City Council Will Wait on Approving Mayoral Appointments

Jamestown Mayor Eddie Sundquist offers remarks after taking his oath of office during the City Council’s reorganizational meeting on January 1, 2019 at Jamestown Community College.

JAMESTOWN – The Jamestown City Council will wait until the January voting session before it approves a series of appointments submitted by new mayor Eddie Sundquist.

On New Year’s Day 2020 the 2020-21 city council held its reorganizational meeting, which is required at the beginning of a new council term. During the meeting the council unanimously elected councilman Tony Dolce (R) to serve as president for 2020 and 2021. Dolce replaces former council president Marie Carrubba (D), who steps down from the post due to her party losing the majority on the council following the 2019 general election.

The members of the 2020-21 Jamestown City Council take their oath office on January 1, 2020 at JCC.

The city council members also took their oath of office and Sundquist was also sworn in as the new mayor.

COUNCIL RECEIVES APPOINTMENTS, TAKES NO ACTION

During the meeting the council also received a list of appointment nominations from Sundquist and which were read aloud by the city clerk.

Under the city charter (Article II, § C-8), the sitting mayor must appoint or reappoint individuals to various administrative positions and to various boards and commissions whose terms have expired. The nominations must then be reviewed and approved by a majority of the council members. (The complete list of appointments is provided below)

Among the administrative appointments Sundquist must make are Director of Administrative Services/City Clerk, Director of Development, and Corporation Counsel/HR Director, which each involve a new name being appointed to their respective positions. However, in the development director’s case, current city principal planner Crystal Surdyk has been serving in an acting capacity for the past couple months.

There are also four new names being considered for the Jamestown Board of Public Utilities, which would replace board members Martha Zenns, Terrence Horner and Ralph Wallace, whose terms were over at the end of 2019. Also being replaced would be former city council member Maria Jones – who did not win reelection.

In past years the city council has voted to approve the mayoral appointments during the same meeting the appointment list is presented and read aloud. However, during Wednesday’s reorganization meeting the council only accepted the nonimanations but not act on any of them. That means the council will likely act on the appointments during its regular voting session at the end of this month. It also means the positions and seats will remain unfilled until the council approves them.

According to the city charter, if the city council refuses to confirm a nomination made by the mayor at the meeting at which it was made or at the next regular meeting, the mayor will have to nominate another person. If for two consecutive regular meetings of the city council it fails or refuses to approve a nomination from the mayor, the council shall proceed to nominate and elect said person by a two-thirds vote of all the members of the council.

The list of nominations submitted by Sundquist

DEPARTMENT HEADS
*Notes Reappointment
**Notes Previously held position in an acting capacity

• City Clerk/Treasurer – Rudi Analora
• Corporation Counsel/HR – Elliot Raimondo
• Comptroller – Joe Bellitto*
• Public Works – Jeff Lehman*
• Parks, Rec, Conservation – Jeff Lehman**
• Development – Crystal Surdyk**

BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS
*Notes Reappointment

• Board of Public Utilities – Gregory Anderson, Lana Huston, Kenneth Mark, Grant Olson (city council), Marie Carrubba* (city council)
• Zoning Board of Appeals – Timothy Smeal, Stephen Sorg, Ellen DiTonto*
• Planning Commission – Michael Laurin
• Jamestown Urban Renewal Agency – Gregory Noon
• Jamestown Local Development Corporation – Peter Schiera, Margaret Kaltenmeier, Tom Nelson* (city council)
• Board of Assessment Review – Heather Fagan, Debra Loder-Clark
• Parks, Recreation and Conservation – Adam Irgang, John Bauer*, Victoria James (city council), Kim Ecklund* (city council)
• Riverfront Management Council – Leigh Rovegno, Russ Diethrick*, John Bauer*, David Anderson*, Anton Leenders*, Jennifer Lumia*, Brent Sheldon (city council)
• Veterans Memorial Commission – Scott Pentheny, Joshua Miller, George Spitale*, Daniel Kell*
• Board of Electrical Examiners – Andrew Nickerson, Steven Nowell*
• Marriage Officer – Camille Krawczyk, Greg Rabb*, Paul Whitford*