The Colonie Town Board made a number of appointments and reappointments to town posts at its annual reorganization meeting on Thursday, Jan. 3. Town Board members Brian Haak and David Rowley, both Democrats, were also sworn in by town justices to begin their official terms on the board. Haak will serve the three years remaining in retiring Councilwoman Nancy Hernandez’s term, and Rowley is filling the remaining years of Councilman Dan Dustin’s term. Both had been appointed to the board before running in November to fill the remainder of the terms. On the Planning Board, Peter Stuto was reappointed as chairman and Elena Vaida was reappointed as counsel. Susan Millstein was also appointed to the board for a three-year term. “Susan served on our Zoning Board and will be taking her experiences to the Planning Board,” Town Supervisor Paula Mahan said. Kevin Franklin was reappointed the Colonie town historian. Brian Caruso was appointed as the deputy town clerk as well as a bingo inspector and deputy registrar of vital statistics. Colonie Human Resources Director Rosemary Newton received a salary increase from $29,000 to $30,000. Several members of town committees were also appointed. On the Conservation Advisory Council, Robert Ulrich was reappointed as chairman and Linda Welton was appointed as a new member. Matthew Sissman and Donna A. Martin were both reappointed to five-year positions on the Library Board of Trustees. The Colonie Spotlight was designed the town’s official newspaper.
The board also adopted several resolutions, including a request to extend the time for the town to receive Downstate debris from Hurricane Sandy at the town landfill, to up until July 1.