Barely a month after Matthew Reinemann was promoted to assistant city fire chief, the Schenectady County Civil Service office appears to be taking a closer look at potential residency requirements associated with the job, although the mayor insists there are none.
"We'll review whether the County Civil Service has jurisdiction in this matter," said Chris Gardner, county attorney, on Monday when asked about the brewing controversy. Gardner declined to elaborate.
Questions have swirled over whether Reinemann lived in Schenectady County when he took a civil service exam for the new position, and whether he broke any rules related to his residency.
But on Monday, Mayor Gary McCarthy claimed that the issue is much ado about nothing and that he's sticking by his decision to appoint Reinemann.
Online real estate and other public records link Reinemann to an address in Stratford, a municipality located over an hour away from Schenectady, in Fulton County. McCarthy said Reinemann recently moved to Rotterdam.
Reinemann did not return a voicemail message left on his cellphone on Monday seeking comment.
"The test (civil service exam) for this position only requires that you be a firefighter, so once you're already on there, there's no residency put in this test requirement," McCarthy said. "I do not believe there's a basis for me to change my decision of appointing Matt Reinemann.
McCarthy added: "I'm happy with his record, I'm happy with that promotion, and look forward to working...
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