Highlights of the board meeting, which ended at 1:10 a.m. (wasn’t there a rule passed that required meetings to end at 11:30?)

These are the major highlights:

1.  The Town voted to bond 1.7 million as ’seed money’ to start up our badly needed drainage program.  One of our top engineers, Brain Armstrong, said the entire project for the town would roughly take over 10 years to complete, but at least it’s finally started.

2.  The Engineering Department personnel spent over two hours explaining the Capital Improvement Plans for Amherst.  The time was wasted on the audience because it was far too technical and very hard to grasp.  Most of the audience left which meant they were missing out on very important town matters but you can’t blame them, it was getting late.

3.  Suspension of rules had two people accusing Council member Shelly Schratz of working with the developers, the Rubino Bros., beyond acceptable bounds.  This matter was sent to the Board of Ethics for an investigation. 

4.  The Town Board voted down the resizing of theBoard from 7 to 5.  The only two members in favor of the resizing were Shelly Schratz and Dr. Weinstein.

5. The Rubino brothers project was voted down 0-7.  Every member of the Council voted against it including Dr. Mohan and Council member Schratz!

The town’s Building Department receives more than 6,000 building permit applications every year.  These applications include new residential construction, new commercial construction, renovations, extensions, and electrical and plumbing works. 

We review and issue permits for 88% of the applications within one day and 92% of the applications within one week. The remaining 8% of the applications have historically taken several weeks. We have now planned to reform this delay situation.  The Town Supervisor, Satish Mohan, end the Building Commissioner, Thomas Ketchum, announce the following policy for issuing building permits in the future: 

(i)                 All of the pending permit applications will be reviewed, and letters of approval or deficiency will be mailed out by Monday, July 28, 2008.

(ii)               In the future, the Building Department commits to a goal of providing permit reviews within one week of the application date.  Either letters of incomplete information will be sent or a permit will be issued. 

The public is requested and invited to write to the Building Commissioner, Thomas Ketchum, regarding any default in our policy.

In response to this press release Council member Guy Marlette had this to say:

The building Commissioner has been managing his department with exceptional character and productivity. There was never a crisis in the department and this press release is misleading to insinuate that a solution was arrived at, since there was no crisis existing.  

This press release is meaningless unless the Town is committed to maintaining proper staffing levels and to budgeting significant overtime for peak periods. Pulling our Inspectors and officers off the street, as requested by the Supervisor, is not a long term solution.

             Daniel J. Ward, Democratic candidate for New York Senate, 61^st District, today announced release of his 2007 New York State Board of Ethics disclosure statement.  Ward received forms from the New York State Legislature, as he is a qualified candidate, and filed them before the July 18, 2008 deadline.

            “I have completed these ethics disclosure statements in a timely manner, and filed them in Albany.  I challenge my opponents to similarly release their ethics filing statements.  My disclosure basically shows me free from any business or corporate entanglements, other than my two (2) sources of income:  my service with the Town of Amherst as a councilman, and my professional law practice.”

            Ward said he personally felt the disclosure forms did not go far enough and he wants tochange that in state government.  He has been a long-time advocate to the total elimination of all gratuities to public officers, and elected officials

            I believe the new state senator from our district must make it perfectly clear, right from the get-go, that business as usual in the field of ethics is not enough.  We have had far too many ethical lapses lately in state government, and the public deserves better.”

            Ward was the author of the first draft of the Town of Amherst ethics local law.

For more information, contact DANIEL J. WARD, AMHERST TOWN COUNCILMAN at 631-7013 or 444-5326

The web site Speakupwny.com has matured from its beginning.  There are several excellent writers contributing to this site who make sense and “tell it like it is.”  There are individuals, who write comments using vulgar, cheap language, who greatly degrade the site.

Dan Ward has stuck his neck out many times to help the residents of Amherst win battles when they have been wronged.  NatureView Park is an example of that extra step being taken when the people were right in their cause.  The Council Members who believed in standing strong for the people in that battle were Dan Ward and Bill Kindel.

The public want their Town Board members to fight as hard as possible for them.  This is one of Dan Ward’s strongest traits.  He is a fighter.  Most politicians want to remain popular, so the stay inside a cocoon, lest a concern actually touches them.

In general most people enjoy being liked by others.  Sadly, most people know that deep inside themselves they are cowards.  They really don’t want to get involved in helping others.  Our Town Board is lucky to have a member who steps up for the people when he believes they are right.

