The Report: Harassed Employees Felt Unprotected by Union

There are many issues of alleged discrimination and intimidation in the recently released County Report. However, many of the employees felt that they would not be protected by their CSEA-affiliated union. In fact, some believed that if they complained that they would be retaliated against.

The vast majority of employees said that they did not file a report with their Local Union 848. A lack of aggressiveness from the union was noted by the employees. A local union representative said that the reason for this was that CSEA in Albany did not give enough financial support. Neither did the union ask for assistance for two employees laid off in 2012.

Local union President Barbara Schaffer said that there are multiple complaints filed by employees per year. The more serious are sent to the state union.

Meanwhile the employees themselves said that even when they felt that they had legitimate grievances, they "did not have confidence in local CSEA representation." This was across the board in three different departments.

If they did file a claim and lost they could be fired or demoted.

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The Report: Health Department Civil Service Law Broken to Fit Ethington

Much controversy has surrounded the events in the Health Department over the last several years. With the departure of Mrs. Kathleen Strack in late 2010, Personnel Director Cassandra Ethington was charged with leading the transfer of the County Home Health program in early 2011. She was specifically not tasked with the role of leading the Department.

That changed as she became interim director on January 7, 2011. She received $3,500 for the appointment.

According to the New York State Public Health Law and NYS Department of Health in order to become a Director of Public Health a Master's Degree in public health or a related field is necessary. Mrs. Ethington instead has a two year Associate's Degree in Business Administration. The confusion on why she was appointed by the Board of Supervisors caused the staff to believe that Mrs. Ethington now held "an almost infallible position within the County and cast a cloud over the entire Health Department."

The New York State Department of Civil Service was appalled. Personnel Director Ethington requested an opinion on whether she could hold both positions. NYS Civil Service wrote back on February 21, 2012 stating that

"A member of a municipal civil service commission or personnel office... shall not hold any other public office or employment under the political subdivision over which such commission or personnel officer exercises jurisdiction.... By having responsibility as Public Health Director and Personnel Officer you would have the full range or responsibilities for appointments, terminations, disciplinary actions at the Public Health Department and also be responsible for reviewing, approving/denying and hearing appeals from the same decisions as Personnel Officer. This is an obvious structural conflict."

The Schoharie County Policies and Procedures manual describes the Personnel Officer being one of the people that employees can report claims of harassment to. So if an employee of the Health Department needed to complain about her role as Health Director, they would complain to... her as Personnel Director.

During her time as Health Director, tensions heightened. In the aftermath of the flood an empoyee was praising other employees for their role during the flood. Mrs. Ethington allegedly entered into the room and yelled at the staff for "a poor performance during the storm and thereafter." Several employees complained in the aftermath. Another employee said that this incident happened because Ethington had received a complaint from the State Department of Health. Ethington accused the employees of the Department of speaking behind her back and complaining to the State. She yelled at the employees and said that they would be written up and that some could be fired. That employee said that Mrs. Ethington's dual roles made them feel trapped. Another employee corroborated the same incident although did not remember Mrs. Ethington threatening jobs but did say that Ethington called the employees unprofessional and could be disciplined. She also felt that her job was threatened. Multiple other Health Department employees said similar things.

In another incident another employee was reprimanded by Ethington for "poor performance during a point of distribution drill where vaccines were distributed." She could not appeal the case because she would have had to appeal directly to the Personnel Director. Mrs. Ethington also screamed at the employee "for an extended period of time" for speaking to the Clerk of the County Board. This was confirmed by another employee.

Just six months later Mrs. Ethington recommended that the employee's position be abolished. The employee was to appeal to... the Personnel Director.

Another employee was yelled at for moving her desk. Mrs. Ethington screamed at her saying that she was a "diva, selfish, and had no right to adapt her plan" then made her move the desk back. Another employee heard the shouting from 60 feet away.

