POTSDAM — The village Board of Trustees approved the appointment of three people to the Empire Zone Administrative Board on Monday night — and asked the Town Council to follow suit.

Trustees unanimously approved, 3-0, the nomination of Nancy Kin, Abigail D. Lee and Suryadevara V. Babu to the board. Mayor Reinhold J. Tischler, who as ZAB chairman nominates members, was absent, and Mrs. Lee, who is also a village trustee, left the meeting early.

The Town Council last week voted to install Ms. Kin, chief financial officer for Clarkson University, to the board but tabled the nominations of Mrs. Lee and Mr. Babu, who is director of the Center for Advanced Materials Processing, after Councilman Michael J. Zagrobelny raised concerns about the two.

"The town and village have to agree on the nominations," said village Planning and Development Director Frederick J. Hanss, who also administers the Empire Zone. "If the town rejects the nominations, it'd be a chore to find anybody else to nominate."

Village Clerk Lori S. Queor read a prepared statement about the nominees' qualifications. Mr. Hanss said that information about how the nominations fulfill ZAB goals had been added.

Trustee Steven W. Yurgartis, who attended last week's Town Council meeting, proposed a resolution respectfully requesting "in light of certain past misunderstandings that have been corrected" that the town reconsider appointment of Mrs. Lee and Mr. Babu to ZAB. That resolution also was approved 3-0.

"People should recognize that it's difficult to find people to serve," Trustee George F. Regan said. "I hope the town reconsiders, or considers for the final end here, that they should be appointed."

Mr. Zagrobelny had objected to Mrs. Lee's nomination because three village employees — Mr. Hanss, economic developer James A. Murphy and Administrator Michael D. Weil — already attend ZAB meetings and Mr. Tischler chairs the board. He also said that Clarkson already has a representative on the ZAB in Ms. Kin, and suggested that someone from the village of Norwood would be a better nominee than Mr. Babu.

Town Supervisor Marie C. Regan and Councilman Harold B. Demick are both members of the ZAB and voted for all three nominees in that capacity, before tabling the nominations of Mrs. Lee and Mr. Babu at the Town Council meeting last week.