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General News: New Trustee Changes Direction of Village Bd.
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| Jim Kane was sworn in as trustee on Monday night by village clerk Jeanne Mahoney. |
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| Mayor Gross congratulates Barbara Gosda after she was sworn into her second term as village trustee. She was also re-appointed as deputy mayor. |
April 06, 2010
The annual re-appointment session of the Cornwall-on-Hudson board of trustees was anything but routine on Monday evening, when the balance of power shifted away from Mayor Joseph Gross with the swearing-in of newly-elected trustee Jim Kane.
Kane voted repeatedly with trustees Mark Edsall and Douglas Vatter, pushing through changes in how meetings are conducted and how decisions are made in the village. The ouster of the village building inspector was perhaps their most controversial step (see story), but other issues also indicated a sea change.
Public Comment Periods Limited
At the start of the meeting, Vatter proposed that the opportunities for public comment at board meetings be limited and his proposal was adopted despite dissention from trustee Barbara Gosda, who defended the public’s right to speak, even if it meant that meetings ran late. After Mayor Gross was first elected in 2007, he added a second opportunity for the public to speak during meetings and the discussions often result in meetings that go on for two to three hours each month. The new rule will limit public comment to one spot on the agenda and comment at board work sessions must be approved by the trustees.
Trustee Vatter explained that the change was needed because the board needs to focus on getting work done during the work sessions. Trustee Edsall added that people would be allowed to speak if an issue came up “but if we turn it into a public forum, it slows things down.” Edsall also proposed changes to how expenditures are approved and how meeting agendas are distributed, moves he said would allow for more efficient meetings. Both proposals were adopted.
Law Firm Re-appointed on an Interim Basis
Edsall also questioned some of the advice that the board has been receiving from its law firm, Rider, Weiner & Frankel, and he joined with Vatter and Kane to approve the firm as the village’s interim attorney while the village asked for proposals from other qualified law firms. Mayor Gross said that he was satisfied with the representation that the village has gotten from the current firm and he voted against an interim appointment. Trustee Gosda joined him in that vote, praising the professional manner of Rider, Weiner & Frankel.
Planning Board Change Fails
Mayor Gross and trustee Gosda failed in their attempt to replace Lee Murphy on the planning board at the end of his five-year term. Gosda nominated Chris Neighbors to the vacant seat but no one seconded the motion and Edsall, Kane and Vatter joined forces to approve the re-appointment of Murphy, who has recently been critical of the mayor and building inspector (see story).
The only change that did not spark dissension was the appointment of Stephen Auffredou as the village treasurer. The previous treasurer resigned earlier this year after only six months on the job
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