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Ogdensburg council pulls temporary DPW hire from consent agenda, agrees to interview both applicants
Summary
Council removed a consent-agenda appointment for a temporary DPW Laborer 1 after questions about whether all candidates were interviewed; members voted to interview both the on-time and a late applicant and directed the DPW supervisor to evaluate them.
Ogdensburg’s mayor and council voted June 9 to remove a temporary Department of Public Works appointment from the consent agenda and to interview both candidates after members questioned the hiring process.
Councilwoman Ruitenberg moved to eliminate Resolution 58-2025, which would have temporarily appointed Alexander Slater to a full-time Laborer 1 position in the borough’s public works department; the motion to remove the item passed on a roll call vote with Councilman DeMeo opposed. After the amendment, the modified consent agenda — without the DPW appointment — passed unanimously.
The council then directed that both the on-time applicant and a second late applicant be brought in and interviewed by the DPW supervisor. Councilwoman Ruitenberg said the candidate “at least has to be interviewed,” arguing for standard hiring procedure and supervisor input. Councilman DeMeo stressed adherence to posted deadlines: “If you want a job you make the application and follow the rules that are set. The rule is the deadline.”
Attorney Joseph Maddaloni explained the procedure for handling a pending motion and how a member could move to pull an item from the consent agenda before the full vote. Mayor George P. Hutnick said the borough is short-staffed and agreed to schedule interviews for both candidates so the supervisor can evaluate them.
The council’s direction leaves the temporary appointment unresolved; the council will consider a hiring decision after the supervisor completes interviews and reports back.
