Residents address councilmember on conflict of interest
Commenting on the proposed Schedule of Salaries resolution prior to its vote by the town board, residents Dan Rinow and Kevin Lemaster questioned councilmember Mike Wozniak on whether he should recuse himself / abstain from voting on the resolution considering he was related to several members employed by the town.
Rinow: “I would like to request councilman Wozniak recuse himself from voting on the resolution considering the conflict of interest he has.
Councilman Wozniak: This is councilman Wozniak. I have to disagree with your opinion that I have to recuse myself. I have had conversations with the Town Attorney, and I have answered the questions vociferously and honestly. Yes, I am related to the Speyers and am proud of it. They are not blood-relatives of mine – the one appointed is a brother-in-law driving a van for $13/hr.
I have two others working for Parks & Recreation; one is a cleaner and one is a laborer. All three of those Speyer’s were hired prior to my taking position on this board. I do not understand why I have to recuse myself in this capacity.
Rinow: I am not questioning you Mr. Wozniak, what I am saying is you have a lot of family members that will benefit from your vote; this salary vote. Your vote is going to benefit them. You are not going to vote for things that don’t benefit them. It’s just the appearance. It doesn’t look right. They will all benefit, including your wife. You need to do the right thing and step away and not do anything that will benefit your family.
Wozniak: Yes, you are right. My wife is employed by the Town of Lancaster. She has been an employee for 8+ years. She wound up highest on the Civil Services exam. She was interviewed. She was offered the job; she took the job. The only thing I am guilty of here is marrying a woman who has five relatives with families with multiple children working in the Town of Lancaster. So if you are accusing me of having a large family, yes, I do. There is not one person who has been hired in this town since I was put on this board.
Town Attorney Loftus interjected: To make clear, pursuant to State Law and our town code of ethics, none of these blood, non-blood relatives of Mr. Wozniak would be a conflict of interest. Legally, there is no conflict of interest.
Rinow: Gentlemen, I am not accusing or attacking Mr. Wozniak, or any of your families character, of anything. What I am saying is your family s going to benefit by far and it just doesn’t look right.
Kevin Lemaster: Mr. Supervisor, you have placed Mr. Wozniak on five different committees: Parks & Recreation, Finance & Management, Personnel, Youth & Senior, and Public Safety. At the last town board meeting when I asked Mr. Wozniak about his family related employment, he denied twice giving a full explanation. One of his family members even works in your office. Why did you place him on those particular committees?
Supervisor Ruffino: Most of those committees have to do with building and things of that nature.
Lemaster: No, I am talking about you putting him on the Finance & Management, Personnel, Youth & Senior, Dog Control and Buildings & Grounds committees.
Supervisor Ruffino: I don’t have my sheet in front of me.
Lemaster: Mr. Wozniak has family working in three of the five departments.
Supervisor Ruffino: That has no bearing.
Lemaster: Of course it has no bearing. In the last meeting Mr. Wozniak didn’t even acknowledge he had a wife working in the town. It makes people wonder. I just want to point that out. In talking to the Town Attorney. Mr. Wozniak and he better talk a little more about him abstaining from votes like these – especially where his wife is a White-Collar employee.
Comment
This week’s Lancaster Bee reported on only three Wozniak family members employed by the town. Yet, Wozniak’s wife was clearly mentioned as a fourth. Contacted Mr. Lemaster to find out the exact number. He informed me there are currently six - three in Parks & Recreation, one in Buildings, one in Youth & Seniors, and one in the Supervisor’s office.
Wozniak’s claim that all family members were hired before he took office in December 2019 is true. Two were hired since Supervisor Ruffino took office in 2020. A third (supported by Ruffino) was denied employment because that individual didn’t place high enough on the Civil Service exam.
“Patronage is alive and well in Lancaster,” Lemaster closed with.
Meet the New Boss Same as the Old Boss!!!!!!
OMG - just listened to some of the audio of the Lancaster Town Board meeting from January 19th. :eek: :worked_till_5am: :chuncky:
My main takeaway from listening to the meeting was the absolute patience :angel: :angel: among member of the town board having the bear one attempted political hit after another. Can't say I could put up with some of those so-called 'concerned citizens.' Heck, you get 5 minutes from what I understand during the speakers part of the meeting, then have to put up with a 15 minute grilling from Lee Chowaniec, who surely attempts to dominate the meeting.
:devilish:
And the idea that the supervisor would give so much leeway on the time allotment for these 'speakers' in all their barbs and cheap shots, and without any appreciation for that - especially from Chowaniec, shows that the supervisor's generosity is just not returned in the form of any appreciation whatsoever. Quite the opposite, readers, the more leeway people like Chowaniec get, the more they take advantage and continue with their know-it-all-ism. We have seen this before. :eek:
Of course with Mr. Chowaniec, it's as simple as this: Meet the New Boss Same as the Old Boss!!!!!!
