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.