West wrote off the cuts as an attack against him. “I think it has a lot more to do with personal feelings and political motivations than any fiduciary responsibility,” he said.
“We really are now getting to set the meetings with the employees, and we’ve got an unsustainable position going into the future to pay for things,” Trustee Stewart Glenn said. “If we’re going to ask employees to pay for things … how can we do that, if for two years in a row we gave ourselves raises?”
Glenn voted against giving raises to the trustees and the mayor in 2012. He called the mayor’s proposed $13,000 raise “humongous,” adding that granting such a request would put the Village Board in a tough spot for contract negotiations.
Mayor West said he thought mayor should be making $50,000 — not the $48,000 he’d proposed. He also denied that giving the mayor, deputy mayor and trustees a raise might create problems with the unions.
“I haven’t run into any of the employees who have a problem with the mayor making a living wage. It’s really only been the trustees, and some in the public, who’ve had a problem,” he said.
Village Board members voted 4-1 to cut back the mayor, deputy mayor and trustee salaries. West was the lone no vote.
Following the vote, which occurred roughly halfway through the meeting, Mayor West left the room threatening to resign under his breath — but audible to the audience seated in Village Hall.
“I’ll have to find another job,” he said.
West returned a few minutes later, gathered his belongings, threw away all his April 17 meeting notes and left. The four remaining trustees continued the meeting without him.
After a long executive session, board members continued to work on the village budget — without the mayor — tweaking and finishing the various line items in the approximate $5.6 million spending plan for 2013-14. After cutting their own salaries, trustees added expenditures for the New Paltz Fire Department and gave raises other municipal employees, including one for the deputy village clerk.
It might seem West’s resignation threat was a bluff, but in an interview Monday evening the mayor said he was somewhat serious. Given that it changes his personal finances significantly, West said he’ll take the next few months to decide if he’ll stay.
“We’ll see,” he said. “If I can pull it off, I’d love the job.”
As a full-time position, the mayor is more able to be on-call 24/7 to respond to late night phone calls and emergencies. West thinks that a part-time mayor — him or someone else in the future — would find it harder to balance those responsibilities.
“It’s a stressful job,” he said. “The work still has to get done.”
The village’s fiscal year restarts on June 1, and that’s when the salary changes would take place.
This year, West found himself isolated from the rest of the Village Board largely because of a proposed merger of the town and village. While the other four members support consolidation, the mayor started as a skeptic and later became opposed to the plan.
Consolidation is frustrating to the mayor, who came into office in 2011 with an agenda and legislative ideas that didn’t include a municipal merger. Big chunks of 2012 and 2013 have been devoted to joint town-village meetings, distracting from other local issues and projects.
He admitted his relationship with the Village Board of Trustees has been rocky recently. “Absolutely, it’s deteriorated — and it’s about consolidation,” West said.
I think the Village Trustees are a bunch of small-time local politicians who don’t actually understand the burden of and requirements of governance. I also don’t know of any town the size of New Paltz that only has a part-time mayor. And I think that the trustees probably share the same local-hand shake style that other towns that aren’t governed well experience, such as Town of Rochester. The “old boy” network is always feeling threatened around here – sadly. They fail to see an intelligent, energetic, young person (liberal) as a benefit to the community or the region. And West is absolutely right – Town and Village of New Paltz should be consolidated. It’s a no-brainer. And anyone who doesn’t see that oddly thinks that duplicity of roles and services is a good thing. And it isn’t. I think the Trustee ego’s need to be checked and they need to get on board. West stepped up as a smart, young person to run for mayor. He’s not doing any favors – its a job and a passion.
So, does consolidation of the Town and the Village of New Paltz a good plan? Is West in support or opposed (as described in this article) of unifying their services? Ed, before taking a position should’t you clear up your facts? My perception is that the leadership squabbles over minor issues while important issues such as Ulster County Fairground development as a center for the community and recreation, the architectural integrity/future of our village, attracting and improving our tax base-these are “no-brainer” issues. My sense, is that the lust for power and control dominates and trumps other concerns. By penalizing and interfering with outdoor dining, excessive policing, we’re tolerating a hostile climate for our youth, our businesses and ourselves. There is a multitude of issues that we ought to address. West’s efforts have been petty, marginal and divisive. What a waste!
[…] down pay for the trustees from $7,200 to $6,232. When trustees first made the cut, the mayor threatened to resign. He later changed his […]