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Please see the last two paragraphs of this article from the Buffalo News, dated October 4, 2011. If Geoff has a difficult time making this type of decision and speaking his mind in front of the residents and the rest of the Council AS a sitting Councilmember, how will he make a DIFFICULT decision as Mayor?? This appears to be Chuck wanting to play King. If this wasn't a POLITICAL move, tell me Geoff and Chuck, why wasn't the City Clerk's appointment extended? All FIVE members should be ashamed of themselves by circumventing the proper procedure in appointing the Council Clerk. Cheap politics as usual.
Bad decision on your part Geoff. This close to the election you should have voted NO. You won by a handful, maybe this action will cause your own loss. What game is being played with the council, let us know before the election, some voters want a change. And for you Jaworski, are you looking to squeeze in on a seat, gonna miss those few extra bucks to sell your soul. What a bunch of stooges. Smart voters help this city.
Shear GREED!
post is focus of criticism
By Jay Tokasz
NEWS STAFF REPORTER
Published:October 6, 2011, 12:00 AM
1 Comment
Another Lackawanna mayor appears to be lining up work with the Lackawanna Municipal Housing Authority after the conclusion of his term in December.
The board of commissioners of the authority voted Wednesday morning to request a waiver from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development that would allow the board to consider hiring Mayor Norman L. Polanski Jr. as executive director.
The vote provoked sharp criticism from some tenants who view Polanski as an ineffective mayor whose administration did little to assist Lackawanna’s First Ward, where the Housing Authority’s three developments are located.
“Lackawanna politics as usual,” said George W. Halsey III, a former First Ward councilman. “Norm appointed all of the board of directors over the eight-year period.”
“You appointed everybody; now they’re going to appoint you executive director,” he added. “That is unethical.”
Halsey also accused Polanski of having a “history of retribution against people who don’t support him.”
Polanski appointed five of the seven commissioners; the remaining two commissioners were elected by tenants.
The board, during a special meeting in Parkview Towers, voted, 4-1, to approve the waiver re-
quest.
Polanski has not received the job and won’t be considered for the post unless a waiver is granted, said Jeff DePasquale, chairman of the board of commissioners.
“We wanted to make sure we had HUD’s blessing to avoid any controversy,” he said.
Years ago, the board ran into trouble when it did not seek a waiver and appointed a former mayor to the executive director’s spot.
Polanski acknowledged Wednesday that he is interested in the job, and he said he’s well-qualified for it.
“Their little budget is nothing compared with what’s here [in City Hall],” he said. “And their major problem is maintenance, which I have a background in. I’ve been dealing with maintenance crews all my life, and I think it’s a good fit for me.”
The Housing Authority, which consists of three developments with a total of 490 units for families and seniors, has an annual budget of about $4 million. The city’s current budget is $23.2 million.
“He’s managed much bigger budgets. He’s managed much bigger work forces,” DePasquale said. “I certainly think he’s qualified.”
Other candidates are likely to emerge in the coming weeks, DePasquale added.
For months, there has been speculation that Polanski was seeking the Housing Authority job, which currently is held on an interim basis by Robert W. McManus, the authority’s longtime housing project assistant and deputy director.
McManus said he was not seeking the executive director’s post permanently.
The previous executive director was Thomas J. Radich, who accused Polanski of meddling in the authority’s affairs and negotiated a $50,000 buyout with the board of commissioners in 2009.
The executive director’s post currently pays $82,000 annually, which would amount to a sizable raise for Polanski, who makes $56,106 as mayor.
A mayor moving into the Housing Authority is nothing new.
After losing the 1991 mayoral election to Kathleen M. Staniszewski, former Mayor Thomas
E. Radich— father of Thomas
J. Radich— served a year as Housing Authority director, resigning when Staniszewski was able to appoint her own commissioners to the board.
Then, Staniszewski took the helm of the authority in 2000, following a failed bid in 1999 for a third term as mayor.
Polanski, who like many past Lackawanna mayors has had a tumultuous relationship with the Housing Authority, is unable to run again for mayor due to term limits.
HUD’s ethics policy prohibits housing authorities from hiring public and elected officials who exercise functions or responsibilities with respect to the Housing Authority during the tenure of the official or for up to one year after the tenure is completed.
A HUD waiver would allow the board to consider hiring Polanski as soon as his term ends in December. “They’ve given waivers before, but who knows?” Polanski said. “If it happens, OK. If it doesn’t happen, then I go to back to work for the Department of Corrections.”
Polanski took leave from his plumbing job at Collins Correctional Facility to run the city.
He also is still considering a run for the Assembly, although he can’t by law mount a campaign if he is in the Housing Authority post.
A group of tenants plans to hire a lawyer to convince HUD to deny the waiver, said Halsey, who accused the board of trying to sneak in Polanski.
Polanski refuted that. “There’s no way I’m sneaking into the Housing Authority,” he said, “because HUD has to approve me.”
jtokasz@buffnews.com
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The events described in this piece are SO ABSOLUTELY TYPICAL of what goes on here in the City of Lackawanna.
I used to be amazed at the number of people I saw driving south of here, holding their noses....and now I realize that THEY WERE DRIVING DOWNWIND OF THIS CITY....it explains everything.
THIS kind of thing is why I AM A REGISTERED INDEPENDENT..."business as usual" here in Lackawanna discredits the party these boobs were elected from.
