HomeMy WebLinkAboutMN-CC-2000-06-14COMMON COUNCIL PROCEEDINGS
CITY OF ITHACA, NEW YORK
Special Meeting 8:45 June 14, 2000
PRESENT:
Acting Mayor Manos
Alderpersons (7) Pryor, Sams, Glasstetter, Farrell,
Spielholz, Taylor, Hershey
OTHERS PRESENT:
City Clerk – Conley Holcomb
Assistant City Attorney – Dunn
Human Resources Director – Michell-Nunn
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE:
Acting Mayor Manos led all present in the Pledge of
Allegiance to the American flag.
ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA:
Alderperson Pryor requested the addition of Item 2.2 –
Designation of a Marriage Officer – Resolution.
No Council member objected.
SPECIAL ORDER OF BUSINESS:
Designation of Marriage Officer
By Alderperson Pryor: Seconded by Alderperson Farrell
RESOLVED, That Jeanne Shaheen be designated as a Marriage
Officer for the City of Ithaca for the month of July, 2000.
Carried Unanimously
Executive Session
By Alderperson Farrell: Seconded by Alderperson Spielholz
RESOLVED, That Common Council adjourn into Executive Session
to discuss the employment history of an individual employee.
Carried Unanimously
Alderpersons Blumenthal and Vaughan arrived at the meeting
at 9:05 pm.
Reconvene
Common Council reconvened into Regular Session at 12:00 am.
Acting Mayor Manos read the following statement into record:
“Common Council has received the report and recommendations
of Hearing Officer John Crotty in the Matter of the City of
Ithaca and Richard Eckstrom. Mr. Crotty has provided us
with fourteen copies of the report, ten for Common Council
and two for each of the parties. Common Council received
their copies simultaneously this evening during Executive
Session, and now Council is making the Hearing Officer’s
report available to the Attorney for the City and the
Attorney for Mr. Eckstrom. We have provided an extra copy
to each of the attorneys for the parties who may, if they
wish to do so, distribute them as they deem appropriate.”
Acting Mayor Manos distributed the copies to the Attorneys.
Resolution
By Acting Mayor Manos: Seconded by Alderperson Hershey
WHEREAS, six disciplinary charges were brought against the
Building Commissioner, Richard Eckstrom on August 25, 1999,
and
June 14, 2000
2
WHEREAS, pursuant to Section 26.1 (L) of the Charter of the
City of Ithaca, Common Council directed a Hearing Officer,
on September 16, 1999, to preside over a hearing on this
matter, to weigh the evidence, to make written findings of
fact and, if the hearing officer were to uphold the charges,
to recommend the imposition of penalty and to present same
to Common Council, who would then make a final determination
as to penalty, and
WHEREAS, pursuant to Section 26.1 (B) grounds for discipline
or removal are incompetency or misconduct, and
WHEREAS, the Hearing Officer has found and concluded in his
report entitled “Hearing Officer’s Report and
Recommendations in the Matter of the Mayor of the City of
Ithaca and Richard L. Eckstrom, Building Commissioner”,
dated June 13, 2000, that Commissioner Eckstrom is guilty of
incompetency and misconduct under charges 1 and 2 and
recommends that charges 1 and 2 be sustained, and
WHEREAS, the Hearing Officer recommends that Commissioner
Eckstrom be terminated and removed from his office as City
of Ithaca Building Commissioner, and
WHEREAS, the Hearing Officer’s recommendation as to penalty
is the same whether the acts constituting incompetency or
misconduct are considered separately or in combination, and
WHEREAS, pursuant to Section 26.1, the final decision-maker
is the Common Council and the penalty of removal may be
imposed only by the affirmative vote of 2/3 of the Common
Council exclusive of the Mayor; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That Common Council adopts the report and
recommendations of Hearing Officer John Crotty, and, be it
further
RESOLVED, That Richard Eckstrom is terminated as an employee
of the City of Ithaca and removed from his position as
Building Commissioner effective immediately.
Ayes (9) Manos, Pryor, Sams, Farrell, Vaughan,
Blumenthal, Spielholz, Hershey, Taylor
Nays (0)
Abstentions (1) Glasstetter
Carried
ADJOURNMENT:
On a motion the meeting was adjourned at 12:10 am.
Julie Conley Holcomb, Paulette Manos,
City Clerk Acting Mayor