Accountability in Amherst Government/Politics

[SharpeShooter]

Attention all loyal SUWNY bloggers (and anyone else who has an opinion) this is the thread for discussion of ACCOUNTABILITY as it pertains to the Town of Amherst and its elected officials, employees and residents.

Yes, everyone is accountable!

Let's start with the real slackers here in Amherest...the registered voter. Mohan thinks that he has a "mandate" because he received 51% of the vote. Well, if you look up the definition of "mandate", he does. But...in my opinion, 51% of 45% of the registered voters is still 23% of those who have a voice in how the Town should be run. Hardly a "mandate" by any definition of the word.

So, you boys and girls of Amherst, your leader is willing to cut back on what many of us regard as essential Town services with only 23% of the town in support of his "people's agenda" for his "mandate".

My biggest bone of contention with what goes on here is that no one gives a damn!! If they did, they would vote. If you don't vote, you are not entitled to an opinion. Simple! ACCOUNTABILITY!!

Next on my list are elected officials.

Why should we pay attention to an elected official who didn't pay her taxes when they were due (Shelly Schratz)? How does this tax scofflaw have the stones to tell anyone how they should or shouldn't act on ANY matter involving the Town of Amherst? I heard that she berated departments heads for disrespecting the supervisor at the last department head meeting. How dare she? ACCOUNTABILITY!!

Next on my list, Dan Ward. He has been an elected official in Amherst for as long as anyone can remember. He was even the Supervisor! He's also an attorney. How is it that this man, intentionally mind you, as was evidenced by his documented request for information, did not advise Town officials that an error had occurred in the process when the first Canna hearing went bad?? As an elected official, and as a lawyer, Mr. Ward had the fiduciary responsibility to advise the parties involved in the Canna hearing that there was an oversight in the process of the first hearing. Being the political animal that he is, Dan thought it better to hide the truth rather than to have a hand in the dismissal of his own political appointment. Dan's lack of action cost Amherst taxpayers at least $500,000!! Why isn't this news?? ACCOUNTABILITY!!

Finally, the Satish ("leader of hundreds") has admitted, by his recent willingness to allow an inspection of his basement improvements by the Building Department, that he built a home office in his basement (after the Zoning Board of Appeals said "No") and will accept the new assessment to be handed down by the Town Assessor (after he has paid for his building permit and the penalties for not having one in the first place). While the tax $'s haven't yet been declared as being due for the increase in the value of his home for these improvements, do you think, for one minute, that he will be willing to pay the back taxes that he would have paid had he followed the rules in the first place? ACCOUNTABILITY!!

You and I would pay dearly for these "indiscretions". Will they?

Why should Shelly, Dan and the "Satish" be held to a different level of ACCOUNTABILITY than the rest of us?

Now let's talk about the Town of Amherst employees. In my opinion, these people are, and have been, the MOST accountable of the bunch. Elected officials come and go with their promises of lower taxes. Yet these Department Heads and employees are the very people who have risen to the occasion to deliver the services that the taxpayers in Amherst want, time after time, elected official after elected official. But these are the people who are labeled as being "Empire Builders" by our Supervisor. Put yourself in their shoes...how would you react?

I welcome your comments.

(by the way, and for the record, I am not Jack Sharpe, though I wish that we could bring his level of ACCOUNTABILITY back to Town of Amherst government!

[BeansBeansTMF]

Beans, Truer words were never spoken.....BUT, this is a cell phone thread. Start a new thread on Ward's duplicity. It is needed.

ETC - looks like Sharpie did it for us. Kindly note that I started out discussing cell phones, which is what lead me to Dan Ward, the BIGGER problem in the Town. But if my previous post is more appropriate here, then here it is again:

Remember how Erie County went to $h!t & remains there? Yet, the first thing our new Erie County Comptroller, the Independent Watchdog, went after was cell phones while Rome continued to burn. Same thing in Amherst. Fine, keep an eye on those cell phones; however, there are bigger problems, with one of them being a Councilmember who is not only an Attorney, an Officer of the Court, but who also wants to be our next County Executive. Anthony Canna collected $300,000 sitting at home waiting for his personnel matter to resolve. It could have been resolved much sooner & for a lot less money because Dan Ward knew the process was flawed during Round 1 & did not feel he had any duty to bring it to anyones attention. Therefore came Round 2to the tune of $500,000 with the same result as Round 1 anyway. Canna was Ward's appointee, Ward's Friends & Family plan. One thing's for sure if Ward would end up as County Exec, which is a snowball's chance in hell anyway, every drinking, oops, "social" buddy of Ward's would have a job within the County & we'd have a daily 2 hour afternoon siesta time. Back to Canna though, doesn't anyone find it strange that Ttrriccolli & Ward are so silent regarding the whole Canna matter? If you want proof that Ward knew of the flawed process & didn't care to fulfill his fiduciary duty to the citizens of Amherst who for some reason keep him in office & pay his salary, just watch a tape of the August 7th Board Meeting when he is confronted with the letter he wrote.

