City Manager Corriveau Retires Amid Contract Quandary



by Timothy W. Scee II
Special to Newzjunky.com
Published February 7, 2012

WATERTOWN, N.Y.  —  City Manager Mary M. Corriveau submitted a letter to the City Council Monday to notify its members of her retirement effective at the end of April. 

In her letter, read by City Clerk Ann M. Saunders, Mrs. Corriveau says she will retire “on or before April 28, 2012, but no sooner than 30 days from the date of this letter,” dated Feb. 6.

“Since retirement is a form of resignation, this letter serves as my notice to the City Council that I plan to retire from my position as city manager for the city of Watertown,” the letter reads in part. “It truly has been my honor and privilege to serve the residents of the city of Watertown for the past 26 and a half years.”

Three weeks ago council members Roxanne M. Burns, Jeffrey M. Smith and Joseph M. Butler Jr., voted in favor of not renewing Mrs. Corriveau’s contract which expires April 30. 

Mayor Jeffrey E. Graham said Mrs. Corriveau’s resignation came as somewhat of a surprise to the City Council

“As in getting it tonight, it wasn’t (expected),” Mr. Graham said. “She’s had a distinguished career and has worked hard for 26 plus years and has been very dedicated to the people of the city.”

“She has a lot to be proud of,” they mayor added. “It’s my job to lead the council towards the search for a new manager and I’ve tried to organize that end of it.”

The City Council will hold a special meeting Tuesday with former Ogdensburg City Manager Jon C. Krol to discuss the process in which it will go about finding a candidate to replace Mrs. Corriveau following her retirement. 

“He’s somebody who’s from the North Country, understands Watertown, yet is detached form it not to have his own agendas,” Mr. Graham said. “I think in terms of giving us an objective view of a search process, he’s pretty good.”

Mr. Graham said he won’t advocate the hiring of any particular consultant, including Mr. Krol, due to a “contrarian spirit among some” council members. 

“If it’s going to be a group decision you can’t have predispositions towards certain things or anything else,” the mayor said. “What I’m trying to do is what I think is a responsible way to deal with it and still respect the views of the council members and make a sound selection.”

The City Council will hold its meeting to discuss the process of selecting a new city manager at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 7, in the third-floor council chambers at City Hall, 245 Washington St.



In other business, neighbors of an Arsenal Street audio installation business raised more concerns about noise levels and whether city police or council members can resolve issues they claim are a result of noisy neighbors. 

Trudy A. Ryan, 116 1/2 Casey St., said it’s almost as if Audio Arsenal, 1057 Coffeen St., “got away with something” after she and her parents told council members of numerous noise complaints she often files with city police against the business.

“Listen to some of their advertisements,” Ms. Ryan said. “‘Come on down to Audio Arsenal and blow your neighbors away,’ who do you think that was given to? That was something that they were trying to tell us.”

Ms. Ryan said the business has police scanners and turns down the “blaring” music once police are called on a complaint. 

With windows, beds and picture frames allegedly shaking from car stereo noises, Ms. Ryan said her parents, Michael F. and Jean C. Ryan were prescribed medication to keep calm. 

“These people are on medicine for the stress that this place is causing,” she said. “Why, in their golden years, do they have to take tranquilizers to be able to live in their own home that they raised their children in?”

City Attorney Robert J. Slye seemed to agree with Mrs. Corriveau that the best course of action may now be filing a private, “unreasonable interference” lawsuit between the neighbors. 

“No one is going to go to jail over noise-they aren’t,” Mr. Slye said. “It’s a permitted use in that zone and when it’s unreasonably loud, the remedy is to abate that loudness.”

He added, “That’s the problem with the noise ordinance, we talked about this for months."

Mrs. Corriveau said she is planning a discussion with Police Chief Joseph J. Goss about the ordnance and more ways to “dispatch police personnel other than over the radio.” 

 

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