The Planning Board now has a full complement of seven members. The board was faced with four vacancies entering 2016, but former mayor William Hallenbeck, in the eleventh hour, reappointed Carmine Pierro and appointed his former aide, Gene Shetsky, to the board, and current mayor Tiffany Martin Hamilton reappointed Laura Margolis and appointed Rob Bujan.
Now the Zoning Board of Appeals, which had been one member short for several months, has the requisite seven members as well. Gossips learned this weekend that attorney and Second Ward resident Stephen Dunn was appointed to the ZBA by Mayor Hamilton on Friday.
The only regulatory board now understaffed is the Historic Preservation Commission. Although his term expired at the end of July, HPC chair Rick Rector, on the advice of counsel, continues to serve in that capacity, awaiting reappointment or the appointment of someone to take his place. Since summer, the HPC has also been without an architect member, who by law must be a preservation architect.
COPYRIGHT 2016 CAROLE OSTERINK
Thank you, new appointees.
ReplyDeleteBut was it ever determined that the previous mayor's last minute appointments were legitimate? Because it was a question in a lot of people's minds, not addressing it directly feels like a loose end.
I keep asking, but I get no response.
DeleteIt's interesting to note that both the newly elected Common Council President and the newly elected Mrs. Moore served with Mr. Pierro on the Planning Board.
ReplyDeletePerhaps given the public and private controversy surrounding Mr. Pierro's tenure on the Planning Board, coupled with the fact that Pierro worked against his fellow Democrat, the currently elected Mayor, both of those ladies would have, out of courtesy to the new Mayor, spoke first privately to Pierro, urging him to focus on issues in his hometown of Taghkanic, and gracious exit the Planning Board.
Were private nudging not successful on that front, then, in a leadership move, one or both of the ladies might have publicly called Pierro out for remaining on a Board where he's not necessarily welcomed.
Isn't courtesy the twin sister of civility? Or, really, is it all still a power play, just with new players?
Susan
Cogent. Insightful. Eloquent.
DeleteThanks.
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