City Council May Consider

Murphy Severance Saturday

ONEONTA – Acting Mayor Maureen Hennessy has called for a special meeting of Common Council for 9 a.m. Saturday in City Hall; the public is welcome to attend.  No agenda was released, but the meeting could be to act on a severance counter-offer from suspended City Manager Martin  Murphy.

A return call from Hennessy for particulars was being awaited at this hour.

Murphy was suspended by a 5-2 vote, with one abstention, at a special Common Council meeting last Friday, where a severance of 0ne-quarter his annual salary — $27,500 — was also approved.  Council had asked him to agree to that severance by Tuesday’s regular Council meeting, but no word had been received.

Hennessy, the First Ward Council member, was named acting mayor in place of Russ Southard, the Sixth Ward Council member who has been filling that role, since he is out of the city on vacation this week.