Last night at the Town Board meeting I brought forth information concerning Council Member Shelly Schratz’s failure to obtain permits required to remodel the house next door to her home/business on Kensington Avenue.  The Assistant Building Department Head, Mr. Danni, said she never asked for any permits to remodel this house.  He had advised her that if she was going to do any remodeling which required permits she must get these permits before work was begun.  She made it clear to him she wasn’t going to need any permits. The remodeling of the house was to make it safe for her mother to live there.

Thomas Schwartz, Shelly’s husband, spoke Monday night and stated he hired a contractor to do the plumbing and the needed electrical work which was not inspected by the town Building Department to see if met the standard of the town to receive a Certificate of Occupancy for anyone to move into this house.  Mr. Danni told Shelly that a letter had been sent to her explaining what steps she needed to take to get a Certificate of Occupancy.

This afternoon I was in the Comptroller’s office when Shelley came up to me and apologized for the statement she made on Monday night about her mother being frightened.  She then asked if we could go down to the Assistant Building Department head’s office.  When we got there she questioned him about her permits.  She said she never received the letter, even though Mr. Danni showed her a copy of the letter in his drawer.  Shelly noted that the letter would have been sent from the Town Clerk’s office, which is the usual procedure.  She thought that the Town Clerk‘s office didn’t send the letter because of politics, or perhaps her dog ate the letter.  These were her actual rationalizations.

Shelly said at the Monday night Town Board meeting that she didn’t get the permits because she forgot to and didn’t feel she needed them.  Now, she has been a Board member for 8 years.  She was on the Town Board when Supervisor Mohan admitted he didn’t get the needed permits to remodel his house and when he was fined by the Building Department.

Schratz clearly understood she was breaking Town codes concerning her failure to get the required electrical and plumbing permits.  She committed a crime against the people she serves.  The only two Board members who raised objections to her outlandish behavior were Mark Manna and Dan Ward.

*** By the way, when she inferred that the Town Clerk’s office might have been playing politics, because the Town Clerk is a Democrat, that doesn’t work.  The letter was not sent in June 2009.  It was sent in June of 2008 when her friend and fellow Republican Marjorie Yaeger was serving as Town Clerk.  Maybe the dog did eat the letter.

*** One more thing.  As of Tuesday afternoon she did apply for and pay for the electrical permit and paid the fine incurred for that as well.

Categories: Local News, Shelly Schratz, Town Clerk
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