Town official's husband resigns as deputy supervisor

Town official's husband resigns as deputy supervisor

RIGA - The Town of Riga has a new deputy supervisor after Gil Budd offered his letter of resignation at the August 14 town board meeting. Town Supervisor Pamela Moore appointed Mark Majewski to the post effective immediately.

Budd had served as deputy supervisor since May 9, when Moore appointed him to replace Riga Town Council Member Kenneth Kuter. The appointment brought criticism and accusations of nepotism and conflict-of-interest from town board members and community residents because Budd is Moore's husband. At the July 10 town board meeting, council members voted to have the town's board of ethics determine if the town should have a policy on nepotism.

In announcing the appointment of Majewski, Moore said, "The appointment of Mr. Budd had created a 'huge distraction.' The town board has spent too much time on the issue to the exclusion of spending its time, energy and attention on its other responsibilities and duties. Our time would be much better spent carrying out our duties to move forward on matters that will benefit the residents who elected us as well as future generations of residents."

Moore said the resignation of Budd would remove the distraction and she hopes that the board will "shift its focus back to the tasks at hand."

After the meeting, Moore told the Suburban News she wants to get on with the work at hand, "I want to do what needs to be done," she said. Moore cited projects like new sidewalks, helping the school district with its sewer concerns and adopting the joint Town of Riga/Village of Churchville Comprehensive Plan as things she hopes to accomplish.

Moore called Majewski, "well-qualified for this position." Majewski serves on the Village of Churchville Planning Board. He said he has worked with Moore on the Joint Comprehensive Plan and was very interested in getting involved with the Town of Riga. "Riga is a nice place to live," he said.

In reacting to the change in deputy supervisor, Riga Town Council Member Kenneth Kuter said the decision about selecting a deputy supervisor is "totally up to the supervisor."

Kuter, who served as deputy supervisor before Gil Budd's appointment, said he had no negative response to the latest change and the appointment of Mark Majewski to the post. What he does have a problem with, he said, is Moore's reasoning. Kuter said Moore's contention that the town board has been distracted by this is "not legitimate. I totally disagree that this has gotten in the way of conducting town business." He challenged Moore to show one instance when he has spoken about the Gil Budd appointment at a town board meeting. Kuter added that the work of the town's board of ethics on developing a policy on nepotism is not an attack on the supervisor. He said the ethics board will come back to the town board with an opinion on whether the town should or should not have such a policy.

Town Council Member David Smith serves as the elected official on the Riga Town Board of Ethics. He said the board will continue its work on the nepotism issue. Like council member Kuter, Smith disagreed with Moore on the reason for Gil Budd's resignation. "I disagree that it has been a disturbance," he said. Smith said the change came about as a response to lots of public pressure.

Council member Robert Ottley said he is not surprised by the change. "It is too bad it took her so long to realize the mistake that she had made." Moore has never called her decision a mistake and that she defends her actions, blaming the disruption in Riga town government on the town board not being happy with the appointment of her husband, according to Ottley.

"She apparently has not heard or is not listening to the residents of our community," he said.

Note: Kuter is a candidate for supervisor on the Republican ticket in the fall election.