Reply With QuoteOP,
Unfortunately it is an editorial so it represents her opinion, right or wrong. But it will not go unchecked.
Isn't she the same Linda Boldt that charged a vacation for herself and her husband on the town's credit card and got caught by the youth director and forced to pay the town back.
She should have been thrown in jail. She was wired to the town's political establishment and it was covered up and she kept her job. This may be why she turned on the director and was protected and rewarded by Piotrowski.
How's that 3 member board working Kevin?
OP,
Unfortunately it is an editorial so it represents her opinion, right or wrong. But it will not go unchecked.
“We in America do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate.” ― Thomas Jefferson
Everything Bodlt does is political, supporting those who pay her off....Originally Posted by dtwarren
Before you all start going off, know the facts. Trying to prove she is a liar by telling a bunch of lies just doesn't work. OP, what is your issue with her and Minkle? You clearly have a problem with them, why don't you just come out and say what is really on your mind instead of attacking these people and using these forums as a means of harassing people.
W. Seneca paying for suits tied to Lazzara
Ex-AmeriCorps leader disputes town’s claims
http://www.buffalonews.com/city/article314779.ece
Updated: January 17, 2011, 8:45 AM
Mark P. Lazzara’s leadership of the West Seneca Youth Bureau and Ameri- Corps programs resulted in lawsuits, political squabbles and a critical state audit released in September.
It also cost the town $131,811 in legal fees and to settle lawsuits brought against it by at least four of Lazzara’s coworkers who accused him of wrongdoing, according to documents obtained by The Buffalo News.
The town spent more than $68,000 on attorney costs and more than $63,000 on settlements with four of the five employees.
“Look at the amount of money we’ve paid to these employees,” Councilwoman Sheila M. Meegan said. “Serious dollars, because of how they were treated.”
The suits alleged that:
• Lazzara discriminated against women in language and hiring practices.
• An Iraq War veteran was stripped of his title upon returning from battle.
• Lazzara, as a town employee, refused to pay for benefits for two former employees.
The financial relationship between the town and its AmeriCorps programs caused the town to lose more than $400,000, according to a critical state audit released in September.
Lazzara, who disputed the audit, said the lawsuits were politically motivated and didn’t paint an accurate picture of the work environment during his time as a town employee, which ended in January 2010.
“I don’t think they have any merit,” Lazzara told The News. “When you spend $60,000 settling cases, you might want to try some . . . We helped thousands of West Senecans. At the end of the day, we added a value to the town.”
A separation agreement between the town and its AmeriCorps programs was drawn in March. A new nonprofit, WNY
AmeriCorps, was created in South Buffalo. The agreement stipulated the town was owed $1.88 million, with nearly $900,000 of that due from AmeriCorps and the rest from outside grants, to be repaid over the next five years.
The town is pursuing a lawsuit against AmeriCorps because it has not paid a $400,000 lump sum payment that was due June 1.
WNY AmeriCorps officials say they are waiting for state grants to trickle in so they can use their general fund to pay the debt. They have paid $96,000 of the debt.
Linda L. Boldt, who served as office manager of the town Youth Bureau from 1992 to 2007 and also served in the offices of the town’s attorney, comptroller and Recreation Department, filed a complaint against Lazzara in 2007 with the state Human Rights Division.
She said she began to notice “a pattern and practice of discrimination against female employees” and told Lazzara she no longer wanted to interview females for town positions.
“On most occasions, he laughed,” she wrote in the complaint.
Boldt also alleged that a hostile work environment was created that included her removal from e-mail lists and the changing of locks.
The Human Rights Division stated it “found that there was probable cause to believe that [the town] had engaged in unlawful discrimination.”
In its settlement, the town paid Boldt $23,500. It spent more than $18,000 in legal costs, according to the documents.
Lazzara said his relationship with Boldt soured when he “caught” her using a town credit card to pay nearly $1,000 for a vacation. Boldt said she accidentally used the wrong card and reimbursed the town. Records supplied by Lazzara show a personal check from Boldt to the town one month after the transaction.
Boldt filed a second complaint against the town in 2009 relating to a transfer to another town department. She withdrew the complaint that year on the understanding she would be credited with sick days she used “while recovering from the stressful time it took to get back to work again.” Town records show she was credited with 86 sick days.
Boldt declined to comment on the state complaints but described a work environment in which Lazzara went from being a “good boss [who] really cared about what he did” to “a really hard person to work for.”
“It was not a discriminatory environment,” Lazzara said. “However, it was a little tight. We had six people in a very small office, so I think that may have made it a little difficult.”
After Boldt filed her initial complaint, four more were filed against the town relating to Lazzara in the next 15 months: one in State Supreme Court, one with the Human Rights Division and two federal suits.
In June 2008, Daniel Frontera, who served as deputy director and federal grants manager from 1998 to 2004, filed a federal complaint against the town, the Youth Bureau and Lazzara.
Frontera, who was deployed to Iraq in 2004, alleged that upon his return in 2005, he was demoted and stripped of his deputy director title. Frontera also alleged that Lazzara refused to pay his unused vacation, personal and sick days.
Lazzara said that soon after Frontera’s deployment, his title was eliminated as part of a “shift in priorities,” explaining that titles often changed and that Lazzara raised money to fund Frontera’s position. He said he tried finding Frontera a new position.
Frontera was awarded $20,500 by the town in a settlement agreement. The town also spent more than $19,500 in legal fees on the case, which Frontera declined to comment on.
James R. Lawson, the town’s youth director who developed youth programming and special events from 2001 to 2008, filed suit against the town in State Supreme Court in December 2008 after he was fired. He said Lazzara offered to pay him his vacation time and flex time for 2007 and 2008, but not his sick time. When Lawson amended the agreement to include the sick time, Lazzara withdrew the offer altogether, Lawson alleged and Lazzara acknowledged.
