Brockport appoints permanent DPW supervisor

Provisional Department of Public Works Superintendent Harry Donahue received unanimous approval for a permanent position with the Village of Brockport. He has served in the position following the departure of the former DPW superintendent, Brad Upson.

"Harry is an 'A plus' person," Mayor Mort Wexler said. "He has helped this village tremendously when he received the provisional appointment and we are more than happy to have him appointed permanently."

According to Village Manager Ian Coyle, the DPW superintendent position brings with it a $65,700 base salary.

Wexler said Donahue is well liked and well respected in the community as well as by those he supervises and is extremely knowledgeable about the village and its needs.

"We spoke with many of his workers this summer and they made no bones about the fact that they wanted Harry as their boss; the board agreed," he said. "It's a win-win for everyone."

Donahue, who has been with the department of public works for 23 years, said it's rewarding working for and with the taxpayers. "On occasion there are some people who get upset but we do the best we can to make things better for the community," he said.

Now a resident of Clarkson, Donahue was born and raised in the village and said his parents still live there.

When asked what issues are facing the village and his department, Donahue said, "There are going to be issues with infrastructure that will be surfacing that will have to be addressed and some of those could come with a significant price tag." He added that because much of the infrastructure is close to 100 years old that it is to be expected.