Results 1 to 10 of 10

Thread: West Seneca employees claim conversations were bugged by former boss

  1. #1
    Member
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Posts
    3,223

    West Seneca employees claim conversations were bugged by former boss

    West Seneca employees claim conversations were bugged by former boss

    More...

  2. #2
    Member steven's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    West Side!
    Posts
    11,541

    West Seneca employees claim conversations were bugged by former boss

    An accountant resigned from her $42,000-a-year part-time job as West Seneca’s comptroller two months ago after employees accused her and an aide of using a tape recorder to secretly record their workplace conversations.

    Town officials confirmed that two town employees made complaints against Jean M. Nihill, 57, about a month before she resigned from her job as the town’s top finance officer on May 12. Nihill, a certified public accountant, is the business partner of one of the town’s most politically powerful individuals – town Democratic Party leader Paul T. Clark, who served as town supervisor for 16 years.

    The employees also alleged that former deputy comptroller Linda Kauderer took part in the bugging. Kauderer retired from her town job May 20.

    Police investigated the complaints and verified that a tape recorder was used to record the employees while they were working in town offices, Police Chief Daniel M. Denz confirmed.

    Authorities decided not to file criminal charges after police consulted with the Erie County District Attorney’s Office, Denz said. He added that a union grievance was filed over the bugging, but said he does not know the status of the grievance.

    “The DA felt this did not rise to the level of something that should be criminally prosecuted, and that it should be handled by the town as an administrative matter,” Denz said. “We agreed with them.”

    According to New York State laws on surveillance and recording of conversations, it is not illegal for an individual to secretly tape-record a telephone or face-to-face conversation, as long as the individual who is doing the taping is part of the conversation.

    But a person in New York State cannot legally tape conversations that he or she is not part of, according to state law.

    Nihill was on the job just five months before she resigned. In a short resignation letter she sent to members of the Town Board, she made no mention of the bugging allegations.

    “Due to the lack of cooperation by the town supervisor and her staff, I have found it impossible to do an effective job as town comptroller,” Nihill wrote.

    Meegan said Nihill’s letter presented an inaccurate picture of what led to the resignation. She denied that she or anyone on her staff had refused to cooperate with Nihill.

    Aside from the alleged bugging of her employees, Nihill “couldn’t do the job, because she had no municipal experience,” Meegan said. The town has an annual budget of nearly $35 million.

    Nihill’s status as Paul Clark’s business partner had no bearing on the DA’s consideration of the case, said Sedita, adding that he had no idea that Nihill worked with Paul Clark until a reporter mentioned it to him during an interview.

    Paul Clark, who also did not return calls seeking his comment, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor election law violations in 2008, admitting that he failed to report a $10,000 donation. In January 2009, he and his campaign organization were ordered to pay $1,900 in fines and fees.
    http://www.buffalonews.com/city-regi...-boss-20140705
    People who wonder if the glass is half empty or full miss the point. The glass is refillable.

  3. #3
    Member FMD's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Posts
    5,739
    Corruption at its finest
    Willful ignorance is the downfall of every major empire in history.

    "Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun." - Mao, 1938

  4. #4
    Member gorja's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Lancaster, NY
    Posts
    13,150
    Was Kauderer's retirement money based on her ill gotten compensation mentioned in this thread and others -
    http://www.speakupwny.com/forums/sho...light=kauderer

    Georgia L Schlager

  5. #5
    Member dtwarren's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Location
    West Seneca, New York, United States
    Posts
    4,636
    Quote Originally Posted by gorja View Post
    Was Kauderer's retirement money based on her ill gotten compensation mentioned in this thread and others -
    http://www.speakupwny.com/forums/sho...light=kauderer
    I have not heard otherwise.
    “We in America do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate.” ― Thomas Jefferson

  6. #6
    Member gorja's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Lancaster, NY
    Posts
    13,150
    Quote Originally Posted by dtwarren View Post
    I have not heard otherwise.
    Was the NYs comptroller's office ever notified?

    Georgia L Schlager

  7. #7
    Member dtwarren's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Location
    West Seneca, New York, United States
    Posts
    4,636
    Yes, I sent an e-mail with everthing I had a few months ago.
    “We in America do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate.” ― Thomas Jefferson

  8. #8
    Member gorja's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Lancaster, NY
    Posts
    13,150
    Quote Originally Posted by dtwarren View Post
    Yes, I sent an e-mail with everthing I had a few months ago.
    In Lancaster, it took years for the NYS comptroller to check out and find - "Town officials did not exercise due diligence when they purchased a warehouse building in 2003. As a result, the Town invested approximately $2.5 million in a building that it no longer intends to use and, along with the County and the Lancaster Central School District, lost approximately $440,000 in property tax revenue."

    Maybe, they'll come around down the road. It's ridiculous that town officials are never willing to admit a mistake when it's pointed out to them from their taxpayers. And in the Lancaster situation, the officials involved still claimed they did nothing wrong even after the comptroller report.

    Georgia L Schlager

  9. #9
    Tony Fracasso - Admin
    Join Date
    May 2003
    Location
    Buffalo, New York, United States
    Posts
    64,947
    Quote Originally Posted by FMD View Post
    Corruption at its finest
    Recording who you work with isn't corruption.

  10. #10
    Member FMD's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Posts
    5,739
    recording conversations in an office with out all parties consent and with out a warrant is illegal.

    the Town, and the police dept decision to NOT prosecute is a crime in itself. If you or I did that we'd be in jail on illegal wiretapping charges.
    Willful ignorance is the downfall of every major empire in history.

    "Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun." - Mao, 1938

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •