Letter To The Village Of Lancaster Board

[mark blazejewski]

Just more mud-slinging.

Breezy, do you have some kind of weird form of political Tourette's, and one which has a lexicon limited to smears and unsupported insults at that, because you almost faithfully limit your comments to such written vomit?

Kindly illustrate to the readers, just where in my letter do you find tangible evidence of "mud slinging", or in your revolutionary ultra-Left, socialist, WOKE world, do you consider merely asking questions "mud-slinging"?

In fact, did I not specifically state this in my letter to the Mayor and the Village Board?

...without intending to suggest any wrong doing whatsoever,...

Perhaps you just are afraid of the questions, the answers, or perhaps from the conclusions that may some may draw from silence, huh?

But what else can the readers expect from a self-described "troll", eh?

...LOL I am just a troll...

[Lee Chowaniec]

Hey Mark:

Like you, many of us were interested in what took place at the Village of Lancaster board meeting Monday evening. Quite a contentious meeting I have heard. Beside the raucous sewer backup issue, I received a transcript of LIDA board member Rinow addressing Mayor Ruda with the following questions:

Mayor, a few weeks back, the sitting Village Trustee resigned over issues he claimed he saw relating to the CDC. As a director yourself, are you able to tell us who was the acting secretary, treasurer, and executive Director of the CDC at that time?

Mayor, you called the appointment that individual a potential ‘conflict of interest’ when you seconded the motion to appoint that individual when you were trustee. Who told you or the board that it wasn’t a conflict of interest? Who indicated that it was acceptable for that individual to not only sit on the CDC, but the village historic preservation commission as well. Was there ever a discussion if that other appointment was a conflict of interest?

Mayor, can you please cite in the CDC bylaws (as you are voting Director) where the CDC is authorized to operate as it does? Have New York State financial reports filed on time, and in time for the past three years? Who has made those filings?

Mayor during your tenure, how many people have left the CDC?

Mayor during your tenure, how many people have openly called for the dissolution of the CDC?

Comment

Mr. Rinow’s questions went unanswered but would be taken into consideration.

Hearing that many CDC members have resigned, Mr. Rinow’s questions were pertinent / germane to a relationship between the Mayor and a CDC / developer, and the support and benefits extended to him. The VOL & CDC have some splaining to do.

And yes, Mark the LIDA's October 10 decision to table the extension request, to all intents and purposes, effectively denied any such an extension to Mr. Sweeny.

[GroundControl]

I am pretty sure when one goes back to the start of the "Sweeney/Ruda" symbiotic relationship it was Bill Schroeder sitting in the mayors chair. When one decides to take a look at the whole picture I suggest Mr. Rinow start there. It was indeed Mayor Bill who first suggested a conflict of interest concerning the West Main Street project. It was shortly there after that Mr. Sweeney threw his full support behind Trustee Ruda. Mr. Rinow is on to something

[mark blazejewski]

It was indeed Mayor Bill who first suggested a conflict of interest concerning the West Main Street project. It was shortly there after that Mr. Sweeney threw his full support behind Trustee Ruda.

I'm not familiar with your handle, so perhaps a welcome to Speak Up is in order, GroundControl.

Thank you for your interest in my thread.

If what you state is true, your comments may very well explain this 2021 Golden Oldie:

image (20).png

[Lee Chowaniec]

In reading the Lancaster Bee report titled ‘Community Development Corporation topic makes its way to village meeting,’ I am confused as why so much ink was spent on former Village of Lancaster Trustee Tyler Sojka, his resignation, and reasons for. His name was never mentioned in Mr. Rinow’s (LIDA member) address to the VOL board.

The following Bee paragraph is equally confusing:

According to the Village of Lancaster Community Development Corporation’s October meeting minutes, Tom Sweeney, Deb Glowny, Lynne Ruda, Michelle Czech and Joe Ligammare are directors with the CDC, and John Mikoley and Cyndi Maciejewski are members. The treasurer’s report cited $33,456.34 as their active balance. The open discussion centered around the future of the Village of Lancaster Community Development Corporation, with no decisions being made, apart from the need to find new members to fill open seats, including president, treasurer and secretary.