The Personnel Director did admit to shouting in the incident because she had worked on the floor plan for "an extended period of time" and that the employee  had argued with her. Mrs. Ethington was also on ear medication during the event.

As written about prior, yet another employee was berated by Ethington on two occasions, one for asking for union representation. Mrs. Ethington denies both incidents. Betsy Bernocco, who was present, in the Report said that both raised their voices during an incident. However, Bernocco earlier said in a court deposition earlier that this was not the case, a direct contradiction.

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Cherry: Board Has Betrayed the Trust of the People

Following last night's overwhelming vote in favor of releasing the original compilation by Fitzmaurice and Walsh concerning allegations of wrongdoing in the county workplace, Schoharie County Treasurer Bill Cherry blasted the board's decision to "suppress the second (and most legally important) part." Adding that "the Board has betrayed the trust of the people."

 

The motion to release was opposed only by Schoharie Supervisor Gene Milone, who insisted that the report be released in its entirety and that publication of only the original version would be "misleading" to the public, a position that confused many in the aftermath of last evening's vote but was praised by Mr. Cherry.

 

"Gene Milone should be credited for being the lone Supervisor who voted to release the entire report," the County Treasurer declared forcefully. He followed up by stating that "Many of the rumors, innuendos, and gossip in the first part are unsubstantiated, but it's the actual allegations of law-breaking I care about," concluding that "The people have a right to know if civil service or election laws have been broken."

 

While the Board of Supervisors did vote to release Fitzmaurice's original findings, which are mostly hearsay and accusations, there is still a second and larger part of this waiting to see day light and until that occurs we can only speculate as to the validity of the first portion's contents.

 

 



The Report: Ethington Attempted to Rearrange Board of Elections Against Both Democrats and Republicans

Both the Republican and Democratic Party Chairs in the County have something to agree on. It is that Mrs. Cassandra Ethington tried to rearrange their office in 2010. Ethington told the Republican Chair Lewis Wilson that she was going to change the office schedule. She also said that some employees would be fired and others would be placed in part-time positions. Wilson told her to get out. The Democratic Chair Clifford Hay disagreed with Ethington's move. Only the two party chairs, as the heads of the Board of Elections, could make such a move.

The Board of Elections is arranged by this system to prevent corruption and possible election fraud, as laid out by New York State Law.

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The Report: Cassandra Ethington Had 'Almost Unquestioned Authority'

Many of the issues revolving around the Report come right back to the Schoharie County Personnel Office. The lawfirm Fitzmaurice and Walsh describe their initial disbelief that "the Personnel Officer could possibly possess the unfettered authority that was being attributed to her." As the author states "an overwhelming number of the general and specific complaints were related to the Personnel Officer."

Sheriff Tony Desmond said that he was present for a conference call in the middle of 2011 with the Undersheriff, an officer, the Sheriff's secretary, and Cassandra Ethington. During the call a disagreement between the officer and Mrs. Ethington began. Mrs. Ethington began "berat[ing]" the officer to the point that the conference call stopped. Desmond told the Personnel Director not to speak that way to an officer-- in response she hung up on him.

The officer that was on the conference call was concerned with an investigation on abuse of an inmate by a deputy. The deputy was suspended pending a full investigation after the case was brought to the Board. The documents were presented to Mrs. Ethington via email. She claimed that no one even interviewed the deputy and that she never saw the documentation.  When the secretary showed Mrs. Ethington a copy of the email she screamed over the phone, "Who the fuck do you think you are? You are fucking nobody. Don't raise your voice to me." The officer said that he never raised his voice and even stepped back from the phone. This version was confirmed by the Secretary and Undersheriff Ron Stevens.

The Sheriff also met with the budget directors Alicia Terry and Paul Brady about proposed layoffs. The Sheriff's proposed cuts did not include actual employees, but instead contractors and services. Immediately after he heard that there were 33 positions cut from the Sheriff's Department. The Sheriff and his secretary attended a meeting with Mrs. Ethington. Ethington handed the Secretary a copy of all of the layoffs that she had requested for the Sheriff's Department. Part of the document outlined demotions that included cutting all corporals back to corrections officers and reducing some dispatchers to part-time from full-time. Desmond had no input on the process and was "shocked" by the process.

