CATSKILL– Joseph Kozloski and Natasha Law were named village board president and vice president, at an emergency meeting in Village Hall, 422 Main St, on Monday morning.

The Village of Catskill trustees held an emergency meeting to re-instate a vice president position and to appoint a new president after the former president’s term ended Sunday, March 31.

Peter Grasse III became Village president in 2021 following long-time president Vincent Seeley. Grasse’s term ended after losing his re-election campaign with runningmate Jeffrey Holliday.

Trustee Natasha Law said the meeting was vital for the future of the board.

“I found it essential for the President to start officially signing off on matters today, rather than waiting until the reorganizational meeting on the 8th which is why we had an emergency meeting today,” she said. “Prior to today's meeting both new elects (Jeff Workman Jr. and Daniel Ward) signed their Oaths of Office. Following the guidelines of Roberts Rules of Law and NYCOM, having a second-in-command is imperative for continuity in case the President is unavailable.

Before the meeting, Law said the nomination of the new president usually wouldn’t happen until the reorganizational meeting but this was a special circumstance.

“However, this is a unique situation as our previous president did not win the election, and there was no designated successor in place.”

Law said the vice president position was disolved by the former board president, Grasse.

“The dissolution of the second-in-command position was because he said vice presidency is not specified in the charter, despite our adherence to Roberts Rules of Order. To address potential future issues, the board will be reinstating the Vice Presidency.”

The board went into executive session shortly after 9 a.m. in which they appointed Joseph Kozloski as president and Natasha Law as vice president.

Kozloski has been a member of the board of trustees for 18 years on and off since 2005.

“Ultimately, I hope to keep moving the village forward,” he said. “I have no concerns taking the position, I know the ins and outs and know what’s going on with the budget.”

The village is undertaking multiple infrastructure projects including a water pipe project on main street and sewer project that will start in 2025.

“This year through 2032, it’s going to be a busy village,” Kozloski said. “Pete (the former president) and I worked well together through meetings and budgets and we met everyday to see what can be done to keep moving the village forward; I plan to continue doing that with the new trustees.”

The board is a five member board. Kozloski said running the village takes all five members. “One to two people running the village won’t get anything done.”

As for vice president, Law said she’s thrilled to be in the position.

“I take pride in being part of a dedicated team of 5 trustees, each bringing valuable input to the table. In our team, all member's thoughts and votes hold equal weight, regardless of titles like President or Vice President,” she said. “With two new elects I have faith we will all work together seamlessly, with Joe Koz (Kozloski) as President and myself as Vice President. Koz (Kozloski) has so much knowledge and experience he's bringing to the table as president.”

Law said it’s important to keep the momentum going on current and future projects and just wants to see Catskill grow.

“I am humbled to have been nominated by the Board of Trustees for this role, and I look forward to continuing to serve our community by leading with my heart with dedication and integrity,” she said. “Being a trustee is important to me for many reasons. It allows me to give back to my community I grew up in and make a positive impact on the lives of all the residents. I love Catskill and want to see Catskill Succeed.”

Similarly to Kozloski, Law looks forward to hearing the new trustee’s ideas and working together.

“Two new board members mean fresh ideas coming to the table. I look forward to hearing their thoughts and working with them to bring ideas beneficial to our community into fruition,” she said.

Although Kozloski and Law were nominated by the Board of Trustees for their new roles, both terms expire within the next two years. Law’s term expires in March 2025 and Kozloski’s expires in March 2026, both will be up for re-election.