CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. — A dust-up over a controversial self-appointment by the Town Supervisor has prompted a member of the Cheektowaga Town Board to step down as her deputy.
It's a minor stipend for the supervisor to take on an additional role, but it's the subject of a major disagreement between the supervisor and board members.
Cheektowaga Town Supervisor Diane Benczkowski says she is is proud of her town's history and felt she could better explain it to future generations. That's especially as the town gets government funding for a new history museum.
So at Tuesday's Town Board Work session, it came out that Benczkowksi had decided to remove Councilman Richard Rusniak from the position of town historian. She actually does have the power to appoint a town historian.
But the supervisor then decided to appoint herself to that position, which pays an additional $2,000 stipend, which former Supervisor Mary Lou Holtz did as well.
But Town Attorney John Dudziak says there's a problem with that element of "past history" in town government. He told the Council members "the positions are incompatible."
Town Board members took a harder legal line, stating that it's technically against town law to hold both jobs.
Councilmember and former Deputy Supervisor Jerry Kaminski sparred over the issue in the meeting. Kaminski said, "It's plain and simple. Number one, you can't appoint yourself to a separate office. It's tantamount to giving yourself a raise. I know it's something like $2,000, so it comes out to $76.92 every two weeks. It's not a lot of money, but it's the principle in my book. And if that's the case, then any elected official can take over the parks department, appoint herself to that. Is that acceptable?
Benczkowski replied: "No, it states in there what I as supervisor can appoint."
Kaminski: "I totally understand that. I understand that you can appoint the town historian, but you cannot appoint yourself."
Benczkowski concluded: "I have to see the paperwork on that."
Benczkowksi told 2 On Your Side on Thursday that it was just prior practice, as others did it, and an oversight on her part. The supervisor says she gave up the historian job and the extra two grand in pay.
But she went on to say, "The board met without me, which I thought was wrong."
Did she notify the board that she would be appointing herself?
"No, I did not," she told 2 On Your Side.
Reporter: Then how can you say, in essence, you appointed yourself, and then you're throwing back on the board for not notifying you, but you didn't notify them?
Benczkowski: "All I'm saying is it would have been ... we could have straightened this out very easily."
And she has this point for town residents and taxpayers: "It was no malice. It was just, it was my passion," apparently referring to her professed interest in history.
Her government sparring partner, Councilman Jerry Kaminski, stepped down as deputy supervisor on Wednesday. He told 2 On Your Side on Thursday: "I think that's probably part of the reason I got out of it. It's no transparency, no information, totally no communication."