BY JIMMY LAWTON
North Country This Week

OGDENSBURG – Ogdensburg City Mayor Jeffrey Michael Skelly says he intends to put a resolution forward Monday, March 23 to remove City Manager Sarah Purdy, but some councilors say they won’t support it.

“We are waiting to hear back from the city attorney regarding the best way to handle the process, but I’d like to see the termination effective immediately,” Skelly said.

Skelly says the resolution will be on the agenda as long as it is reviewed by the attorney by then.

Skelly said he believes Purdy is intelligent and hard working, but says they do not mesh well. He said they disagree on how best to handle negotiations and he fears he won’t be able to accomplish his goals with their “insurmountable differences.”

“I said I’d give everyone a fair chance and I have. I have a clear conscience. There were moments where I thought we’d work well together. Now it’s clear that we aren’t able to work well together.”

Skelly acknowledged that the timing isn’t great, but says he wants to move forward.

“It’s bad timing. That bothers me, but Ogdensburg is dying a slow death. And a slow death is a painful death,” he said. “I don’t want the next four years to be hindered by our differences,” he said.

Councilor Dan Skamperle says he thinks firing the city manager would be detrimental to Ogdensburg and potentially costly.

He said Purdy is the best city manager he has worked with since he’s been a councilor.

“I think she does a great job. It’s a shame and it’s not going to do the city any good. I think we’ll lose grant funding. Of the last three city managers we’ve had she’s the best,” he said.

Skamperle said he believes her contract extends until June and that there would be a cost associated with early termination.

“Between that payout and a city manager search I think you’re talking about a lot of money,” he said. “But money aside, Sarah has always got exceptional reviews. She always does her job and she does it well. The city will be much worse without her,” he said.

Nichole Kennedy echoed the statements made by Skamperle and said she would not support the termination of Purdy.

Councilor Bill Dillabough said he thinks the city should terminate Purdy, because the city doesn’t need a city manager. He expressed displeasure with recent contract negotiations, but said the main reason he supports the termination is because the city doesn’t need the position.

He said the job didn’t exist until the 1970s and the city was much bigger at the time. He said the city needs to reduce staffing and that he believes department heads should be adequate for running the city.

Skelly said he is a concerned about the workload that is currently handled by Purdy and plans to propose that City Planner Andrea Smith be considered to handle the position while the city searches for a new manager.

City councilors John Rishe and Steven Fisher could not be immediately reached for comment.

Michael Powers said the entire proposition is shortsighted.

“It’s outlandish and ridiculous,” he said.

He criticized the coalition of Skelly, Rishe, Dillagbough and Fisher for making decisions that would bring the city to a “stagnant, mosquito-infested halt.”

He said the four ran on “claims of reducing the city taxes by 25 percent in five years.”

“Now that they see that’s not possible they are looking for a way to save face. I think these four individuals are going to get these cuts and set the city back immensely.”

Powers said that with the wastewater project, emergency waterfront grants and hiring freeze underway removing the city manager would be an “irresponsible knee jerk reaction.”

Council is set to meet Monday at 7 p.m. The meeting will be limited to 10 people, including city officials, possibly leaving room for only one reporter to attend.

Initially the council meeting was not going to be broadcast live, but after concerns raised by local media, the city is working to have the meeting broadcast.