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Thread: Who is missing from Town Hall?

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    Who is missing from Town Hall?

    Who got fired just in time for Christmas? There is a vacant desk in the Code enforcement office. Anyone hear anything?

  2. #2
    Member Psycho1's Avatar
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    From WGRZ

    Police escorted West Seneca's head of buildings and inspections from town hall Wednesday, after he was placed on unpaid suspension, according to Town Supervisor Wallace Piotrowski.

    William Czuprynski has worked for the town of West Seneca for more than 30 years. He did not respond to Two On Your Side's request for an interview.

    It is important to note, the town says there is no criminal investigation into Czuprynski, and that it is customary for police to escort workers out of town hall who are suspended or fired.

    Lawyers hired by the town will now conduct an investigation.

    The supervisor would not say why he suspended Czuprynski, calling it "an administrative matter," but a source told Two On Your Side, they are looking into whether any favoritism was show during the inspection and permit process.

    On Friday, Two On Your Side's Aaron Saykin spoke with the town supervisor.

    Saykin: As far as you know, were any businesses or residences in town given permits who may not have qualified for them?

    Supervisor Wallace Piotrowski: Not that I'm aware of at this time.

    Saykin: Were inspections done improperly, as far as you know?

    Piotrowski: Again, we don't know all of the nitty griity of all of those facts. It's just a general theory and we're proceeding with the investigation and we'll see if anything like that is uncovered.

    The investigation could take several months to complete.
    I'd rather be hated for who I am... than loved for who I'm not!

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    I am liking Wally more and more every day.

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    Member dtwarren's Avatar
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    While I am no fan of Mr. Czuprynski's I believe that if you do not do things correctly it comes back and bites you in the ass.

    It should be noted that a public employer may not suspend an employee, even where it has the power to terminate his employment permanently. The power to suspend is not an inherent lesser power included within the power to terminate public employment (see, Emmitt v Mayor of City of N. Y., 128 NY 117; Gregory v Mayor of City of N. Y., 113 NY 416; Sinicropi v Bennett, 92 AD2d 309, affd 60 NY2d 918; Matter of Bramer v Board of Parole, 247 App Div 414; People ex rel. Curren v Cook, 117 App Div 788). In this case the only statutory provision I could find at the moment is subdivision 3 of section 75 of the Civil Service Law, which provides in relevant part: "Pending the hearing and determination of charges of incompetency or misconduct, the officer or employee against whom such charges have been preferred may be suspended without pay for a period not exceeding thirty days. If such officer or employee is found guilty of the charges, the penalty or punishment may consist of a reprimand, a fine not to exceed one hundred dollars to be deducted from the salary or wages of such officer or employee, suspension without pay for a period not exceeding two months, demotion in grade and title, or dismissal from the service; provided, however, that the time during which an officer or employee is suspended without pay may be considered as part of the penalty. If he is acquitted, he shall be restored to his position with full pay for the period of suspension".

    I do not believe that the supervisor has the authority to take the action described in the article because the Town Board not the Supervisor is the appointing authority in personnel matters. Based on the town board's apparent failure to properly call a special session to consider this under the Open Meetings Law that if there was TB approval it is subject to attack.
    “We in America do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate.” ― Thomas Jefferson

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    Member Psycho1's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by dtwarren View Post
    While I am no fan of Mr. Czuprynski's I believe that if you do not do things correctly it comes back and bites you in the ass.

    It should be noted that a public employer may not suspend an employee, even where it has the power to terminate his employment permanently. The power to suspend is not an inherent lesser power included within the power to terminate public employment (see, Emmitt v Mayor of City of N. Y., 128 NY 117; Gregory v Mayor of City of N. Y., 113 NY 416; Sinicropi v Bennett, 92 AD2d 309, affd 60 NY2d 918; Matter of Bramer v Board of Parole, 247 App Div 414; People ex rel. Curren v Cook, 117 App Div 788). In this case the only statutory provision I could find at the moment is subdivision 3 of section 75 of the Civil Service Law, which provides in relevant part: "Pending the hearing and determination of charges of incompetency or misconduct, the officer or employee against whom such charges have been preferred may be suspended without pay for a period not exceeding thirty days. If such officer or employee is found guilty of the charges, the penalty or punishment may consist of a reprimand, a fine not to exceed one hundred dollars to be deducted from the salary or wages of such officer or employee, suspension without pay for a period not exceeding two months, demotion in grade and title, or dismissal from the service; provided, however, that the time during which an officer or employee is suspended without pay may be considered as part of the penalty. If he is acquitted, he shall be restored to his position with full pay for the period of suspension".

    I do not believe that the supervisor has the authority to take the action described in the article because the Town Board not the Supervisor is the appointing authority in personnel matters. Based on the town board's apparent failure to properly call a special session to consider this under the Open Meetings Law that if there was TB approval it is subject to attack.
    Dan, why can't you let us enjoyy the moment.

