Guy Cappuccio will serve as fourth ward alderman until the end of the year after a vote today at a special meeting of the Amsterdam Common Council. The appointment was approved unanimously by council members Jim Martuscello, Art Iannuzzi and Paul Ochal. Alderman Bill Baaki was not present. The vote comes two days after the council voted down a resolution to appoint Dave Dybas, who was recommended by the Montgomery County Democratic Committee and who was also selected to appear on the Democratic party line for the position on November’s ballot. The position has been vacant since former alderman Rodney Wojnar resigned on August 20.
After the meeting, Martuscello said after the original recommendation was voted down, there was little time left to find someone else to fill the slot, as the city charter requires a replacement to be appointed within 30 days.
Cappuccio spoke at the Democratic committee meeting on September 17 along with Dybas, but only received six votes from the committee to Dybas’ 26 votes.
Cappuccio did not attend the council meeting, but an open letter from him to the council was distributed afterwards. In the letter, dated September 19, he stated:
It was never on my bucket list to seek an elected office, but I truly accepted the call out to serve the fourth ward and the City of Amsterdam with the highest regard.
He listed current and previous community involvement such as serving as vice president of the Amsterdam Girls Softball Association, as officer and trustee of the Walter Elmwood Museum for nine years, and involvement with the AHS Marching Rams Booster Club.
My intent is to be a community leader focused on the future for the fourth ward and the City of Amsterdam via fiscal responsibility, current needs and the future planning for the City of Amsterdam. Communication has been vacant for a long time and the voice of the residents of the fourth ward need to be addressed and heard.
It would be my honor to accept this appointment and I thank you for your confidence in my abilities to site on the common council of the City of Amsterdam for this interim period.
Reached for comment today, Cappuccio said he is currently employed as a customer complaint analyst at Mohawk Fine Papers in Cohoes.
He said that if the Church Street reconstruction project begins this year, one of his main priorities would be to make sure that traffic pattern changes are communicated clearly to residents.
Although Cappuccio’s name will not be on the ballot for the council position this November, he said that a write-in campaign is “definitely being considered.”
