Problem Solved

When Liz Yorck resigned as director of the Youth Department last spring, Calvin Lewis, who had been assistant director, was promoted to the position of director, leaving the position of assistant director vacant. It was still vacant in October, when the Board of Estimate and Apportionment was crafting the budget for 2026, and it was still vacant when the BEA declared a hiring freeze to help address the gap between revenue and expenses. 

When the 2026 budget was adopted, with no salary for an assistant director of the Youth Department, there was pressure on the Common Council to amend the budget to add the salary for a full-time assistant director. Nick Zachos, who created the position of assistant director when he was director of the Youth Department (2017-2021), appeared at a Common Council meeting to argue how critically important the job of assistant director was, because the assistant director ran the seven-week summer camp program at Oakdale Lake.

It appears that somewhere along the line it was decided that someone whose principal job was to run the summer camp program did not have to be employed by the City all year round. Today, City Hall released the following announcement:

As we near the opening of Oakdale Summer Camp, the City looks forward to Randi Markle joining as Assistant Youth Director effective June 29. Randi will work with the Youth Department for seven weeks, playing a critical role in overseeing camp programming and ensuring the safety of participants and staff. She has a strong background working with Hudson's youth in the school district as a substitute teacher and home tutor, and previously worked at Ichabod Crane as a substitute and teacher's assistant. We look forward to her bringing her connection and commitment to the community's youth to Oakdale Summer Camp. Please join us in welcoming Randi to the Hudson Youth Department team!