March 8, 2010 Planning Board 1 of 6

The Village of Victory, NY Planning Board held a special meeting on March 8, 2010 in part to vote on the hiring of an engineer as consultant on development of the Victory Mill project to turn an abandoned factory into apartments. Several months ago the board recommended two engineers, Al Longtin and Ernie Gailor, to the Village Board of Trustees for approval. Then-chairperson Billy Lloyd told the Trustees that he personally favored hiring Longtin. Without further discussion or interviews the bord voted to hire Longtin.

However, before a contract could be agreed upon, the Planning Board held a belated Organizational Meeting (no meeting was held as mandated in June) and elected a new chairperson, John Ceceri. Ceceri reviewed the laws pertaining to the Planning Board and realized that the board was empowered to select its own consultants without approval from the Village Trustees.

Ceceri asks the board members at this meeting to consider hiring Gailor as their engineer. He makes a motion that is not seconded. After some discussion, Lloyd makes a motion to hire Longtin. No one seconds that motion. Finally, Planning Board Vice Chairperson Patty Pierce makes a motion to hire Gailor and the motion is approved 3-1. Trustee Pete Healy, who favored Gailor, abstained because of a distant family connection.

Background:

The Victory Mill Project would be by far the largest development in the village, if not the entire Town of Saratoga, and would create commercial space in a village that currently has no commercial property.

Members of the Village Board of Trustees and their supporters have been trying to derail the work of the Planning Board for reasons that are unclear. In February, Trustees Tim Healy and Leslie Dennison and Republican candidate for Dennison's seat Pat Dewey broke into a closed-door executive session of the Planning Board and began accusing members of holding an illegal meeting.

At the March 2, 2010 Village Board meeting, the trustees went into executive session at which they apparently discussed removing Planning Board President John Ceceri and possibly other members of the board. According to New York's law regarding village government, Planning Board members can only be removed by the mayor after a public hearing. The legality of the discussion of Planning board officials in a closed door session can be questioned.

Category:

News & Politics

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• Village of Victory
• NY