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Nate McMurray, candidate for the NY-27 congressional seat in this November's election, threatened me this past weekend.

The threat wasn't the first one McMurray has leveled at me.

The first threat was on a phone call on Feb. 16. That was the day we published this story: McMurray tweeted about his employer but mostly after he was put on unpaid leave.

Feb. 16 was also the first day in my professional journalism career, which goes back to 1986, that a candidate for public office, at any level, yelled at me over the telephone. To be honest, I shouted just as loud in my rejoinder. It was heated. I'm sure profanity was involved. It was a bizarre and disturbing conversation to have with a man who claims he's the best person to represent us in the House of Representatives. 

I don't have a recording of this conversation. Perhaps McMurray will release the recording he suggested he made. He has intimated -- part of his course of threats against me -- that he records all of his conversations.

I'm not sure what to say about a man who records all of his conversations without informing the other party. It's legal in New York. That doesn't make it ethical.

This conflict arose from a story we published Feb. 15: Nate McMurray's employer, owned by the family of his NY-27 opponent, placed him on leave without pay.

The story prompted Michael Caputo -- an Erie County resident, longtime Republican political strategist, and one of the early media supporters of The Batavian (he had me on his former television show once) -- to post a tweet suggesting I wasn't a real journalist for not including the assertion that McMurray was potentially placed on leave because of use of twitter to criticize Delaware North.

I immediately called Caputo and complained about the tweet but also admitted he was right: I should look at the timing of McMurray's tweets criticizing Delaware North. Caputo apologized for his rash tweet, and I believe he deleted it. (I can't confirm this because Caputo deleted all of his tweets after he joined the Trump Administration as assistant secretary of public affairs for Health and Human Services.)

I informed McMurray I intended to do a follow-up story. McMurray questioned my judgment. I told him -- as I remember it, but McMurray has the recording, not me -- that Caputo's criticism was valid. As a matter of journalistic ethics, I should look at those tweets. I also made the statement, as quoted back to me in a later text message by McMurray, "I do not want to deal with Caputo's army. I don't want these people on my back." I trust the accuracy of McMurray's quote since he apparently has a recording that I don't have.

As a Democrat, I'm sure McMurray is familiar with the concept of "cancel culture" -- the practice of bands of political extremists piling on people on Twitter to demean and threaten them, even threaten their livelihoods and personal safety, to enforce some perceived politically correct orthodoxy. It's not just a leftist thing. Trump supporters do it, too.

While I'm on friendly terms with Caputo, I also know the most single-minded of Trump supporters follow him on Twitter. Caputo is nothing if not expert at stoking the passion of Trump's base (as I think this New York Times article out yesterday illustrates (since this coverage, it appears Caputo has deleted his Twitter account)).

Any sane person would want to avoid getting "canceled" by the paranoid and angry mobs of either the left or the right. 

But that isn't the reason I wrote the story I did. Caputo had a legitimate point about the ethics of not including that information. It was something that I didn't even think about while working on the first story. It was an oversight that needed to be corrected.

My concern about Caputo was real, but that wasn't the reason I pursued a follow-up story. If I thought Caputo wrong about our failure to look a little deeper, I wouldn't have cared what he tweeted, but I saw no reason to volunteer for abuse in a situation where I had no real defense against his accusation.

There is a reason I never married the girl I dated in college. McMurray's twisting my statement into some a charge of capitulation to Caputo reminds me of her. She was an expert at turning an innocuous statement into an argument. It's what manipulators do.

The ironic thing is, the follow-up article, I contend, was quite favorable to McMurray. It showed Delaware North didn't suspend him because of his tweets. The tweets mocking the Jacobs family and Delaware North all came after McMurray's leave of absence began.

So while Caputo was right on the journalistic ethics of not looking at that aspect of events, he was wrong on the facts of the case.

Still, McMurray was angry. In our Feb. 16 call, he threatened to expose me as a toady to Michael Caputo. I loudly suggested to him that would be a bad idea, and he backed down.

Over the course of his threats, McMurray has questioned my journalistic credibility, calling me an activist. The insinuation is that I'm in the pocket of either Caputo or Jacobs, or both, or that I have a secret anti-McMurray, pro-GOP agenda.

The funny thing is the frequent commenters on Facebook who, every time we publish one of McMurray's press releases, try to engage in their own form of cancel-culture attacks on me and The Batavian, all think I'm on McMurray's payroll.

