After debate, Rotterdam adds five police officers to force

Rotterdam Town Board members on Wednesday were split on the decision to hire five new police officers and promote four other members of the Police Department.

The room was full of proud loved ones of the new recruits and employees getting a promotion who came to witness them be sworn in to their new positions.

For some of the police officers and employees, it almost didn’t happen.

When the resolution to hire five new police officers was presented before the board, Councilman Joe Villano proposed to make an amendment to the resolution to hire only two of them: Desiree Sagendorf and Jonathan Hughes.

Councilman Rick Larmour seconded the change.

The councilmen claimed several members of the Police Department get as much as a 15 percent to 18 percent raise each year, and the town spends too much on police personnel.

The resolution proposed the five officers would be hired full time, with full employee benefits at an annual salary of $48,005.

“I understand public safety is important to the town, but it comes at a cost. I’m not saying we don’t need men and women defending us on the first line at homes, businesses and on the road, but the question is, what can we afford?” Villano said. “If the pay schedule was more reasonable, we could afford more of them.”

Villano used examples of police officers hired in 2011, and claimed some had received an 18 percent increase in pay the next year.

“I want to hire as many as we can, I wish we could hire all that we need,” he said. “Simply put, without coming to you with substantially more money, there simply isn’t a way to pay it out.

“What is dangerous to me is, we are expending money not knowing what the cost is because the contract is in place,” he added. “We have failing facilities, our highways have not received any money directly from the town for resurfacing year after year.”

In response, Town Supervisor Steve Tommasone said he would discuss making changes to the town’s budget with Villano and the other members within the next few weeks, as the previous Town Board couldn’t agree on the budget, which was adopted by default last fall.

Villano and Larmour voted in favor of the amendment to only hire two recruits, but Councilman Evan Christou, Councilwoman Samantha Miller-Herrera and Tommasone voted it down.

Afterward, Tommasone, Christou and Miller-Herrera voted in favor of hiring the five new police officers: Paul Chevalier, Peter Muscanelli, Brett Quay, Sagendorf and Hughes.

Villano and Larmour voted against the unchanged resolution.

“If it had been changed, I would have said ‘Yes,’ ” Larmour said.

“I used to have a staff of 88 employees, I now have a staff of about 43 employees,” Rotterdam Police Chief James Hamilton said at the podium before swearing in the new recruits. “I’ve been very cognizant to the issues the town faces. Every year we put the budget together . . . reducing our staff from 88 to what it is today says something about the work we try to do, and I’m very happy to recommend these five officers.”

A resolution to promote Sgt. Jeffrey Collins to the rank of lieutenant with an annual salary of $97,777 was also challenged by Villano and Larmour.

“I want to reconfirm what we’ve been saying: It doesn’t matter what office it is, to head into the 100 thousands range — we have enough police officers making that, and that’s too high,” Larmour said. “With that annual salary and then retirement, that adds up. I don’t think we should be hiring that. It’s too much money to keep putting out.”

Villano and Larmour voted against the resolution, but it passed with votes in favor from Tommasone, Christou and Miller-Herrera.

“It’s so easy to sit up here and say ‘Yes,’ and it’s so incredibly hard to say ‘No,’ ” Villano said. “I know it’s heartbreaking and difficult, but someone has to watch the purse strings.”

Villano and Larmour also voted to amend a resolution to promote officers Anthony Varrone and Derek Reilly to investigator at an annual salary of $81,470 to only promoting Varrone.

The amendment was voted down with a 3-2 vote, and the resolution to promote both officers was passed with the same results.

Before the new recruits were sworn in, Christou showed his support for the Police Department.

“I urge my esteemed colleagues when they present facts not to sensationalize them as if the sky is falling,” Christou said. “For the well being of this community, I find absolutely no human value in creating an adversarial relationship between community and law enforcement. It’s detrimental to the community good will, and causes animosity where there’s no need for it.

“Chief [James] Hamilton, to say on my behalf and others, thank you and your men for their service.”

Reach Gazette reporter Kate Seckinger at 395-3113, [email protected] or @KateSeckinger on Twitter.

Categories: News, Schenectady County