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Clinton council swears in two members, approves 2026 slate of municipal appointments and contracts
Summary
At its Jan. 5 reorganization meeting, the Town of Clinton Common Council swore in Councilwoman Molly Padmos and Councilman Ross Traphagen and unanimously approved a consent agenda appointing municipal attorneys, engineers, auditors and other contractors for 2026, including several contracts with multi‑year or capped-dollar amounts.
Councilman Kashwick called the Town of Clinton Common Council to order at 6:00 p.m. on Jan. 5 and read the statutorily required meeting notice, saying, “Adequate notice of this meeting has been provided, indicating the time and place of the meeting and the proposed agenda.”
Assemblywoman Mitchelle Drulis administered the oath of office to Molly Padmos, who was sworn to a three‑year council term through Dec. 31, 2028; Congressman Tom Kean Jr. swore in Ross Traphagen to a three‑year term that also runs through Dec. 31, 2028. Family members held Bibles during the ceremonies and the chambers applauded.
Soon after, the council adopted a consent agenda by motion of Ms. Stentz, seconded by Ms. Padmos, approving Resolutions #1‑26 through #13‑26 that appoint municipal professional service providers and vendors for 2026. The motion passed unanimously. Key appointments and contract authorizations included: Gebhardt & Kiefer as municipal attorney (CFO-certified availability up to $75,000); Van Cleef Engineering as municipal engineer (up to $60,000); Suburban Consulting Engineers for alternate town, water and sewer engineering roles (noted caps include $300,000 for water consulting and $100,000 for sewer consulting); Kyle & McManus Associates LLC for municipal planning (up to $50,000); Brown and Brown as municipal insurance agent; McManimon & Scotland as bond counsel (up to $45,000); and Suplee, Clooney & Company as municipal auditor (up to $60,000).
Council members emphasized that the appointments were made as non‑fair and open professional services contracts where permitted by statute and that the CFO certified fund availability for the stated caps. The resolutions also directed required public notice and filing as appropriate.
The council separately approved municipal court appointments — Kimberly Marino as court administrator, Jordan Rickards as prosecutor, and Scott Mitzner and Anthony Rotunno as public defender and alternate — on a unanimous vote after a motion by Mr. Perloff and a second by Ms. Padmos.
Other administrative appointments ratified on the consent agenda included municipal officials such as Municipal Clerk Suzannah Givone and Chief Financial Officer Kathy Olsen, and a year‑by‑year listing of boards, commissions and committee assignments for 2026.
The meeting record shows the council authorized routine administrative powers tied to these appointments, including directions to publish notices and forward copies of resolutions to the CFO and the appointed firms. No substantive debate or amendments to the appointments were recorded.
The council concluded the appointments and administrative votes and moved on to budget and salary matters later in the meeting.
