Campaign Observations

Hello Owasco, it’s that time again. Perhaps you may have wondered where the informer has been up until now. Well, watching and noting the different candidates and now is the time to make some needed observations.

Letters put out by the Democrat candidates are really quite interesting. The most interesting perhaps is Mike Wilson’s most recent letter. He apparently thinks that Owasco residents have either forgotten the headlines of this past April or he is hoping he’s forgiven. In 2009 Mr. Wilson gave his explanation of the “unfortunate situation” he found himself in and asked that residents remember that ‘a person is innocent until proven guilty in this country’. In this campaigns letter, essentially pleading for your vote Mr. Wilson closes with, “ Your vote on Tuesday Nov. 8, 2011 is crucial to assure that Owasco residents will continue in the tradition of living in a town they can be truly proud of.’ Is he serious? When he plead guilty to ‘lesser’ charges he told the people of Owasco he stole from them, and falsified our town’s records to do so. His democrat minions on the Town Board stood by him offering excuse after excuse, a clerical error culminating in political harassment. The slate of candidates he is currently running with must also support him or they would not have allowed their name to be placed along side his.

This leads to the placement of the candidate for District Attorney in the Town candidates campaign materials. While the Informer seldom comments on County candidates or issues this is one of concern. Why have the DA candidate on the propaganda? Are we to believe by being pictured with and included in campaign materials he feels Mr. Wilson is an innocent even after pleading guilty? Who can remember the last time the candidate for DA was pictured in the Towns campaign materials? How many other towns’ candidates did this? Again, just an observation, but one that deserves thought.

Mr. Lattimore, also a candidate for County office, wrote a 12-point letter that really makes the knowledgeable reader cringe. Questions on his letter of fluff are as follows; where is the fingerprint reader to manage employees? If he proposed this he must recognize that the town employees need to be monitored, yet he feels Mr. Wilson has ‘been punished enough’. Which leads to his statement of implementing a ‘comprehensive code of ethics’ if that is the case why are Mr. Wilson and others still under Town employment? The outdoor burning is a state law and Owasco has had a leash law for years. Does Mr. Lattimore even ‘get’ why the code on shutting off water came about? That would be the fallout of Mr. Wilson’s admitted criminal activities. Let him off the hook yet put laws in place to punish others. He supports balanced budgets-duh why wouldn’t he? He supported spending cuts for 2012- he kind of had to since the towns’ reserves are nearly GONE are they not Mr. Lattimore? The rest of it is to ludicrous to even comment on. What his letter shows is he did NO work, but ‘supported’ others work and ideas.

Mr. Aldrich has been remarkably silent publicly other than in group letters and a letter in The Citizen. However, in door-to-door campaigning he and Candidate Murphy, when Murphy actually went door-to-door, were busy spreading erroneous information about their opponents. Closing the recycling center, implying town services will be cut for example. He gets an endorsement from someone who does not nor ever has lived in Owasco in a letter to the editor. What could that person possibly know of the needs of Owasco.


Candidate ‘All I need to know about being a Supervisor & budgeting I learned in The Citizen’ Murphy claims he has been busy campaigning for the office, but in actuality he has been off on vacation for several weeks. The endorsement letter from John Klink and Gino Alberici is interesting as John Klink stated at a board meeting after he was elected Supervisor that, “he never realized how difficult the job was.” Now he and Alberici endorse candidates who have never set foot in a board meeting, never held an elected or appointed position in the Town. Of course they support the candidates, they handpicked them! It is a safe bet that their fingers will still be in Town politics- deputy supervisor Klink perhaps? If Mr. Murphy really loves the Town where has he been?