McMurray conveniently ignores the fact that early in the 2018 campaign, The Batavian was the first publication in the district to take his candidacy seriously. We did the first substantial interview with him.

Covering McMurray has never been about McMurray's politics. He's a candidate for federal office. He deserves to have his voice heard. It would be unethical to deny him a platform to be heard. It's why we publish all of his relevant press releases no matter how inane I might find them personally. We've done nothing in publication but treat him fairly.

Even after these attacks from McMurray started, we showed up at one of his campaign events and published a video that most would think reasonably and accurately captured the event with no anti-McMurray spin.

I suspect McMurray's anger about the Feb. 16 article had more to do with the fact that I quoted Caputo at length in the story than the fact that I did a follow-up.

I already knew McMurray hated Caputo. He had made his animosity clear months earlier in a private dinner meeting at Eli Fish Brewing Co. I also knew Caputo hated McMurray. More than once, he's said to me, "McMurray is a punk."

The next conflict came up around June 16, when we published five video interviews with the candidates in the NY-27 special election. McMurray proudly tweeted out a link to his interview with The Batavian but falsely claimed that Jacobs refused to submit to an interview. I retweeted his tweet and pointed out this error, linking to the interview with Jacobs.

Within minutes, McMurray started sending text messages. Among his claims, that I had told him that Jacobs had refused to sit for an interview. I never told McMurray any such thing. I can guarantee you, McMurray has no recording to support that assertion. He also said, accurately, that I would inform him once I had secured an interview with Jacobs. I neglected to follow through on this promise, which I had forgotten about until he reminded me.  

Be that as it may, I would expect a candidate for federal office to be informed enough about the media coverage of his own race to know when an interview is posted with his chief rival before making a claim that is falsifiable. How he could have missed an interview with Chris Jacobs on the home page of the best-read news source in Genesee County is something I can't explain.

Our ensuring testy text exchange included McMurray stating, "Time to start calling you out, Bro," followed by "I got tape."

To me, this was another threat. It was another attempt at extortion, another attempt to bully me into not bucking McMurray's campaign narrative. 

Later in July, there was the debate about whether Genesee County is a "news desert," the latest trendy phrase among media pundits about rural counties without sufficient local news coverage.

Margaret Sullivan is the former editor of the Buffalo News. Currently, she is a media columnist for the Washington Post. Earlier this year, she published a book, Ghosting the News: Local Journalism and the Crisis of American Democracy.

According to excerpts of the book (such as this one from The Atlantic), Sullivan quotes McMurray about local coverage of his 2018 campaign against then-incumbent Chris Collins. As you may recall, Collins was under federal indictment -- charges he would eventually admit to -- for insider trading and lying to the FBI.

But in the more far-flung parts of the sprawling congressional district, voters were far less informed. The largely rural and suburban district includes Orleans County, which, according to Abernathy’s criteria, is a news desert—one of just a few in New York State.

“I’d be going door to door, or meeting with people at a diner or a fair, for example, and in the most isolated areas, a lot of people had no idea that their own congressman had been indicted,” McMurray told me. Orleans County, west of Rochester, he said, was “one of the toughest places.” Some people didn’t even know who Collins was, and many were incredulous when McMurray told them of the federal charges.

“People told me I was making it up,” said McMurray. That shouldn’t have been the case, given that television news stations in both Rochester and Buffalo were giving plenty of airtime to the scandal as it developed, and those stations were available throughout the district. Nevertheless, the constituents lacked access to the in-depth coverage that a newspaper would have provided. At one time, almost everyone in the district had ready access to print editions of the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle or The Buffalo News, or were within easy reach of smaller newspapers in nearby Niagara Falls or Lockport.

This inaccurate take on the 2018 election was not only insulting to Tom Rivers, editor of Orleans Hub, but to me, as the publisher of The Batavian. I complained to The Atlantic, The Washington Post, which also Margaret Sullivan, first on Twitter, and then when she didn't respond, via email.

I believe these assertions are demonstrably, factually wrong. I believe corrections are in order -- and are still in order -- for the book, and these other august publications.