When discussing the layoff prospects, Mrs. Ethington physically took the list from the Secretary and said "Screw you, the game's over. Get the fuck out of my office." The Secretary affirmed this incident's occurrence. She stated that the layoff list was in fact a jail schedule to operate the jail with fewer employees than mandated by the State. The Secretary said that Mrs. Ethington made the schedule to show how effectively "she could operate the jail." A copy of the schedule was included in the Report.

This version of events was entirely denied by the Personnel Director. She instead said that she was explaining the bump and retreat rights of each deputy. Instead, during the meeting the Sheriff and Secretary were "laughing, texting, and not paying attention" to her as she discussed possible layoffs. She said that her patience had worn thin already from being attacked in social media and did in fact tell them to "Get the fuck out of my office." She also said that the Secretary stole the layoff list from her-- and that this was the source of how it reached County employees.

Meanwhile another employee in the Sheriff's Department stated that he had been good friends with Deputy Ethington but had a falling out in 2006. When his wife applied for a job in Delaware County. Deputy Ethington allegedly called the company to make "false claims" about her. He also produced a recording of a call Ethington made that was aimed at an employee of the perspective company. The same recording made it to YouTube. Since then, he has feared for his job due to Mrs. Ethington's position.

Another deputy said that he had been eating in Middleburgh in late 2011 when he was approached by Mrs. Ethington and another employee from the Personnel Department. The deputy asked Mrs. Ethington how she was to which she responded, "You better watch your fucking job." After a moment he asked her what she meant to which she said, "You're about to be laid off." He had not heard of the layoff list at the time.

In a separate incident, Mrs. Ethington allegedly "forced" the disclosure of confidential information and used it to have another employee berate them. Mrs. Ethington reportedly threatened the job of an employee unless they divulged the confidential information. In this case  the former employee was investigating a report of potential workplace violence. He was asked to report to the Personnel Department where she demanded the identity of one of the people involved. When the Officer denied the request she later called him and screamed at him. She claimed that it was a matter of law enforcement importance.

Later, when he feared asbestos or mold in the County building he called  to have the substance investigated. It was not asbestos but Mrs. Ethington yelled, screaming, "Who do you think you are, I'm a department head, you're nobody." He was then thrown out of the office.

After the flood the employee was tasked with cleaning up damage at the County building. Mrs. Ethington started to tell him what to do. When he responded that he was tasked with the cleanup and to leave him alone. He complained to Harold Vroman saying that "She's interfering with stuff." She stopped showing up at the site but soon after saw him after a flood meeting. She said to him, "You son of a bitch, you want to run the fuckin' Board and rat on me. I can't wait until you are out of here." She had tears in her eyes.

One of the largest sections was that revolving around the Personnel Office.

She was praised by several Supervisors for her job performance.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Ethington claims to be the victim of multiple forms of harassment, including sexual harassment and intimidation. She believed that there was an overall atmosphere of intimidation at the County level.

She claims that the County Attorney Michael West and Bill Cherry conspired against her. She pointed to the YouTube video where Mr. Cherry called for her firing at a Board meeting. Meanwhile Mr. West launched investigations into her Department, which she claimed were meant to harass her. She said that this happened while she was on vacation and that her hard drive was taken and copied.

She said that letters and emails were also sent to harass herself and her husband. One email was vouched for by Earl van Wormer, who said that the information was true. Ethington asked West to put a halt to Mr. van Wormer's actions. Instead, it got worse, leading to the attempted lawsuit her husband spoke of. She also alleged that the employees at the Health Department refused to follow her orders.

One employee that was laid off, said Mrs. Ethington, lied about her to remove her from her position.

The Supervisors were reportedly not happy with Mrs. Ethington.