Most concerning is that in the written statements it is clear that the candidates are clueless about Owasco, its history and what it needs. In 2007, 2009 and now 2011 The Democrat candidates have produced essentially identical letters switching the names of candidates as needed. Interestingly, they always expound upon how they will restore Owasco’s reputation, etc…blah, blah…Residents, the Democrats have had nearly four years to make good on that promise and have managed only to drag the Town down into an abyss of partisan decisions, excuses and consent orders, fines, legal troubles and criminal acts against the people who live here. It is up to each of us to get out and VOTE on Nov. 8th and vote not for friendship or party affiliation, but for what is best for everyone in town. Our financial future is on the line. Don’t let insinuations that leaves and brush will pile up, roads won’t be repaired, the quality of the lake will not be a concern or the recycling center will be closed sway your vote. The claims are ridiculous and underhanded attempts to strike fear into the public by those saying they are running a clean and respectful campaign.



Your vote on Tuesday Nov. 8, 2011 IS crucial to assure that Owasco residents will BEGIN a tradition of living in a town they can be truly proud of. Please make your voice heard. Its your town, your choice, YOUR vote.

District Attorney On The Record

What a refreshing letter from someone who would know the FACTS of the case. To Mr. Klink maybe YOU should FOIL for the transcript of the court proceedings and all the statements given. Then maybe, just maybe, you could write a factual letter. The time has come for Mr. Wilson to apologize and the Town can move forward.

Clerical Error Evolves To Political Harrassment

Mr. Klink in his letter to the Editor, as disjointed as it was, would like residents to believe Owasco has no laws regarding water use. While there is no law that states that a resident has to read their meter there are codes (AKA laws) that DO apply to his erroneous statements. To that end, the Informer felt posting the pertinent codes would assist the Supervisor in becoming familiar with the laws. Sewer fees are based upon water use, so sewer codes apply in this case also. Every Town newsletter has the schedule of billing, when readings are due and states every summer the Town will be collecting actual readings done by the water department meter reader.

In actuality Mr. Klink’s letter was just more excuses. He should explain how he went from being “stymied” and blaming the occurrence on a clerical error (all quoted numerous times in local news) to ‘years of political harassment’. If Mr. Wilson did indeed want this to go away as Mr. Klink stated, why write a letter that dredges it all up again and causes responses that put their integrity, and leadership ability into question?

The questions are:

WHEN did Mr. Wilson pay the bill? When the minimums were due or after the meter was read by someone other than himself and the discrepancy was discovered? If he received only estimated bills (the minimum use which at the time was $10.00 or so) WHY did that amount not roll onto his taxes after not paying it? The charge was not failing to read his meter- it was falsifying business records with the intent to defraud. That speaks to Mr. Wilson submitting readings that were erroneous and intended to benefit him. Who kept the unpaid bills from being levied on his taxes? The Town Clerk accepts payments and the water billing clerk makes note on the account, the bookkeeper should reconcile the accounts. Should the taxpayers believe that this was ‘overlooked’ as political favoritism? After all, who held those offices at the time?
Finally, why would a judge (a democrat) or the defendants lawyer (also a democrat) allow a person to plead guilty to a charge that they were innocent of- especially when that judge had initially dismissed the charge. The charge was reinstated after more evidence was presented and obviously that satisfied the judge and the defendant’s lawyer to allow him to plead guilty. Those two politically savvy people would never allow a defendant to plead under the duress of political harassment. The lawyer would have called for the charge(s) to be dismissed and the judge would have done so if there were any truth to Mr. Klink’s opinion.

To address Mr. Klink’s allegation of spending taxpayer money on what he calls ‘bogus charges’, Mr. Klink how many lawsuits has the Town brought against it’s own residents? What about taxpayer dollars paying avoidable fines due to mismanagement? How about taxpayer dollars lost because of 100’s of homes not being taxed for water and sewer maintenance? Speaking of which, did Mr. Wilson ever pay for the water line and water received to his home on Honeysuckle Rd.? The water line that was installed illegally. Also illegally extending the water district boundary, and then was not added to the tax rolls to help pay for the installation, operation and maintenance until well after Mr. Wilson sold it and moved out.

