GLOVERSVILLE - The Common Council on Tuesday unanimously appointed Johnstown Deputy City Engineer Kevin Jones as director of the city's Department of Public Works.
Jones, a longtime resident of the city who has been Johnstown's deputy city engineer for five years and served on the Gloversville Planning Board, will be the city's fourth public works director in two years.
"I think it will help just to know many of our rules, already living in the city," Mayor Dayton King said Friday when he announced his pick. "He knows the problems and he's set up for success. I predict he'll be the DPW director for the next dozen years if he chooses to be."
Jones is originally from Rotterdam and is a Johnstown High School graduate. He served in the Army for 6 1/2 years. He worked for C.T. Male Associates, an engineering firm, in its Gloversville and Latham offices for 15 years.
The council set his salary at $66,000 effective June 4. Any annual pay raise will be set by the council, according to the resolution. The resolution also sets his benefits at 40 hours of personal time a year, two weeks of vacation time annually for the first five years, three weeks of vacation after five years and four weeks after 10 years.
Jones commended the DPW for the work it has done without a director.
"As a resident, the DPW appears to be doing a good job with minimal amount of leadership," Jones said.
Jones, coming in with experience from another city DPW, said it's important to be accessible to the public.
He lauded the city's new program from May through October in which residents can drop off bulk trash items the first weekend of each month behind the Gloversville Transit building on West Fulton Street.
"I think the more ways we can find to help pick up garbage, the better," Jones said.
Jones, 49, replaces Jim Frank, who resigned without explanation two months ago.
The council also approved a resolution setting Police Chief Donald VanDeusen's salary at $88,500. Both department heads will pay 25 percent of their health-insurance costs.
According to the resolution, VanDeusen will not be eligible to sell back unused holiday vacation or sick time. He will be granted 187 hours of vacation time and earn 12 hours of sick leave per month. The value of unused sick time may be made toward the payment of health-insurance premiums.
VanDeusen's appointment opened the position of captain of detectives. Anthony Clay was promoted effective Sunday to captain, which is the commanding officer of the detective division.
He started at the department in 1995 as a patrol officer and rose to the ranks of detective, uniformed sergeant and then detective sergeant, which is the first-line supervisor of the detective division.
Michael Jory was promoted from detective to detective sergeant to fill Clay's position. Jory started in 1995 as a patrol officer and has been a detective since 2006.
"Clay and Jory are longtime dedicated members of the department who go above and beyond on a daily basis to ensure that the goals and objectives of the Gloversville Police Department are achieved," VanDeusen said at Tuesday's council meeting. "Both members have excelled in the area of investigations and are a credit to their profession, this department and the city of Gloversville."
Candidates who passed last June's civil service exam are being interviewed now for the vacant detective position created by the changes. A vacant patrol officer position may be filled by an officer who will start the police academy in mid-July.
All promotions are covered in the department's 2012 budget.
Amanda Whistle covers Gloversville news. She can be reached at gloversville@leaderherald.com.