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