BUFFALO, N.Y. — The search for new fleet and emergency services mangers is over, two key senior officials have officially began their work at City Hall.
On Oct. 31, Mayor Byron Brown had announced that Thomas Luby and James J. Cross were the chosen applicants hired, and both have now begun working officially Buffalo City Hall earlier this week.
Luby's shift as the new emergency services manager started Monday, and on Wednesday, Cross started as the new fleet manager.
With over 30 years of public service experience as captain of the New York City Fire Department, Luby said that he was ready to hit the ground running with the new job and opportunity.
"Coordination is very key in juggling a lot of chainsaws simultaneously and other things coming in. It's very high stressful for not only for yourself but all the other team members," Luby says.
Luby says he is confident this year's winter plan will be effective. He says after reviewing remarks from last year's blizzard, there were lessons learned. He plans to take those lessons to improve responsiveness for the city.
The city's 68-page Winter Snow Plan calls for ten new additional snow plows and nine other vehicles added to the current fleet. However, Cross is still assessing what works and what doesn't. Cross has worked as assistant fleet operations manager for AAA of Western and Central New York.
"I want to get an accurate inventory of the vehicles in The City of Buffalo. Once I do that, I plan on looking at things that need to be replaced, bought and continuing the preventative maintenance schedules that the city has in place," Cross says.
Mayor Byron Brown and the City of Buffalo conducted the national search for the position, saying the search brought two highly qualified experts to the unknown of our Buffalo winters.
As these two individuals jump into the winter season just ahead of the winter weather, Mayor Brown responded to the key senior officials appointed for the jobs.
"Their expertise in their respective fields will be a major asset to our team. I am confident that the city, in conjunction with our partners in county and state government, will be as ready as possible for anything mother nature throws our way," Mayor Brown said.