Saranac Lake's new village manager, Bachana Tsiklauri. (Enterprise photo — Aaron Marbone)

SARANAC LAKE — When Bachana Tsiklauri was asked by the mayor to fill the vacant village manager position in July, he said the first thing he requested was a week to make a decision.

“I was excited. At the same time, I felt responsibility right away,” said Tsiklauri, who was the village treasurer at the time.

He wanted time to make sure all the department heads felt comfortable with him taking that position. Without full teamwork, he did not want to lead.

“All of them expressed full support. … If even one of the department heads were to say, ‘Hey, I like you as a person but I don’t think you are a good fit for the position,’ I don’t think I would have taken the job,” Tsiklauri said.

He felt he worked well with them as treasurer.

Former Manager Erik Stender resigned from the position last month, following a conflict with Mayor Jimmy Williams.

“I have no fear and no worry about a similar situation,” Tsiklauri said. “I am not even considering how to protect myself from that kind of situation because I don’t think it’s ever going to happen between myself and Jimmy.”

Now, he’s catching up with everything that was on Stender’s plate. There are several large ongoing projects, including numerous public park projects funded through a $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant and the proposed joint emergency services building on Petrova Avenue.

The DRI projects are continuing without any pause, Tsiklauri said.

He said the work at Ward Plumadore Park at the intersection of Broadway and Bloomingdale Avenue resumed this week after a pause. Diesel fuel was discovered in the soil at the park, which triggered a state-mandated cleanup.

Tsiklauri plans to meet with all village department heads this week.

Tsiklauri grew up in the Republic of Georgia. Two years after Russia violently invaded his country in 2008, he moved to Saranac Lake with his father at the age of 15.

Tsiklauri graduated from Saranac Lake High School, went on to get an accounting degree and worked in the financial field through his career.

He lived in Manhattan before moving back to Saranac Lake during the coronavirus pandemic.

–

$1 million in interest

–

Tsiklauri confirmed a claim Williams made to the Enterprise last month — that the village is on track to earn $1 million in interest from the money it has in the bank this year. Tsiklauri said this is through a new agreement he and former deputy treasurer, current treasurer, Patrick Murphy forged with their bank.

Tsiklauri said the village is almost half-way there now, with nine months left to go in the fiscal year. He said in July alone, the village earned $70,000 in interest.

When he started as treasurer, the village accounts were scattered around between three different banks. Tsiklauri and Murphy worked out a deal which started in February to close unnecessary accounts and consolidate them all into one account with the highest interest rate.

This is nothing against predecessors, he said. He knew to do this because of experience in the field, and it was one of the first things he noticed when he started in August 2022.

Before they worked out this deal, Tsiklauri said the village’s interest rate on money in the bank was 0.25% — “literally pocket change.” Now, that rate is close to 5%, he said.

The village worked out an agreement with the bank to match the New York Cooperative Liquid Assets Securities System’s interest rate.

NYCLASS is a financial institution regulated by the state which usually provides the best rates for municipalities. But these funds are not as easily liquidable. Tsiklauri said he wants the village to have access to most of its funds on demand, so the village doesn’t keep much in there.

The money in the NYCLASS account has a slightly higher rate than the bank. He said the village keeps around $1.07 million in that account with an interest rate close to 5%.

Tsiklauri acknowledged that the village has also benefited from the Federal Reserve setting high interest rates in recent months. These could change eventually, but he does not see that happening soon.

–

Confirmations

–

On Monday, the village board unanimously confirmed Tsiklauri as village manager. Williams had previously made the appointment, and felt that was final.

Trustee Matt Scollin said the village employee handbook requires that this appointment get board approval to be official, so he wanted to make it official.

Trustee Tom Catillaz said the board should have voted to approve before Williams made the appointment.

“You’ve got to start doing things correct,” he told Williams.

Williams said attorneys from the New York Conference of Mayors told him directly: If someone vacates a seat part-way through their term it doesn’t require board approval.

But Trustee Rich Shapiro said village policy is that the appointment requires board approval, and that village policy supersedes NYCOM’s recommendations. Williams said he didn’t agree with that.

The manager position carries an annual salary of $81,600 and is entitled to the same benefits provided to other non-union administrative staff.

The manager position comes with a lot of responsibility, Tsiklauri said, and he feels he’s ready to take it on. Ultimately, he said he is hired by the residents of the village and promised to act in their interests.

The village board also voted to confirm Murphy as the new treasurer in a 4-1 vote.

“I have to vote ‘no’ on this. Patrick’s a great guy, but he’s not an accountant,” Shapiro said.

This position carries a four-year term with an annual salary of $61,200 and is entitled to the same benefits provided to other non-union administrative staff.