I also found an interesting blurb on "the Dan Ward Website" regarding what kind of Board Member he really is on top of this Canna debacle:

...ATB Meeting of 04 Apr 2004 - Tom Finger of CSEA rips Dan a new one regarding what Dan Ward did to Town employee Antoinette Black for his own political gain.

ATB Meeting of 02 Aug 2004 - Dan votes "yes" on Councilmember Woodward's resolution regarding the names of traveling Town employees appearing in the meeting minutes. Less than 10 minutes later, he introduces his own resolution in this regard, criticizing Jane Woodward's version that he just voted on in the affirmative. Dan didn't recall what he had just voted for & looked completely looped & disoriented - one too many glasses of wine before that meeting & the proof's right there on tape.

ATB Meeting of 07 Aug 2006 - Sheila O'Brien brings to Dan Ward's attention the FOIL request he made, proving he could have stopped a second Canna hearing at the cost of $500,000 to the Town, not to mention the salary that Canna continued to collect in the sum of approximately $300,000. Dan Ward failed to fulfill his fiduciary duty to the people who elected him in Amherst. The police should indeed at this point proceed with their investigation of this & the investigation should perhaps go higher than just local law enforcement.

The incident where Dan Ward arrived at an ATB meeting last year so loaded that he missed his chair, was not caught on tape...

[Gandalf]

I'm still waiting for Mohan to address the Canna/Ward debacle. The FOIL request is the "PROOF" for those of you looking for links/proof. It was brought before the TB & needs to be addressed rather than ignored! And Ward should be obligated to reimburse the Town & taxpayers for the cost of the second hearing.

[WNYresident]

Next on my list, Dan Ward. He has been an elected official in Amherst for as long as anyone can remember. He was even the Supervisor! He's also an attorney. How is it that this man, intentionally mind you, as was evidenced by his documented request for information, did not advise Town officials that an error had occurred in the process when the first Canna hearing went bad?? As an elected official, and as a lawyer, Mr. Ward had the fiduciary responsibility to advise the parties involved in the Canna hearing that there was an oversight in the process of the first hearing. Being the political animal that he is, Dan thought it better to hide the truth rather than to have a hand in the dismissal of his own political appointment. Dan's lack of action cost Amherst taxpayers at least $500,000!! Why isn't this news?? ACCOUNTABILITY!!

Hey Jim Tricolli?

How about getting me Dan's official response to this?

[Dvoakley]

When town employees see Shelly coming, their stomachs churn. I've had more then one tell me "She's just a bitch." But she needs every cent she can get. Her grease factory is going down the tubes. It's not just the food is lousy but the construction makes it too far out of the way. I never want to see anyone go belly up but in Shelly's case I'll make an exception.

[AmherstSucks]

There are more than a few people who feel Jack Sharpe should be held accountable to some degree for the current sinking home problem. Of course it will never happen. People around here can't remember what happened last year let alone back in the 80's. Plus he's sitting pretty in sunny Florida now.

[AmherstSucks]

(by the way, and for the record, I am not Jack Sharpe, though I wish that we could bring his level of ACCOUNTABILITY back to Town of Amherst government!

Yea Jack Sharpe, the poster boy for accountability.

"That problem (of Amherst's damaged foundations) has been around forever," said Sharpe, reached at his retirement home in Florida. However, Sharpe said he has "no idea of what's causing it." As far as he's concerned, Amherst dealt properly with developers during his term in office, Sharpe also said. "I've been gone for 13 years, and I'm not going to get involved in it," he added.

You can find the complete article here.

[|- Amherst Stakeholder -|]

After reading SharpeShooter's initializing post here, I had to walk outside and look at the dreary clouds in an attempt to stop myself from laughing so strongly. I think SharpreShooter's got it all wrong.

