Potsdam Fills Vacant Spot On Village PD

POTSDAM - Village trustees have hired a Potsdam man to fill a vacant position on the village police department at a starting salary of $41, 221.

Corbin J.D. Gates-Shult, 641 County Route 47, will begin duties Thursday, according to village officials.

Village trustees approved Mr. Gates-Shult's hiring by a 4-0 margin, with Trustee Steven W. Yurgartis absent from Tuesday morning's special meeting of the village board.

Trustee Stephen J. Warr voted in favor of the hiring, even though at a meeting of the village board earlier this month he agreed with Mr. Yurgartis' call for a one-year moratorium on new hiring in the department.

Mr. Warr said Tuesday he still agrees with the idea of a hiring freeze but said there is no reason to continue the debate since a majority of the board already voted Aug. 16 to fill the two vacant positions in the police department.

"I voted at the last meeting to table the hiring for a year pending what Steve Yurgartis so elegantly put forth before us," Mr. Warr said. "I lost the vote. I still agree with Steve, but I am not going to hold it against the young fellow we intend to hire."

Mr. Yurgartis has argued that taxpayers in the village are taking on a huge burden for future generations when they continue to hire municipal employees and provide those employees with lucrative retirement deals.

Mr. Yurgartis was out of town Tuesday, but in an e-mail exchange with the newspaper he said still advocates a hiring freeze, when possible, as a way to curtail future costs to taxpayers.

"Because of the estimated $7 million cost of hiring a police officer, with about half of that cost to be incurred by village residents after the officer retires and is no longer on the street, my position continues to be that we should have a moratorium on hiring of new police officers until we are sure we can not operate with a reduced force," Mr. Yurgartis said.

"I believe a responsible approach requires we must balance present desires against encumbering huge future costs."

Mr. Yurgartis said he thinks the Potsdam Police Department should look to new technologies like digital surveillance cameras to help provide security in the village.

The village had two vacancies in its police department after long-time Chief John A. Kaplan resigned to become police chief at SUNY Potsdam.

Lt. Edward F. Tischler was later promoted to chief, leaving one vacancy. The other vacancy was created with the retirement of Officer Scott Thompson.