Matera, who heads the city's IT department was suspended without pay Tuesday, City Manager Richard Leins announced.

Last week, facilities manager Joe Minnerly was suspended with pay a day after he reported the break-in to Mayor Frank Catalina.

Catalina declined to comment on Matera's suspension, calling it a personnel matter. 

The break-in followed Councilwoman Drew Claxton and her son receiving a $15,000 grant from the Preservation Company in Peekskill to fix up a house that she was ineligible to receive. The grant was part of a $75,000 grant from the Affordable Housing Corporation. Catalina ordered a complete report on all transactions and dealings between the city and the Preservation Company over the past 10 years.

On Monday, Alan Steiner on the board of directors for the Preservation Company accepted responsibility for Claxton receiving the grant, calling it an oversight. 

"We... proactively reached out to the Westchester County District Attorney’s office to let them know we are prepared to provide them with any and all information or documents they might request to help cut through the noise and get to the facts," Steiner said. "We will cooperate in any and all fashion with the proper authorities."

Steiner apologized to Claxton, saying she was never informed she was not eligible to receive the grant. 

"In fact, they would have had no reason to believe, based on the documents they signed, that they were not eligible to receive the grant without a waiver. That notification and disclosure was the responsibility of the Preservation Company," Steiner said. "They qualified for the grant, like all of our applicants, based on need, determined in part, by household income. We regret the confusion this oversight has caused, we take full responsibility, and are working diligently to rectify the matter."

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