After listening to the recording of Tuesday evening’s town board meeting on the Town’s website, I eagerly waited reading the Lancaster Bee’s report on pre-filed resolution #2 of the Organizational meeting dealing with town position appointments; needed clarification on some comments and claims made at the public comment session on the pre-file resolution and during the resolution approving the appointments.

What I found in the Bee was a lengthy public hearing report on a proposed rezone of property for the development of a Delta Sonic immediately to the south of the Kohl’s Department Store on Transit Road and not a drop of ink re the Organizational or regular meeting.

A resident addressed the town board at the public comment session on the pre-file resolutions on the process used to determine which of the six candidates who applied for the two open Zoning Board of Appeal (ZBA) seats was best qualified to serve.

Supervisor Johanna Coleman said the she had submitted the several applications the town received to the four board members. She said some applications came in late but that they all make it into the communications.
(Somehow I missed seeing the one application).

The applications were submitted to the board members for their evaluation and they were asked to pick the two they felt most qualified and that the candidate receiving the most votes would be appointed.

The resident then asked the board members how they came to their decision(s). Councilman Ruffino just offered he chose who he though best qualified. Councilman Matt Walter declared that he considered education and work experience as strong indicators. Council member Dawn Gaczewski called the applicants and was happy with the final selection. Newly elected Councilman Adam Dickman his selection was based on experience and community involvement. Supervisor Coleman considered education and work experience.

Never once were the appointed ZBA members mentioned by name during the question and answer period; nor any appointee when the resolution was approved. Supervisor Coleman declared that if anyone was interested in seeing who was appointed to what position, that information was present on the website.

So, no names will be mentioned here – especially considering the town board’s common theme for rendering a decision was based on education, work experience (in zoning, I guess) and community involvement. The public will never know how those parameters were met; especially since the applicants chosen were a realtor by profession and an individual who just graduated from college in June 2017.

More drama

What became more perplexing is when the time came to vote approval on Organizational resolution #2 on the appointments. Ruffino asked for a second to his motion to table the appointments based on his belief that the public was misled (until the 11th hour) that there was only one ZBA position open and that with member terms expiring on December 31, 2017 on the ZBA and Planning Board those positions were not posted for public application.

Supervisor Coleman stated that incumbent members tendering letters for re-appointment were favored for re-appointment and there was no need for posting those positions. No one seconded Ruffino’s motion to table the resolution. Coleman offered a resolution for approving the resolution, it was seconded by Gaczewski and approved 4-1; Ruffino voting no.

What is equally perplexing is that the board found it necessary to post and seek out the best qualified candidates to fill ZBA positions but assume the individuals up for board re-appointments cannot be replaced by more educated and work experience qualified candidates? However, this time the board had it right in re-appointing Quinn to the ZBA and Anderson to the PB - and to re-appoint Quinn as ZBA Chair and Connelly as PB Chair (IMO).

The big bigger question

What is holding up the announcement on who will be replacing former Council member John Abraham as liaison to the Town Planning Board; who also held the Deputy Town Supervisor position and where that position has yet to be announced?

I would love to be a fly on the wall during discussions and voting on that one. Knowing about politics and deal making nothing would surprise me. Any guesses?