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Council discusses interim DPW appointment and whether charter requires a special election
Summary
Councilors debated filling the vacancy left by Jason Golub: the charter requires appointment until year-end and may require a special election for the remainder of the term, but state election law and 90-day ballot deadlines complicate timing and fairness; council will seek County Board of Elections input.
Council members debated two parallel processes for filling the vacancy left by the resignation of Jason Golub: appoint an interim commissioner for the remainder of the calendar year and ask the County Board of Elections to initiate a special election if required by the charter. One commissioner noted the charter's section indicating a vacancy shall be filled by appointment until the end of the official year, and that a special election may be needed for terms extending beyond that year.
Legal counsel recounted the charter's history and said Article 12 defers to New York state election law for election procedures, noting state rules require at least 90 days to get on the ballot. Commissioners said they have eight resumes for a short-term appointment and agreed to ask the county BOE to outline the timeline and costs for any required special election before deciding how to proceed. No final appointment or election decision was taken at this meeting.
