McCarthy's two-hat role in city complicates residency board idea

PHOTOGRAPHER: Kathleen Moore

Having one man acting as both mayor and City Council president has created an awkward situation as the council tries to recreate the residency board.

The board, which determines which city employees must live in Schenectady, is supposed to be controlled by the mayor and the council. The mayor can hire workers who don’t live here, but the council president’s designees have the majority vote on the residency board.

As a checks-and-balances system, it works like this: The mayor and the corporation counsel (an attorney chosen by the mayor) sit on the board, with one vote each. Then the council president selects three people (usually, council members), who also have one vote each.

But with Gary McCarthy performing both roles, the system now allows him to hire the out-of-city employees (as the mayor), then select every member of the residency board (as both council president and mayor) and also vote on whether the employee must move here.

McCarthy wants the council to change the board so that the mayor has no power over the residency board.

“The mayor makes the appointment,” he told the council last week, arguing that the board should serve as a check on the mayor. “My personal thought is the mayor should not sit on this board.”

Council members suggested that the mayor be replaced by the council president — which still creates problems right now. But they said the design would be good for the long-term.

They also agreed that the council should choose three members — and that whenever possible, some of them should be residents.

But they won’t be city workers.

“Then you’d have an employee voting on another employee,” Councilwoman Barbara Blanchard said.

McCarthy wants the board to begin running as soon as possible, but he may not get his wish. Removing the mayor could be considered, legally, as a way of reducing mayoral power during a term of office. Such changes can only go into effect at the start of the next term: Jan. 1, 2012.

McCarthy said the council should go ahead with the changes even if it reduces his power.

“I would be the aggrieved person and I’d have to challenge it. I assure you that’s not going to happen,” he said. “I want it to take effect as soon as it can.”