© 2024
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
An update has been released for the Android version of the WAMC App that addresses performance issues. Please check the Google Play Store to download and update to the latest version.

City Leaders Debate New Position

Plattsburgh City Hall
WAMC Photo
Plattsburgh City Hall

Plattsburgh city councilors approved the 2015 budget last night. But first they debated whether a new job should be added to the recreation department.

Plattsburgh Mayor James Calnon, an independent, included in his proposed budget a new position for a promotions and special events coordinator.  The $43,262 annual salary spurred debate because the city faces a possible $600,000 deficit. The position is also being considered at the same time city officials are searching for a full-time community and economic development director. The mayor had appointed a part-time director to the office, which had been vacant for years.
City resident Wayne Drew is pleased that city leaders attempted to be frugal in crafting the 2015 budget, but told them they should invest in the proposed position.  “I understand the reluctance to spend the money. I think it’s a good investment in the future for the city. I think it will draw potentially more tourists and more activities to the city. I’m asking you to embrace this concept. And if you do so and a year from now having hired somebody and decided that it didn’t work out well, I still am asking you to embrace the concept. Perhaps you just hired the wrong person. I think this is something very, very  worthy for this council  to vote positively on.”

Mayor Calnon believes the position would be an investment that will reap benefits for the city.  “In the long run as we look at the various developments, things that we’ve talked about, we really do need to tie them together. If you look at marina development. We have a little bit of grant money to have us look at some things we can do for Durkee Street. Well, what about the corridor in between? And as we look at these things if we have a world-class marina then what’s that give us for other opportunities for events that we haven’t ever conceived of and how do we get there?  That’s why I put it in the budget and I hope it stays there.”

Ward 4 Democrat Paul O’Connell’s focus was not the position’s fiscal impact.  “The thing that I’m concerned about is when we get to hire this person and we review it, if we can get somebody qualified for it within this area, I would recommend going with somebody local. Because in my campaign and I think a lot of ours we wanted to try to keep people in this area.”

The resolution to remove the proposed promotions and special events coordinator from the budget was defeated.  Ward 5 Democrat Becky Kasper offered the measure and was the only councilor to support it.  “I proposed it because the budget is an uncertain one. And when you continually add those very  high personnel costs it’s very difficult to go back on them.  They stay there. And so that burdens the budget in the future as well. I agreed with the community development position which is a significant amount of money because I felt that that was a good risk to take. But having two positions that are risk taking? And I felt the second one really didn’t have the same kind of potential to spur development . So I was cutting the baby in half for myself and trying to feel like I was being a  steward of the budget.”

Ward 1 Democrat Rachelle Armstrong, the mayor pro tem and budget officer, strongly supports the new position.  “I don’t believe there’s a scenario out there where this position can fail and cost the city money. I think that the purpose of it is to make us visible, to make us a destination, to expand the opportunities for tourism and recreation within our city. So I really can’t imagine that there’ll be no return on this investment.”  

Kasper agrees that investment from the position might be returned over the long term.  “But in the short term I didn’t think it was prudent to make that step and that we could wait a little bit to make sure that the budget was going to be stabilized enough to do that, perhaps next year. So I don’t disagree, but  I just wanted to be  more cautious.”

Following the approval of the new proposed promotions and special events coordinator position, council members unanimously approved the $55 million spending plan.

Related Content