Former trustee Ted Brinkman will be Cobleskill’s mayor for the next three months, replacing Mark Nadeau.
Village board members came to a general agreement on Mr. Brinkman in a special meeting Saturday and will likely appoint him at the village’s scheduled meeting August 17.
Mr. Brinkman has agreed to take the temporary post.
Former mayor Nadeau resigned July 20 in the midst of Cobleskill’s controversy over racist comments. Deputy Mayor Mark Galasso has been filling in since, but officials planned to make another appointment.
Mr. Galasso said board members discussed several candidates at Saturday’s meeting, including former Cobleskill-Richmondville superintendent Sam Shevat and former Howe Caverns general manager John Sagendorf, along with Mr. Brinkman.
Mr. Shevat and Mr. Sagendorf said they were too busy with other matters to take the post, according to village Clerk Sheila Gillespie.
Officials are glad to have Mr. Brinkman coming on board, Mr. Galasso said.
“We wanted someone with prior experience and someone who could provide extra support for the board,” he said.
“Ted understands the budget process, understands contracts. He’s been there, done that. There’s no learning curve.”
The remaining three years of Mr. Nadeau’s term will be on the November ballot. Mr. Brinkman will serve until voters elect a new mayor.
“We wanted someone who wasn’t interested in running in November so that he wouldn’t have a leg up on another candidate,” Mr. Galasso said.
Having someone with experience is essential in the short three-month stint, he added.
“A person with no experience would need three months just to get up and running,” Mr. Galasso said.
For his part, Mr. Brinkman said he’s pleased to serve again.
“I’ll help with whatever they need,” he said. “I have a good rapport with everyone. I have no hidden agenda, and I’ve kept up with what’s happening.”
Mr. Brinkman served as trustee for more than two terms under the late mayor Bill Gilmore. He put together several village budgets and worked on contracts with the policemen’s union.
“Those are two issues that are getting a lot of attention now, so I can help with them,” Mr. Brinkman said.
He also wants to examine the municipal contract with highway employees “to make sure they’re taken care of. They do a good job.”
Finally, Mr. Brinkman wants the village to return to business as usual.
“We have a lot of good people here, and we have a good community,” he said. “I want to make sure people realize that.”