Council members come from different backgrounds.  Some may have felt their constituents were wronged on various issues, but they have yet to learn to step out of the box to help those same people.  There are some council members, who HIDE their real names as they write nasty comments against other council members, who want their cohorts to be real fighters for them when they are in trouble.  They want help from members like Dan Ward.

Dr. Mohan asked Tom Ketchum to take on another job in addition to being the Amherst Building Department Head.  He asked him to be the Assistant Town Engineer for two weeks before Mr. Ketchum prior to his going on a family vacation.  Tom agreed and was assured he would receive $500 a week for each of those two weeks.

Today was the day Mr. Ketchum should have received his final $500 but as so often happens, our Town Supervisor wouldn’t pay him.  He told Mr. Ketchum the Building Department was “far behind” in building permits, which was a gross lie on Mohan‘s part.  This continues Mohan’s well deserved reputation as a liar.  Mohan said he checked the building permits and that there were thousands to be checked.  He said Tom and his department hadn’t done a good job, which was a lie. 

The building Department handles at least 5,000 permits per year and they were only 36 permits left to be acted upon.  Mohan became angry and said Ketchum and everyone in his department could not go on vacation.  He acted like Joseph Stalin; a mad, out of control, nut case.

Mohan wouldn’t even listen to his faithful guide, Shelly Schratz.  He walked out of the meeting muttering, “No one will get a vacation.”

If you listen to him ranting and raving like a mad man it’s easy to see that he needs help.  Most of the Town Board members believe he is ill.  The only member who didn’t say he was ill was Mark Manna, because he wasn’t present.

Mohan often is lost during discussions. He doesn’t remember what he said in as little as 20 minutes after he says something.  He hired two interns at eleven dollars an hour each because he wanted to pay them four more dollars than other seasonal employees, just because he could.

Our Supervisor doesn’t like the American way of governing.  He believes in the socialist form of government.  Democracy is too bothersome for him.  It puts shackles on what he wants to do.  His plan seems to be to put “his” people in power and turn Amherst into a little Moscow.  

Our Town Clerk, Susan Jaros, decided to resign effective July 26, 2008.  This past July 7^th at the Monday night Town Board meeting the Board chose Marjory H. Jaeger to be our new Amherst Town Clerk.  The vote was four to three.  The four Council members who voted for Miss Jaeger were Dr. Weinstein, Guy Marlette, Shelly Schratz and Supervisor Mohan.

The selection of Miss Jaeger was a surprise considering Dr. Mohan had already put forth Mary Wik’s name for this position.  Mary is the Deputy Clerk and has worked in the Town Clerk’s office for over ten years.  Mohan couldn’t get the votes to support Mrs. Wik because the Republicans on the Board had already decided on Miss Jaeger knowing full well that Dr. Mohan was going to vote with them.  Mohan asked the Board if they could amend his resolution and change the name from Mary Wik to Marjory Jaeger.  This is not amending his resolution, this is changing the resolution.  The Board went ahead and voted for this changed resolution, which is illegal, therefore the vote was also illegal.

It was a done deal even before the meeting began.  I was told by two Republican board members, that Miss Jaeger had the four votes needed to be selected because Mohan had already agreed to vote with the three Republicans on the Board. The public “support” he showed for Mary Wik was just that.  It was for show. 

Miss Jaeger is on our Planning Board as well as the Vice President of the Amherst Republican party and is the Republican representative at the Board of Election office downtown.  This is a full time job, as is our Town Clerk position.  Since she was appointed to the Town Clerk position, not elected, she will have to work the required 40 hour week.  She will also have to give up her seat on the Amherst Planning Board.

Miss Jaeger, freeing yourself to devote your time and energy to your new full time Town Clerk’s position, would be a smart move.  (Would she even CONSIDER maintaining her Board of Election job while also working as our Town Clerk?) 

The appointment of Miss Jaeger angered Board Democrats. They accused Dr. Mohan of political patronage because there was no posting of the job; none of the Board members had the opportunity to read Miss Jaeger’s resume or qualifications; and no paperwork was submitted to any Board members prior to the meeting.

Miss Jaeger is a personal friend of Guy Marlette, Shelly Schratz and Dr. Weinstein.  These three plus Mohan voted for Miss Jaeger with none of them knowing her work history or qualifications.  The only reason she was given the job was that she is an influential officer of the Republican Party.  

Mark Manna made it clear that Dr. Mohan was not a man of honor; that he lies about almost everything.  The other Democrats, Dan Ward and Debbie Bucki, also voiced strong opposition to Dr. Mohan’s method of selecting Miss Jaeger without knowing anything about her, as he stated.

