County Executive William Steinhaus ultimately made an appropriate decision last Friday, ending a week’s worth of drama by approving the addition of two Legislature clerks to the county’s payroll. But the path required to get the two clerks hired – and the decision to pay them, in what Steinhaus called in a memo “the spirit of bipartisanship and cooperation” raised a lot of questions about decision-making at the top level of county government.
At the Legislature’s meeting on Monday, Jan. 11, a new clerk, Barbara Hugo, and deputy clerk, Jon Gautier, were appointed by a 13-11 vote. Democrats, who took control of the Legislature in January following three decades of Republican majority rule, had pushed for the change since taking office, but the hiring freeze instituted by Steinhaus in late December prevented them from making the move. The Legislature went as far as approving a resolution giving Chairman Roger Higgins (D-Poughkeepsie/Wappinger) permission to seek legal action over the freeze in January, but it seems that Steinhaus’ approval of the appointments may have quelled the desire to seek legal action for now.
But after the appointments last Monday, and still unsure if the new employees would be added to the payroll, both Hugo and Gautier began work on Wednesday. While their work ethic and commitment to the county should be commended, the decision to allow them to work while they were still not “official” employees was a questionable one – who was liable for any injuries suffered by the two in an accident, or in a building emergency? In carrying out their duties in the face of uncertainty, they’ve impressed with their dedication, but the decision to allow them to work with no immediate solution to the hiring freeze in sight was a poor one.
In much the same way that Democrats are characterizing Steinhaus’ hiring freeze as a political tool and a partisan decision, the idea of “challenging” the hiring freeze by appointing the clerks with no idea when they would be paid smacks of a political game, too. Understandably, Democrats were eager to re-stock county government with the personnel needed to keep it functioning. But better stewardship is needed in allowing two people who aren’t yet employees of the county to begin working.
In the end, the decision worked out. The clerks were added to the payroll the same week they were appointed, both sides were able to do a little posturing and no lasting damage has been done. The hiring freeze is still in place, and the Legislature has its full clerk complement (although the body is still missing two positions – appointed assistant to the chairman Fred Knapp and legal counsel David Sears – who have not yet been added to the county payroll). But was this challenge – and the ensuing liability and practical questions – the right way to go about it? More caution is needed in the future.