The City Council has “indefinitely” tabled separating its Public Safety Department into two emergency services divisions, leaving Rye’s well-compensated commissioner in place — as long as New York state signs off.
The city had initially pursued the idea of amending its charter to restore separate police and fire departments earlier this year, leaving Public Safety Commissioner Michael Kopy’s future potentially in jeopardy.
Separate departments had long been established in Rye until 2016, when residents voted overwhelmingly in a public referendum to merge the departments into one public safety sector. Amending the charter again back to its original setup could have also led to the pursuit of new leadership at both departments.
But the City Council missed an Aug. 4 deadline to place the measure on the November election ballot in order to facilitate the change for 2026.
And with a reshaped council set to take office come January, including a new mayoral administration, the issue has been pushed off until at least next year.
“The separation of police and fire is fundamentally a prerogative of the Council,” Interim City Manager Brian Shea said. “The proposed Charter amendment that was considered by the Council earlier this summer has been tabled indefinitely.”
As a result of that decision, the city is now pursuing a new 211 waiver through the state, which would grant Kopy the ability to continue serving as paid commissioner in Rye despite having retired from the state police where he collects a pension.
A Mamaroneck resident, Kopy earns about $340,000 in annual income, according to city and state records. The waiver allows him to continue collecting his $115,800 annual pension from the state.
Photo courtesy Rye TV
The waiver request will be considered in September or October by the state and typically lasts up to two years, according to Shea.
Kopy was first hired by the city in 2021 under a 211 waiver, after serving as the state’s former director of emergency management under then Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
His Rye offer letter, which was obtained by The Record through a freedom of information law request, provides Kopy a salary of $195,000, plus an additional $25,000 stipend in place of health care coverage, which he receives from his state pension. He is also allowed for official use, at no expense, a city car for unlimited travel within 50 miles of Rye, according to his offer letter.
It is not the first time the city has gone the route of hiring a candidate that required a 211 waiver. Former police commissioner William Connors, a veteran of the NYPD, ran Rye’s police department for 13 years until he resigned in 2014.
Connors also required a waiver from the state since he was retired and collecting his pension. The city applied for numerous waivers so Connors could continue running the Rye PD.
Before applying for a waiver, however, the city is required to post the job opening in an effort to fill the position without the need for a waiver. But Shea noted that the current position’s requirements in overseeing both public safety departments are difficult to meet. Kopy was the only applicant the last two times the public safety commissioner role was advertised, according to Shea.
The state Public Service Commission is the body who determines whether to grant the 211 waiver request.
