West Seneca Employment Practices and double dipping

[SOMETHING SMELLS]

Explain to me if two people would like to marry but one is a Buffalo fireman , the other a West Seneca school teacher with your reasoning where would they live?

[dtwarren]

I have not been able to locate any provision in the West Seneca Town Code that require an employee must reside in the Town.

The Rules of the Erie County Civil Service does provide:

Residence requirements for municipal positions.

An applicant must be at the time of examination, and for at least one month prior thereto, and at the time of appointment, a resident of the municipality in which appointment is to be made, or any reasonable combination of municipalities both in and outside of New York State contiguous to the municipality in which appointment is to be made, or contiguous to the municipality in which such municipality is located, as determined by the Personnel Officer. Residence requirements may be suspended or reduced by the Personnel Officer where such requirements are disadvantageous to the public interest.

Rule VII from: http://www.erie.gov/employment/pdfs/...il_service.pdf

Then there is this from Public Officers Law:

§ 3. Qualifications for holding office

1. No person shall be capable of holding a civil office who shall not, at the time he shall be chosen thereto, have attained the age of eighteen years, except that in the case of youth boards, youth commissions or recreation commissions only, members of such boards or commissions may be under the age of eighteen years, but must have att ained the age of sixteen years on or before appointment to such youth board, youth commission or recreation commission, be a citizen of the United States, a resident of the state, and if it be a local office, a resident of the political subdivision or municipal corporation of the state for which he shall be chosen, or within which the electors electing him reside, or within which his official functions are required to be exercised, or who shall have been or shall be convicted of a violation of the selective draft act of the United States, enacted May eighteenth, nineteen hundred seventeen, or the acts amendatory or supplemental thereto, or of the federal selective training and service act of nineteen hundred forty or the acts amendatory thereof or supplemental thereto.

[Save Us]

When you work for the government, you're held to a higher standard, your information is available for everyone.

I don't understand how employees can live outside the town that pays their salary, the same for teachers. I can't seem to understand that one, "we can take your money but..."

A)Taxes are too high
B)The town isn't nice enough
C)I rather live in Buffalo or Orchard for some unknown reason

Shouldn't we change these policies. Anyways, a few current town employees that were hired in the past few years, allegedly live in other towns but use someone else's address.

A most excellent post.. I agree whole heartedly!!!

Because these public servants forget the definition of their title.

[truth seeker]

If you look it the union contract that these employees work by, you will see that after working for the town for 15 years, you are allowed to leave the town of West Seneca. I think it is reasonable for employees to change locations when either the husband or wife takes a different job or they would like to downsize their residence to save money for their retirement. There are many towns that have lower taxes than WS.

[wnyfuture]

If you look it the union contract that these employees work by, you will see that after working for the town for 15 years, you are allowed to leave the town of West Seneca.

Why do they want to leave?

You work for the town but can't live here? Downsize their residence, isn't their options for that in West Seneca? Maybe Orchard Park is more affordable than West Seneca?

[No Name Please]

If Linda B. was hired for a short term, shouldn't we give the Town Board the benefit of the doubt. There appear to have been a lot of changes in the Town lately, merger of tax receiver with town clerk, etc. Maybe we could wait a few weeks before we complain about this..

[Orchardpark]

How about hiring one of the women that worked for years in the tax receivers office. One that lives in town.

[truth seeker]

Maybe because she doesn't know the workings of the town clerk's office and wouldn't be of much help.

[dtwarren]

I thought the justification for this was the extra-duties the Clerk's office assumed upon the abolishment of the Receiver's office so I think someone that formerly worked in the Receiver's office would be a good choice for this justification or perhaps this justification is really a post hoc rationalization.

[truth seeker]

I wasn't at the last town board meeting, but wasn't Boldt's term to expire in March and she was brought back to help with the transition of the 2 offices being combined? I was told it was temporary and not a permanent job. Am I wrong?

[dtwarren]

Boldt is not elected so she has no "term." Her retirement and separation from service was effective on December 28, 2010. The minutes do not reflect that it is temporary or has an end date only that she was rehired as posted above.