DARLENE OLIVER, LACKAWANNA, NY on Thu Oct 6, 2011 at 10:01 AM
" Took a leave to "" run the city ""...........
He sure did---right into the toilet and the poorhouse! Folks, they have spent 3 1/2 $$$$ million dollars in the past 2 years alone AND then had the audacity to "float" another bond to fix Fire Stations and roads that he--they should have been doing the past 12 years as routine maintainence!
Time to MARCH Lackawanna..........Enough is REALLY Enough! This political set-up is sickening, $82,000!!! Do you think HE is worth it?
PAYBACKS-PAYBACKS-PAYBACKS! The whole gang of them..........I can't say what I want to say, I'm too much of a lady!
Don't take his word for it.Polanski acknowledged Wednesday that he is interested in the job, and he said he’s well-qualified for it.
Put an add in the paper and hire someone more qualified for the position. It's for the kids.
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Polanski acknowledged Wednesday that he is interested in the job, and he said he’s well-qualified for it.
Dumbing down that position too?
Polanski took leave from his plumbing job at Collins Correctional Facility to run the city.
Who is the poor person who gets screwed after this guy has been gone for 8 years? I hope that person doesn't have a wife and kids. After you leave your job for more than a year you should be canned.Unless its a medical condition. In the private sector they don't give a sh*t either way. Must be nice!
Last edited by mnb811; October 6th, 2011 at 09:38 PM.
Other candidates are likely to emerge in the coming weeks, DePasquale added.
LMAO like they really really really have a chance. It'll be a cold day in hell before that happens.
What is this guy doing I thought he was running for assembly? Must be scared he can't beat Fahey. Maybe he's flipping a coin? More than likely he realizes that he doesn't have what it takes to win a state race. Just look at the city. Did anyone see the article on OLV and Martin Road home? After this group gets done screwing everyone the only business left in the damn city will be Curly's and Diamond Cutters.
Last edited by mnb811; October 6th, 2011 at 09:42 PM.
The way things seem to work in Lackawanna politics is that as long as you play by the rules of those in power, you are guaranteed a job with benefits and a pension. A plumber takes a leave of absence to RUN A CITY (?), then slips into the Housing Authority job to oversee the housing development's 3 properties. In a way, it's kind of sad if you think about it. The only time any of the politicians recognize the first ward as even existing is during campaigning and as political favors. Once the politician gets into office, the first ward just gets shoved to one side - last on the list for repairs, upgrades, improvements, services, etc. Over and over and over again. Yet, nobody really actually does more than scream, complain, and grumble about the abuse and neglect. That's why the plumber-turned-mayor will become mayor-turned-Housing Authority Czar.
Right On!
Originally Posted by mnb811
Exactly!
What about Geoff Szymanski........at the Mayoral debate this past summer, Geoff made a joke and told his wife laughingly, " even though it will mean a BIG ( I think he gave a figure) cut in pay when I become Mayor ", dear or honey---something like that. I know someone who has it all on tape.
When Polanski ran against Kuryak in 2003 for Mayor of Lackawanna he did NOT have any kind of a platform...........Do you remember what they ( the party) rigged up for Polanski to pound his chest about the summer Kuryak took his job with the Erie Water Authority?
" I will be a full-time Mayor and NO phone call goes unanswered ", he bellowed! That was it.
Folks in Lackawanna wanted a full-time Mayor and jumped on the band-wagon-----it worked for "the party" and they stopped answering the phone soon after!
Looking back, Kuryak could have run this City from his cell phone he is so smart! And I don't know if the other one is really a plumber---were his credentials ever vetted? A plumber is a hard worker and must do a lot of math calculations............where did this self-professed "plumber" graduate from? Degrees?
Now the point.......WHAT ABOUT GEOFF?
Is HE going to take a 4-year leave from the Erie County Water Authority to " run the City " if he gets in? I know it is grounds for immediate dismissal if someone takes a leave from the County to take other employment and you must come back by day 364 in order to re-gain/retain your position.
Did the rules change? Are the Erie County Water Authority employees under different by-laws than the rest of Erie County employees?
What's up with this " Leave " business is right, mnb!:
You said that right Andrea. Also no one seems to mention that although " Mayor Fulltime" Polanski whined and cried,kick and screamed about the so called "Mayor Part-Time" Kuryak he basically made the city department heads pretty much all part-time. What the hell is that all about? No wonder the city has problems. Part time workers for Full Time jobs.
Rip-Off of HARD-EARNED peoples' TAX money!
The official term is called " Theft of Governmental Services ", and it is a very serious crime!
Along with it follows the fact that they/he are breaking our Lackawanna City Charter/Code LAWS........they get away with it because they think THEY are the law.
Self-serving agendas is more like it,
I believe if Joe and Jane Public knew and really digested the toll of it all, about this blatant scamming and the rest of their corruption, they would revolt and march on the orange crate. How do we reach " The Silent Majority? "
How do they sleep at night, I have often heard asked......oh yeah, some are on the bottle and the other on legal prescriptions.
You flap your lips about people on the bottle but yet you ran a store and probably sold more booze to alcoholics than anyone here. You didn't care about that as long as you made money off them! And while you made money you could never seem to pay your share of taxes.
Contribute something positive for the voters of Lackawanna, if you cannot, then make yourself useful and volunteer. Lake Erie needs some cleaning up with all the algae & muck, that should keep you busy for a long time.
Positive?!?! Are you for real?!?! LoL !!! What positive have you contributed? Your fond talk of people you don't even know?
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