Some Shelby board members look for ‘gotcha’ moments to embarrass town officials

Editor:

Recently the Town Board received a letter accusing Councilman Schiffer of property tax fraud. The signee and the other people involved in the writing of this letter did a lot of research. They Google Earthed the property to look for improvements, they drove by to scrutinize and saw a power pole supplying electricity, they researched the town tax records and had the exact amount paid on said lot.

In the letter they demanded that Councilman Schiffer apologize in public, step down as Councilman and pay restitutions. However, the only thing that they did not research was the lot number and address!

The lot that they referred to is not the lot that they researched. The lot that coincides with the tax paid that they were referring to is an undeveloped lot he owns which is an old pig farm pasture which floods every year when the Feeder Creek overflows.

I’m am sure that there were others involved in this investigation. I know who went to the town and inquired about his personal property tax payments. It wasn’t the signee. They simply used him as their cover as they did not have the moral character or the integrity to sign themselves. He has gotten permits for every improvement on the lot that they researched. This reminds me of what the Federal DOJ is doing to try and eliminate a political opponent  only it’s right here in Shelby!

I demand that the signee and the others involved stand up at the next Town Board meeting and publicly apologize to Councilman Schiffer. (I know that the persons that helped but wouldn’t sign won’t  as they have already shown their colors). Some members of the board are genuinely trying to do what is best for the residents of Shelby. Others are using every meeting to grandstand and are looking for gotcha moments.

Our department heads are elected by us because we believe in their integrity and ability to do the job and make the best decisions for Shelby. I watch month after month these people get berated.

I watched our Highway Superintendent’s request to purchase a needed trailer (which the money was in his budget) get postponed for months as certain council members wanted to do more research. A member whom I am sure never bought a wagon to pull behind their lawnmower demand the specifications from a man who grew up on  one of the largest farms in Orleans County and owns a trucking company. If I needed a trailer for a specific purpose, he is the one person that I would ask what to get! This was demeaning and grandstanding at its worst.

I watched our bookkeeper get berated month after month until she quit. Yes we have had some fiscal problems but none of them are due to corruption. Some funds were misappropriated to the wrong accounts and there were severe software problems. No money is missing from Shelby!

The auditors have all agreed on this and most of the board is working diligently to rectify the problem.

Certain board members have been privately telling that they are being denied access to the books. They do not have the legal right to look at the books. The bookkeeper, Town Supervisor and auditors are the only ones with legal access. The councilman’s responsibility is to approve major purchases, period. Overstepping your bounds is again just grandstanding. This is not the Shelby way.

Most of us care deeply about our neighbors. If we have a question about a decision, an assumed impropriety, a rumor, an upcoming issue, etc. we go to that person man to man, woman to man or woman to woman, whatever the case may be and we ask them straight out. We don’t wait to bring it up in public hoping for a gotcha.

Sincerely,

James C. Rogenmoser

Shelby