[WS Mom]

In case you haven't noticed, there has been a systematic dismantling of many, if not all, of the Town Departments. Most of the departments have been combined and the staffing has been gutted. The workload remains the same and it is evident to me that many Town employees chose to take the retirement package if they could. I believe the Town Clerk's office is down two or three fulltime employees. The downsizing didn't stop with the Town Board. Keep watching... the other shoe will drop sooner or later...

[truth seeker]

In case you haven't noticed, there has been a systematic dismantling of many, if not all, of the Town Departments. Most of the departments have been combined and the staffing has been gutted. The workload remains the same and it is evident to me that many Town employees chose to take the retirement package if they could. I believe the Town Clerk's office is down two or three fulltime employees. The downsizing didn't stop with the Town Board. Keep watching... the other shoe will drop sooner or later...

You're right, WS Mom, the Town Hall looks like a ghost town. Even the Supervisor has moved out! If you need to see him, you have to drive down the road to the Burchfield Center, because he is no longer at town hall. When the dust settles, the taxpayers will be very unhappy with the service they were used to because it is gone. They are down to a skeleton staff and the work will no longer be competed in a timely manner. There are not enough staff left to do the work. But the Supervisor doesn't care as long as he saves money.

[Psycho1]

In case you haven't noticed, there has been a systematic dismantling of many, if not all, of the Town Departments. Most of the departments have been combined and the staffing has been gutted. The workload remains the same and it is evident to me that many Town employees chose to take the retirement package if they could. I believe the Town Clerk's office is down two or three fulltime employees. The downsizing didn't stop with the Town Board. Keep watching... the other shoe will drop sooner or later...

This is just the start of things to come nation wide. Though I'm not a State worker, I work within the State system, and many of the people I deal with are concerned. But, the number of people who still feel entitled to their job, free medical benefits, and many other perks they receive, is crazy. They don't want to admit NYS is in financial trouble and some concessions could save their job.
In many cases, private industry can do the same job for less money, and more efficiently, while still providing a living wage for the workers. Granted the benefits aren't as extensive, and you actually have to earn your paycheck, but it's an honest paycheck.
One provision of the CSEA contract covering the people I work beside, says that a worker doesn't have to report for work for 14 days, and is not required to notify the employer. On the 15th day they can come back and there are no ramifications. REALLY? And woe unto him that asks someone to perform a task within their job classification, but not listed in their personal job description. Unless of course it's on overtime, then they can do the work. This is where the State employees hurt themselves.
Both my parents worked in the government system, but never took their jobs for granted. To them, it was a way of serving their community.

What happened?

[Orchardpark]

West Seneca Bee has no clue... The fraud, Linda Boldt's, letter below is full of lies, she has sued the town many many times........... and got paid off, time and again.... She also still works for the town...... Why doesn't the Bee ever check the facts, before publishing half truths!


Town has disregard for its employees
2011-08-18 / Letters to the Editor

I am writing this letter as a retired employee of the Town of West Seneca, having served the community for 18 years.

During my time serving as office manager for the Youth Bureau,

I was subjected to mistreatment by the director. I brought my concerns to members of the Town Board at that time, but those concerns fell on deaf ears.

I sued the town for unlawful discrimination, and the New York State Human Rights Division found cause for my complaints; the town ultimately settled my case. I did not sue to receive a large settlement or to discredit anyone politically, but to stand up for the rights of myself and my co-workers.

At the Town Board’s Aug. 8 meeting, the out-of-title pay of a town employee was brought into question. This issue began with a memo submitted to board members by Town Attorney Shawn Martin on July 6.

The next day, the public began discussing the issue on the political blog site SpeakUpWNY.com. This was before members of the Town Board or employee in question had a chance to review and respond.

According to the media, Councilman Dale F. Clarke said that the employee should have been paid only $50,000 a year. Then why did he vote to approve the 2009, 2010 and 2011 budgets authorizing this employee to make $70,000-plus? To label this as “deceptive” and accuse the town comptroller of wrongdoing reminds me of my time at the Youth Bureau a few years ago.

As per New York State open meetings laws, this issue falls under discussion of personnel, which is to be conducted in a closed executive session so as to protect an employee’s privacy. That was clearly not done and shows a disregard for town employees and serious lack of professionalism in conducting town business.

Taxpayers should remember the mistakes of the past and the events of Aug. 8 when casting their vote next month.

Linda Boldt

Hawthorne Drive