In October, Tom Sweeney, Deb Glowny, Lynne Ruda, Michelle Czech and Joe Ligammare are directors with the CDC, and John Mikoley and Cyndi Maciejewski are members. The paragraph ends with ‘the need to find new members to fill open seats, including president, treasurer and secretary.’

There have been multiple CDC resignations reported. Does the need for president, treasurer and secretary imply ‘directors’. If so, what directors have resigned, intend to resign, or currently serve in ‘director’ positions on the CDC?

Mr. Sweeny recently answered a CDC FOIL request as Treasurer. While Mr. Sweeny’s position as CDC director is being looked at by some as a conflict of interest, more so is Deb Glowny’s position – allegedly a non-resident who is a banker and services Mr. Sweeny.

Mayor Ruda is a CDC ‘director’ and as LIDA member championed Mr. Sweeny’s IDA approval and included several of Mr. Sweeny’s projects for consideration in the New York Forward grant program.

LIDA member David Rinow has opened a can of worms!

[GroundControl]

Have had a chance to do a little more research on this Sweeney/Ruda thing.Apparently there is a clash of wills going on between the two over the property Mr. Sweeney was able to sell back to the VOL with a contingency that Mr. Sweeney would regain title and install private parking for phase two apartment renters. The Mayor is fighting him for ownership.
She had grass planted for the time being. I have not been able to find out who was in direct charge of The West Main St Project and who's duty it was to hold Sweeney to the original contract. That info must be somewhere. Most of the information about the CDC appears to be on their site.It is interesting that the developer Mr. Sweeney appears seated on more boards than the CDC over the last 4 years or so.

[mark blazejewski]

*I have not been able to find out who was in direct charge of The West Main St Project and who's duty it was to hold Sweeney to the original contract.

Your comment in my mind resurrects an uncertainty that continues to trouble me.

I did commercial construction work for a very significant part of my life.

As I remember, on every major job site, there was always an inspector who would protect the interests of those invested in the project. (For example, there was such an inspector representing the interests of the Buffalo Board of Education during construction of the Waterfront school in the mid-1970s.)

The inspectors I knew were highly qualified and particularly watchful, all in the best interests of their clients. Their mandate was to guard against the use of substandard materials, contractor "shortcuts", substitutions, and to generally ensure that the contractor properly and completely delivered everything it promised.

Did, or does, the village have any such oversight in connection with the West Main Street project, other than trust developer and the town building department popping in for final inspections?

[GroundControl]

Mark, it appears to me the records show Mr. Sweeney was given a number amendments by the Historic Committee to change the original design plan that was intended to keep the buildings of an era type appearance in accordance with their intended desires. It does seem as though Sweeney got special treatment others did not. Again I wish I could find out who has the original artist concept drawings. People who have seen them say the new buildings are no where near what was promised.I will keep digging.

[mark blazejewski]

Mark, it appears to me the records show Mr. Sweeney was given a number amendments by the Historic Committee to change the original design plan that was intended to keep the buildings of an era type appearance in accordance with their intended desires. It does seem as though Sweeney got special treatment others did not. Again I wish I could find out who has the original artist concept drawings. People who have seen them say the new buildings are no where near what was promised.I will keep digging.

In light of the public questions, yours included, the Mayor and the Village Board now have a golden opportunity to provide the public with answers and clarity.

Rephrased, Rinow asked questions similar to yours on November 13, as did my subsequent letter posted herein.

Speaking for myself alone, I look forward to the response of the Mayor and the Board, because I simply do not want to reach any conclusions without full information from the VOL Board.

Just My Opinion:

Focusing on your comments regarding the Village Historical Commission.

If its charge is to ensure "era type appearance in accordance with their intended desires," and if Mr. Sweeney was a member of the Commission at the time his amendments were submitted and accepted, did he, or should he have, recused himself from the decision process in order to permit a decision free from his influence?

[mark blazejewski]

A step in the right direction, eh?

On October 14, 2023, I posted this:

Sadly, the most recent posted Minutes of CDC are those memorializing the November 6, 2019 meeting.

