Supervisor Frank Del Gallo’s tenure on the Rotterdam Town Board was filled with heated debates, and what could be his final meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 14, proved to be no different.
Contention over the newly constructed veterans memorial, a project Del Gallo initiated and oversaw, was led by Councilwoman Nicola DiLeva, who is leaving the board after not seeking reelection.
DiLeva argued that while Del Gallo said no taxpayer money would be used to construct the monument, he used his board salary to fund the project after he donated it to the town. She also argued he didn’t follow proper accounting and approval protocol for the project.
Prior to the Dec. 14 meeting, DiLeva publicly questioned invoices and budget transfers set to be approved by the board. Once discussion items came up on the agenda, Del Gallo defended his fund appropriations.
“As we went along, money was transferred from my line to pay for different materials for different parts of the job,” Del Gallo said.
Last year, Del Gallo said the same procedure was followed to pay for renovations to the town’s senior center kitchen. His 2010 salary of $13,000 was used to fund improvements after a $10,000 grant from Senator Hugh Farley didn’t come through. This October, Del Gallo said the town received the money. In the meantime, payments to fund improvements were transferred out of his salary.
“I said my money will go towards the seniors once the grant is used for the kitchen,” he said. “I don’t know how that has to happen, but there is certain things that have to be done to do that.”
To date, $10,453 has been paid out for invoices relating to costs of the monument, which Del Gallo said he signed off on as needed. Another invoice for $4,330 surfaced a few days after the general election for Bradshaw Construction, which Del Gallo signed off on to be paid.
Del Gallo and James Bradshaw, owner of Bradshaw Construction, both contested the invoice to cover material costs were filed long before the election was over, all the way back to the summer.
“Now I am told there is a problem with an invoice … and this invoice turns up after the election, which is a total lie. It was there long before the election was over and the invoice is even dated (in July),” said Del Gallo. “What happened to it from there, we don’t know, but somehow this never got stamped until somewhere in November.”
At the end of the meeting, Bradshaw said Del Gallo asked him to keep track of the materials he used for the monument and the town would reimburse him. Bradshaw recently ran for town justice as a Republican and also on Del Gallo’s Rotterdam First Party ballot line.
“I made that bill out July 13 … it was a couple days after it was handed in,” said Bradshaw. “Why they came about now, I don’t know and obviously you guys don’t know either.”
Bradshaw also firmly opposed any insinuation he billed the town after failing to be elected. He questioned if politics accounted for focusing on his invoice.
“It is really disgusting what is going on,” said Bradshaw. “I could care less, $4,300 is not going to change my life one bit, so whatever happens, happens.”
Board members voted earlier to table a resolution regarding budget transfers, which was nearly three pages long, over a few transfers relating to memorial expenses. Del Gallo was the sole dissenting vote on tabling it.
DiLeva said last year the board knew Del Gallo was donating his salary towards the senior kitchen, but this year the board thought the monument “wouldn’t cost taxpayers a dime” since Del Gall repeatedly asserted that notion.
“This has nothing to do with the veterans memorial,” DiLeva said. “The veterans deserve it and it is beautiful, but when the supervisor guarantees the residents and the Town Board that the taxpayers aren’t going to pay a penny … and all of a sudden he is saying it is from his salary but we didn’t know.”
DiLeva asserted if the town paid over $3,000 for materials there need to be written quotes with approvals from the supervisor. She said she asked to see an accounting of the $50,000 worth of donations to the town Del Gallo claimed was used for the monument, but Del Gallo admitted there wasn’t any formal receipt policy followed when receiving donations of materials.
“I am not trying to put a black mark on that memorial, because our veterans are wonderful and the memorial is beautiful, but how about some transparency?” said DiLeva. “Some of these bills are made out to the business of the supervisor.”
Councilman Wayne Calder, selected by incoming supervisor Harry Buffardi to be deputy supervisor, said Del Gallo used money from his salary before he was even paid.
“If you were getting paid every other week like me you’d have a check coming this week, but you don’t because you used it. You paid it before you even earned it,” said Calder. “We’re calling for an audit from the New York State Comptroller’s Office and they are going to come in here and go through every book and piece of paper before this new board … gets its fingerprints on any money at all.”
Calder added he doesn’t believe Del Gallo purposely did anything wrong.
“I do not believe there was any wrongdoing done on purpose if there was wrongdoing done. He’s got a big heart … I hate to see what is happening now, but DiLeva has no choice as a board member to bring this up,” Calder said. “If something was done wrong, it was done I’m sure because Mr. Del Gallo is a private businessman … and he has a certain way of doing things.”
Deputy Supervisor Robert Godlewski said he hadn’t seen any of the invoices being paid, but said the disputes and arguments over the monument won’t overshadow its meaning.
“Everybody that is here in this room is going to be dead and gone in 50 years, but that monument will be out there for an eternity and that speaks to the man,” said Godlewski. “His heart is in the right place, let us not forget … there is Frank Del Gallo’s monument and I will always remember him for that, he has tried to do something good.”
Del Gallo said in his final statement he could leave proud of his accomplishments.
“In two years I have $26,000 coming, I thought I would at least have a right to put it where I wanted to put it,” Del Gallo said. “I will walk out of this Town Hall with my head high in the air.”
The board is scheduled to convene on Wednesday, Dec. 28, but Del Gallo expressed intentions to not hold the meeting.