As part of Lawson’s settlement, the town paid him nearly $7,000. It also spent more than $7,800 on legal fees. Lawson declined to comment.
Paulette Krakowski served as artistic director of the Burchfield Nature & Art Center from 2003 to 2007, when she said she got a constructive discharge. Lazzara said she quit the job.
Krakowski filed a human rights complaint against the town in August 2007 alleging gender discrimination by Lazzara. The state found there was “no probable cause” to support the claim.
Krakowski then filed a federal suit against the town in November 2008, with allegations including gender and age discrimination and retaliation.
The town and Krakowski reached a settlement in January 2010. Krakowski was paid $12,500, and the town spent $12,474 on legal fees. Lazzara declined to comment about the lawsuit or settlement.
Warren always wants proof, so where is your proof about the numerous law suits, stealing money on the town credit card, etc. Saying it does not make it true. Where is the back-up documentation to prove these accusations? Have you seen her at town hall? I heard she retired. I think OP has a personal vendetta against Boldt and is looking for ways to make her look bad.
This is exactly what I was thinking. If you want to find someone with political ties who likes to sue the town, look no further than Dan Warren. I love how he says the facts will be checked. Who is he?
I did not say the facts will be checked, I said it would not go unchecked. See: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/unchecked
I said that because on reading that editorial I submitted one of my one clarifying her apparent misapprehension of the timeline of events and what the Open Meetings Law does do.un·checked (n-chkt)
adj.
1. Not held in check; unrestrained: an unchecked flow of water; an unchecked temper.
“We in America do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate.” ― Thomas Jefferson
Funny how OP goes in his hole when confronted with the facts. He or she is the first one to sling mud at people but when you ask for proof of the allegations then you don't hear anything from him or her. No one should take his opinions seriously because like I said earlier this sounds like a personal vendetta and he will say or do anything to make Boldt look bad.
You have to love Dtwarren creating a topic called "West Seneca Employment Practices....", you have to wonder why he has never questioned the hiring process for the town. The Highway positions along with the Building and Ground positions are never posted online or anywhere for that matter but continue to be filled. He also never questioned how certain employee was hired. I wonder why?
Besides bellyache and bitch what have you done? Do you know how civil service jobs are filled? Instead of talking in code and inuendo why don't you identify the person you are talking about and why don't you question it?
“We in America do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate.” ― Thomas Jefferson
I'll be glad to mention one. My understanding was that Richard Mingle should have been appointed to a full time B&G position as he had the most time in. Instead, Tim Eberle was given the job, even though he had quit working for the town a while back. Tim just happens to be Dale Clarke's campaign treasurer.
I also understand that when Richard inquired about the position he was told to get petitions signed for Clarke, Bove and Rosenwswie to be considered. He was told to fill up a few pages. He did, but still didn't get the job.
These are the hiring practices we have going on in town right now. How nice.
So someone is qualified and should be appointed just based on time in and being a current employee? I noticed Piotrowski moved to appoint him but that failed due to a lack of a second, why would Piotrowski support an alleged supporter of Clarke, Bove or Rosenswie? Who told him that in order to be considered for the position he had to get petitions signed?
“We in America do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate.” ― Thomas Jefferson
Well, here is Piotrowski's motion and reasoning: " Motion by Supervisor Piotrowski to amend the motion and appoint Richard Mingle as full-time laborer in the Buildings & Grounds Department, Group 1, Step 1, at a rate of $17.61 per hour effective July 19, 2011 and authorize the Supervisor to complete and sign the necessary forms for Erie County Personnel, noting that he is the senior and most experienced part-time employee in that department."
My understanding is that this is how it typically works in B&G/Highway, and sounds to me the most reasonable way of handling promotions. It could be that Piotrowski made the motion because he felt it was simply the right thing to do and put political considerations aside, which to me is the right way of doing it.
I read in the news that Clarke abstained from the Deputy Comptroller vote the other night. Since he knows what abstaining is, why didn't he abstain when Eberle's name came up. I would think hiring your campaign treasurer for a job is a conflict of interest, instead he seconded and voted in favor of the motion. And again, Clarke told Mingle to get petitions signed, this was for the Independent line on the ballot. I know someone is attempting to FOIL for these petitions to confirm this. I will let you know more when I hear.
As I stated before just because he is the most senior and most experienced part-time employee in that department does not necessarily mean that he is the best person for the job because that statement is self-limiting. This position appears to be in the labor class and therefore according to the applicable Civil Service Rules ( http://www.erie.gov/employment/pdfs/...il_service.pdf ) it "may be filled by the appointment of any person selected by the appointing officer of the agency where a vacancy exists, and the Personnel Officer may require applicants for employment in the labor class to qualify in such tests of their fitness for employment as may be deemed practicable. (Civil Service Law, Section 43)"
There is nothing in the General Municipal Law or Town Code that required his abstention on the vote for Mr. Eberle. If Mr. Piotrowski thought there was some impropriety as presiding officer of the Town Board meeting he should have called it out of order.
Also just because someone did, in fact, circulate petitions does not necessarily establish the fact that he was told by a particular person to do so in order to receive something.
“We in America do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate.” ― Thomas Jefferson
As a businessman, I would certainly hire a person who has been on the job for almost 20 years over a newcomer. If this seasoned employee was NOT doing a good job, he would not be on the payroll for so long. Part timers can be let go at the whim of the town board. They have no protection. I can't believe that Warren thinks that someone with Mingle's experience is not the best person for the job. Clarke was wrong to vote on Eberle's appointment. This is why politics in W.S. is so corrupt. Its not about what is best for the town, its about friends and family!
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