"Your reign of terror is over." said Schoharie Supervisor Gene Milone.

Phil Skowfoe said he did not like her and when that happens "he chews on it like a dog with a bone."

Meanwhile another employee stated that she heard Mrs. Ethington scream at an employee that did not raise their voice themself.

On top of this, Mrs. Ethington has been accused of working with several employees at the Department of Public Works to change the DPW Commissioner's job qualifications to fit an ally.

Ethington allegedly placed a DPW employee on the layoff list after complaining that Ethington employed an ally for political reasons. Meanwhile another employee asked for a promotion in the Department and was granted. When he heard there were potential layoffs, Mrs. Ethington told him, "Quite frankly, I've been getting a lot of complaints about you, you are not doing your job very well." Immediately previous his job responsibilities were stripped of him and right after the conversation he was added to the layoff list. This led to his resignation.

In another case Ethington yelled at another employee after moving furniture and equipment after a move. She allegedly shouted "Who do you think you are? Coming down here are telling me what you can or can't take with you."

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Tom Murray Ally of Ethingtons, Involved in Civil Service Abuse in "the Report"

Cobleskill Supervisor Tom Murray has been mentioned several times in the Report. There are several portions describing actions supporting the actions taken by Personnel Director Cassandra Ethington and abusive towards County employees.

According to Murray's own words, he entered into Central Data Processing after the flood and swore at two employees. He did admit this unrehearsed and called his behavior "inappropriate." He was criticized by CDP's head. He then apologized to the employees. One of the employees interviewed was so upset by the event that they refused to continue with the interview in fear of retaliation.

Murray also asked the Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Public Works if he wanted the Commissioner's job. He was told yes and received an email. Murray then told the Board of Supervisors that the candidate was not interested in the position. Murray denies this and says that he did in fact inform the Board Clerk through email.

Murray allegedly told another employee that after they complained about a hiring they believed to be political that he was not on the "right team." Murray, Ethington, and two others threatened the employee. The employee was then placed upon the layoff list.

In another incident Mr. Murray was with Mr. Goblet and Mrs. Ethington. Murray yelled at another female employee to the point of tears. Ethington said nothing.

Mr. Murray also pushed for the firing of Planning Department employee Sean Jordan, telling him that he was too young and inexperienced for the job. Jordan was 27 at the time and was laid off. He was replaced by a 28 year old immediately thereafter. In a court deposition, Mr. Jordan claims that Mr. Murray stated that according to Alicia Terry, part of the reason for the firing was that Mr. Murray did not like him.

Mr. Murray was also accused of sexism by Sharon Supervisor Sandra Manko. When asked about sexism in the workplace, the worst of the offenders she stated was Mr. Murray. Murray "went up one side of her and down another" during a meeting.

About sexism, Mr. Murray said, "Every time we get a really smart female-- we have some bright girls-- we have Alicia Terry, I'll just name a few. We have Alicia Terry, Cassandra Ethington's just so bright, Colleen [Fullford] I'm sure is bright. I see these people being, I don't know if it's discriminated against, but they aren't treated like they should be treated. These girls should be wrapped in cotton and put in a glass jar so nothing happens to them."

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County Board Votes to Release Fitzmaurice Report 14-1

After an exhausting four and half session behind closed doors, the Schoharie County Board of Supervisors voted 14-1 shortly after ten this evening to release the original report for public consumption. Mr. Fitzmaurice did not have the second volume of the Report ready for consumption.

 

Esperance Supervisor Van Wormer motioned for the original report to be released and was seconded by his Middleburgh counterpart Jim Buzon. Discussion of the motion was limited: with Schoharie Supervisor Gene Milone stating that he thought it was "very important to inform the general public" on its contents and Board Chairman Phil Skowfoe explaining that "the second portion [of the report] has not been digested" by the board and that it "will be revealed as well."

