Reply With QuoteThis conversation can be heard at around 72:34
https://cloudup.com/cfbAp8TFo09
Resident Tom Kazmierczak addressed the town board Monday evening and asked what the holdup was regarding filling the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) vacancy position; vacant since June.
Kazmierczak stated that there was a letter of intent submitted in the same month to fill that position; the same candidate who removed her name from consideration shortly thereafter. Kazmierczak declared that he knew of the one letter submitted after that (in late June) and questioned whether any other individuals submitted a letter of intent.
Told by Supervisor Johanna Coleman not to her knowledge, Kazmierczak questioned that if there was an emergency in June to fill that position why are we here in mid September and the position remains unfilled? “I understand Councilman Ron Ruffino proposed a resolution to consider hiring the sole applicant but that it died in not getting a second,” declared Kazmierczak. He was disturbed that the resolution did not come to a vote; that the applicant was worth that much respect and the public could hear the vote.
Supervisor Coleman interjected that the resolution never came to the board for consideration. Council member Dawn Gaczewski interjected that she was not about to second a suspended resolution. Councilman Ron Ruffino interjected that he did prepare a resolution considering hiring Debbie Lemaster but did not formally submit it for consideration as no one committed to seconding it.
Kazmierczak closed by saying that it was a shame that the board is supposed to be acting independently but it once again appears to be politics as usual; then stating that it was “politics to a new low.”
Councilman Matt Walter took exception to Kazmierczak’s comments declaring the board has hired individuals from all political parties. He said he didn’t only want to consider one applicant for the position, but to see as many as possible. “I hate to think we have to settle on someone. The opening is still being advertised. To me, one applicant isn’t enough.
The writer asked to respond and was given permission.
Chowaniec: That’s being disingenuous Mr. Walter. When in the middle of June Councilman John Abraham put up a resolution to hire a Mrs. Kreavy for the position the thought process t that time was not to look at anyone else but to hire someone immediately. He then found out that the position had to be posted- and the job was posted and Mrs. Kreavy withdrew her application because she believed her forte was with the Planning Board and became cognizant of the political blowback.
It has been a couple of months that that this position has been posted and you are waiting for someone to put a name in; someone who has more environmental experience. That is nonsense because the job was not posted from the beginning and there was a resolution in place to hire Mrs. Kreavy and it was pulled.
Walter: And why was it pulled, Lee?
Chowaniec: Because the board was informed that the position had to be posted.
Walter: Exactly, we wanted to follow the rules.*
Chowaniec: But there was a resolution to hire someone (in place that very night in June).
Walter: No, it was not my resolution and I wouldn’t have voted for it.
Chowaniec: Well, I hope that’s true.
Walter: It your saying it was disingenuous…
Chowaniec: It was disingenuous that you should have known…somebody on this board should have know… from experience that an open position on the ZBA has to be posted**. And it wasn’t posted. And all this leads to conspiracy beliefs as implied by Mr. Kazmierczak. Two months since position posting and the sole applicant is not qualified… that we are waiting for some expert to come along? You (board0 know there has been talk about delaying this matter until after election. I think that’s disingenuous as well.
Walter: I have never had that conversation.
Chowaniec: I have never seen a board wait this long to go ahead and appoint someone to an open position. How long are you going to wait?
Walter: Well, I guess I’m wondering…
Chowaniec: So, you are telling Debbie Lemaster (lone applicant);”You are not qualified at all.” And you have no one in line that applied; you don’t, do you?
Walter: No; well, let me say that Deb is a good applicant but I don’t want to give that job if she is the only one. Are we going to wait four or five months to fill this position? No.
Chowaniec: The town is going through a master plan review right now. The zoning board should be a big part of the review.
Supervisor Coleman: The zoning board is not going to be involved in the process?
Chowaniec: It is not?
Coleman: No.
Walter: It is a zoning board for appeals.
Coleman: It is the planning board that is involved.
Chowaniec: I am disappointed to hear that because in your own words you said the town board is looking for someone with more environmental experience.
Coleman: No.
Chowaniec: It’s right on a recording of the town minutes. And I know the ZBA is a board of appeals hearing variance requests, special use permits and other, but I would think they would be a part of a master plan review where they have to have knowledge of zoning ordinances to consider appeals.
Coleman: It’s a separate process where they are there to ensure zoning compliance, not write zoning ordinances.
Chowaniec: One last thing. You all know Deb Lemaster. She has been coming regularly to board meetings for years (since 2008 and prior to that in the 90’s). Deb knows the town fairly well. When you look at her involvement in planning issues and at the ZBA with zoning issues (airport expansion especially) she has the experience to be sitting on that board; and I don’t know why this appointment is taking so long. ***
*The resolution was written and ready for approval that mid June day until someone told the board of the required posting.
**Three of the board members have a combined 43 years of board service and no one knew of the required posting? Seriously?
*** Mrs. Lemaster has serviced the community well in all her years of attending Town/Planning/ZBA board meetings and is deserving of the position. Much more deserving considering her knowledge on how the town operates than someone who has never attended or participated in any town function, but has the ear of a board member.
