State audit of Credit Card Use

[Hscout]

They should be investigated by the federal government.

I am not joking, the credit cards were distributed to town employees not to every AmeriCorps volunteer to abuse. You say "they" to sound like an AmeriCorp kid cutting a disabled senior citizen's lawn is a harden criminal and that just is not true. The Buffalo News was wrong for naming AmeriCorps (as it is now) for something that happened 2 years ago with town employees.

[Spirit of Ebenezer]

Imagine if they were able to go back and audit this program from it's beginning in the '90's. What else would have been exposed ? It's not a stretch to think it's been operating with impunity from its inception.

Why Mark Schroeder opened arm this program into South Buffalo while it was under investigation is befuddling to say the least. He can have it.

West Seneca paid a wrongful and sinfully steep price. Sheila Meegan did the taxpayers right by investigating, exposing and ridding West Seneca of this ill run program.

A silent Paul Clark and a Greenan crying foul, their trademark while they held power, is enough for me to believe that this was business as usual during their reign of terror in town.

The only thing missing was the plastic bags full of cash.

[WNYresident]

So where did 800,000 go that they are trying to pay it back? Where does $7000 a month get generated from?

I should have read the report before posting..

page 15

For the period January 1, 2006 through June 29, 2009, the Town paid
approximately $1 million for charges on 35 Town credit card accounts
that were used by the Town Youth Bureau and WNY AmeriCorps. The
credit cards were routinely used for a variety of purchases including,
but not limited to: cash advances ($21,000), meals and refreshments
($130,000), travel and entertainment ($250,000), gift cards and
certifi cates ($30,000), donations and sponsorships ($50,000), home
improvement and landscaping materials and supplies ($140,000),
apparel and sporting/outdoor supplies ($95,000), administrative and
offi ce items ($195,000), and vehicle and equipment items ($60,000).
Some of these items, such as donations and gift cards, would generally
not be appropriate Town purchases. We have referred this matter to
law enforcement for investigation.

[WNYresident]

Meals and Refreshments – Four claims totaling $13,364
were for meals and refreshments. One claim totaling $10,788
was for catering for 225 people at a fundraising event held
for WNY AmeriCorps. There was no list of

Anyone from west seneca remember this fundraiser with 225 people?

[Spirit of Ebenezer]

I hope that the people in town realize that anyone who served in public office under Paul Clarks administration cleary cannot be trusted.

Much like the backlash over Ralph Lorigo and his son and his association with our Supervisor.

Ruth Briedenstein and Pat Wisniewski have run unopposed politically during Paul Clarks tenure as long as they served at his knees. This in my mind makes then as guilty as him for all our town woes.

Wally, I believe you're begging at least one of them to serve at your side

You, Sadly, like so many of you're predecessors, know no low.

[wnyfuture]

I hope that the people in town realize that anyone who served in public office under Paul Clarks administration cleary cannot be trusted.

Much like the backlash over Ralph Lorigo and his son and his association with our Supervisor.

Ruth Briedenstein and Pat Wisniewski have run unopposed politically during Paul Clarks tenure as long as they served at his knees. This in my mind makes then as guilty as him for all our town woes.

Wally, I believe you're begging at least one of them to serve at your side

You, Sadly, like so many of you're predecessors, know no low.

Kinda like Barb Rudnicki and Chris Walsh, they served during Clark era correct? both seem to be still in the playing field, well, at least they donated to Harrington campaign and ........

[Hscout]

I hope that the people in town realize that anyone who served in public office under Paul Clarks administration cleary cannot be trusted.

"Who served under Paul Clark's administration", 2 years ago, and credit cards of town employees (at that time), that's why WNY AmeriCorps issued the response it did because anything prior to Aug 2008 isn't the same AmeriCorps blasted by the Buffalo News today. You said anyone who served in public office under Paul Clark's administration cannot be trusted, this might be true, but all AmeriCorps volunteers aren't abusing credit cards since AmeriCorps' split from the town 2 years ago. The Buffalo News rehashed an old story as something new, wrongful to full fault.

[WNYresident]

"Who served under Paul Clark's administration", 2 years ago, and credit cards of town employees (at that time), that's why WNY AmeriCorps issued the response it did because anything prior to Aug 2008 isn't the same AmeriCorps blasted by the Buffalo News today. You said anyone who served in public office under Paul Clark's administration cannot be trusted, this might be true, but all AmeriCorps volunteers aren't abusing credit cards since AmeriCorps' split from the town 2 years ago. The Buffalo News rehashed an old story as something new, wrongful to full fault.

So who had the credit cards that showed:

For the period January 1, 2006 through June 29, 2009, the Town paid
approximately $1 million for charges on 35 Town credit card accounts
that were used by the Town Youth Bureau and WNY AmeriCorps. The
credit cards were routinely used for a variety of purchases including,
but not limited to: cash advances ($21,000), meals and refreshments
($130,000), travel and entertainment ($250,000), gift cards and
certifi cates ($30,000), donations and sponsorships ($50,000), home
improvement and landscaping materials and supplies ($140,000),
apparel and sporting/outdoor supplies ($95,000), administrative and
offi ce items ($195,000), and vehicle and equipment items ($60,000).
Some of these items, such as donations and gift cards, would generally
not be appropriate Town purchases. We have referred this matter to
law enforcement for investigation.

Town employees or people who were involved as Americorp people? It's either town employees or Americorp people when it was housed in WS.

Who physically ran the cards and are those people involved at all with the group that is now running out of south buffalo?

[SOMETHING SMELLS]

Kinda like Barb Rudnicki and Chris Walsh, they served during Clark era correct? both seem to be still in the playing field, well, at least they donated to Harrington campaign and ........

Kinda like Tim Clark and Chris Osmanski they served during Clark era correct? at least they donated to Ralph Lorigo excuse me Joes campaign and ........

[Psycho1]

Finally, a chance for me to say "I told you so!" Some of you who have been on this site for some time will recall I was questioning the Youth Bureau and AmeriCorps operations back in 2006. I was chastised for questioning both groups, and Mark Lazara. Many have suggested that my questioning Paul Clark, and the Town Board, about the proposed 2007 budget with its questionable expenses to these two groups, was the the reason I lost my job in the public sector. See link for an example:http://www.westseneca.net/bdmin07/2008budget.html


It wasn't until the new Board was seated that action was taken to investigate Mark and his gang. Graber continued to defend AmeriCorps, and their expenditures and book keeoing methods, in an effort to protect his wife who worked for AC. Mark prolonged the process of seperating from the Town for as long as he could, often stacking Town meetings with his supporters to boo and hiss. He returned all of credit cards in question, after being ordered to so, in a plastic bag shredded into small pieces and beyond recognition.

I can only hope there are criminal charges filed, and plea deals aren't made.

[wnyfuture]

We should just put Steve Piegeon into a seat or Chris Walsh

Pretty sure, no individual downsized the board, last time I checked but I could be wrong, the registered voters of West Seneca voted to downsize the board.

[TheLegendKiller]

I was hoping that with the long awaited results of the Comptroller’s audit, some truth would finally be introduced to this issue. I see through Mr. Greenan’s response letter and some of the posts in this thread, the same old, same old seems to keep creeping out. At what point does the blame rest on Mr. Lazzara’s shoulders?

To try to imply that the same group of individuals is somehow two separate groups is outrageous. And to make some weak attempt at feigning offense for the NYS Comptroller’s office getting it exactly right is insulting to the tax payers of West Seneca. In August of 2008, a motion was made to remove, from the Town payroll, the group of individuals that would become the staff of the private non-profit organization. The motion went as follows:

“Motion by Councilman Graber, seconded by Councilman Clarke, to terminate the following AmeriCorps employees as employees of the Town of West Seneca effective August 9, 2008: William Boldt, Christine Dalka, Joseph Demma, Adam Ellsworth, Michele Graber, Kevin Hayes, Robin Heiss, Bryan Lawrence, Shannon Lazzara, Melissa McGreevy, Patrick Metzger, Beth Miller, Lissa Piper, Carol Quinnan, Joshua Randle, Richard Rechtien, Aurtha Reinard, Kate Sarata, Catherine Seweryniak, Carrie Smith, Michele Tori, and Deirdra Wright; and further, the Town of West Seneca will no longer be responsible for processing payroll for 201 AmeriCorps members.”

If you cross reference this with the organization’s current contact list: http://wnyamericorps.org/contact , you will see that most of the same people are still there; the people referred to in the Comptroller’s report as those under Mr. Lazzara’s supervision.

To then put it all on the town’s Comptroller is ridiculous. Mr. Lazzara and his staff make all of these “questionable” charges, but it was Mr. Bielecki’s fault for not checking them? This is the worst kind of spin I have ever seen and I hate to break it to you Mr. Greenan, but your average citizen is smarter than this. But you are right, Mr. Lazzara couldn’t have gotten away with this without some help, so let’s talk about some of the things the Buffalo News won’t cover….