Mr. Klink, what happened to the grant monies that were obtained for upgrading the water meters? Remember, the new meter heads and billing system so that entry into the home was no longer necessary? The meter reader could, on schedule, obtain actual readings. That money has been in hand for years, yet no action, that is taxpayer money you have not applied to its intended use.

In the final analysis, Mr. Klink apparently thinks the residents of Owasco are idiots who need his opinion making a man who plead guilty to defrauding the people of Owasco look innocent and persecuted- think about it!

§ 116-84. Payment; inclusion in tax bills.
A. Sewer rents of all sewer users shall become due and payable quarterly, in conjunction with the regular water bill. The penalty for payments received 30 days after the billing date shall be 10% of the net amount of the sewer rent due.
B. Unpaid sewer bills shall be levied against the real property liable for same at the same time and in the same manner as Town taxes and shall be included in the Town tax bill for the following fiscal year, and such amount shall be collected and enforced in the same manner and at the same time as is provided by law for the collection and enforcement of Town taxes.


§ 144-4. Compliance required.
A. No person, building or premises shall apply for or receive water from the Owasco Water District except in accordance with the provisions of this chapter. The provisions of this chapter and any rules and regulations adopted hereunder shall be deemed a part of any contract for the furnishing of water, and any person applying for, receiving, accepting or paying for water service from the Owasco Water District and/or the Water Department shall be considered, as part of the consideration for receiving such service, as having agreed to be bound by said provisions and rules and regulations.
B. Any person who knowingly receives or knowingly permits premises owned or occupied by him to receive water from the Owasco Water District except in accordance with this chapter or said rules and regulations shall be guilty of a violation of this chapter, punishable as provided hereinafter.


§ 144-26. Basis for establishing water rates.
All water supplied shall be charged for on the basis of the amount registered on the meter or meters installed on the consumer's premises, with a minimum charge as established by the Town Board. Where two or more meters supply the same premises and consumer, the consumer, in addition to the fixed charges for all meters, shall be billed at the schedule of rates for a quantity of water equal to the sum of the readings on all meters on the premises.


§ 144-31. Unpaid charges to constitute lien.
A. All water rents, penalties and interest thereon and all charges for tapping, connecting and disconnecting and any other charges provided by this chapter shall be a lien on the real property upon which the water is used, and such lien shall be prior to every other lien or claim except the lien of an existing tax.
B. The Town Clerk shall annually file with the Town Board and the Supervisor the amount of any such liens which have not been paid at the time and in the manner prescribed by the Town Board, with a description of the real property affected thereby, and the Supervisor and the Assessor shall include such amount in the annual tax levy and shall transmit such statements to the County Treasurer, who shall levy the same upon the real property in default.


§ 144-45. Penalties for offenses.
A. In addition to any other violations set forth in this chapter or any statute of the State of New York, it shall be a violation for any person to cause damage to any water main, hydrant, meter or metering equipment, storage tower, standpipe or any facility or equipment used in providing water service by the Owasco Water Department or for any person to turn on, without the permission of the Owasco Town Board or a representative of the Owasco Water Department, any hydrant which is a part of the water system operated by the Owasco Water Department.
B. Any person who violates any provision of this chapter which is declared to be an offense or violation shall be guilty of a violation and shall be punished by a fine not exceeding $250 or by imprisonment not to exceed 15 days, or by both such fine and imprisonment.
C. Where it is provided herein that a violation of this chapter or any part or section thereof shall result in a forfeiture or the imposition of a penalty, the Town Board may maintain an action or proceeding in any court of competent jurisdiction to collect such forfeiture or penalty and to compel compliance with this chapter by injunction or in any other legal manner.

