We have been trying to get some answers regarding some questions and concerns after the election. We have not gotten some of our important answers such as who will run the Town while Eric Peters is at his full time County job all week, however there are some answers that Karen Jerz Kuebler was able to get. They are posted publicly so we are sharing them in case you didnt find them. Karen questions are posted earlier on this site. Reposted from Karen jerz Kuebler In answer to how to get Hamlin Back on Track after the election. Answers from Breslawski and Peters. Breslawski: Karen Jerz Kuebler Supervisor Breslawski also answered my questions, I am posting what he wrote in an email so that you can see his responses to each area, I have capitalized the responses so it makes it easier to spot his replies: ---Supervisor Breslawski read from alleged emails between Dave Maynard and members of the town board, the town clerk, and others. I dont know how he got these emails and, if he did so inappropriately, he should face the consequences for doing so. I have no direct knowledge of how this was done so Im not trying to comment on that, I trust that if he obtained these in a manner that was unlawful or unjust, he should be held to the same standard as the people mentioned in those emails for their alleged part in the issues at hand. SUPERVISOR BRESLAWSKIS ANSWER: I obtained these emails legally only after consulting both the Town Attorney and my own personal attorney. They were obtained in accordance with the Town of Hamlin Employee Handbook policies and procedures. Karens post: But, now that the emails have been read, there are comments and circumstances that are unanswered. In those emails there are comments by Dave Maynard saying he would: shut down the shelter page, halt dog adoptions, transfer dogs out of the shelter, no longer write tickets--all to make the current supervisor look bad--this is what those emails allege. Dave, I wanted to see your face there, in person, in front of theSupervisor who you say is bullying you, so that you could be in 1 room with an audience that was there to hear the truth. But you stayed outside and that is unfortunate. Im not against the shelter, Im not against what youve accomplished in terms of helping dogs. We need this for our community and we need someone running it who isnt interested in promoting it for anything other than helping animals. Im interested in hearing from you in, in a public forum, to say if you wrote these things or not. ---During the entire meeting you could tell there was tension in the room and it was apparent that the current board is splintered. Id love to hear from the incumbents & those running for office & how they plan to bring the Town of Hamlin back together, regardless of party. With this kind of tension & animosity, what will each of you do to work with whomever is elected to bring some peace to this Town? The residents deserve better than the good ol boy attitudes of he said/she said, they did, they plotted.....it is getting very old. I pray that whomever is elected for the supervisor position and the board positions can work to move forward, not dredge the past each & every time there is a disagreement. SUPERVISOR BRESLAWSKIS ANSWER: I’ve always worked hard to keep personality out of the decisions made in the board room. Having been on the Board for six years, this is a skill that I’ve honed from the beginning. While sometimes challenging, I always try to remain professional in dealing with the other Board members, residents and employees. For those of you who attended your first Board meeting on October 15th, you will recall how I calmly clarified the questions of one Board member who it appeared was trying to start problems from the beginning. Later in the meeting I did raise my voice for a moment. That’s the first, and hopefully last time I’ll ever have to do that in a Board meeting, and was not directed at any one person. Moving on to your question, I have been in contact with the Monroe County Republican Committee Chairperson, Bill Reilich, and arranged for a liaison to be assigned to the Town after the election to help the Board members get back to what is important and work with each other for the benefit of the Town. I plan to present to the Board that the past is the past and should be left there as we move forward for the best interests of the Town. Certainly there are issues that must be dealt with, but we cannot dwell on the past. I plan to take advantage of the County’s resources to straighten the path that we are currently on. I have no restrictions on my time or effort. Whatever is needed will be done. Any employee issues resulting from the recent findings will be handled with the assistance of the Town Attorney and in accordance with all Town Policies and Procedures. Due process will be followed. I have a long history with each member of this Board and it was not all bad, until this year. It seems that politics took over the focus and that needs to be replaced by us working together for the Town. Disagreements are a welcome part of getting to a positive end result but making things personal or attempting to politically sabotage each other has no place in our government. Another aspect that I’d like to address here is our lack of media coverage. I believe that this directly relates to members of our government being tempted to say or do things that may be inappropriate due to the fact that a very minimal audience will ever find out about their actions. My plan to remedy this is to begin recording our Board meetings and making them available on a service such as YouTube. This could be done simply and at minimal cost. Digital cameras are relatively cheap and there is no cost to upload something to YouTube. This would give Hamlin residents the ability to see what is going on at their Board meetings whenever they want on any computer or mobile device. It would also serve to remove the degree of anonymity that breeds some of these undesirable behaviors. A long term goal of mine would be to investigate and institute term limits, if legally possible. I believe that our government benefits from change and fresh ideas. At some point, Town Officials who have become too comfortable in their positions need to either move up the ladder or step away and let more motivated people take over. This is how the corporate world operates and I believe this is how our forefathers wished for our country to operate. We should be a by the people, for the people. That should extend to our Town as well. Karens post: --After the meeting there was much discussion in the hallway and allegations were made regarding Supervisor Breslawski. What are the board members and new supervisor going to do to put allegations to rest and move on? What policies are in place to be sure that an employee can file a grievance/complaint about a workplace issue? I assumed that there would already be a process on the books but cant help but think that no one is really following this process since this seems to be an unresolved (but much complained about) concern.... SUPERVISOR BRESLAWSKIS ANSWER: : Any allegations made regarding me or any other Town Employee should be discussed with the Department Head of that particular employee. Failure to come to a satisfactory solution can lead to a complaint to the Board of Ethics. This independent Board acts on complaints and provides advisory opinions to the Town Board to take action. I would welcome any employee or resident who believes that there is an issue to follow one or both of these avenues. I have already had discussions with the Ethics Board Chairperson about reviewing the Employee Handbook with our employees and concentrating on what an ethics violation is, how to go about filing a complaint and even more importantly, how to identify a potential problem before it occurs and take steps to avoid it. Prevention is the best answer. We plan to arrange these employee sessions sometime next year when things have settled down and the holidays have passed. If there is anything here that I did not answer completely enough for you, please let me know and I will be glad to elaborate. October 24 at 3:58pm · Edited Answers from Peters: Eric Peters Karen and Cathie Both of you have raised some great questions and concerns. I too. was at the town board meeting. Surprised was my first reaction. I wont comment on the hows and wheres as there were many legal issues created. I will say this, as a person that is pretty new to facebook and the whole social network thing, I sincerely hope everybody learns from this situation. It is very easy for people to hide behind these pages. I personally have been at events and meetings, said hello to people that have been bashing for months on web sites and literally not once has anyone asked me a question or wanted a conversation. How to bring people together is a tough question. Much depends on the person. Treating people with respect, listening to their concerns. Having discussions, understanding that not every one always gets their way all the time. Working towards solutions that are somewhat palatable to all involved. I understand there will be times when that is not entirely possible, you cant please everyone all the time, and there are some people that wont be happy no matter what you do. In those cases have the courage of your convictions and the willingness to stand behind them. Part of the equation is the person. I am by nature someone who will stay focused on the issue. Because of how I was raised and the things I have in my lifes experience, my first inclination is go fix things, solve it, my first or last reaction is NOT to point fingers and assign blame. See it, fix it, solve it and analyze it so it isnt repeated. The second question is more of a procedural question. Yes there is a system in place. It is something that has been on my radar and needs to be thoroughly looked at, and up dated. There are good models from other municipalities that we can use and or modify for our needs. Long answer, I hope it helps.... I appreciate the opportunity to answer. October 24 at 1:02pm via mobile · 4
Posted on: Sat, 26 Oct 2013 13:11:31 +0000