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General News: Coyne Sworn in as Mayor, Argenio as Trustee
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| Brendan Coyne, flanked by his sons, Kerry (l) and Colin (r), is sworn in as mayor. |
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| Trustee Mark Edsall signs the oath of office. |
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| Andrew Argenio is sworn in as trustee as his family watches. |
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| The village board from left to right: Trustees Gosda, Edsall, Mayor Coyne, Trustees Argenio and Kane. |
April 05, 2011
Brendan Coyne became the 28th mayor of the village of Cornwall-on-Hudson when he was sworn into office Monday night, his two sons at his side. Andrew Argenio brought up his wife and two children when he took the oath of office for his first term as village trustee. Trustee Mark Edsall stood alone as village clerk Jeanne Mahoney administered the oath for his seventh term.
Coyne welcomed the public to the meeting and re-stated his commitment to the three CCC’s he promised while campaigning: civility, collaboration and consensus.
“I expect teamwork and, in term of consensus, I want to encourage all points of view,” Coyne said. “Even when someone is on the short end of discussion their voice is still heard.”
Board Adopts Agreement with Law Firm
Shortly after making his remarks, Mayor Coyne was faced with a vote that split the board. Trustee Jim Kane introduced an agreement to retain the law firm of Tarshis, Catania, Liberth, Mahon, and Milligram at the rate of $5,000 a month for 28 hours of its services. Last year, legal fees climbed to $90,000 in the absence of a monthly retaining agreement, well over the $65,000 that had been budgeted for legal services.
Trustee Barbara Gosda opposed the new agreement, saying that she is concerned that 28 hours a month is not enough. Mayor Coyne countered that he will monitor the number of hours and if they are getting near 28, the board can put off some decisions to the next month. “I agree with you that we have to stay in budget,” Coyne told Trustee Gosda.
Trustee Andrew Argenio spoke in favor of the board trying to get a better agreement with the law firm, while Trustee Mark Edsall said he is confident that with careful monitoring, the board can control legal costs. The motion passed by a vote of 3-to-2.
Trustee Edsall Appointed Deputy Mayor
Mayor Coyne made a few changes in the way business will be conducted in the village and appointed Trustee Mark Edsall as deputy mayor. A second period of public comment was re-instated at monthly business meetings, with a three-minute limit for each person speaking. No limits were imposed on what a person can speak about. The mayor added that individuals could be invited to speak at the board’s work sessions about matters being considered.
In a step outside the routine, Mayor Coyne declined to re-appoint any of the village department heads, saying that he would like the opportunity to sit down with them before making the appointments.
Comments:
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A mixed bag. Nice to see reasonable public comment reinstated. But the fox is back to guarding the hen house! Do taxpayers even care? Let's see if apathy again takes hold. As always, we get the government we deserve.
posted by Rick Gioia on 04/05/11 at 11:01 PM
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This has nothing to do with whether I'm pro or con my across-the-street neighbor Doug Vatter, but he recently said something that was quoted in a subsequent post that I think was relevant. "This village is so small it should run itself," he said, and the more I see of local governance, the more I believe he's right. Let's just hire some competent department heads and chiefs--which we've probably already done--and dump this Politburo of feuding, pig-headed nobodies called "trustees" and let the village run itself.
Better yet, amalgamate the Village with the Town, and if somebody has to run it, let the Town Board do it. They certainly seem vastly more competent.
posted by Stephan Wilkinson on 04/07/11 at 10:32 PM
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If the path between a challenge and its solution were a straight line, then I guess this "small" village could "run itself". Why govern? We can "hire" (read as outsource) all the professional help we need to run things like a top. Villagers are on the hook for the slipshod construction of the DPW building, which was outsourced to the LDC. Hey everyone... let's just stop thinking and paying attention. We should just switch to auto-pilot and let our private sector run things. Who better to keep our interests in mind. Heck, I'm too busy for that sort of detail, anyway!
posted by Rick Gioia on 04/09/11 at 8:51 PM
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