First, the voters that didn't vote can have any opinion they want. However, voicing that opinion is foolish on their part and simply makes them look silly. In the context of voting/performance outcome, they simply do not count. Therefore, SharpeShooter's comment about 23% is off base. Mohan was elected by a majority of people that care. The people that don't give a damn have only themselves to blame. They (nor anyone else) should not try to place the blame on Mohan. They failed in their acccountability... it's their problem. Too damn bad!

Ward & Schratz shouldn't be singled out any more than any other elected official past or present. Virtually all of those people over the past 20 years have sucked... each in their own way. Hell, at least Woodward, Sharpe, Collier and Brewer got ejected (just as examples of some good things that happen!).

Satish Mohan seems to be accepting accountability for not following the rules. He was "caught" and was subjected to corrective action(s). Seems like accountability to me. Should he be hanged further for the permit/building issues? Get real!

Now let's talk about the Amherst employees. They need to step up to the plate and tell everyone what they know is going on. Not on this website... I mean walk up to the podium at a Town Board meeting and spill the beans about their respective departments. Blow the whistles. That's what big boys and girls would do. File formal charges if they are so inclined. Pubilsh pictures... many do have picture phones, do they not? I have found very few employees to be truly accountable for making their respective departments rise to the level of efficiency that private enterprise requires. They've got it easy and they know it! Cripes, I'll just mention the name Guzdek (either one, take yourpick)... enough said! Oh, and why don't building inspectors work on the weekend? That has to be the height of laziness. Oh and why didn't the used car shop on Bailey (just south of Eggert) get cited for it's sideline furniture business today? Maybe because the owner is on the "inside" with cops and inspectors.

No, the Amherst Employees are not the grand honorable people some try to make them out to be.

I'll take Satish Mohan's version of accountability, thank you.

And, Jack Sharpe accountable?!?!?!? You are kidding, right? He wouldn't have known accountability if it bit him. He was a nasty nasty man.

[communicator]

After reading SharpeShooter's initializing post here, I had to walk outside and look at the dreary clouds in an attempt to stop myself from laughing so strongly. I think SharpreShooter's got it all wrong.

First, the voters that didn't vote can have any opinion they want. However, voicing that opinion is foolish on their part and simply makes them look silly. In the context of voting/performance outcome, they simply do not count. Therefore, SharpeShooter's comment about 23% is off base. Mohan was elected by a majority of people that care. The people that don't give a damn have only themselves to blame. They (nor anyone else) should not try to place the blame on Mohan. They failed in their acccountability... it's their problem. Too damn bad!

Ward & Schratz shouldn't be singled out any more than any other elected official past or present. Virtually all of those people over the past 20 years have sucked... each in their own way. Hell, at least Woodward, Sharpe, Collier and Brewer got ejected (just as examples of some good things that happen!).

Satish Mohan seems to be accepting accountability for not following the rules. He was "caught" and was subjected to corrective action(s). Seems like accountability to me. Should he be hanged further for the permit/building issues? Get real!

Now let's talk about the Amherst employees. They need to step up to the plate and tell everyone what they know is going on. Not on this website... I mean walk up to the podium at a Town Board meeting and spill the beans about their respective departments. Blow the whistles. That's what big boys and girls would do. File formal charges if they are so inclined. Pubilsh pictures... many do have picture phones, do they not? I have found very few employees to be truly accountable for making their respective departments rise to the level of efficiency that private enterprise requires. They've got it easy and they know it! Cripes, I'll just mention the name Guzdek (either one, take yourpick)... enough said! Oh, and why don't building inspectors work on the weekend? That has to be the height of laziness. Oh and why didn't the used car shop on Bailey (just south of Eggert) get cited for it's sideline furniture business today? Maybe because the owner is on the "inside" with cops and inspectors.

No, the Amherst Employees are not the grand honorable people some try to make them out to be.

I'll take Satish Mohan's version of accountability, thank you.

And, Jack Sharpe accountable?!?!?!? You are kidding, right? He wouldn't have known accountability if it bit him. He was a nasty nasty man.

You and Satish's followers hate whistle blowers. That's what got him caught. Then you attacked the plumber for turning him in. What is his version of accountability, If I'm caught then you can hold me accountable? If you prove I'm guilty then I'll quit. He was proven guilty, now QUIT ! ! ! Now that would impress me.

