ONEONTA _ The Common Council on Thursday approved two measures to fill a void created by the sudden resignation of the city's recently hired chamberlain.
In a special meeting, aldermen temporarily appointed Deputy Chamberlain Virginia Lee to chamberlain by a vote of 7-0. Fourth Ward Alderman Michael Lynch was absent.
They also voted, 6-1, on temporarily hiring retiring Chamberlain David Martindale to work part time at a rate of $60 an hour. Sixth Ward Alderman Veronica Diver voted against the appointment.
The search for a permanent replacement is continuing, city officials said.
Bryan Gazda was appointed by the city in early June to replace Martindale, who is retiring July 1. Gazda was to have worked side-by-side with Martindale until the end of June to gain familiarity with city finances.
But last Wednesday, Gazda suddenly quit and told city officials he was taking a higher-paying job for another municipality.
The city chamberlain's office, according to the city's website, oversees the billing and collection of taxes, water and sewer fees, parking tickets and ambulance services. The office also administers the city's budget, debt and financial accounts.
About 20 members of the Unit 8101 of the Civil Service Employees Association were on hand for the meeting, and unit President Tom Pondolfino told the Common Council that Martindale is worth "every penny" of the $60-per-hour rate. But Pondolfino also said CSEA workers in the city "deserve more than they are getting."
