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Monticello, NY - Since 1994, Monticello has averaged a new village manager every year.

Infighting and constant political turmoil have created a revolving door at the manager position that former managers and experts say is stifling the village. With an ailing business district, crumbling infrastructure and a major taxpayer about to leave, those who watch the village say it needs stability now more than ever. Instead, it's changed managers 15 times in 15 years.

"When you don't have a steady manager, you can't budget, you can't look for grants, you can't really do anything because there is no plan at all," said Richard Sush, who served as manager from 2001 to 2006, the longest most recent stint. "It becomes strictly a game of reaction, and everything becomes an emergency."

Past managers and economic experts said Monticello will need consistency at the helm as it tackles big challenges in the coming years.

The project to pave Broadway and build new sidewalks has been delayed every year for nearly a decade. Many of the blighted storefronts in the business district remain empty. And one of the village's largest taxpayers, Monticello Gaming & Raceway, is due to leave in 2010.

With direction from trustees, the village manager is tasked with solving and coordinating these problems and projects.

"In order for Monticello to be competitive, it needs direction from the board and manager," said Peter Gozza, a Liberty resident and economic development expert who once applied to be Monticello's manager. "But if you're an investor and you see the board and manager fighting publicly, why would you want to come here?"

Three weeks ago, Monticello hired its latest manager, local attorney Zachary Kelson, in a bitter, spur-of-the moment meeting. The vote was 3-2.

Bob McEvoy, a professor of public administration and policy at SUNY Albany, said Monticello is holding itself back by hiring nonprofessional managers who are involved in local politics. Kelson coordinated the re-election campaign for County Court Judge Burton Ledina last year. Recently fired Manager John Barbarite was the campaign manager for Mayor Gordon Jenkins. And before him, Manager Ray Nargizian was a fixture of the local Republican Party.

McEvoy said the village should advertise with respected manager associations to find a long-term leader.

"They should hire a manager with professional expertise who follows the code of ethics, which says managers must support every member of the board equally," he said.

Still, those who watch Monticello carefully believe the quarreling board is unlikely to get along and find a manager that could put it back on the tracks, even though the village's future depends on it.

"There are just too many people in Monticello who are on a power trip," said George Panchyshyn, Monticello's manager from 1996 to 1998. "Somebody else always wants to be important there, and inconsistency just breeds more confusion."

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