Mayor hopes to get new people to work with on city council

Six people are running for four seats.
By PEGGY SINKOVICH
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
CORTLAND -- Mayor Melissa Long is hoping November's election will bring her an early Christmas gift -- new council members.
Long said she hopes that only one of the four incumbent council members, John T. Caparanis, is re-elected.
"We have two new people running for council and I think we need them," Long said. "We need some new faces and some new blood on council."
There are six people running for four seats.
Brian K. Fischer, 38, an environmental planner with MS Consultants, and Michael Hillman, 28, a part owner of an insurance company, are running against incumbents Gerald Bayus, Charles Brady, Deidre Petrosky and Caparanis.
Long says it's no secret that she and Bayus, Brady and Petrosky have not worked well together.
"It would be easier for her to have everybody agree so she could get everything on her agenda passed, but that may not be the best for Cortland," Petrosky said.
"My job is not to necessarily make her job easy. My job is to do what is best for the people of Cortland."
Brady said all of his decisions were based on what he believes is "right and fair for the citizens of the city."
Bayus could not be reached.
Mayor's lawsuit: Long filed a lawsuit earlier this year against council because she was unable to appoint a law director.
The mayor noted in the lawsuit that she had submitted several names of attorneys to replace Atty. Rob Platt, who resigned in July 2000, but that council refused to appoint any of them.
The suit was dropped about five months later after council approved one of Long's choices.
"It cost the city lots of money because council hired a Cleveland law firm to serve as the city's law director until we got a permanent law director," Long said.
Bayus, Brady and Petrosky have said that they wanted to make sure the person hired was properly qualified.