 

County Attorney Mike West then announced that when the second portion is received by the county, his office will forward it and Fitzmaurice's recommendations to the State Civil Service to review. Chairman Supervisor echoed Mr. West's comments by observing that this "could go to the attorney general."

 

The motion received an "aye" vote to release the original report that was finalized in February of this year from every board member except for Supervisor Milone, who was obviously at pains with his decision, voted against the motion of the grounds that the report should be released in its entirety.

 

Following the board's hastily vote to adjourn, Supervisor Milone stated that the original report is "misleading" and that the accusations in it are determined to be "unfounded" in the yet to be released second report, agreeing with the Schoharie News description of his stance this evening as "passionate."

The Report: 'Pervasive Paranoia' in County Government

Towards the very beginning of the much-anticipated Fitzmaurice and Walsh report on County government, there is a stark paragraph. Of the 274 current County employees that returned questionnaires for the report, some were returned "unsigned, incomplete or with a letter or note attached reflecting a pervasive level of paranoia within the County government.'

Much of the perceived paranoia came directly from the Personnel Office. The largest share, by far, of complaints were about Cassandra Ethington. On top of this, the fighting of the Board of Supervisors made the situation worse. Beyond this, other Departments seemed to follow the lead of the Personnel Department as Mrs. Ethington attempted to expand her influence.

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The Report: County Board Infighting Sparked Intimidation

The Report is spilling even more information from the last two tumultuous years. Much of it has to do with the fact that the current County Board of Supervisors is perhaps the most turbulent in the area's history. The main reason for the split was in fact not the Supervisors themselves originally, but the Personnel Office.

In the Report the issue appears to be settled. The law firm did not wish to rehash the last two years' politics, but it was clear that there was a clear issue stemming directly from political disfunction. Allies of Mrs. Ethington attempted to sway policies in the Board such as Dan Singletary and Tom Murray. The situation reached its apex after Ethington was named acting chair of the Health Department.

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"The Report" a Behemoth

At an inch tall and 104 pages long, the Fitzmaurice and Walsh Law Firm's look into the operations of Schoharie County have been eye-opening to say the least. We are currently reading through the Report, but would like to give a few broad outlines. Of 385 current County employees, 274 returned a questionnaire to use.

The interviews took place across the County. Most were done in the County building itself while others were done in the County DPW garage, the Probabtion Department, the DMV, the Transportation Department and, the Old Stone Fort. The former employees were mostly interviewed at an undisclosed hotel.

During the interview, only the person interviewed and two members of the law firm were allowed in the room. Two Department heads and members of the Sheriff's Department had an attorney represent them. All employees were informed that the County had a "firm policy prohibiting retaliation" for participating.

The interviewees were assured of their confidentiality, which "dispel[ed] the fears of most, although not all, of the employees."

Those interviewed were asked a two part question. Had they heard or knew of discrimination, harassment, or intimidation in the workplace? The other part was if the employee themself had been a victim or had witnessed the acts in person. The only recordings of the interview are custody of the attorney's firm and not the County. Most Sheriff's deputies chose to not significantly cooperate with the investigation.

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Opinion: The Report or their Heads

The County Board of Supervisors will meet Thursday in a closed door meeting to determine what to do with the "Report." The Report, compiled by the Fitzmaurice and Walsh lawfirm has cost taxpayers $305,000 and has taken over a year and a half to release.

It is time to put up or shut up.

The Report must be released Thursday or all candidates that vote against its release or that do not actively seek its release must face the voters' wrath.

We have been waiting long enough and even if incomplete the there is an obligation to release whatever the Board has. The people of the County should not-- and will not stand for the Report to be stonewalled until after the election. If candidates for office are implicated there is no recourse after November 5th.

The choice is in the hands of the Supervisors themselves. Anyone that opposes releasing at least a portion of the Report on schedule must be held accountable.

Travis in Photo for Bates Endorsement

Posted on Larry Travis' Facebook page is the single biggest endorsement of the race as the last Sheriff John Bates has officially endorsed him.

