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General News: Status of Full-Time Officers on Hold
February 18, 2011
The future of the two full-time officer positions in the village of Cornwall-on-Hudson police department will not be decided until after the March 15th election. That’s the word from chief Paul Weber, following a meeting with an attorney for the police union in front of an administrative law judge in Albany on Wednesday.
Last November, the police union filed a complaint with the Public Employment Review Board, charging that the village violated a labor law when it announced that it would abolish two full-time positions and lay off the two full-time officers employed by the village.
Village police chief Paul Weber, who is also an attorney, represented the village at Wednesday’s meeting, where he told the judge that he had not abolished the positions and, as a result, there was no substance to the union’s charges. Weber said the judge decided to put any action on hold for 45 days, until after the village election.
Chief Weber noted that he has Mayor Joe Gross’s support to move to a part-time department where officers will not receive costly benefits and pensions. Mayor Gross said on Friday he can see the merits of the move to a part-time force and thinks the board should take a hard look at it. Brendan Coyne, who is challenging Gross for the mayor’s seat, says that he supports retaining the two full-time officers. “I look forward to negotiating with the police union after the election," Coyne said.
Marilyn Berson, the attorney representing the police union, said that at Wednesday’s meeting, it was clear that the future of the two officers is a political decision. “It was clear to us that if the mayor doesn’t prevail in the election that they will keep the full-time officers,” she said.
Chief Weber said any decision in his mind comes down to simple economics – full-time officers will cost the village more money. Residents can have the same level of police protection with part-timers, Weber argued, noting that when the last full-time officer left his duties were seamless absorbed by part-time officers. “If taxpayers want to pay a boatload of money, go ahead,” he added. “It’s not my money.”
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