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"We have three council members out sick," Mayor Mary Foster said to the few people in attendance Monday night following a committee of the whole work session.
The items on Monday's agenda will instead be addressed at a special Feb. 4 Common Council meeting.
The three city officials on hand – Foster and Council members Kathy Talbot and Darren Rigger – allowed residents who were present to speak, but only two chose to do so.
Resident George Ondek asked why the mayor didn’t notify the public of the meeting’s postponement when she knew that the board would not have enough members for the quorum. Foster said she knew at around 5 p.m. but asked the city video crew to stay to record Monday's brief meeting anyway.
Ondek also asked for an update on the search for full-time police chief and the status of acting chief Eric Johansen. Foster said that civil service requires the chief be promoted from within the department and that the council hasn’t finished carefully interviewing qualified candidates.
Ondeck also requested that when a new city manager is hired, that the employee have a public administration degree.
Resident Ray Adamick told council members he was disappointed that the Peekskill Celebration had been canceled earlier this month and wanted to know why. Foster said the city was not notified of the cancellation of the event by the Peekskill Celebration nonprofit group until the last minute.
"We were notified that the celebration was being canceled after the nonprofit canceled all of their contracts with their vendors," Foster said. "They cancelled the fireworks, they cancelled the carnival and the dragon boats and planned to notify the city on Jan. 18 that they had taken those steps."
The city is still looking to see if some celebration events can be salvaged, and that the summer concert series and children's series at Riverfront Green Park, the Jazz and Blues Festival, the Fourth of July festivities and the annual Cinco De Mayo event still be held this summer, Foster added.
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