Gary Butterfield presided over his first North Syracuse board of trustees meeting as mayor July 9. Butterfield appointed Paul Linnertz to fill his vacant trustee seat, and trustees-elect Pat Gustafson and Diane Browning, both Democrats, joined the board as well. Fred Fergerson was named deputy mayor.
“I just want to thank everyone for their confidence in me,” Butterfield said.
Browning, who served as mayor of the village in 2010 and 2011, said she was “glad to be back.”
Linnertz, who served as trustee since 2011, was not reelected in June. Since Butterfield’s term of office as trustee didn’t expire until 2017, he appointed Linnertz to fulfill the rest of his term. Both are Republicans.
Also on the agenda
-Fire department: Despite the addition of two new firefighters and five bunk-in college students, Fire Chief Tim Ellis said membership at the North Syracuse Fire Department is at an “all-time low.”
“We are desperately looking for members,” Ellis said.
Anyone interested in volunteering for the NSFD can apply online at northsyracusefire.com/recruitment.
Ellis also cautioned village residents to beware standing water and flooding from recent heavy rains.
In the city of Syracuse, 28-year-old Brandon Closure drowned July 1 after he fell into a flooded manhole. Closure had been trying to help push a car out of waist-deep water on East Fayette Street when he fell into the manhole, which had burst open because of the pressure of the flooding.
“If you see standing water in the village, don’t drive in it. Don’t walk in it. It can be extremely dangerous,” Ellis said.
-No parking: The village will hold a public hearing at 6:29 p.m. Aug. 13 to hear comments on a proposed local law that would prohibit parking on Ivon Drive from Teachers Drive to Belmore Drive and Teachers Drive in the village.
The village wants to prohibit parking there to make it easier for emergency vehicles to navigate the streets.
“It zig-zags. It’s very tight already,” Ellis said.
