FOLLOWING DRUG-RELATED ARREST, HIGHWAY SUPERINTENDENT'S FUTURE WITH
TOWN UNCERTAIN; SEVERAL OF THOSE ARRESTED POSTPONE ARRAIGNMENTS

MILTON - Supervisor Frank Thompson said he'll confer with Town Board
members this weekend to decide whether to seek Highway Superintendent
[name redacted]resignation.

[name redacted], 43, of Lee Street in Ballston Spa, was one of 12
people charged Thursday with drug trafficking following a five-month
investigation by Saratoga Springs Police and the Drug Enforcement Agency.

"We can ask for his resignation, but he doesn't have to do it,"
Thompson said. "I've been talking to them (board members). I haven't
gotten a good consensus yet."

[name redacted] was re-elected this fall after running unopposed.

The Town Board isn't scheduled to meet again until Jan. 1 when its
annual organization meeting is held. However, the board might hold a
special meeting before then to deal with [name redacted], Thompson said.

"We're going to figure that out over the weekend," he said. "I feel
sorry for his family. He's innocent until proven guilty."

[name redacted] is next scheduled to appear in Saratoga Springs City
Court Jan. 3.

Police say more arrests are expected from the investigation. Police
so far have seized more than two ounces of cocaine, five pounds of
marijuana and one vehicle.

The Milton Highway Department works a four-day week, Monday to
Thursday, so [name redacted] was not scheduled to be on the job
Friday. If [name redacted] does resign, Thompson said he's confident
the 15-member department will have no trouble handling its duties.

"These guys know their jobs so well they wouldn't miss a beat," he said.

Several of the other people charged as a result of the investigation
have appeared in court last week and others had their court dates
postponed. [name redacted], [name redacted] and [name redacted] all
pleaded not guilty to felony conspiracy and are all scheduled to
reappear in court on Jan. 12.

Five others had their arraignments postponed: [name redacted] to Jan
19, [name redacted] to Jan. 12, [name redacted] to Dec. 22 because he
failed to appear in court last week, [name redacted] to Jan. 26 and
[name redacted] to Dec. 21.