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.

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.

Supervisor Mohan had been trying to reach an agreement with the police union for over two years to no avail.  He then asked a trusted Republican ally, Council Member Guy Marlette, to help settle the contract dispute.  Councilman Marlette had the respect of the police union and the full confidence of his fellow Town Board members, both Democrats and Republicans.   

Marlette was able to negotiate as contract, brought it to the Council and the Board voted.  The police contract passed 6 to 1.  Three Democrats and three Republicans voted for it.  Mohan voted against it. 

When Mohan was part of the team he called for seven meetings yet only attended two.  Marlette and the rest of the negotiation team worked hard and met often to solve the contract hitches before they would have had to go to arbitration.  If arbitrators came in they would have given the policeman a much better deal than the Town was offering.   

Supervisor Mohan’s mouth spit out a litany of lies about Guy Marlette concerning the negotiated contract.  He called Marlette a corrupt person who sold his soul to the police union.  Mohan also said Marlette irresponsibly handed over taxpayer money to the police union.

These lies greatly upset Council member Marlette but he reacted calmly to Mohan’s comments.  He stated he never received money from the union when he ran for office.  He called Mohan’s allegations, “insulting and somewhat disgusting” and, “a complete lie.”

In truth it was Mark Manna who received the endorsement of the Police Club and advertised it almost daily during the last days of the campaign on the radio.  Supervisor Mohan‘s memory was totally confused on who did what, but he continued to attack Marlette.  Council Member Marlette said Mohan was lying about nearly everything he was screaming about the negotiated police contract.  

The audience understands when a man is lying and Mohan was a disgrace for being a lying, dishonest man, as he has been for the entire two years he’s been Amherst Supervisor.

After Mohan disgraced himself he sat dejected and angry because his little tirade failed to convince the public he was a hero by trying to cut the police budget apart.

The article in the News should have made it clear that Mohan’s act to come out as a hero for the people was simply a pitiful attempt to try to fool the people once again.

BREAKING NEWS 2:45 AM  1/05/08 

MEMO                                                                                               January 4, 2008

TO:                 Satish B. Mohan, Town Supervisor

                        Amherst Councilmembers

FROM:           Guy R. Marlette, Councilmember

 RE:                 Resolutions for January 7, 2008 Agenda 

In reviewing the agenda and resolutions for the January 7, 2008 Town Board meeting, I noted two resolutions that were sponsored by you, with my name indicated as a co-sponsor.

The first resolution #2008-29 resolves to reduce the membership of the Amherst Conservation Advisory Council from nine members to seven. Not only was this resolution never discussed with me, I do not support the reduction of the membership. I believe that the Amherst Conservation Advisory Council plays an important role in the long term planning and preservation of Amherst and our natural resources.

The second resolution #2008-39 resolves to reduce the Traffic Safety Board from nine members to seven. This topic was in fact discussed with me and when you brought this particular topic up to me, I indicated that I would speak with the Chairman of the Traffic Safety Board to garner his input and until such time I would not support such a resolution. In addition I indicated that the Chairman is recovering from a health issue and that I would not contact him until after the January 9^th Traffic Safety meeting. It was disappointing to see that you not only put forth this resolution, against my wishes, but added my name as co-sponsor. The Chairman did see your resolution and called me immediately to voice his opposition. He also indicated that he (the Chairman) and the Traffic Safety Board have the same objections as they did a year ago.

Respectfully, I am requesting three things:

1. That my name be removed immediately from both resolutions.

1. That both resolutions be removed from the agenda.

1. That in the future my name will only be used with my expressed permission.

I will operate under the assumption that my name was added in error and move forward from there.