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Thread: An open letter to the Lancaster Town Board

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    An open letter to the Lancaster Town Board

    Lancaster Town Board
    December 5, 2021
    RE: December 6, 2021, Highway resolution to recognize Highway laborer hiring


    Town Board Members

    This correspondence concerns the following resolution:

    WHEREAS, Daniel Amatura, Highway Superintendent of the Town of Lancaster, by letter dated November 30, 2021, has appointed Noah Speyer to the position of Laborer - Highways in the Town of Lancaster Highway Department, pursuant to New York State Highway Law The hiring will be contingent upon approval by Erie County Department of Personnel.

    Supervisor Ruffino is sponsoring the resolution. As Highway Supervisor, Amatura has the authority to hire within his department, this resolution merely recognizes the appointment of Noah Speyer as Laborer in the Highway Department.

    Nevertheless, I would hope to hear an explanation why and how this hiring is needed and possible. An opening in the Highway Department is the result of the resignation of Highway Department Working Crew Chief Gerald Kocialski, effective November 30, 2021. The letter of intent to retire was entered into the Clerk’s Office on November 15.

    In this short interval of time there was no job posting on the Town website that a position was open in the Highway Department. No resumes appeared in the communications.

    A current Highway employee will be promoted to fill the Working Crew Chief position. It will take time to promote along the chain-of-command for there to be an opening in the laborer’s position. There is no opening now.

    When there is no established reason for a Highway laborer position opening at this time, when there was no job posting, where a rush to fill a position in two weeks based on contingencies, this appears to be nothing more than an attempt to hire another Speyer.

    The Board should not ‘recognize’ this appointment. Established protocols have not been followed.

    Lee Chowaniec
    Lancaster, NY

    CC Attorney Kevin Loftus

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    Member mark blazejewski's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lee Chowaniec View Post
    Supervisor Ruffino is sponsoring the resolution...

    When there is no established reason for a Highway laborer position opening at this time, when there was no job posting, where a rush to fill a position in two weeks based on contingencies, this appears to be nothing more than an attempt to hire another Speyer.
    The clarion call of the voters may have vacated certain personages, but appears to have had little positive impact to reverse a longstanding, pervasive psyche, and a now-discredited value set.

    Just my opinion, but Supervisor Ruffino may be wise to understand that the 2021 Lancaster voters did not merely send a muffled message to be enforced with a patient expectation, but rather, made a loud and unforgiving probation-based demand.

    More simply put, I think that the voters clearly gave our elected officials a mandate to do what is needed to lift Lancaster; not a green-light to burden Lancaster taxpayers with the heavy lifting, just to honor whimsical patronage, IMHO.
    Last edited by mark blazejewski; December 5th, 2021 at 07:47 PM.
    LIDA Member Rinow to Member Ruda: You were a sitting Trustee on the Board. Did you help support Mr. Sweeney getting a seat on the CDC Board?"

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    Member gorja's Avatar
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    To me, it looks like not a new hire but a PT employee being moved to a FT position


    From the Town Law Manual
    The Association of Towns of the State of New York
    2016



    Georgia L Schlager

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    Member mark blazejewski's Avatar
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    Hmm...

    Quote Originally Posted by yaksplat View Post
    Can you make that font larger?
    LIDA Member Rinow to Member Ruda: You were a sitting Trustee on the Board. Did you help support Mr. Sweeney getting a seat on the CDC Board?"

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    Hey Gorga:

    You can put lipstick on a pig, it's still a pig!

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    Member gorja's Avatar
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    Mark, that's the same size font that I always use on my computer at home. With this phone, I use the generic font.

    Georgia L Schlager

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    Member mark blazejewski's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by gorja View Post
    Mark, that's the same size font that I always use on my computer at home. With this phone, I use the generic font.
    I just posted a comment from a poster, and did so without a reaction to anything you posted.
    LIDA Member Rinow to Member Ruda: You were a sitting Trustee on the Board. Did you help support Mr. Sweeney getting a seat on the CDC Board?"

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    Quote Originally Posted by Lee Chowaniec View Post
    Lancaster Town Board
    December 5, 2021
    RE: December 6, 2021, Highway resolution to recognize Highway laborer hiring


    Town Board Members

    This correspondence concerns the following resolution:

    WHEREAS, Daniel Amatura, Highway Superintendent of the Town of Lancaster, by letter dated November 30, 2021, has appointed Noah Speyer to the position of Laborer - Highways in the Town of Lancaster Highway Department, pursuant to New York State Highway Law The hiring will be contingent upon approval by Erie County Department of Personnel.

    Supervisor Ruffino is sponsoring the resolution. As Highway Supervisor, Amatura has the authority to hire within his department, this resolution merely recognizes the appointment of Noah Speyer as Laborer in the Highway Department.

    Nevertheless, I would hope to hear an explanation why and how this hiring is needed and possible. An opening in the Highway Department is the result of the resignation of Highway Department Working Crew Chief Gerald Kocialski, effective November 30, 2021. The letter of intent to retire was entered into the Clerk’s Office on November 15.

    In this short interval of time there was no job posting on the Town website that a position was open in the Highway Department. No resumes appeared in the communications.

    A current Highway employee will be promoted to fill the Working Crew Chief position. It will take time to promote along the chain-of-command for there to be an opening in the laborer’s position. There is no opening now.

    When there is no established reason for a Highway laborer position opening at this time, when there was no job posting, where a rush to fill a position in two weeks based on contingencies, this appears to be nothing more than an attempt to hire another Speyer.

    The Board should not ‘recognize’ this appointment. Established protocols have not been followed.

    Lee Chowaniec
    Lancaster, NY

    CC Attorney Kevin Loftus
    Good question, but they do this all the time. First, they start out as part time, eventually it turns into a full-time position. Also, they do this when one leaves their post. Will never change, this is patronage at its finest.

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    The resolution to recognize the appointment Of Noah Speyer as Laborer in the Highway Department was pulled this evening.

    I'm shocked - NOT!

    Approving the resolution would have been wrong for myriad reasons. However, where do we go from here? To those who believe Highway Superintendent Amatura has the authority to hire anyone he wants without following County and Town guidelines and due process / procedure, I don't think so.

    Will Supervisor Ruffino and his gang-of-two 'yes' men be able to clean this up within the next two weeks to make it presentable and legal to put to resolution for approval? They want to fill this position before year's end. Councilman Wozniak in good faith should recuse himself to save face - for myriad reasons.

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