OGDENSBURG — A request by the Ogdensburg planning and development office that its board evaluate itself is getting mixed reviews — not only from the panel itself, but also the man who appointed its members, Mayor William D. Nelson.

At the conclusion of Tuesday’s Planning Board meeting, interim Planning and Development Director Andrea L. Smith handed out copies of a single-page “performance evaluation.”

The director asked the board members to “introspectively” evaluate themselves in four areas: communication with the public, teamwork, training and attendance.

The self-applied ratings in each category are unacceptable, poor, acceptable, good and excellent.

Board chairman and 24-year member Timothy J. Redmond was puzzled at what Ms. Smith was asking.

“I don’t know why she’s doing this,” he said Friday, asserting that no volunteer board should be asked to evaluate itself.

Mr. Redmond said he will not fill out the survey.

But Frank R. Perretta, a member since February, did complete the evaluation. He gave the board excellent ratings in communication with the public and teamwork. Training and attendance are requirements.

Still, Mr. Perretta said he had never heard of a volunteer board being asked to evaluate itself.

Neither had Mr. Nelson, who got his start in public service in the early 1990s as a member of the Planning Board and advocates volunteerism for the city’s committees, commissions and boards.

He disapproved of Ms. Smith’s move, which he knew nothing about until Friday afternoon.

“I don’t know why she is doing this,” Mr. Nelson said. “I think it’s unfair to ask volunteers to evaluate themselves at any level.”

Ms. Smith could not be reached for comment Friday afternoon.

Thousands of readers like you have made Northern New York Newspapers the number one ranked website* for local news and sports coverage in the north country.

You can continue on to this article in a few seconds, or you can visit one of our websites:

• Watertown Daily Times
• The Ogdensburg Journal
• Daily Courier-Observer