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SCHENECTADY — Following the arrest and subsequent resignation of Schenectady Director of Solid Waste Floyd Slater, the city does not have a definite timeline for when Slater could be replaced, Schenectady Mayor Gary McCarthy said on Monday.
Slater, 52, was arrested on March 22 while allegedly purchasing cocaine while on the job in a city truck.
Slater was charged with a felony count of fifth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and a misdemeanor count of official misconduct.
Slater resigned the day after his arrest, with the mayor noting on Monday that the city could adjust its staffing to account for the vacant position.
“In the short term we have the ability to shift personnel around to fill gaps so the operation is still functioning,” McCarthy said.
McCarthy said Slater’s departure should not hinder the rollout of a new garbage bin initiative that was approved by the city council during the board’s meeting on Monday night that will outfit the city with 40 new bins.
The partnership with the Creative Outdoor company will see the vendor supply the city with 40 new garbage and recycling cans that feature full-color advertising panels, with the firm and city to split revenues from the ads.
The cans, which measure four feet in height and six feet in length, include separate compartments for solid waste and recycling.
With the council’s approval for the program now secured, McCarthy said he would be negotiating with the vendor to establish a timeframe for the rollout of the bins.
The final resolution includes a provision requiring city council approval of the locations at which the collection units will be placed.
“The council will have input on the placement, as we do with all signage,” Council President Marion Porterfield said following Monday’s meeting. “Even though those are garbage cans, there’ll still be signage on them. So that’s part of what we do with any sign, this is just different because it’s on a garbage can.”
McCarthy said on Tuesday that while the garbage can deal would move forward, he will retain discretion on where the cans will be placed.
The resolution also includes a stipulation that garbage bins currently in use in the city that will be displaced by the new cans will be moved to other locations for public use in the city.
The advertisements on the bins will be restricted to family-friendly local businesses.
City Councilman John Polimeni, who introduced the Creative Outdoor proposal to the council, said he believes the placement of the bins should be left to the mayor’s office.
“I’m pleased that it passed, but I’m disappointed that it got to the point where the city council is looking to place garbage cans,” he said on Tuesday. “The micro level of that is truly not our job. There’s a distinct division of labor between the council and the mayor. It’s appropriate to have some input, but to get to the point where council members want to place garbage cans just strikes me as a bit odd.”
Contact Ted Remsnyder at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @TedRemsnyder.
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Categories: News, News, Schenectady, Schenectady County
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Neither Mr. Polimeni nor the Mayor seems to believe we should be concerned about at least 40 little billboards appearing along our busiest roadways, bringing visual pollution and traffic distraction. A reduction in safety and beauty are real costs to many of us.
I’m glad those making the list of locations will have to consider Council and public reaction to the list, as well input from our Historic district board members, and those worried about the placement of casino and gambling ads.