Ogdensburg council votes to post DPW supervisor and laborer jobs after staffing shortfall

The Mayor and Council of the Borough of Ogdensburg voted Aug. 29 to post job openings for a Department of Public Works supervisor and a laborer after the borough’s DPW was left short-staffed when Supervisor Chris Ross was injured and another employee resigned earlier this summer.

Mayor George P. Hutnick opened the special meeting by saying the single agenda item was DPW personnel and that the borough needed a supervisor in place while Ross’s medical status remains uncertain. "We have to post for a supervisor and continue to post for a labor 1," Hutnick said, explaining the town must follow civil-service procedures and balance the hires with limited budget resources.

The council’s decision came after several exchanges with Jim Struble, a long-time DPW employee who said he has performed many supervisory duties without formal appointment. "I feel like I have been thrown under the rug all these years," Struble said, and later declined the temporary promotion offered at the meeting, citing responsibility concerns and a lack of trust that earlier promises would hold.

Councilman John DeMeo moved to post the supervisor and laborer job announcements; Councilman Nasisi seconded the motion. Borough Attorney Robert McBriar advised that a motion to post was an appropriate way to express the governing body’s intent while following Civil Service Code procedures. The motion passed on a roll-call vote (Yeas: Alvarez, Cowdrick, DeMeo, Nasisi, Poyer; Nays: none). McBriar emphasized the posting alone does not constitute a hire and that any appointment would follow later steps required by civil service.

Residents attending the meeting raised concerns about department performance, winter readiness and outreach for applicants. Ron Donegan asked whether a formal job description was available and urged the borough to hire someone "capable in all capacities." Bob Armstrong said he supported Struble and asked why the borough had not promoted from within earlier. Brendan Donegan, the local Board of Education president, said the district might need to warn parents that school openings this winter could be disrupted if plowing and road maintenance were understaffed: "Based on what I heard tonight ... we can’t guarantee the school will open regularly," he said.

Council members and former officials described recent turnover and budget constraints that limited earlier hiring. DeMeo said the department lost an employee in July who gave two weeks’ notice, and Hutnick said Supervisor Ross is expected to retire Dec. 31, which creates urgency to find a licensed supervisor who can be trained under civil-service rules.

Hutnick said the borough will post the openings through the required civil-service channels and the NJ League of Municipalities distribution; residents suggested additional local posting to reach town residents. The council closed the public session and adjourned at 8:20 p.m. The posting approved Aug. 29 expresses the council’s intent to recruit candidates; any hires will require subsequent resolution and civil-service processing.