The Report: 20 Months of Mismangement by County Board

The Fitzmaurice Report, which was sanctioned by a 14-1 vote on February 17, 2012 following widespread allegations of harassment and a culture of intimidation within county government, has taken a series of disturbing turns from what the Schoharie News can gather by reading almost two years worth of County Board minutes concerning "the Report."

Note: This information is based solely on board minutes posted on the county website. After various off the record conversations, an extensive review of what we know publicly concerning "the Report" was conducted, which has led to more questions than answers.

After seven months of diligently advertising for a law firm to conduct the investigation, Supervisor Phil Skowfoe of Fulton motioned the following: "to amend to hire Fitzmaurice & Walsh Law Firm and to fund up to $50,000.  Chair and Vice-Chair will review findings and come back to Board of Supervisors to approve additional funding." It was seconded by Supervisor Milone of Schoharie.

It was approved by a split 10-6 vote with several supervisors concerned the cost would balloon beyond the initial $50,000 but with strong confidence that Fitzmaurice would conduct the investigation with focus on the county employees.

This was followed by a motion on January 7, 2013 by Supervisor Bob Mann of Blenheim to halt interviews until Fitzmaurice explained their billing practices after costs topped $100,000 and with an additional estimated ceiling of $165,000 to finish the report. During this motion several supervisors brought up concerns that county employees were being harassed during interviews, including Supervisor Van Wormer of Esperance who wanted to ask how the firm went about their investigation.

The motion was approved 14-1 with Supervisor Skowfoe providing the lone vote in dissent.

From there not a word was spoken publicly of the Fitzmaurice Report until May 2, 2013 when Supervisor Milone motioned to enter executive session to discuss the report but was prevented by a chorus of frustrated supervisors concerning the process. During which Supervisors Mann, Singletary, and Vroman stated the investigation was completed at that point, with Supervisor Lape of Richmondville confirming a $246,000 price tag and Supervisor Bradt admitting that everyone on the Board already knew what was in it.

At this point Supervisor Vroman suggested that since the lateral evaluation was complete that a different law firm should be brought in to finish the investigation, which he repeated in October when he called for the State Attorney General to "investigate the investigation," which was echoed by County Attorney Mike West: "Ms. Roach and I have discussed this," adding "we don’t believe he can be the attorney to do the next stage."

However, in the words of Supervisor Skowfoe: " a large portion of the report leads to one place.  We should finish the process," and Supervisor Milone: "they are looking to re-interview so they can come to a conclusion and to identify any wrong doing," despite the completion of their initial inquiry. This led to a series of motions that resulted in Fitzmaurice continuing the investigation with an additional $22,000 approved by a 9-6 margin.

Interestingly enough, Supervisor Skowfoe made a  motion for the report to be released during the parade of motion votes and received a second from Supervisor Singletary before immediately withdrawing it.

No more then two weeks later County Attorney West requested that the board approve another $10,000 in costs, while stating Fitzmaurice could potentially be a witness if criminal charges were filed in the aftermath of the report's additional conclusions. After questioning from Supervisor Singletary, Mr. West stated the initial report was simply a "lateral evaluation" that did not allow Fitzmaurice to cross check discrepancies.

Supervisor Mann followed by calling the investigation "biased...and I feel if the public were to see this report they would be just as outraged as I am." Supervisor Milone replied by stating "We’re looking to come to a conclusion to see if there was discrimination and targeting and what truly happened with the layoffs," wondering afterwards if "there is something people are looking to hide?"

Supervisor Singletary then stood up and delivered a long speech recounting various points of the report's timeline, quoting portions of the Fitzmaurice Report to question its investigative methods that encouraged employees that "we did not care where the source of their information came from" and that "even rumor, innuendo and hearsay were to be confirmed or dismissed if possible." Singletary finished by quoting the last three lines of the report: "It seems that many of the major problems revealed by the instant survey might have been avoided had these two principles been honored: observance of the limits of one’s office and transparency of one’s actions and dealings."

