LAS VEGAS -- The I-Team was the first to uncover a controversial agreement between the city of North Las Vegas and its recently departed utilities director. Though David Bereskin is working at another job some three 3,000 miles away, he remains on the North Las Vegas payroll.
It's a deal one public official calls a win-win for the city. The agreement allows David Bereskin to reach his 10-year service mark with the city making him eligible to cash out his accrued sick leave. It's a perk worth more than $85,000. But to hear one city councilwoman tell it, it is the city that got the better end of the deal.
From his new post as the water chief in Greenville, South Carolina, Bereskin dismisses concerns about competing loyalties.
"I'm fully committed to the Greenville water system," Bereskin said. Committed to Greenville he explains despite his job some 3,000 miles away as the utilities director in North Las Vegas.
Records obtained by the I-Team reveal Bereskin cut a deal with North Las Vegas city leaders to remain on the payroll until May despite a start date in South Carolina back in mid-January.
"I think it's the right thing for the city." Though North Las Vegas City Councilwoman Anita Wood did not negotiate the agreement, she says the city manager signed it with her support.
"He's not being given anything he didn't earn. Whether it be his vacation time or his sick leave, it's all time that he's earned and accrued. And it gave us the opportunity to maintain that contact with him so I mean for us it seemed a win-win," Wood said.
The win for Bereskin, remaining on annual leave, at least on paper, until he reaches his 10-year service mark. At that point, he can cash in hundreds of hours of accrued sick leave worth some $85,000 in cash and benefits. In exchange, the city secures Bereskin's expertise by phone, email, or in person if necessary on its as-yet-completed water reclamation facility.
"It was his project. He's the one that initiated the project. I'm not saying that his whole department hasn't been involved on it, but he's the one guy who went to every meeting, the one guy who has been the caretaker, the father, whatever term you want to use, it's been David Bereskin," said Wood.
Bereskin is not the only one who knows how to do his job. Steve Harney is with Teamsters Local 14, the union that represents North Las Vegas city employees. Nearly 200 of who were laid off last year.
"What makes him so much more special than these folks. These folks gave their time their effort to make sure North Las Vegas works and now they're being treated, well you're different. We're going to take care of him only. And if they've got all that money, maybe we gave back too much," Harney said.
Harney tells the I-Team that some of his members came within six months of their 10-year service mark. But unlike Bereskin, did not receive their accrued sick leave.
"There is no way to do this no matter how hard you try to be perfectly fair to everybody. To treat everybody the same and make everybody happy at a time when you're laying people off. That's just not possible," said Wood.
