The Ulster Town Board held its annual reorganizational meeting last week, and in amid the standard list of designations that go into keeping a municipality afloat was a clear indication that the tension between supervisor James E. Quigley, III and former deputy supervisor Clayton Van Kleeck remains unresolved.
Yes, “former” deputy supervisor, as the list of appointments included councilwoman Anna Hayner as assuming the role for 2025. There was no fanfare nor explanation for the shift at the meeting held on Thursday, January 2, and Van Kleeck, once viewed as the heir apparent, remains on the town board as a councilman. Among his first actions in a diminished role was to read a resolution requiring the supervisor to submit weekly administrative updates to the council. Van Kleeck said the request was supported by New York State law regarding towns.
“There is no true executive of town government like the mayor of a city or village,” Van Kleeck said. “Thus, an individual board member or town supervisor may not unilaterally act on behalf of the board, and each town board member has the authority as any other board member. However, in order to keep a town of our size functioning in between town board meetings and to address day-to-day issues, according to New York State law, the town board may delegate certain power and duties of administration and supervision to the town supervisor.”
Doing so, Van Kleeck continued, does not include abdicating or surrendering its responsibilities to the supervisor. As such, he said, the supervisor should endeavor to regularly inform the town board of municipal affairs.
“Be it resolved that this board delegates to the supervisor the power and duties of administration and supervision of the town to address the day-to-day operation of our town,” Van Kleeck said. “With this, the board will expect the supervisor to report to the board weekly on a significant administrative and supervisory activities he or she was involved in on the part of the town board and to solicit the board’s involvement as needed.”
The resolution was unanimously approved with an amendment suggested by Quigley that council members provide detailed responses to his reports. Quigley said his request dates back at least to a town board meeting held in early December of 2024.
“The town board approved the transfer of an employee from the sewer department to the water department,” Quigley said. “On (December) 18th, an email was sent by the supervisor to the full town board and the department heads, notifying them of a change in civil service requirements, indicating that the town had an obligation to canvas the eligible list.”
Quigley said he then made two requests that the department head or member of the personnel committee to canvas the eligible list. Both of those email requests went unanswered, he said.
“This is typical for the last six months of the civil war that has gone on on this board,” Quigley said. “If you’re going to ask me to cooperate and provide you a monthly report, which I have no problem to, and which I have honored by sending you copies of emails on a daily basis, I would at least appreciate some type of response other than received.”
The next meeting of the Ulster Town Board is scheduled for Thursday, January 16.
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