Adding that to him the Report was over with.

Supervisor Bradt retorted that the report was more than hearsay and rumor and that "In the report there were emails and letters documenting facts." Adding that "there are two very serious items that disturb me greatly." This was supported by Supervisor Buzon's statement that "I believe some of this did happen because it was corroborated." With that Supervisor Buzon introduced a motion to approve the additional $10,000 which was passed 9-6.

From here we have had two consecutive board meetings where Supervisor Mann has introduced motions to release the Fitzmaurice Report that was submitted to them earlier this year. Neither received a second, due in part to the impending release of essentially a follow-up section of the Report to the initial compilation that has exceeded $305,000 in costs to County taxpayers.

Sheriff Desmond addressed the board in September's meeting requesting "the Report" be released because he was "being asked about the department by constituents," and that "If there is something I need to change in my management style, I want to be able to address it."  The board's response was that the investigation was almost over and October would likely be the time of its release.

Which brings us to today: Fitzmaurice will be presenting his firm's final report before Supervisors at five this evening, likely in executive session before addressing the public with recommendations from the final Report that may or may not be released, depending on the sensitivity of the information it contains.

After a thorough reading of the past two year's worth of County Board minutes, which is by no means a pleasant task, there are more questions than ever concerning this report. For instance, what does it speak of Fitzmaurice that they could not complete their work in a single report and that their initial findings were based on "rumor and hearsay," rather then doing their due diligence in the first place - leading Board members to believe they would have a finished product almost eight months ago? Or that the County Attorney agreed with a supervisor that they should not have had a part in the report's conclusion and the board voted to stay with them regardless?

And what about the money spent on compiling the initial report that, despite numerous motions to release, has never seen the light of day and essentially led to a follow-up report to investigate the report? How much of the $305,000 appropriated to this report was wasted by Fitzmaurice's shoddy methods the first time around?

The questions surrounding the County Board's management of this twenty month process are too many to list in detail, but can be boiled down to one overarching sense that they went into this with honest and good intentions that ultimately split them in half with the questionable investigative methods of the law firm, the unreasonable costs to complete this investigation and the politicization of a process that was intended to uncover intimidation in the county workplace, but was delayed and allowed to languish until today's meeting - just twelve days before 14 Supervisors and two County officials are up for reelection.

Sharon Hosting Victorian Christmas

Sharon Springs will be opening its doors for a nineteenth century Christmas feel. The community will be hosting a Victorian Christmas on December 7th. All are welcome and there will be events around town and at the businesses. Last year there was a dessert tasting, horse-drawn carriage ride, and the lighting of the community's Christmas tree.

Bundle Up for Freezing Lows Tonight, Windy Day Tomorrow

Bundle up Schoharie County: the weather us about to unleash its wickedness upon us.

With temperatures expected to drop down to below freezing tonight, with a deadly mixture of rain and wind that some outlets are forecasting could lead to potential snowfall, I would suggest nestling up tonight around the fireplace and cracking open a dusty volume that's been awaiting some well deserved attention. 

And the same goes for tomorrow: the high isn't even expected to crack fifty with winds estimated to reach almost twenty miles per hour at some points during the day. Definitely one of those days where coats upon sweaters is highly recommended. 

The Middleburgh Library Presents: The Haunted Historical Cemetery Tour this Friday

The Middleburgh Library will be presenting the Haunted Historical Cemetery Tour this Friday from dusk (around 6pm) until the conclusion of guide Wes Laraway's approximately two hour long tour. Tickets are available for purchase at the Library desk, with those interested asked to either stop in or call 518-827-5142.

The Schoharie News to Publish Candidate Interviews

While the Schoharie News has been busy covering the Fitzmaurice Report, its alleged findings and debate over when it will actually be released, we have also conducted several interviews with candidates for office: Cobleskill Village Trustee and candidate for Mayor Linda Holmes, Schoharie Supervisor Gene Milone and Esperance Supervisor Earl Van Wormer.

