For many who attend Malta Town Board meetings regularly, the relationship between Supervisor Paul Sausville and the other four board members has been visibly strained since his election, and the Monday, March 5, meeting served as just another example of the breakdown in civility among the board.
This was a disgusting meeting, said resident Carol Henry as she left at the close of the often-contentious session.
During the public comment period, resident Doug Young quipped, `While this has been more entertaining than ‘Wheel of Fortune’ and ‘Jeopardy’ tonight ,` he turned serious when he told the board, `This is not the type of town board I want representing me.`
The night began with a heated round of public comments relating to Councilwoman Sue Nolan’s recent allegations of impropriety in the town clerk’s office.
Patty Ruggles, a village of Round Lake trustee, called those allegations an `attack` on Flo Sickels, the town clerk.
Ruggles also questioned Nolan’s previous comments about having a `fiduciary responsibility` to look into the town clerk’s office and manner in which it was run, and suggested Nolan herself was not being budget conscious in voting for a 5 percent raise for the town board.
In a prepared statement last month, Nolan asked that the town board consider seeking a public referendum to make the town clerk and highway superintendent appointed positions rather than the elected positions they currently are. Included in her statement was a lengthy list of concerns related to the town clerk’s office.
Nolan denied Ruggles’ assertion that she was attacking Sickles personally, and said, `If you have an appointed town clerk and superintendent, you can save a lot of money. We would be able to hire someone like our department heads who work 50 or 60 hours a week.`
Resident Tom Ouellette said he preferred keeping the town clerk as an elected position.
`I would want more elected positions not less. Don’t take away my right to vote,` Ouellette said, adding that he thought every department head should be up for public vote rather than appointed by the town board.
Another resident stood to take issue with what he said was Nolan’s lack of availability.
`I have called you three times,` said Joe Niles to Nolan as he paced in front of the board pointing his finger at her. `In the beginning of December, I called and asked you to meet with me. You said you were too busy. You said you would call me. You haven’t ever called.`
Niles’ comments were peppered with frequent interruptions by Nolan defending herself.
In heated tones, Niles continued to ask that she hear him out and give him his turn to speak.
`You’re the only one who wouldn’t listen to me,` said Niles, noting he’d met with each of the other board members, including Sausville. `Is that any way to do your job?`
Niles said the town board needed more members because, in its present configuration, it had become `too tight, too closed.`
While the rest of the items on the agenda were taken care of with little discussion and fanfare, it was at the close of the meeting when an item not listed on the agenda was brought up for discussion and tempers began to flare anew, putting everyone on the defensive.
At issue was the inclusion of the supervisor’s photo in a pamphlet designed to encourage volunteerism among the town’s residents, which is to be paid for by the town of Malta. The pamphlet asks residents of Round Lake and Malta to join the ranks of the Round Lake Hose Company, Malta Ridge Fire Department, and Malta Ambulance Corps.
Councilwoman Donna Gizzi said she didn’t think it was appropriate that a picture of Sausville be included in the brochure.
Sausville said Gizzi was the only one who complained about the photograph when a draft of the brochure, which has been ready since December, was distributed to the entire town board as well as a number of people at each of the two firehouses and the ambulance corps.
`I didn’t think your picture on that brochure would be appropriate,` said Gizzi. She added, `There are no pictures of any of the volunteers or the firehouses. It wasn’t personalized enough.`
Sausville said the intent of the brochure is for the supervisor to be making a plea to town residents to get involved with the emergency services in town. As such, he said he feels having his photograph, as well as the names of the town board members, on the brochure is appropriate.
Rick Jennings, a member of the Malta Ridge Fire Department, said he just wants to get the pamphlet out to the public and is concerned its publication and distribution is being held up by all the back and forth among town officials.
`We don’t want to be put into the middle like a football,` said Jennings. `I care about projecting volunteerism in this community.`
When the brochure recently went to press, Nolan stopped the printing. She said by removing the supervisor’s photo and board members’ names, the document would be timeless, allowing for reprints in the future.
Sausville countered that the names of the current chiefs and presidents of the emergency services agencies are on the brochure, and those positions are elected positions within their companies and also subject to change.
Board members Gizzi, Nolan, Cliff Lange and Jerry Winters demanded the photo be removed, and Sausville was equally adamant that the photo belonged on the document.
`It’s amazing the amount of time you folks have spent quibbling about your own issues,` said resident and member of the Malta Ambulance Corps Peter Carey. `We’re asking for help.`
Gizzi, Lange, Nolan and Winters eventually agreed to allow the brochure to print as is in order to keep the process going, but immediately following the decision, Nolan introduced a resolution that will require the board to approve all town publications `in form and content prior to distribution and/or publication. This requirement shall not apply to routine, non-policy-related publications customarily circulated by town department heads.`
The measure passed 4-to-1 with Sausville the lone opposing vote.
The town board will hold an agenda meeting on March 26 at 6:30 p.m. and the next regular meeting on April 2 at 7 p.m.“