Town officials confirmed that Bethlehem Court Clerk Patricia Parsons has returned to her job with Albany County after less than two months at the post.
Long-time Court Clerk Barbara Hodom, who recently retired and was training Parsons as her replacement, will continue working for the town until a new replacement is chosen, according to Supervisor Jack Cunningham.
She wanted to go back to her job at the county, Cunningham said about Parsons’ sudden departure. `Barb’s back working, she’s continuing in that role and putting in more hours.`
Cunningham did not specify any of the details surrounding Parsons’ departure.
The town’s two judges, Bethlehem Justice Ryan Donovan and Justice Paul Dwyer, are the ones who appoint the town’s court clerk, a post whose pay starts at $58,000 a year. The town board only votes to approve the judge’s selection, Cunningham said.
An inquiry for comment from Donovan and Dwyer was not responded to.
Speaking in his office at Town Hall on Friday, Aug. 22, Cunningham said, `I met with them [judges] this morning and they have some candidates.` The judges are looking at both internal and external candidates, according to Cunningham, but a time table for how long before a new court clerk will be appointed is unknown at this time.
`As soon as we can do it,` Cunningham said.
The town board unanimously appointed Parsons its new court clerk during a Wednesday, June 25, meeting and she started five days later on June 30.
Parsons lives in Delmar and has worked for the county for 35 years. When she was first appointed, Parsons told Spotlight Newspapers she approached the town justices about the position after learning Hodom was retiring.
She ran unsuccessfully for receiver of taxes on the Democratic line in 2007 against current receiver of taxes Nancy Mendick, the same year Justice Dwyer won his seat against former Justice Daniel J. Persing.
Although the board voted ‘yes’ down the line at Parsons’ appointment, Councilman Sam Messina, an Independence Party member who has been openly critical of the town appointment process, said he wanted to make appointments `more competitive.`
He did, however, support Parsons’ appointment. He also pointed out at that meeting that neither judge, nor Parsons, was there to answer questions about the appointment.
With news that Parsons left the post, Messina is once again calling for a more open appointment process at Town Hall.
`When we appointed Patricia Parsons, I told the Town Board that the judges should open up the process, provide notice about jobs and interview several candidates,` Messina said when asked about Parsons’ leaving. `They did not. However, they have another chance to make things right and I hope they take the professional route in this decision.`
Messina said he was unsure of the conditions surrounding Parsons’ departure as court clerk, but had heard, simply, that `it wasn’t a good fit.`
The councilman put forth a defeated proposal in early March to create guidelines for the way the town advertises and appoints people who are non-civil service to various boards and committees not deemed competitive by the state.
The proposal was voted down 4-to-1 at a March 26 board meeting, with Messina casting the only vote in favor. Other members of the board, including Cunningham, said they felt the proposal was unnecessary.
State Town Law, section 20, provides that local justices appoint their own clerk, not the Town Board. So in essence, a town board `acknowledges` an appointment of a court clerk by the justices, according to Bethlehem’s town attorney James Potter.
The court clerk is responsible for over $1 million in receipts annually.“