The Batavian reaches at least 70 percent of our market -- Genesee County -- every week. Our readership is 10,000 to 12,000 area residents per day. On a market-size-adjusted basis, the Buffalo News would love to reach as many people as The Batavian. In the past 10 years, we've published more than 900 items about the 27th district. While Jerry Zremski, of the Buffalo News, did Pulitizer-Prize-worthy work in uncovering the corruption of Chris Collins, an investigative enterprise, a publication like The Batavian could never hope to duplicate. I do believe our coverage after his indictment was as robust and thorough as any news publication in Western New York. And I know Tom Rivers covered the case thoroughly as well.

There is simply no way that one single voter in either Genesee or Orleans counties went to the polls in November 2018 without knowing Rep. Chris Collins stood accused of federal crimes.

I heard locally many times in 2018 that people would prefer to vote for a Republican accused of insider trading and lying to the FBI than vote for a Democrat, no matter how much that Democrat might admire Ronald Reagan.

I tried to make this clear to Sullivan. Still, her response was, "Nate McMurray was emphatic, in our interview, that he encountered a surprising number of people in some parts of the district (we specifically discussed Orleans) who weren't aware of Chris Collins' indictment. He tied this to news coverage."

In other words, if there were going to be any retraction of these bogus claims of misinformed voters, it would have to come from McMurray.

So I sent a text message to McMurray about his quote, and the conversation soon devolved into an argument about my journalism bona fides and how I had, in his view, capitulated to Caputo. He mentioned the "tape" again.

"You actually said that bro," after I accused him of lying about the substance (not the statement itself, as quoted above, but the meaning) of my comment, "and maybe I record all my calls."

It's evident to me that Nate McMurray, much like Donald Trump, will browbeat and bully reporters who won't genuflect at his feet. If the coverage isn't fawning, it's fake news. If the journalists report the truth, they're an enemy of the people. This is the mindset of the narcissist and the authoritarian. 

We saw it on public display when McMurray blasted the Buffalo News for reporting on his unhinged tweets attacking Democratic leadership.

I can’t believe @TheBuffaloNews is writing about gossip/tweets in the middle of a pandemic.

Never mind that we have another do doing nothing Congressman, defended by corporate forces and making excuses for the worst president in history. BUT HIS TWEETS! @TMZ @JerryZremski TMZ

— Nate McMurray for Congress 2020 (@Nate_McMurray) August 16, 2020

Apparently, in McMurray's world, when the press cover's Trump deranged tweets, it's news. When the press covers McMurray's off-the-wall tweets, it's "gossip."

What set off McMurray this weekend was my response to one of his tweets about a campaign appearance in Batavia without appropriate notification to the local news outlets. 

So I tweeted, "Another politician avoiding the media."

It didn't take but seconds for McMurray, who seems to be obsessed with Twitter, to send me a text message, setting off another argument leading to another threat (screenshot at the top of this editorial). He claimed in the course of the argument that the event wasn't public, but the pictures show it took place at DeWitt Recreation Area. And he posted pictures about it on a public forum. To claim it was a private event is disingenuous. He used a public space and publicized it after the fact in an open forum.

In my jurisdiction, when a candidate for state or federal office makes a public appearance locally, the local media should be notified; otherwise, the candidate is merely dodging public scrutiny. That shouldn't happen in a democracy. In the age of Trump, it's all that much more important to cling to these democratic norms.

And for those who think I might just be picking on McMurray, earlier this month, we received a press release from Rep. Chris Jacobs about his tour of GCASA. While GCASA is essentially private property, the fact that Jacobs thought it public enough to issue a press release about it makes it clear, it was a public event.

The press should be informed of his visit. The fact no invites went out to local reporters is, to me, a clear indication Jacobs wishes to avoid any tough questions about his time, thus far, in office. I can assure you, Jacobs' staff heard a detailed complaint from The Batavian about this failure to inform the local media about his visit to a location in Genesee County.

The fact is, Nate McMurray and Donald Trump are more alike than McMurray will ever acknowledge. Both claim to be men of the people (I'm reminded of the song by The Blasters, Common Man) but are elitist -- Trump by his money (no matter how overstated his actual wealth) and McMurray by his big-corporation attorney pedigree. Both love the media limelight. Both use Twitter to cultivate devotees. Both are narcissists with authoritarian tendencies. Both blame others for their failings and never acknowledge their mistakes. Both attack reporters who dare to tell the truth about them or challenge them in any way.

If you're among those who support either of these men, fine. It's a free country. We don't cover Donald Trump, but we do cover the NY-27, as well as several other local political jurisdiction, and we want to make it clear, The Batavian won't be bullied by any politician. 