Reference: https://www.speakupwny.com/forums/sh...-IDA-extension

This is a screen shot taken of the CDC's Meeting Minutes archive, taken from the VOL website on October 14, 2023:

image (21).jpg

This morning, the same VOL website has CDC Meeting Minutes posted through October 5, 2023.

Reference: https://ecode360.com/LA0609/document...%20Corporation

Thank you VOL and CDC for the updated, publicly posted archive!

Perhaps asking questions publicly, and making public observations, truly helps, eh Breezy?

[mark blazejewski]

The following Bee paragraph is equally confusing:

According to the Village of Lancaster Community Development Corporation’s October meeting minutes, Tom Sweeney, Deb Glowny, Lynne Ruda, Michelle Czech and Joe Ligammare are directors with the CDC, and John Mikoley and Cyndi Maciejewski are members.

Lee, I share your confusion, but I am currently inclined to believe that the terms "Director" and "Members" may be a distinction without a difference.

Equally, Ruda's designation notwithstanding, perhaps all of the members of the VOL Board are sitting "Members" in order to illustrate an ex-officio capacity?

All of this just may be innocent, imprecise, and so far, unclarified semantics, but perhaps the murkiness reflects a more intentional exercise in the use of clever terminology, eh?

[gorja]

Originally posted by Mark Blazejewski:
Furthermore, was it not you specifically that led some in Lancaster to believe that a rather prominent CDC officer and LIDA applicant may have been actively seeking election to town office in 2023?

I honestly never heard that he was running for any elective office. I threw his name out there because he was very reputable citizen of Lancaster.
I very well could have threw your name out there. Anybody but Leary

[gorja]

A step in the right direction, eh?

On October 14, 2023, I posted this:



Reference: https://www.speakupwny.com/forums/sh...-IDA-extension

This is a screen shot taken of the CDC's Meeting Minutes archive, taken from the VOL website on October 14, 2023:



This morning, the same VOL website has CDC Meeting Minutes posted through October 5, 2023.

Reference: https://ecode360.com/LA0609/document...%20Corporation

Thank you VOL and CDC for the updated, publicly posted archive!

Perhaps asking questions publicly, and making public observations, truly helps, eh Breezy?

I know that the June, September and October 2023's minutes were located on the Village Code web page on or before November 14. That's why I posted in #2 that they were looking for new members and that the CDC hadn't had a meeting between Oct 6, 2021 and June 7, 2023.

November 14th at 3:45 am, they were on there. You posted your letter of November 13th on speakup on November 14th at 2:20am.

So are you saying that Sojka's grandpa (Rinow) asking questions Monday night caused the minutes to be on the website at 3:45am Tuesday morning?

[mark blazejewski]

November 14th at 3:45 am, they were on there. You posted your letter of November 13th on speakup on November 14th at 2:20am.

My letter of November 13, 2023 did not speak to the website issue, so what's your point?

So are you saying that Sojka's grandpa (Rinow) asking questions Monday night caused the minutes to be on the website at 3:45am Tuesday morning?

I only asked two questions, Ms. Gorja, and did not assert anything:

A step in the right direction, eh?...


Perhaps asking questions publicly, and making public observations, truly helps, eh Breezy?

Newspapers also make public observations and raise issues Gorja, do they not?

Even though Rinow asked some questions similar to those in my letter, I know for a fact that I did not mention Rinow's comments in my letter of November 13. So, why are you attempting to link, perhaps fuse, Mr. Rinow's comments of November 13 to my letter?

Ponder this old friend, since the website issue to which I referred in post #25 tangentially involved the broader CDC issue, perhaps the website update was in some way a reaction to a public conversation that may have started in response to the Bee article of October 26, eh?

[mark blazejewski]

I honestly never heard that he was running for any elective office. I threw his name out there because he was very reputable citizen of Lancaster.
I very well could have threw your name out there. Anybody but Leary

That seems to sound like you may have intentionally tried to mislead voters, because some took your political expression for advocacy. If so, I would call that a type of political dirty trick, just my opinion.

Kind of like this crap?

Readers, could you imagine Mark as a board member ??? YIKES!!!

More dirty tricks?

What did Donald Segretti of Watergate fame call such antics, "Rat-F****g"?