LIBERTY - In a reversal of their decision from two weeks ago, the Liberty Town Board reinstated the position of deputy supervisor and unanimously appointed local businessman Bruce Davidson to serve in that role.

Dozens of residents turned out at the board meeting during a snowstorm to have their voices heard on an issue that's proven unusually contentious. Supervisor Brian Rourke beat them to the punch, however, when he stood up and announced the decision.

“After thorough discussions on this matter over the last two weeks with the board members and others, I now firmly believe that this dispute is the result of misunderstandings and miscommunication,” Supervisor Rourke said, “I'm proud to say that these intense discussions have led to a resolution, and the board is prepared to restore this position tonight.”

The original dispute centered around appointing Davidson to the position instead of an elected councilmember, as was the case when Russell Reeves was deputy supervisor under then-supervisor Charlie Barbuti. The deputy supervisor isn't required to be a councilmember, however, as seen by former Supervisor John Schmidt's appointment of Clarence Barber as his deputy. The town board previously rejected Supervisor Rourke's suggested appointment for a number of reasons, and voted instead to eliminate the position.

This produced a groundswell of support for the position that expressed outrage on social media and then showed up at Tuesday night's public hearing.

According to Town Attorney Kenneth Klein, the deputy supervisor position has two primary functions: presiding over meetings and signing town paychecks if the supervisor is unavailable. The deputy supervisor would not have a vote at any meetings they preside over.

“This issue was always about policy. It was never about Bruce and it was never meant to harm him in any way,” Councilmember Dean Farrand explained. “On behalf of the board I would apologize for that.”

Councilmember Brian McPhillips took a moment to echo that sentiment. “I sit on other boards with Bruce. He's a champion for Liberty with a lot of great ideas. I think if we could have more people who put in as much effort as Bruce then we'd be a great place.”

Supervisor Rourke went on to say that he would continue to support having councilmembers as liaisons to important town departments. “We're going to continue with the liaison positions, and we respect the value that liaisons have in terms of communications between the departments and the board.” Supervisor Rourke said there will be ongoing discussions with the board about changing some liaison appointments.

“Despite all this drama, this a proud moment in Liberty. What you've witnessed is a difficult issue being resolved diplomatically,” Supervisor Rourke said.

“We've been promoting Liberty these past years as a place to invest, buy a home, raise a family, open a business and visit. This is what we all should be concentrating on,” Councilmember Russell Reeves said. “The part of social media that thrives on negativity and attacks good people is like cancer. We need to be part of the cure and not part of the disease.”