Schenectady treatment plant worker fired after arrest

PHOTOGRAPHER: Kathleen Moore

Mayor Gary McCarthy quickly fired a city employee Wednesday after the worker was allegedly caught after hours drinking alcohol in his car.

Police charged Paul Lafond, 33, with a violation of the open containers law. They also said he was in the car with a known prostitute but that they had no proof that he had hired the woman for sex.

Lafond was charged early Wednesday morning. At 4 p.m., he was fired.

“He is no longer employed by the city of Schenectady,” McCarthy said.

He declined to explain the reason for the termination, but said readers were likely to figure it out on their own.

Lafond is the son of the city’s deputy director of water and wastewater. They share the same name.

Lafond was one of the many plant workers who transferred to the city when Schenectady took over operation of the treatment plant last year. His title was wastewater treatment plant operator I.