By ANDY GARDNER

MASSENA -- The town will be looking for a new court clerk.

Court Clerk Dora Richter is resigning effective Jan. 1.

She did not cite a reason in her resignation, letter, which was read aloud at Wednesday’s Town Council meeting.

“Thanks for her service to the Town of Massena. She’s done a fine job,” Councilman Albert Nicola said.

There was so debate among the board as to how they should pursue her replacement.

Town attorney Eric Gustafson said the position is a town employee, but the law says they should consult with the justices when hiring.

“They are technically town employees. The statute that governs that requires it be done with advice and consent of the judges … Typically it’s a collaborative effort,” he said. “They are not paid by the Office of Court Administration. They are paid by the town.”

He suggested the board advertise for the job now and then consult with the justices.

“There’s some additional considerations with that that are maybe more appropriate as a personnel matter in executive session,” he said, later clarifying that he was talking about a discussion centered around a specific person, which would allow them to go into a closed session for the talk.

“I think probably what makes sense is to sit down with the judges and sort out. It’s been about a week now that we know Dora is moving on, and the judges are looking for possible replacements. It would make sense to sit down and talk to them and get some input,” Gustafson said.

“Typically you do joint interviews, too, with the town board and judges,” Town Supervisor Joe Gray said.