    I would guess there is more to the story than has been released, and the TB will have to make it offical at the next meeting.
    I'd rather be hated for who I am... than loved for who I'm not!

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    Member dtwarren's Avatar
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    http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregio...ry/888058.html

    Code enforcement chief suspended without pay by W. Seneca board
    By Mary B. Pasciak
    NEWS STAFF REPORTER
    December 09, 2009, 7:00 AM /

    West Seneca’s code enforcement officer has been suspended without pay.

    William P. Czuprynski’s suspension comes as the result of an investigation by the town’s labor attorneys, Jaeckle Fleischmann & Mugel, town officials said.

    “They came into some information and were concerned about it, and conveyed that to the Town Board,” Town Supervisor Wallace C. Piotrowski said.

    The Town Board decided to suspend him. Piotrowski said he served the legal papers on Czuprynski last week. No criminal charges are pending, the town supervisor said.

    Czuprynski, 63, has been a town employee for more than 30 years, at least 20 of them as the code enforcement officer. He is eligible to retire through the public pension system but has not filed retirement papers, Piotrowski said.
    “We in America do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate.” ― Thomas Jefferson

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    Wasn't the FBI poking around a while back on both Clark and "Ski"? (Well, I know they were, I'm just wondering if this may stem from that).

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    Anyone have any updates on this?

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    Tony Fracasso - Admin
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    You know what I noticed about stuff like this. The "town govenments/governments" in general don't really want to go after it. They don't want to open a can of worms for the rest of the possible "government" employees involved in some cases.

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    Member dtwarren's Avatar
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    Apparently he is now retired: http://www.buffalonews.com/258/story/919821.html
    “We in America do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate.” ― Thomas Jefferson

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    So who will be collecting cash for favorable reviews now?
    Does he get to keep that piece of property he back-doored on Main St?

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    Member Spirit of Ebenezer's Avatar
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    Good Riddance.....

    Thankfully, another town bully is gone. Unfortunately, he got away with his shirt on. Sadly, the town is still cleaning up from the Paul Clark era of shame. Hopefully, along with the abhorrible Americorp folly, this is one step closer to removing the term "irreparable damage" from the town lexicon of the past administration.
    A remark should only hurt within it's proportion of what is true.

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    Interesting to see who is representing Mr. Czuprynski.......

  14. #14
    Member dtwarren's Avatar
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    From: http://www.buffalonews.com/2010/04/1...old-plans.html

    W. Seneca's inspector sold plans on the side
    FBI is reviewing how Czuprynski ran office
    By Mary B. Pasciak
    News Staff Reporter
    Updated: April 10, 2010, 11:45 pm /
    Published: April 11, 2010, 7:01 am

    As West Seneca's building inspector, William P. Czuprynski was responsible for reviewing plans for every building project in the town for the last quarter of a century.

    He did far more than review the plans, though.

    Czuprynski also drew many of the plans he was supposed to approve or reject, and charged residents and developers fees for his drawings.

    That practice was the main reason the man known to some as "the bulldog" — and to others merely as a bully — was finally forced to retire this year, bringing an end to what many residents consider his reign of terror. And FBI agents are asking town residents and officials questions about how Czuprynski ran the inspections office.

    If you wanted to get a project approved in West Seneca without any problems, you had to show up in Czuprynski's office in the basement of Town Hall — ready to pay cash, according to builders, contractors, and homeowners.

    And town officials knew what was going on. Yet cash continued to change hands across the counter in his office for years — sometimes as often as twice a week, during busy seasons, according to town residents and people who have worked in Town Hall.

    "It was common knowledge that Bill was doing work on the side," said Vincent J. Graber, who was on the Town Board for 12 years. "He was never told that he couldn't. He was doing it long before I ever got on the Town Board."

    There was no job too small or too big — porches, additions, entire houses. One of the priciest subdivisions in West Seneca literally has Czuprynski's handwriting all over it.

    Frank J. Mathewscq, the 88-year-old engineer who worked with Czuprynski on his side jobs, said he's known the former building inspector since he was in high school with Mathews' son. Over the years, the elder Mathews and Czuprynski would work together on drawings, he said.

    "He'd do the drafting. I'd verify they were structurally sound," Mathews said.

    By the time Czuprynski, 63, retired this year, he had drawn plans for projects totaling many millions of dollars in West Seneca.

    "You had to do what he wanted," one former contractor said. "If not, you'd always have to worry about him coming in and telling you that you did this wrong, you did that wrong."
    “We in America do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate.” ― Thomas Jefferson

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    He must have read the book "How to take a bribe and get away with it".....

    Every elected official in West Seneca should be investigated. How do you let your citizens be treated that way for so many years?

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