We've never been afraid of politicians. We weren't scared when Jane Corwin refused to answer questions about the conduct of her campaign. We weren't fearful of Kathy Hochul when her campaign misquoted our interview with Chris Collins. We didn't cower when Chris Collins ran away from our interview attempts.

If Nate McMurray thinks he can bully us in order to keep us covering him without fear or favor, this editorial should emphatically answer that question. He can't.

The tweet that prompted Nate McMurray's most recent threat against The Batavian.

McMurray misrepresenting the reason for our follow-up story about his being put on leave by Delaware North.

The messages from McMurray after my tweet about him saying Jacobs refused an interview. Note, "Time to start calling you out bro" and "I got tape."

UPDATE 7:20 p.m.: Here is McMurray's text message in response to this piece. He's also blocked me on Twitter.

Press release:

Have you ever wondered how Genesee County came to be? What was the Holland Land Purchase? What is a Gibbet? How did Batavia get its name? If any of these questions peak your curiosity among many others, then volunteering at the Holland Land Office might be perfect for you.

The museum is reaching out to anyone with an interest in local history who would like to volunteer. Any amount of time that can be given is welcome, even an hour a week can make a great difference.

Volunteers can work in many different areas, and interests and strengths will be used to the most optimum affect. Areas of need include: cleaning, gift shop, docent/tour guide, documenting of artifacts, exhibits and displays, landscaping, etc.

Volunteer hours would be during the normal hours of operation of the museum are Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

If you have an interest in volunteering with the Holland Land Office Museum, please contact Director Ryan Duffy at (585) 343-4727 or email: hollandlandoffice@gmail.com

Information can also be found at the museum’s website.

Press release:

As of 2 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 15:

• Genesee County received zero new positive cases of COVID-19.
  • • One of the previous positive individuals has recovered and has been released from mandatory isolation.
    • Seven new individuals are on precautionary quarantine due to travel from restricted states.​​​

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• Received one new positive case of COVID-19.
  • • The new positive individual resides in Clarendon
    • The individual is in their 50s
    • The individual was not on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive.
    • One of the previous positive individuals has recovered and has been released from mandatory isolation.
    • Twelve new individuals are on precautionary quarantine due to travel from restricted states.

Although Gov. Andrew Cuomo says he’s not banning door-to-door trick-or-treating this Halloween (Saturday, Oct. 31), “boys and ghouls” of all ages are being advised to take care to avoid a spread of the coronavirus to their neighbors.

“It is important to remember COVID-19 is still an issue locally and we are also starting flu season,” Public Health Director Paul Pettit said today. “With that in mind it is important to take the following precautions should you and your family choose to participate, barring any local or regional shutdowns of these activities:”

• New York State is still under the nonessential gathering limits of no more than 50 people, this includes indoor and outdoor activities. This would apply to Halloween parties. Any size gatherings should still adhere to face covering/social distancing requirements.
• Everyone participating in trick-or-treating should be wearing appropriate face covering that cover both the mouth and nose.
• Limit the number of hands touching the treats. Make sure those who are handling the treats have carefully washed their hands or sanitized them before touching them. If you wear gloves, be careful not to use your gloved hands to touch other objects, your face, etc.
• Frequently disinfect any objects that multiple hands may touch such as doorknobs, stair rails, doorbells/knockers, etc.
• If you or your child/children are experiencing any symptoms – STAY HOME!
• If you recently tested for COVID-19 or traveled from a restricted state/international travel – STAY HOME!

These are recommendations to help protect those who are more vulnerable to COVID-19 and the flu, Pettit said, and are subject to change.

Specific to the City of Batavia, Police Chief Shawn Heubusch said that all trick-or-treating activities must wrap up by 9 o’clock on Halloween night.

City officials will be issuing a press release concerning safety guidance toward the end of October, he added.

Earlier today, Cuomo, in an interview with News 12 on Long Island, said he didn’t think it was “appropriate” for him to cancel trick-or-treating.

“If you want to go knock on your neighbor’s door, God bless you. If you want to go on a walk with your child through the neighborhood, I’m not going to tell you that you can’t take your child through the neighborhood,” he said. “I’ll give you my advice and guidance, and then you’ll make the decision what you do that night.”

Previously, officials in Los Angeles banned trick-or-treating but then reversed their decision, choosing instead to say they don’t recommend it.

File photo of trick-or-treaters in the City of Batavia, 2018.

