§ 3. Department of public service. There shall be in the state
government a department of public service. The chairman of the public
service commission shall be the chief executive officer of the
department. He or she shall appoint and shall have the power to remove,
subject to the provisions of the civil service law, all officers,
clerks, inspectors, experts and employees of the department, and to
approve all contracts for special service. The chairman shall designate
one of the commissioners in the department or an officer of the
department to act as deputy chairman during the absence or disability of
the chairman and during such times such deputy chairman shall possess
all the powers of the chairman as chief executive officer of the
department.