Ulster board declines to rescind delegation; deputy supervisor continues running daily operations

The Town of Ulster Board debated and rejected a resolution on June 20 that would have rescinded an April 4 delegation of day-to-day operational authority from Town Supervisor James Z. Quigley back to himself, leaving Deputy Supervisor Clayton van Cleek in charge of daily operations.

The resolution was read into the record and moved for a roll-call vote after multiple residents and board members spoke during an extended public-comment and discussion period. A public commenter identified as "Sanders" urged the board to return operational authority, saying the change "is in the best interest of the town." Sanders also accused Quigley of a pattern of conduct, stating, "his racist and misogynistic comments are not only insulting but also shut down half our population from civic engagement." The transcript records that the board took that statement under consideration during debate.

Laura Hartman, chair of Town of Ulster Citizens.org, traced the sequence of events the board considered: she said Quigley announced a planned resignation in March that would have moved leadership responsibilities to van Cleek, that the board had previously delegated day-to-day authority to Deputy Supervisor van Cleek, and that Quigley later rescinded his planned resignation. Hartman told the board the earlier delegation had been "fully in place" and that residents had felt heard while van Cleek led meetings.

Deputy Supervisor Clayton van Cleek described his actions while leading day-to-day operations, saying he had chaired department-head meetings, attended public events and worked toward a smooth transition. Van Cleek told the board he had been questioned about potential conflicts of interest but defended his integrity and financial oversight of town business.

After discussion and a roll call, the presiding officer announced the motion to rescind the April 4 delegation had failed and instructed Deputy Supervisor van Cleek to continue advising department heads and negotiating contracts. The meeting record shows the board announced the motion had failed; the transcript does not present a clear, unambiguous numeric roll-call tally in a single, machine-readable line, so the precise vote count is not specified in the record provided.

The board’s decision leaves the April delegation in effect for now. Several members noted legal and procedural questions about the authority to transfer supervisory duties under Town Law and said they would rely on counsel and future board action if circumstances change. The board scheduled no immediate follow-up vote on the delegation during the meeting.

The board adjourned its new-business agenda and moved on to routine administrative items including claims, personnel hires and project authorizations.