Embattled Monticello Mayor Gordon Jenkins is out of a job, after a ruling by the state Supreme Court to remove him from office. Time Warner Cable News reporter Jackson Wang has more on what the ruling means for the village of Monticello.
MONTICELLO, N.Y. -- The decision has been made to remove Gordon Jenkins as mayor of Monticello. The decision was just handed down from the judicial department.
“It’s a very sad time for the village at this moment," said Monticello Board of Trustee Carmen Rue.
That's Carmen Rue's reaction to the news of Mayor Gordon Jenkins being removed from office.
The state Supreme Court appellate division made the ruling Thursday morning in a seven page report.
It was in response to a lawsuit filed by residents, to oust the Mayor from office.
“His removal has been coming for quite some time, and we’re quite pleased to see it happen," said attorney Kirk Orseck.
In the ruling, the court listed several reasons for the removal including a number of acts of misconduct.
One alleges Jenkins threatened law enforcement officials with termination or disciplinary action for pursuing charges against him.
“It did take a while and it should. The judicial should not be able to remove somebody from office so easily. Once the elector puts someone into office, they have to pay a certain amount of respect to that," said Orseck.
Back in November, Jenkins pleaded guilty to DWI.
And as recently as January, Jenkins was sentenced to 45 days in jail after punching a police officer.
Orseck said these incidents ultimately led to the court's ruling.
“These are difficult cases. Only a handful of these have been won by the petitioner over the past several decades," said Orseck.
With Jenkins removal, the board of trustees will appoint a member to serve as temporary deputy mayor this Tuesday.
“We have to move forward that we represent the people and we have to do what is right for the village," said Rue.
Rue is hoping for a special election to be held in June to elect a new village mayor.
"I want to give the opportunity to the voters who elect us, all of us, the voters who vote for us, give them respect that they have to choose who they want to be the mayor," Rue said.
Jenkin’s attorney Michael Sussman has not returned calls from Time Warner Cable News yet.
Jenkins did say he plans on continuing to run his store on Broadway and hopes to stay active in the community.