As for building inspectors working on the weekend, why do they need to? They still get 2 days off per week. A lot of construction sites are locked up on the weekend so they wouldn't get access. Next you'll want them to work holidays and get overtime for working it.
What is the level of efficiency you'd like the town employees to be compared to? Construction, car repair shops, landscaping, computer stores, security guards, etc...Let's take into account ALL of the under-the-table wages paid out in the private sector. They avoid paying taxes and fees by doing so. So much for efficient business. Evading taxes. But in Satish's eyes, thats okay unless they get caught.

[The Constable]

In my opinion the reason the employee's aren't "blowing the whistle.." is that there are no whistles to blow. This town provides outstanding response to the citizens needs and the employees are the ones that provide that response. Are there a few slackers not doing what they are expected to do; one would have to be extremely naive to think they don't exist but they must be the exception not the rule.

To state, without facts, that employees are not honorable seems to me to be unfair.

[Dvoakley]

They are your friends and neighbors. Their children and your children play together. You and them attend church together. You share sadness and joy, old home days and the taste of Williamsville. You can't pick them out in a crowd. You may recognize them when they're plowing your streets or cleaning the leaves, or cleaning up after a traffic accident or the multitude of other tasks they perform. They don't ask for much in return, just a decent wage and a chance to raise their families with the same dignity the other Amherst citizens raise theirs. I, for one, say thank you to all of them!

[|- Amherst Stakeholder -|]

No whistle's to blow? OK dreamer. I keep hearing that emplyees are calling in sick to some degree because of alleged low morale. That's whistle blowing material if ever I heard it. Why doesn't someone walk up to the podium and say "coucilmembers, here are pictures of so&so playing glf on the day he called in sick" as a hypothetical example.

I don't care if they are ny neighbors. If they are not doing their jobs, they should be dealt with sternly. If my neghbor owns a restaurant and the food sucks, I don't eat their... makes no difference if they are my neighbor. Do your damn job!

[communicator]

No whistle's to blow? OK dreamer. I keep hearing that emplyees are calling in sick to some degree because of alleged low morale. That's whistle blowing material if ever I heard it. Why doesn't someone walk up to the podium and say "coucilmembers, here are pictures of so&so playing glf on the day he called in sick" as a hypothetical example.

I don't care if they are ny neighbors. If they are not doing their jobs, they should be dealt with sternly. If my neghbor owns a restaurant and the food sucks, I don't eat their... makes no difference if they are my neighbor. Do your damn job!

You have way too much time on your hands Geraldo!!! You should start a new reality TV show....
Who's not doing their job? Who's calling in sick? Again, which departments are underachieving? All of the town employees I know are people just like you and me. There are good employees and bad ones. You're putting them all in the same basket. That's not fair. Mohan has created a very poor working environment. He has the residents calling and demanding things of the town employees immediately because of his " I pay your salary" mentality. Well when there are 800(?) employees and 150,000(?) town residents, it's impossible to satisfy everyone immediately. But they now expect it. Services also take time to render. Same as in the private sector. Go and wait in line at Walmart and you'll experience the private sector.

[communicator]

No whistle's to blow? OK dreamer. I keep hearing that emplyees are calling in sick to some degree because of alleged low morale. That's whistle blowing material if ever I heard it. Why doesn't someone walk up to the podium and say "coucilmembers, here are pictures of so&so playing glf on the day he called in sick" as a hypothetical example.

I don't care if they are ny neighbors. If they are not doing their jobs, they should be dealt with sternly. If my neghbor owns a restaurant and the food sucks, I don't eat their... makes no difference if they are my neighbor. Do your damn job!

You must be a poster boy for perfect. I would love to be your neighbor. I can imagine you up in your room, whistle in mouth, waiting to blow. Do you use a telescope or binoculars to spy on your neighbors? You probably have their bosses on speed dial. Why don't you be the first one to walk up in a meeting and do that? Because, as you say, "you hear town employees are calling in sick and goofing off". You are one of those huh? Believe what you hear when it supports what your opinions are and ask for proof when it doesn't.

[The Constable]

Dreamer... yeah I guess I am. This is still the best place to live and like I have said before I am not so naive as to think that everyone on the town payroll does their job and gives 100% all the time but things sure seemed to run pretty good before January of this year. At least town vendors got paid on time. Obviously you have creditable information of sick abuse that I am not aware of in that you "heard" that people were calling in sick due to low morale.