Jenkins, at a recent council meeting
MONTICELLO – The Appellate Division of State Supreme Court ruled that Monticello Mayor Gordon Jenkins should be removed from office. The order was issued Thursday.
A hearing officer issued that same decision recommending his removal.
Jenkins had not talked with his attorney as of Thursday afternoon and said he did not know if the decision could be appealed or if he must clean out his office immediately.
The court noted that a public officer may be removed for “unscrupulous conduct or gross dereliction of duty or conduct… that connotes a pattern of misconduct and abuse of authority.” Jenkins’ acts of misconduct taken together “rise to the level of unscrupulous conduct or gross dereliction of duty or conduct…” the court ruled.
Village Trustee Carmen Rue testified during Jenkins’ hearing that she witnessed him telling the village police chief that the police “would not receive desperately needed funding until [certain] criminal charges levied against [Jenkins] were ‘resolved’,” according to the court decision.
On Thursday, Rue said the village should hold a special election. That election should be held in June to let the people decide who should be mayor, she said.
That person would serve for the remainder of the current term, which is one year. Currently, village elections are held in March. Rue believes they should be changed to June and the full four-year term of mayor would be up for a vote in June of next year.