Press release:

In support of the Genesee County STOP-DWI program, the STOP-DWI Board invites all sixth- through 12^th-grade students to submit a poster design that reflects the dangers of drinking and driving.

Designs should focus on the affects drinking and driving have on an individual, their family and the community.

The theme for the 2020 poster contest is, "Drinking and Driving Go Together Like Peas and Guacamole (be creative with slogan), Don’t Drink and Drive.”

 Guidelines:

• Contestants must be enrolled as a  sixth- through 12^th-grader in a Genesee County School;
• Poster should be no larger than 9’’ x 12” and must include the theme of: "Drinking and Driving Go Together Like Peas and Guacamole (be creative with slogan), Don’t Drink and Drive”;
• Please submit your artwork in landscape (horizontal) orientation;
• Each submission should be the original student’s work. Submissions should be mailed or dropped off to the address below;
• Each entry must include the artist’s full name, address, phone number, grade, age and school on the back of the poster (no personal information should be on the illustration).

Designs can be in any medium, including computer-generated. However, we strongly recommend that students create strong, simple and colorful designs that will deliver the most visual impact for their message.

Grand Prize Winner -- gift card, T-shirt with their artwork on it and their artwork on a billboard in Genesee County. They will also be honored at the STOP DWI luncheon banquet in November.

First-  through third-place winners from each category (sixth - eighth grade; ninth - 12th grade; and graphic art) will receive a gift card, commendation and T-shirt with the overall winner’s design. They will also be recognized at the STOP-DWI luncheon banquet in November.

DEADLINE: Entries must be received in person or by mail by 4 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9.

Send submissions to:

Genesee County Youth Bureau

ATTN: STOP DWI Poster Contest

2 Bank St.

Batavia, NY 14020

From Sen. Michael Ranzenhofer:

As many students complete their first week of school, I continue to hear from people regarding the school reopening process. It is not too late to share your opinions on how to best reopen our schools and give your comments. If you have not done so already, please take the opportunity to complete this short survey to share your opinions.

Take Survey Now

Thank you.

Sincerely,

MICHAEL H. RANZENHOFER

State Senator

A motor vehicle accident is reported on Batavia Elba Townline Road at Pekin Road.

No serious injuries are reported but a third ambulance is requested to the scene. All remaining Mercy EMS ambulances are tied up so an ambulance from Byron is requested to the scene.

Town of Batavia fire responded to the call.

Letter from Ed Levinstein:

I am writing in response to your recent editorial article; “School boards get a failing grade on transparency with voters.”  Contrary to your claim of “group conformity,” I am writing this without asking for approval from my fellow Pembroke Central School District board members or our superintendent.  I want you and your readers to know, I have never felt the need or pressure to seek approval.  Speaking only for myself, but with a suspicion that my fellow board members at Pembroke and elsewhere may agree, I take exception to your article. 

I wish to begin by noting where you and I agree; that school board members are elected individually and that the public has a right to know where we stand.  I wholeheartedly agree and there is no debating this in my mind.  However, our board’s decision to ask our President to answer your questions about reopening school on our behalf, in no way equates to avoiding public accountability. Please keep in mind that the board and administration grappled with this plan for weeks.  As a team, we developed a plan that everyone had input on and is fully supportive of and unanimously approved.  The lack of any disagreement does not indicate that any of us are hiding our true opinions or having them suppressed. 

I would like to add that I did respond to Mr. Pettinella’s email after your exchange with our President, John Cima, where you asked again for individual responses.  Granted, my response was still in agreement with John, but this should not imply that I was in some way unwilling or not allowed to give my opinion.  I believe my fellow board members also replied after your second request but this was not included in your follow up Facebook post.

With all due respect to you and other journalists who play an extremely important role in our society, board members are not obligated to respond to your questions. Your inference from our individual silence that we are being stifled or manipulated is speculative at best, deceptive at worst.  The tone of your article and the responses you gave John imply that you think we are answerable to you and that if our responses don’t conform to your formatting and expectation, then we are being obstructive or just too stupid to understand our “assignment.”  This unfair treatment by some media may be why some board members and districts prefer to have a gatekeeper of sorts to prevent being misunderstood.

As a Pembroke Central School Board member, I very much recognize my responsibility to the students and constituents.  I applaud that you and other publications are covering important matters including the reopening plans of districts. However, I feel you are doing a disservice to the community by creating a perception about our transparency that in my opinion, is not fair or accurate. If you had cared about the original topic, I imagine we would have seen an article that discussed the reopening plans of districts in the region. 

