New officials delay appointment

WATKINS GLEN--Three new Watkins Glen village board members took the oath of office Monday, April 6 during their regular meeting. Mayor Sam Schimizzi along with Deputy Mayor Gary Schmidt and Trustee Kevin Thornton were sworn in by Village Clerk Donna Beardsley, while new Village Justice Connie Fern Miller was sworn into office by previous justice Nicholas Dugo. Trustee Tony Fraboni is the only remaining member from the previous board, as his seat was not up for election in March, nor was it vacated.
While Trustee Rick Evans was appointed by the previous board to fill the seat vacated by former Trustee Paul Clifford, the new board did not reappoint him to the role, instead choosing to delay filling the position. Schimizzi thanked Evans for his brief time on the board, but said they are planning to appoint someone else to assume the role at a later date.
"In the near future we will be filling that position, but not at this time," Schimizzi said.
Former trustee Scott Gibson attended the meeting and asked if Evans was still technically a board member at this time, but Beardsley said she was advised a mayor could not appoint beyond his term, adding the appointment ended at noon that day.
"We have got somebody that we are going to appoint, but we are just not going to do it today," Schimizzi said.
However, Evans remained at his seat at the table for the remainder of the meeting, but issued no votes. He added he would be working out the confusion over his role with Beardsley at a later time.
In other business:
• The new board agreed to rent a street sweeper for a month totaling $7,700. The sweeper would also be shared with Montour Falls and Burdett, who would help reduce the overall cost to Watkins Glen.
• The Grand Prix Festival event application was approved by the board to be held Sept. 11 from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Franklin Street will be closed from 1 to 9 p.m. during the event.
• The board approved putting a 1994 John Deere backhoe out to auction, after declaring it as surplus.
• The "Dolls of Destruction" roller derby team was approved to hold practices and matches at the Watkins Glen Community Center.