Kudos to The Citizen

Today the Citizen had an excellent Our View story on the lack of action by three Town Board members. Link below or click on the title of this post: http://auburnpub.com/news/opinion/editorial/article_40c692da-63d7-11e0-87c1-001cc4c002e0.html For three people who no doubt will be out asking for your support in the near future, this was reprehensible. Mr. Lattimore in particular since he has announced he is running for legislator. Why is it that every time he speaks he is saving the taxpayers $20,000.00? In no less than three articles since he was elected he is quoted as stating that amount. Oh, and we wouldn't want to kick a guy when he is down, but it is alright to kick the taxpayers who trusted him- right? The board is obligated to protect the people who voted them in office. Mr. Lattimore shows poor judgement and partisan decision making something that is certainly not what we need in a legislator. Mr. Lattimore should take note that just because Mr. Wilson plead and other charges are conditionally dismissed it does not mean that he didn't also commit those crimes. Were he truly innocent he would have gone to trial and proved such. Coupled with Mr. Lattimore's support of unionizing a supervisory position and creating a position for a highway department worker who was charged with aggravated DWI one must ask if he truly wants to represent and work in the best interests of the voters. All three board members and the voters should remember that Mr. Wilson has cost this town tens of thousands in fines and lost revenue for his mismanagement of the recycling center. Additionally, in all the time delay, he has added to his retirement fund, collected pay and benefits paid by the very people he admittedly defrauded. Take heed Owasco, real eyes, realize, real lies....

Innocent Until Proven (Pleads) Guilty

4/1/11- Owasco Official Admits Falsifying Business Records Town officials previously said the charges were the result of a clerical error, but Budelmann said Wednesday’s conviction proves otherwise. “The guilty plea to a crime means this was definitely not just a clerical error,” Budelmann said. “It was an intentional criminal act committed by a public official with the required and stated intent to defraud the town of Owasco.” Town Supervisor John Klink and Wilson did not return phone calls seeking a comment. Now to reminisce: 7/25/08 Owasco Town Supervisor John Klink stated Friday in a prepared statement that he was “stymied” by the charges. The town board was made aware of a “clerical” error“ in 2006 and agreed after speaking with Wilson that there was no wrongdoing, Klink stated.Klink described Wilson as “a fine individual with an outstanding work ethic,” and stated that thinks the judicial system will agree with the 2006 board.“The basis for our American judicial system is the concept of innocent until proven guilty,” Klink stated. “I know that the people of Owasco will extend that belief to (Wilson). 7/26/2008 Town Supervisor John Klink, in a statement released Friday, called the time sheet incident a clerical error that was addressed by the Town Board in 2006. "The board met, spoke with Mike and agreed that there was no wrongdoing," the statement said. "It was clearly an error." Klink said he believes the courts will find Wilson did nothing wrong, and the supervisor praised the highway superintendent's job performance. 9/12/09 Count III addresses alleged violations between July 28, 2003 and Feb. 28, 2005. Wilson is charged with omitting information in town business records with intent to defraud the town, alleging that he violated his duty as the town water department superintendent by failing to read and/or report water meter readings at his own home.“Under no circumstances did Mike Wilson willfully attempt to defraud the people of Owasco,” Owasco Town Supervisor John Klink said in a written statement Friday.... It was clearly a clerical error. Mike has served the Town of Owasco with integrity and distinction for over 23 years and I'm confident he will be vindicated.” 4/29/10 Channel 5 news Though Wilson has been indicted on felony charges that carry a penalty of up to seven years in prison, Owasco Town Supervisor Klink says the town is not considering any attempt at this time to remove him as Highway Superintendent, which is an elected position. October 20, 2009- letter to the editor The Town of Owasco is blessed with people dedicated to making the Town of Owasco the best and most efficient town in the county. Mike Wilson is one of those people. In spite of the knot hole he has been dragged through lately he still has the best interest of the town in mind. 4/21/2010--Wilson re-election letter---It is my right to fight these charges, as I am doing, and I am asking you to remember that a person is innocent until proven guilty in this country. I hope that you can show your support on Election Day and vote for me to continue as Highway Superintendent for the Town of Owasco… Well residents, you be the judge...HMmmmm...