LAKEWOOD — Lakewood village residents voiced their concerns Monday in reference to a village manager/administrator position that was first discussed and tabled at a June 11 meeting.

At issue is whether the village should continue looking into the possibility of creating the new position. More than 30 residents filled the village hall to hear the discussion and to air displeasure at a possible new position. Previously Mayor Cara Birrittieri said she has been fulfilling her duties, in what is a full-time workload that is treated as part-time.

Resident Gene Watchey disagreed.

“When you ran for office, you ran against a part-time mayor, and you said ‘I’ll be a full-time mayor.’ If you are a full-time mayor, I believe you can take care of 2,900 residents,” Watchey said.

“There is a lot going on in the village now, compared to when I first ran,” Birrittieri said. She added she works at least 40 hours per week as mayor. “I haven’t had a chance to even write a newsletter.”

A village manager would be in charge of overseeing committees and daily operations of the community. It would be a hired position, so those with specific skill sets and training would be vetted for such a position. Trustee Ellen Barnes said that the position(s) do not have any descriptions.

“What we’re looking at is a commission that creates a position. The commission would determine what the scope of the manager or administrator’s duties would be,” she said.

She said a local law is needed to create the positions. The New York State Conference of Mayors and Municipal Officials states the position can be created one of two ways. The first is under Article 18 of the Village Law where the board passes a local law establishing a commission to study and prepare a local law that would both create the position and also define the manager’s duties and responsibilities. The law is also subject to a mandatory referendum.

The second way the board can create the position is under Municipal Home Rule Law 10. According to NYCOM, the position may be created as a public office or position of employment, depending on the duties defined in the local law. The powers and the duties of the position will determine whether the local law is subject to a permissive or mandatory vote under Municipal Home Rule Law 23 and 24. If the position is created as a public office, Municipal Home Rule Law 24 requires a permissive vote to create and abolish the office.

“The manager would be the chief executive officer of the village which would replace the mayor as the chief executive officer. So the mayor would remain a mayor, but only as a figurehead,” Barnes added. “We are a village of 2,900 people. We have four major departments — highway department, police department, fire department, and our village hall department. One has to say is a village manager what we really need, and what will the duties be for that manager? Or do we need someone to be an administrator/clerk? There is lot to be discussed and the citizens need to know what’s going on too.”

Trustee Randy Holcomb, who originally was interested in a manager position, has lost his interest.

“I think our current setup is just fine,” he said. “I think it would be a personal insult to our employees, our clerk, treasurer, deputy clerk to add another title to the clerk’s job if the mayor can’t do some of her duties. Let Lakewood be Lakewood. We don’t have to be like other communities. We’re just fine the way we are and we should continue that way.”

Trustee Doug Schutte commented that the board should investigate the issue as a board should.

“We simply have been gathering information,” Schutte said.

Previously Schutte said the village finance committee found that approximately 60 percent of municipalities in New York state have gone the route of hiring a village manager or administrator, which have helped streamline government mechanics in nearby and similarly-sized communities.

Resident John Rowan said the village should not find other ways to spend money it may not have.

“If it’s not broke, (then) don’t fix it. I don’t think the position is needed,” Rowan said.

Birrittieri said that Monday’s discussion was just that — a discussion — and the position was not voted on, and she added residents were given time to discuss the item. The board tabled the item, and the mayor doesn’t know if the item will be discussed at the July 9 meeting.

In other business the village hired Jeff Wadsworth for a position in the Village Department of Public Works. Wadsworth will fill the vacancy created by the retirement of Motor Equipment Operator Gregory Kanouff.