Tempest in the Liberty minutes

BY FRITZ MAYER

fritzmayer@riverreporter.com

LIBERTY, NY — Minutes of town meetings normally make for rather dry reading, but every once in a while some minutes crop up that deserve special attention. Such is the nature of the minutes of the Town of Liberty meeting on September 21.

The interesting part concerns an exchange between supervisor John Schmidt and councilperson Lynn Killian regarding the formation of a committee to further the goals of the comprehensive plan adopted by the town at the end of 2007, just before Schmidt took office. The plan was formulated and adopted in conjunction with the Village of Liberty; therefore, at the August 17 meeting, Killian suggested that the committee contain members from both the town and the village, and that the town send a letter to the village. This was approved by a majority vote of the town board, but as the minutes from the September 21 meeting reflect, Schmidt resisted the entire effort.

The minutes read: “Councilperson Killian asked supervisor Schmidt if he had gotten any response from the village regarding the letter that was sent.

“Supervisor Schmidt advised no, that he hadn’t sent the letter because he didn’t think much of it.

“Councilperson Killian advised that it wasn’t up to him that it was a board decision that the board agreed to send it out.

“Supervisor Schmidt said that he didn’t like it.

“Councilperson Killian advised that supervisor Schmidt didn’t have any more say over this board than any other person. That the only difference between being a supervisor as opposed to a council person is that he gets the headaches of the finances.

“Councilperson Killian commented that the majority of the board agreed to send the letter.

“Supervisor Schmidt advised that he didn’t care.

“Councilperson Killian advised that was not the way government works. The board decides what is right for the town not the supervisor.”

After a bit more discussion between the two about the way local government works, the matter of the letter was once again broached.

“Supervisor Schmidt wanted to know why we would send a letter to the village to work on the Town of Liberty zoning.

“Councilperson Killian advised that we needed a representative and that we all agreed. She wanted to know if she was dreaming. She advised that she proposed at the August meeting that she would have a representative from the town, the village….

“Supervisor Schmidt wanted to know why we would want those people to do the zoning for the Town of Liberty.

“Councilperson Killian advised that they were not doing the zoning but were looking at the comprehensive plan, the goals at the end of the plan which she had hoped that he had read.

“Supervisor Schmidt advised that he didn’t think much of those either.”

The back and forth continued for a bit longer, then concluded with these remarks.

“Councilperson Killian advised that the letter she wrote that this board agreed to needs to be sent to the village period!

“Supervisor Schmidt advised council person Killian that she had better take it over to them and deliver it then.

“Councilperson Killian advised that she was going to take a five minute break and that supervisor Schmidt should go to government school in the state so that he can learn what his job is.”

Killian said in an email that the matter was discussed again at a meeting on October 19, and Schmidt again refused to send the letter. She said, at the suggestion of the town lawyer, that she will deliver the letter to the village before the town’s November 16 meeting.

Schmidt did not return a call seeking comment.

Go to www.townofliberty.org/minutes092109.pdf to read the minutes.