Former Albion village official miffed he wasn’t considered for open trustee position
Kevin Sheehan says mayor didn’t acknowledge letter seeking to fill vacancy
ALBION – Kevin Sheehan says he has a 40-year track record of service to the Albion community, from time on the Village Board including a stint as mayor, to many years with the Knights of Columbus, VFW, youth sports and as the current Planning Board chairman for the Town of Albion.
Kevin Sheehan
Sheehan sent a letter to Mayor Angel Javier Jr., offering to fill a vacancy on the Albion Village Board when Zack Burgess resigned as trustee in October after moving out of the village.
Sheehan said his letter was never acknowledged. Javier chose to fill the vacancy last month with David Buczek, a supervisor for National Grid. The position is up for election on March 19
Sheehan said the village never communicated with him about his letter or the process. He told the board during Wednesday’s meeting there was no communication with him, or with Tom O’Hearn, a retired Albion police lieutenant who also sent in a letter asking to be considered for the vacancy.
Filling the vacancy is a mayoral appointment. Javier told Sheehan he wasn’t considered for the spot.
“None of the letters that came in were considered,” Javier said during Wednesday’s meeting. “You have an election in two months. You have all the opportunity that you want.”
Javier said he didn’t interview Buczek to fill the vacancy. Deputy Mayor Joyce Riley met with him, but she said filling the position was the mayor’s choice.
Trustee Tim McMurray said he was left out of the process to fill the vacancy and said Javier does not share information with him. McMurray said he learned of the appointment in a text message from Riley.
Sheehan said the process is slight to long-time residents with a track record of service to the community. Sheehan said Buczek is largely unknown to village residents. He moved to Albion two years ago.
Sheehan and O’Hearn have been publicly critical of Javier in his first two years as mayor, especially with a dispute over pay with police officers that was settled in favor of the police department. Sheehan also briefly was the village code enforcement officer at the start of Javier’s term.
Sheehan said his letter of interest in serving as trustee should have at least been acknowledged by the mayor.
“If you don’t like me, fine you don’t like me,” Sheehan said. “But why wasn’t there any communication?”