Unfortunately, Councilman John Abraham was absent from the meeting. As he was sponsor of the June resolution much of the questions and comments would have been directed his way.
This conversation can be heard at around 72:34
https://cloudup.com/cfbAp8TFo09
Georgia L Schlager
Does the Supervisor rely on a knowledge base of memory, hearsay, and anecdote, or does she draw from a reservoir of official record keeping?Told by Supervisor Johanna Coleman not to her knowledge,
The Supervisor never did harmonized the issue of represented emergency with complacent delay.Kazmierczak questioned that if there was an emergency in June to fill that position why are we here in mid September and the position remains unfilled?
Supervisor Coleman interjected that the resolution never came to the board for consideration.
As I see it, the issue is not one of seconding a suspended resolution, the issue concerns her original predisposition to support a viable resolution.Council member Dawn Gaczewski interjected that she was not about to second a suspended resolution.
Councilwoman Gaczewski''s comments appear to be a preemptive, unsought, and entirely self-serving assertion which beckons a rendition of the classic metaphoric adjective "What came first, the chicken or the egg?"
Councilman Ron Ruffino interjected that he did prepare a resolution considering hiring Debbie Lemaster but did not formally submit it for consideration as no one committed to seconding it.
Unverified preparation is no substitute for formal public presentation. Sounds kind of opportunistic to me. To wit, my concern expressed on Sunday:
Let me be clear. I am not making an allegation reflective of a settled opinion.This matter, whether arising from the world of a shell game, or the more devious universe of "good cop, bad cop," should arouse the suspicion of the each and every Lancaster voter this fall. See "Zoning Board Of Appeals" Thread, Post #101
But I would be disingenuously remiss if I did not articulate, for broad public consideration, my concerns regarding the circumstances surrounding, and perhaps motives for, Councilman Ruffino's disengaged resolution.
I am concerned that, in concert with his fellow Council actors, Councilman Ruffino's "efforts" may have reflected a skillfully choreographed performance of disingenuous advocacy, followed by a scripted soliloquy of woeful failure.
Just sayin'.
If memory serves, the Democrat Party lacked overtly qualified candidates for Supervisor in 2015. As I understood the contemporaneous rumors, Mrs. Coleman, was the only party member with viable standing.He said he didn’t only want to consider one applicant for the position, but to see as many as possible. “I hate to think we have to settle on someone.
Am I to understand that it is more acceptable for Lancaster to "settle" for a candidate for the top spot, to the exclusion of a competent incumbent, opportunistically named solely for purposes of partisan elect-ability, but must steadfastly apply rigid standards of excellence to lesser positions?
Curious, curious..
I note that the issue of the represented "emergency," and the complacent delay, still went unaddressed.Chowaniec: I have never seen a board wait this long to go ahead and appoint someone to an open position. How long are you going to wait?
Walter: Well, I guess I’m wondering…
Still no answer about the delay.Chowaniec: I am disappointed to hear that because in your own words you said the town board is looking for someone with more environmental experience.
Coleman: No.
Chowaniec: It’s right on a recording of the town minutes.
The Councilman-candidate who may benefit from this issue and public exchange was present. The Councilman-candidate who would seemingly be reduced by the issue was absent. A very curious juxtaposed "quorum call."Unfortunately, Councilman John Abraham was absent from the meeting. As he was sponsor of the June resolution much of the questions and comments would have been directed his way.
Last edited by mark blazejewski; September 19th, 2017 at 09:22 AM.
"The Council's phraseology "lack IN environmental experience" is in itself, so awkward that it is suggestive of shaded semantics." See "Zoning Board of Appeals" Thread, Post #101.Chowaniec: I am disappointed to hear that because in your own words you said the town board is looking for someone with more environmental experience.
Coleman: No.
Chowaniec: It’s right on a recording of the town minutes.
Unfortunately, I did not hear until this morning that Mr. Abraham has been hospitalized with pneumonia. I wish him a speedy recovery.The Councilman-candidate who may benefit from this issue and public exchange was present. The Councilman-candidate who would seemingly be reduced by the issue was absent. A very curious juxtaposed "quorum call."
Ditto.Originally Posted by Lee Chowaniec
Sorry to hear that. Wishing him a quick rebound
Georgia L Schlager
The Lancaster Bee seems agreeable to the publication of vast columns, only when such columns appear to support their rather obvious political agenda.
I marvel as "The Bee's" writers, apparently witless as to professionalism, but seemingly fanatical as to purpose, painstakingly parse words, tilt story-lines, and cherry-pick titles; and further, in wonderment, do I read their slanted perspective regarding all things VOL Special Events.
I am particularly enthralled by their faithfully-generous allocation of newsprint to the rather pathetic chest-thumping, drool-stained, rantings of the exulted "PROGRESSIVE" Mayor, whom, left to his own skill-set, seemingly can not string, at least in The King's English, a coherent sentence.
How about devoting one sentence to an area of publicly-expressed citizen concern, such as the ZBA issue?
Another inconvenient election year story which merits editing to the point of invisibility?
GIVE ME A BREAK!
Last edited by mark blazejewski; September 21st, 2017 at 11:02 AM.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions