X

Ogdensburg council takes hiring and firing power away from city manager, despite scolding from public

Posted 8/25/20

BY JIMMY LAWTON North Country This Week OGDENSBURG – Ogdensburg City Council came under fire by several city residents prior to votes that stripped the city manager of the power to hire and fire …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

Ogdensburg council takes hiring and firing power away from city manager, despite scolding from public

Posted

BY JIMMY LAWTON
North Country This Week

OGDENSBURG – Ogdensburg City Council came under fire by several city residents prior to votes that stripped the city manager of the power to hire and fire department heads and required the police chief to reside within city limits.

The resolutions passed in 4-3 votes with councilors Nichole Kennedy, Dan Skamperle and Michael Powers opposed.

Mayor Jeffrey Skelly, Deputy Mayor John Rishe and councilors Bill Dillabough and Steve Fisher voted in favor.

Among those who spoke against both charter changes were former City Councilor Doug Loffler and former Police Chief Rick Polniak.

Loffler referred to the actions as power grabs and ego boosters. He said keeping the power to hire and fire department heads in the hands of the city manager keeps politics out of the process. He said allowing the council to have that kind of control creates a situation that can lead to nepotism and undermines the city manager’s duties.

Polniak had even harsher words for the council. He said the city council's personal vendettas have been apparent over the past 8 months. He called Councilor Dillabough a liar for cutting jobs after saying he would not. He also accused Steve Fisher, a retired city police officer himself, of turning his back on the department.

Polniak told the council there was no reason for a police chief residency requirement and said stripping the city manager of the power to hire and fire was political.

Former City Councilor Brian Mitchell, who has had frequent public spats on Facebook with the mayor also cautioned the council to vote the resolutions down.

He said no city manager is going to want to come to Ogdensburg to be micro managed by a council. He said the hiring and firing of department heads is a major part of the job and asked if that change would impact the hours and pay for the position.

He also accused the council of making the change so they could handpick people they liked for the job. He went as far as to say that rumors are already circulating that the council has already pegged someone for the police chief position.

Councilors Skamperle, Kennedy and Powers spoke against both measures as well.

Kennedy said they were elected to be the voice of the public and added that the public was clearly against both changes to the charter.

“In my own good will and conscience, I will not vote for this,” she said.

Skamperle called the bills “nonsense” and said he had concerns that they undermined civil service law.

Powers said the propositions were ridiculous.

“I don’t think it’s a power grab, I know it’s a power grab,” he said.

While most of those in favor of the resolutions remained largely silent, Rishe defended the actions.

He said the moves were not political in nature.

He said the charter change regarding residency was in-line with what the city requires for its city manager and said the other resolution was about checks and balances.

He said the city manager will still recommend candidates, but the council will have the final say as to whether or not hire or fire the department heads. He likened it to the method used by county government.