Mohan did write in a memo on July 8^th, after Miss Jaeger was already voted in as our new Town Clerk at $70,000 a year, that he had a telephone conversation with her on July 8^th.  It was during that conversation that she informed him of her biographical data. 

So, for once Mohan didn’t lie.  At the Monday night  meeting he said he never met with her or had any conversation with her.  At that time he was telling the truth.  He knew nothing about her when he voted with the three Republicans to make her our new Town Clerk.  Brilliant.  The Town Clerk is privy to very private information about the Town and the people who work, or worked, in town. A background check on Miss Jaeger is essential before she takes this position. 

This whole affair must be turned over the State Comptroller for a full investigation of possible corruption by the four members of the Town Board who acted on selecting someone they knew little about; her work history; or her qualifications to serve as our Town Clerk. There should be a background check on this “candidate.”  Shelly Schratz is the strongest advocate of checking the criminal past of new employees but in this case she ignored one of her strongest positions.  Why?

Now the public knows that none of the four Board members who voted for Miss Jaeger knew anything about her past employment record, did not review any background check, nor did they know her qualifications for the job, they should demand another vote.  This time it would have to be without Miss Jaeger’s name involved because the four members who voted for her have made her damaged goods.

At Monday night’s Amherst Town Board meeting the real truth of how fear has griped the officials of Amherst, was evident, to the point of nausea.

Few people today will stand up for what is right, especially in the workplace.  Again, that word fear has to be used because this is the work tool of pitiful officials who live in fear of losing their jobs.  In Amherst such people should be fired, starting with the fool at the top along with his protectors.  In our town they would include the Town Attorney, who finds ways for Mohan to get away with his foolish plans, our Planning Director - or should I say Mohan’s Planning Director or better still, the Developer’s Planning Director; our Comptroller, who always finds way to save Mohan’s foolish plans or ideas, and our pathetic Personnel Director who will say anything our Supervisors tells him to.

This group will circle our Supervisor, protecting him from bad vibes, when he makes any sort of goof; financial, or ethical.  If they don’t, he starts up the rumor mill to hurt their reputation like he tried to with Guy Marlette, which backfired in our foolish Supervisor’s face.

In a memo sent to Marlette, Mohan said:

RE:  YOUR VIOLENT AND THREATENING BEHAVIOR

“As members of the Town Board representing the citizens of the Town of Amherst, it is crucial that we carefully analyze and consider all aspects of the matters brought before us for our vote.  My duty is and has always been to serve the best interests of the citizens of the Town of Amherst as a whole. At the June 23, 2008, Special Meeting, I had serious concerns about the terms of the police contract that was before the Town Board and the speed in which it was processed.  Accordingly, I felt it necessary to express those concerns.  Although we might not share the same opinion, we should both have an opportunity to share and vocalize our views.

I was very shocked when you approached me in a very angry and hostile posture in my office following the Special Meeting.  I was giving some instructions to my Assistant, Ms. Shirley Voigt, who observed your threat. You told me, “If you ever accuse me again, you will have problems.” Your tone and posture were very violent and threatening.  Before I tried to respond, you hurriedly walked out. I consider your threat that if I ever speak like that again I “will have problems” to be very serious and detrimental to the effective functioning of the Amherst Town Board. I am asking that you refrain from addressing me in this manner in the future and hope that we can work together with the common goal of serving the best interests of our Town.”

+ + +  + + +  + + +

The people of Amherst should not underestimate what Mohan and his minions will do.  It’s very possible our toilets might begin to overflow regularly, until some major problems with our Waste Water Treatment Plant can be solved, which will take a lengthy period of time.

Our Supervisor and his crew could tell the public that the problems are part of a new plan devised by the Supervisor to sanitize our bathrooms with the chemicals in our toilet waste, or something else equally as ridiculous.  

In reality it’s the mess created by problems at our WWTP, poor drainage system and failure to fix our sewers as required by law which are not working as they should, to handle the floods of waste entering our sewers.

Mohan has fouled up all these major projects by removing important people, who were working on them, because he didn’t like them.  

When your bathroom floods with human and animal waste along with dangerous chemicals, like mercury and some we haven’t labeled yet, the public may realize they should start getting involved in what this man is doing before it costs us our homes and a ton more in taxes.

Dr. Mohan sent a letter to Council member Mark Manna asking him to publicly tender an apology for all the false accusations that he has made about him or prove any and all of these accusations.  I think it’s time for him to tender a letter of resignation to the people of Amherst before we sink so low we can’t get out.