SCHENECTADY City budget cuts yield 3 layoffs Many workers reshuffled into vacant positions BY KATHLEEN MOORE Gazette Reporter Reach Gazette reporter Kathleen Moore at 395-3120 or moore@dailygazette.com.
Dozens of jobs were cut in Schenectady’s 2011 budget, but the human impact came down to just three layoffs. Everyone else was able to take another position in city government or had left voluntarily. The budget cut 89 jobs, including 14 fi refighters who were later restored after their union offered givebacks. At the end of the year, Finance Commissioner Ismat Alam said about 18 other workers would likely be laid off. But almost all of them were able to move down into vacant positions. After the reshuffling, the city only had to lay off three people: Historian Don Rittner; Elonda Mackey, who ran the city’s lead paint remediation program; and Elisa Wickham, the code enforcement coordinator who was criticized for shutting down businesses that apparently had not violated city codes. Many others left, resigning or taking early retirement. Some began looking for other jobs because they knew layoffs were coming, while others accepted early retirement to make way for younger workers who needed to stay on the job. Most of the bumping and reshuffling happened in Commissioner of General Services Carl Olsen’s departments. The city cut 12 positions in sewer, water, street maintenance, SNAP and parks. But Olsen had deliberately left other jobs unfilled last year in hopes of finding a way to avoid actual layoffs. “Because we anticipated that, we were able to absorb them all,” Olsen said. Workers still had to take other jobs — some with significant pay cuts — and Olsen has to find a way to take care of the city’s infrastructure with fewer people. “The size of the workforce shrank markedly,” he said. Among the side effects: there would have been five more plows on the road during Tuesday’s storm if no positions had been cut, he said. He had the equipment, but not enough drivers. ................>>>>..................>>>>......................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r01100&AppName=1
A whole 3 laid off? After all the crying. And they want to rehire the City historian.
The City DEMS refuse to budget, The answer to every issue is more taxes and fees. The sooner they are thrown out of City Hall-the better. The DEMS all understand "the importance of high taxes".
Olsen leaves open positions for current employees and doesn't cut anything??? How does this help the City? Then he complains that their aren't enough drivers for plowing...hey, here's an idea...why don't you start being fiscally responsibile with the taxpayer money.
Totally classic how Olsen blames the incompetence on plowing the streets because he doesn't have enough drivers. How about because you have too many employees and chose not to cut anything, you sabatoged your own department. Stop placing the blame on everyone else and start taking a good hard look at your own stupidity. Pathetic.
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A whole 3 laid off? After all the crying. And they want to rehire the City historian. 
