Town Board defends commission chairman pick

The Town Board is defending its decision to appoint Frank Dunn as chairman of the Hurley Historic Preservation Commission.

Former commission member Bob Brundage read a letter at Monday’s board meting that contends the appointment was made without advance notice or input from the commission’s members.

“It was with great disappointment that the members of the HPC received the March 2 email from our Town Board liaison,” he read aloud. “This email ... was the first to inform us of the Feb. 26 resolution that added a new HPC member and appointed him chairman. These surprise actions come across as at least rude and possibly arrogant, and smack of some political manipulation. It really does kill effectiveness.”

Brundage said Councilwoman Barbara Zell, the Town Board’s liaison to the commission, made an assessment of commission actions based on coming to only one meeting.

“Having come to the Feb. 14 HPC meeting for the first time in nine years, the liaison had little chance to understand our methodology,” he said. “Nor did the liaison raise any questions at the meeting.”

Zell said Dunn was simultaneously appointed a member of the commission and its chairman because none of the four commission members wanted the leadership position.

“Nobody want[ed] to be a chairman, and we knew Frank wanted to be on the board,” she said.

Dunn told the Town Board the priority of the commission should be conducting an inventory of historic properties in Hurley.

“I think we [should] start getting some surveys done of the existing historical buildings,” he said.