Mayor cutting 7 jobs from Schenectady workforce

PHOTOGRAPHER: Kathleen Moore

Mayor Gary McCarthy is unilaterally cutting seven jobs from the city workforce, although the City Council voted on Sept. 10 to stop those layoffs.

At least four of the seven workers will be able to “bump down” to vacant positions. Others also have bumping rights but might push another employee out of the workforce. McCarthy said he believed bumping could be done in such a way as to keep every current employee in a job, because there are a number of vacant positions at the bottom of the ladder.

Among the jobs being eliminated is Michael Burke’s position as park director. Others are in the Bureau of Service, where McCarthy said he has four supervisors overseeing 12 to 16 workers.

He doesn’t need that many supervisors, he said.

“It’s an ongoing review of city operations: what’s necessary, what isn’t necessary,” he said. “Some of these [positions] are less critical than others.”

The positions will be cut on Monday.

The cuts will also be included in the proposed 2013 budget, which McCarthy will unveil in a pubic presentation on Sunday at 4 p.m. at City Hall.

In the past, the budget has been presented to the council at a Monday meeting. But this time, McCarthy said, he wants to give a full presentation to the public.

The city’s fiscal state has been of increasing concern, leading to criticism from the public and fear among city workers, who worry about massive layoffs.

McCarthy said he will give a full “narrative” of the budget during the Sunday presentation. He will also present the budget to the council at 5:30 p.m. Monday, during the council’s regular committee meeting.

For more on the story, see Friday’s print and online editions.