SCHENECTADY — Nicholas C. Barber has been named acting assessor for the city of Schenectady.
The appointment was announced Wednesday. And the city’s addition of Barber, the retired Schenectady County director of real property tax services, apparently ends the controversy over Ed Waterfield’s potential appointment as assessor.
It may not end the search for a full-time certified assessor. According to a news release issued by the office of Schenectady Mayor Gary McCarthy, “Mr. Barber will spend the next six weeks evaluating the assessor’s office, its relocation and integration with the Bureau of Receipts.”
According to the release, Barber will make recommendations on the department to McCarthy and to the City Council.
McCarthy could not be reached for comment Wednesday afternoon and evening.
In September, the mayor said he wanted Waterfield — supervisor of the city’s Bureau of Receipts — for the position. But under state law, an assessor must have six months of experience. Waterfield had never before performed the duties of an assessor, which include appraisal work and analyzing sales to determine market value.
Barber, a former county legislator, worked as the county real property director from 1991 until 2010. He is a state-licensed real estate broker and owns his own real estate agency.
“I’m pleased to offer my expertise and assistance to the city in an effort to continue and improve services to the taxpayers and the assessment office,” Barber said, deferring questions about the appointment to McCarthy.
Barber takes over for Tina Dimitriadis, whose contract was not extended because she refused to move into Schenectady. Twelve people applied for the job, four of whom had assessing experience. But none of those candidates lived in the city, and McCarthy insisted that the assessor be a city resident.
Barber lives in Schenectady.
City Councilman Vince Riggi has known Barber since high school — both are members of Mont Pleasant High School’s Class of 1964.
“I think he’s a good person for it. He’s certainly got the experience,” Riggi said of the appointment. “Hopefully, we’re advertising for a certified assessor to fill our position. I hope the search isn’t over with.
“Nick said to me he’s not looking for a job,” Riggi added. “He said he made it clear to the mayor he’s not looking for a full-time job. He wants the flexibility he has right now. He’s 67; he’s my age.”
During the controversy over Watefield’s appointment, Riggi said he was more concerned with McCarthy’s proposed salary increase for the position than with Waterfield himself. While Dimitriadis had been paid $73,000 annually, McCarthy had sought to give the position a salary bump to $81,828.
“That’s what we have control over,” Riggi said, referring to the City Council’s power over the purse strings. “We don’t have control over his appointments.”
SCHENECTADY — Ed Waterfield will get on-the-job training in assessing this winter in a move that could position him to take over as Schenectady’s assessor next summer.
He will work with Nicholas Barber, who starts Monday as the city’s acting assessor, Mayor Gary McCarthy said Thursday.
He said Waterfield’s duties during this period should meet the state’s requirements for assessors, which include six months of experience at assessment-related tasks.
But, he said, Waterfield might not take the job.
“Ed is less than enthusiastic in taking the promotion because he reads headlines saying he’s unqualified,” McCarthy said, adding, “I don’t know if I ever took a job for which I was qualified, and if you ask some people, they’ll say I’m still not qualified.”
He added that he was frustrated by the City Council’s refusal to let him give Waterfield a raise to take the assessor’s position. He wanted Waterfield to help merge assessing and tax collection, overseeing both departments.
“Ed Waterfield is the perfect person to manage that,” he said.
But Barber is going to do it instead.
“I’ve got to have an assessor,” McCarthy said.
He will pay Barber $1,000 a week to work at least full-time for the first five to seven weeks while Barber determines what is needed to merge the two departments.
Then Barber will tell him how much time he’ll need to work to oversee the transition. That might be 20 hours a week, at a different salary, but it won’t be full-time, McCarthy said.
Barber can’t work full-time without a cut in his pension or a waiver stating that he’s the only person who can do the job for Schenectady.
McCarthy said Barber isn’t interested in either option.
In the meantime, Barber will guide the merger of the two departments.
McCarthy said having both functions in the same office would allow for efficiencies in staff on days where one of the departments expects many more customers than normal. He said other savings might be possible too, because fewer copiers and other equipment will be needed.
And, he said, it would make sense.
“A Realtor trying to sell a house — we have it all in one place and it’s user-friendly,” he said. “It’s this integration of information.”
If taxpayers object to the size of their tax bill, they could walk to another part of the office to learn how to grieve their tax assessment, he added.
But he added that there is no intention to make it easier for selected taxpayers to get assessment reductions outside the normal grievance procedure, as some of his opponents have suggested.
“That’s sheer lunacy,” he said. “There’s a process by which you do these things.”
OMG, pig-headed CENSORED. I was just saying that Gary never worked outside city government, try to get a job you aren't legally qualified for in the real world. This BLANKETY_BLANK is more concerned about Ed than the city residents. What the heck is wrong with his mind?
poliltician/flu...... the county has merged the same departments....and it seems if you look at who is running the decisions.....isn't it the head honcho??
what's his name....no one gets appointed without his approval.....and now it seems the Rottendamians are getting jobs in both county and city poisitions..
this can mean only one think.....merging....merging....merging.....who is most powerful in government than the people in control in a certain town...
Rotterdam will become a suberb without being called a town....there could be a contest of NAME THAT ??????.......anyone got ideas???
BTW.....Nick is a good choice to get things cleaned up.....and then...see what happens and who will get the appointed position...
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