When the “new administration” took over in 2008, they began a department by department audit which abruptly ended when they got to Americorps. If you reference the reorganizational minutes from 2008, you will see then Councilwoman Bove chiming in to question Americorps finances, however by June of that year she had done a complete flip flop. This was because Assemblyman Schroeder, the guy that welcomed them with open arms to South Buffalo, had a long talk with Mrs. Bove and threatened her political future unless she came to Mr. Lazzara’s defense.

By August, a “grant administration agreement” was approved with Bove leading the charge forcing the town, through a contractual obligation, to keep fronting the money for Americorps’ expenses. This agreement was signed by Bove, kept from the Supervisor’s desk, and despite the Comptroller, Town Attorney and Deputy Town Attorney having many concerns about it. A lot of documentation was missing, including copies of the grants themselves, but the agreement was signed anyway. Fast forward a few years, Mrs. Bove is now the Erie County Legislator, funny how things work out.

As far as Mr. Bielecki goes, I hope someone asks him about this at the next Town Board meeting. Someone may want to ask what happened when he wanted to shut the tap off and stop paying the credit bills. He was threatened with termination if he did, instead he kept paying despite Americorps staff members withholding the documentation and the receipts that the NYS Comptroller now confirms are still missing. This was an atmosphere of chaos, threats and intimidation that lead to this situation with all roads leading back to Mr. Lazzara.

So Mr. Greenan, as chair of WNY Americorps Fund, what are you going to do about it? The authority that the Town Council once had, you now have. Your CEO/ Executive Director and his staff were finally caught with their hand in the cookie jar and owe the tax payers of West Seneca $2.4 million, despite former Councilman Graber’s claims (reference past town board minutes) that the organization didn’t cost the town a thing. It is so out of control in fact, that the grant givers in Washington are also investigating the organization that you so proudly represent. It is time to clean house, remove the bad elements from your staff and move on. I do not envy you though, as members of your board are personally gaining from the services WNY Americorps provides and they might not be so quick to take action. It is however the right thing to do and no amount of spin will distract from that.

[wnyfuture]

When the “new administration” took over in 2008, they began a department by department audit which abruptly ended when they got to Americorps. If you reference the reorganizational minutes from 2008, you will see then Councilwoman Bove chiming in to question Americorps finances, however by June of that year she had done a complete flip flop. This was because Assemblyman Schroeder, the guy that welcomed them with open arms to South Buffalo, had a long talk with Mrs. Bove and threatened her political future unless she came to Mr. Lazzara’s defense.

But Legend Killer, Mark Schroeder donated to FRIENDS OF SHEILA MEEGAN campaign and Bove donated to FRIENDS OF BILL STACHOWSKI. Oh wait, in 2006, Bove donated to FRIENDS OF MRK SCHROEDER

Although, I find it kinda strange that FRIENDS OF SHEILA MEEGAN donated to FRIENDS OF WALLACE PIOTROWSKI in 2007

[Psycho1]

But Legend Killer, Mark Schroeder donated to FRIENDS OF SHEILA MEEGAN campaign and Bove donated to FRIENDS OF BILL STACHOWSKI. Oh wait, in 2006, Bove donated to FRIENDS OF MRK SCHROEDER

Although, I find it kinda strange that FRIENDS OF SHEILA MEEGAN donated to FRIENDS OF WALLACE PIOTROWSKI in 2007

If you look far enough into each persons campaign, you'd probably find them all "contributing" to everyone. Check out Marrano, he's contributed to both sides in some races. Give only to he who can serve you best

[WNYresident]

Finally, a chance for me to say "I told you so!" Some of you who have been on this site for some time will recall I was questioning the Youth Bureau and AmeriCorps operations back in 2006. I was chastised for questioning both groups, and Mark Lazara. Many have suggested that my questioning Paul Clark, and the Town Board, about the proposed 2007 budget with its questionable expenses to these two groups, was the the reason I lost my job in the public sector. See link for an example:http://www.westseneca.net/bdmin07/2008budget.html


It wasn't until the new Board was seated that action was taken to investigate Mark and his gang. Graber continued to defend AmeriCorps, and their expenditures and book keeoing methods, in an effort to protect his wife who worked for AC. Mark prolonged the process of seperating from the Town for as long as he could, often stacking Town meetings with his supporters to boo and hiss. He returned all of credit cards in question, after being ordered to so, in a plastic bag shredded into small pieces and beyond recognition.

I can only hope there are criminal charges filed, and plea deals aren't made.

You were dead on. Good Job.. You know I had other posters and people emailing that it was lies... you can't leave this up on the site.. seriously who do you believe? Good job though. This crap probably happens all throughout "government" ran service businesses in NYS.