Shelby to hire attorney to look into allegations of harassment in town hall

SHELBY – The Town Board voted to have an outside legal firm investigate allegations of harassment in the town hall.

The board on Tuesday evening responded to allegations of women being harassed in the town hall. John Pratt, a town councilman, wrote a letter to the editor posted in the Orleans Hub on Oct. 7, making the allegations.

“I have also been deeply disturbed by instances of women being verbally harassed, degraded, and disrespected by officials, both in the office and in public settings,” Pratt said. “To make matters worse, the outside consultants, funded by our own tax dollars, have at times remained silent during such offenses, or even worse has assisted in their cover-up.”

Pratt also claimed the town government suffers from a lack of professionalism, and many decisions are made behind closed doors.

The town will seek out a law firm to do the investigation and interview town employees about the work atmosphere. The cost to town will be negotiated when the Town Board talks with law firms about the investigation.

Town attorney Kathy Bennett advised the board not to discuss the matter in detail publicly due to potential litigation.

Town Supervisor Scott Wengewicz said he takes the allegations seriously and any harassment of women won’t be tolerated.