Mayor Joe Saraceni has made major changes to village personnel.
At last Thursday’s board meeting, Saraceni appointed both a new village attorney and engineering firm.
Ron Carr, who formerly served as village attorney for Baldwinsville, replaced J.C. Engelbrecht, who served as village attorney during former Mayor Dan O’Hara’s terms. The mayor contacted Carr to recruit him as village attorney.
Trustee Rick Presley questioned Saraceni about the appointment and whether he had received any other letters of interest, noting that Engelbrecht said he would send one in. Saraceni said he didn’t receive anything from any other firms including Engelbrecht.
Carr, who will undergo chemotherapy treatment for cancer in the upcoming months, will be joined by attorney Dave Jones, who will serve in Carr’s absence and will stay abreast on village issues.
“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think I could do it,” Carr said.
Carr is a partner at Melvin and Melvin, where Jones is also an attorney. The village board voted unanimously for Carr’s appointment.
Saraceni also replaced village engineer Plumley Engineering with C&S Engineering. The mayor said he reviewed and interviewed three firms, including Plumley, but decided on C&S due to a lower bid, their traffic, planning and environmental experience, capacity for both large and small projects and ability to help the village acquire funds for projects.
Presley said he was ready to vehemently oppose the appointment until he received a resignation letter from Joel Plumley of Plumley Engineering that stated “I do not feel comfortable working for a mayor who desires a different engineer. I also don’t feel it is in the best interest of the village to pit the mayor against the trustees in the battle over engineer.”
“Joel set the bar high and we are going to hold C&S to that standard,” Saraceni said.
Presley and trustee Bruce Stebbins voted against the appointment while all other trustees voted for it.
Other appointments
Saraceni also made the following appointments: trustee Bruce Stebbins as deputy mayor; Timothy McMahon as acting justice; Kathryn Halleron as clerk for village justice; Carol Whitney as part time clerk for village justice; Maureen Butler and Linda Ross as deputy village clerks; Claude Sykes as superintendent of public works; Louise Corrigan as clerk for superintendent of public works; Jeremy Brand as janitor; Jack’s Reef Kennel Dog Protective Agency for dog control; Douglas Speck as assistant codes enforcement officer; and McHarrie’s Legacy as historian for village.