 

Over the next two weeks we will be rolling these interviews out in addition to any other we conduct between now and election day, which is fast approaching and of unbelievable significance this cycle to public policy for residents of Schoharie County. 

 

These interviews do not represent an endorsement of any particular candidate, but often the failure to interview both candidates in a race - such as in Cobleskill where we did not receive a response to an email request to talk with Mr. Galasso and in Schoharie where multiple phone calls failed in an attempt to talk to Mr. Shrederis.

 

If either of the aforementioned (including Steve Miller in Esperance) were simply unavailable at the time and wish to discuss the issues, we encourage them to reach out before the election so that we can present a fair and balanced view to their various electorates. And that offer goes for any other candidates willing to sit down or talk over the phone before November 5th.

 

 



Middleburgh Schedules Bus Vote November 12th

Despite the bus proposition failing this spring, the Middleburgh Central School will be asking its voters to decide if they would like another bite at the apple. The school posted a story about this on their website. The proposition will be voted on in three weeks and will be asking whether or not to purchase three buses for a total of about $270,000.

Ten years is considered to be the useful life of a school bus in New York State, where the use of corrosive materials on snowy and icy roads accelerates rusting in vehicles. The district currently has two buses older than 10 years, three that are 9 years old, and four that are 8 years old. "The standards our buses need to meet to satisfy NYS DOT are some of the most stringent in the country. The cost to our district to meet these standards on our older buses increases at an accelerated rate as they age," Waldron said. "There comes a point where the District needs to consider whether we are putting more money into a bus than it is worth."

The vote will take part from noon to 9pm in the High School Gym Lobby.

Report May Not Be Released, Only Recommendations Thursday

With the frustration surrounding the probe into alleged misconduct in the County reaching an apex, it would seem that the infamous Fitzmaurice and Walsh Report should be released with no delay. At 5pm on Thursday, October 24th the County Board will sit down with the Fitzmaurice Group attorneys in executive session to listen to a presentation on what was found in the Report that has been described as over 100 pages.

But that might not be all.

The County Board members will know what is in the "Report," a draft of which has been on their desks for months now.

Only the second part, the recommendations currently being researched by the lawyers, may be released.

The first part is easily the most interesting portion but could be the most controversial. The names of most participants will be blocked out-- lower level employees and those that were harassed were promised their anonymity.

According to County Attorney Mike West, the first part of the Report may be placed upon the County website and could be requested via the Freedom of Information Act. There is no guarantee that it is released. Currently the weighted votes of the Supervisors that favor the immediate release is almost exactly met by those that either desire no release at all or to wait until after the election.

Still, the risk of the Report being delayed or ultimately not being released at all is too great for many involved in the case or the taxpayers that paid $305,000 for the compilation.

Fired Employee to Board: "I Want the Truth"

Penny Grimes was fired from the Schoharie County Health Department in late 2011 and has always maintained that this was an unjust termination. She even filed a lawsuit that was later dismissed requesting her job reinstated and for action taking for what she accused was a series of harassment in the Department.

Her complaints were just one in a series that sparked the Report.

On Friday, she appeared before the County Board looking for answers. She demanded that what she had experienced becomes public.

"I am totally sick of reading lies, innuendos, and having this referred to as a witch hunt and hearsay. I was there. I lived it. I told my story to you 20 months ago... I want... you wrecked my life but you know what, I came back."

Photo credit: SCHOPEG

She referred to coming to the Board in late 2011 to beg the Board to consider her position but was still ultimately fired. "I won't forget for as long as I live how I was treated here... You weren't there... for the better part of a year... I was an excellent employee and there was no disputing that.... I hope the discerning voters see unequivocally that this Board by doing what you did the right thing.

"So why don't you look me in the eye now... if you need $2,500 to make this come out I'll give it to you."

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