Anyone not present in years past can now see what past town board meetings were like with Chowaniec in full form. Why not run for office if you are so concerned over all those years? Why not stand for election yourself in order to guide the community forward? The answer: Chowaniec has written time and again that he loathes most politicians, excoriating many on these very pages, yet, always expecting the red carpet being rolled out for him. It's a kind of "I despise you but you better listen to what I expect of the town board." Or, expect to be DOXED right here on Speakup!
And Lee just does not like anyone standing up to him!
LOL :p
Another takeaway was that the speaker who followed Mr. Chowaniec sounded like a seventh-grade twit, clearly a political shill who missed his target. This nitwit, in all his self aggrandizing, sounded sooooo over the top disingenuous, rather childish in my view, over and over saying he was mindful of the councilman's integrity as he tried to destroy him concerning distance relatives hired years before he won the seat on the council - and clearly an election victory not supported by any of these 'speakers.' Please! The 'speaker' was just not effective in his attack anyway. Sounded more like a scene from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.
CHOWANIEC POUTS – CHOWANIEC WHINES
Readers, I guess it's one positive thing for Mr. Chowaniec: That being board meetings being conducted telephonically and that Lee gets to participate once again. BUT, again, my condolences to those people having to witness such a scene. Only problem for Chowaniec is that he comes off as self-important, pompous, full of himself, as well as arrogant. The overused, "As a resident of Lancaster," he interjects, as if he expects to be in the position of signing off on public policy matters like he was elected by the people of the town. He grumbles that bids for a new dog shelter were not rejected for seven weeks. OMG, the horror! Yet, the lead staffer mentions that the bidders were notified right away. But Lee wasn't notified. Oh, the unmitigated oversight on the part of town leaders!
Had enough yet ??????? :applause:
Mr. Chowaniec enjoys writing the incendiary Had enough yet and of course that is his absolute right to do any day of the week. However, he also has to realize that people read the stuff he writes on that dubious thread, like saying Democrats burn down cities, Democrats are champions of Antifa, Democrats force Socialist policies down our throats, Democrats despise law and order and the police, and on and on and on and on. He has to realize that people come away from reading all of that crap and come away with an impression. Not a good impression. :o :o :o :o :o :o
After reading that junk, how in the world would anyone take him seriously when it comes to advancing public policy for an entire community ?????
UNBELIEVEABLE!
Frank Lee Blunt Belches: "Citizens!" More Likely Just Passing Gas!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Frank Lee Blunt
The pretentious manner displayed by the majority party of the Town of Lancaster at every board meeting since King Ruffino has taken over with his band of cohorts is despicable. But that is to be expected from a party that has had the majority rule for almost 40 yrs! Citizens! if you want respect from your elected office holders it's time for a change of leadership. It will be my pleasure to bring to light the unethical acts and borderline criminal doings of this Cabal which crosses village and town borders
Too funny! Too darn funny!! Frank Lee Blunt! :devilish: HeHe :devilish:
Dude maybe should take a puff on a blunt - he's an absolute wreck.
Sorry, pal, I listened to the last town board meeting and thought the board members went out of their way with the people who wished to speak. It also seems your rage is inextinguishable. Get out of the house, take a drive around town. Can't you see that the Town of Lancaster over the years you attack is in fact the treasure of the region? These Democrats you obsess over built up a beautiful community, to their own peril in my opinion, because a lot of Republicans moved into those wonderful new neighborhoods. You sound as onerous as some of the other grumps around these pages.
Seems to me those grouses always fail, anyway, maybe it's all the whining.
Or are you just jealous you did not make it in that business? :p
The only reason I chimed in on the Lancaster Village elections in the first place was because Blazejewski once again attacked a female candidate for no reason whatsoever. He seems to be supporting the same candidate as you are, Frank Lee Blunt. Go ahead, that's your right, for me it was just doing some research and seeing that the candidate Blazejewski unfairly attacked is clearly the best choice, and someone who should not be attacked just because she is challenging someone he is supporting.
Time will tell if you have it or are just another chump Republican masquerading as a concerned citizen? :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:
And we've seen a lot of 'concerned citizens' in Chowaniec and Blazejewski. Don't forget all the Republicans they tried forcing down your throat, Frank Lee Blunt! Do you approve of those people? Or were they the kind of angles you support :angel: ????? I guess I can be nice and just say those folks Lee and Mark promoted were similar to mob figures!!! And you whine about good, decent, committed Democrats???
:eek:
Is your angst the same with the current crop of Lancaster Town GOP officials? How about the Town GOP Chairman Greg Sojka ????? Is it OK with you Frank Lee Blunt, putting it bluntly of course, that shortly after Sojka is installed as chairman, like magic, the son is appointed to a board position in the town government, and now, is a Village candidate on the slate that you apparently want to assist with your attacks here today????
Frank Lee Blunt you sound just as 'political' as everyone else!
