Yorktown's Garbage Collector Announces New Management

Changes to the management of Yorktown's garbage collector have town board members questioning the readjustments – and the town's previous garbage collector, C.R.P. Sanitation Inc., is filing a reply memorandum to adjust its lawsuit against the town.

But the new chairman of the board Joseph F. Spiezio, III, who also manages R&S Waste Services, LLC. in Harrison, told Patch he would be handling the business aspects of Frontline Waste Management Corp., which is doing business as Competition Carting. 

Spiezio III, said Frontline Waste Management Corp. was awarded the garbage bid in October and that Yorktown resident Brian Amico would continue to oversee the day-to-day operations. The company is expected to begin work in Yorktown on Jan. 1, 2013. 

"My role as the chairman of the company is to increase the efficiency, manage and bring in additional resources such as equipment, equity, manpower, and years of experience and talent," Spiezio III said.

During Tuesday's town board meeting Yorktown Councilman Nick Bianco said Amico had written a letter to the Westchester County Solid Waste Commission letting them know that Spiezio has been appointed as the Chairman of the Board of Frontline Waste Management Corp. doing business as Competition Carting.

"Please add him to the organizational documents with the Solid Waste Commission," Amico wrote to the Commission. "Mr. Spiezio is currently licensed under the entity RSLS Waste Services, LLC. I am not aware of any formal documentation to be provided to the Commission to add an officer and we are in the process of submitting the required paperwork for a stock transfer as well."

"We are going to ask – and the board agreed – to have this new chairman of the board come to our next work session to meet us," Bianco said during the meeting. "So I just want to bring this to everyone's attention."

Spiezio said he has not been contacted by town board members to attend their Dec. 11 work session.

However, because of the management changes to the company, CRP Sanitation Inc., which filed a lawsuit against the town of Yorktown and the town's new garbage collector Competition Carting last month, accuses Spiezio of using Amico to avoid any vetting process. 

CRP Sanitation, Inc. is filing a reply memorandum with the New York State Supreme Court saying the company believes the town awarded the bid to "a company that didn’t even submit the bid.

"In fact, it appears that Frontline is a completely different corporation, controlled by one Joseph Spiezio, of R&S Waste Services LLC," the reply memorandum reads. "As has been discovered within the past few days, it appears that R&S – a company with a checkered background – may have been using Mr. Amico, to avoid disclosing its involvement. Involved in litigation elsewhere, and with other problems throughout the County, R&S might not have survived the admittedly minimal vetting process in Yorktown."

In the lawsuit, the company asked for the reversal and annulment of the town accepting Competition Carting and Refuse Removal Corp.'s bid for municipal waste hauling and recyclables.

Yorktown Supervisor Michael Grace said he has been told that Amico's company is ready to begin work in January and the changes in management "shouldn't have any bearing on the contract."

"The only time when that becomes a problem is when garbage is not picked up," Grace said. 

Yorktown Town Board members adopted a "best value" law in June, 2012 to allow for flexibility in awarding bids in the event board members felt the lowest bid didn’t provide the "best value." In addition, town board members changed the language in its bid specifications to allow a chance to companies with no experience or less than 10 years experience to bid on the job. 

By switching to another garbage collector, Yorktown is saving about $800,000 – with the difference between the two lowest bidders being $500,000. The bid award has sparked some criticism among residents and members of CRP Sanitation Inc.

"Everybody will get over it once their garbage is picked up," Spiezio III said. "It shouldn't be personal. This is business."

To read more about the lawsuit, click here.

To read more about the garbage bid award, click here.

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