Your perception is based simply on our group responses to a couple open-ended questions that I imagine most board members agree on anyway by this point.  Regarding our transparency, please know that the discussions and vote on the plan were held in open meetings that you and the public are always welcome to attend.  Also, the minutes to those meetings are available on our website and upon a request. I’m also personally available to any constituent who wants to know where I stand on a school issue.

Finally, I want you and your readers to understand that aside from the satisfaction of working to provide opportunities for and improve the lives of children, being on a school board is a tough job that we take on cheerfully but very seriously.  It includes a lot of hard work, long hours, long meetings and is completely volunteer.  Most of us do not have high aspirations for public office.  We just want to help the kids in our district be successful and lead happy, productive lives.  

I feel that it is a great privilege to work with a board that is able to work so well together and I hope that the voters in my district will entrust me for another term when the time comes.  It seems almost out of place in this day and age that a group of elected officials can work so well together, which is maybe why you felt the need to create the perception of controversy where there is none.

Sincerely,
Ed Levinstein
Vice President
Pembroke Central School Board

Previously: EDITORIAL: School boards get failing grade on transparency with voters

Previously: Genesee County central school districts unveil plans for reopening this fall

Press release:

Congressman Chris Jacobs (NY-27) announced the introduction of the Infrastructure Expansion Act (H.R. 8222) this morning at a press conference in Hamburg. The press conference was attended by representatives from construction, business and insurance organizations. Congressman Tom Reed (NY-23) has also joined the legislation as a cosponsor.

"The Scaffold Law is an outdated 19th-century law that burdens our taxpayers and hurts our ability to provide critical infrastructure for New Yorkers across the state," Jacobs said. "Today I am proud to announce that I have taken action to combat one of the most burdensome regulations in New York State by introducing legislation that will drive federally funded construction costs down significantly, making New York more competitive for investment and reducing the taxpayer's cost. It is my hope Albany will follow suit and repeal the Scaffold Law altogether."

Currently, in New York State, the Scaffold Law imposes absolute liability for gravity-related injuries, despite who is at fault for the injury, on construction employers and property owners, forcing companies to purchase expensive liability insurance that drives up an overall project's cost. For example, the Gateway Rail project is expected to see additional costs of $180 to $300 million due to this requirement. It is also estimated this law has added an additional $200 million on the cost of the Tappan Zee Bridge Project. For families building a home, the New York State Builders Association has estimated that the Scaffold Law increases residential construction costs by as much as $10,000.

The Infrastructure Expansion Act that Rep. Jacobs has introduced imposes a comparative negligence liability standard, pre-empting the Scaffold Law on all projects receiving federal funding. Under Jacobs’s legislation, gravity-related accidents would be investigated to determine blame in the cause of the injury, meaning businesses would no longer be forced to carry excessive insurance plans, and taxpayers are safeguarded against wasteful spending.

“It’s time we finally tackle one of New York’s most economically devasting statutes -- the Scaffold Law,” said Rep. Tom Reed (NY-23). “By preempting the Law, we can ensure federal construction projects and communities across New York are no longer unfairly burdened by this harmful law. We will continue to take steps to fight back against the impractical legislation coming out of Albany and boost economic development opportunities throughout the state.”

"This legislation brings much-needed attention to the fiscal implications of New York's wasteful 'Scaffold Law,' " said Tom Stebbins, executive director of Lawsuit Reform Alliance of New York said. "I commend Rep. Jacobs for introducing this bill and for his dedication to ensuring that every dollar invested in the Empire State's infrastructure is spent with the public's best interest in mind and not wasted on expensive lawsuits. Lawmakers in Albany should take note, follow his lead, and finally fix this costly, archaic law."

Greg Biryla, NFIB's New York State director, said "Because of archaic statutes like New York's Labor Law 240/241, or 'Scaffold Law,' construction insurance for small businesses in New York, like those represented by NFIB, is the highest in the nation, stifling growth and commerce across every community in our state.

"The Scaffold Law doesn't discriminate between public and private development – affordable housing, roads, bridges, and schools all cost taxpayers more because of this statute.While Albany should be laser-focused on addressing laws like this to jumpstart our post-COVID economic recovery, reform has proven elusive in the State Capital. Small businesses across New York State are thrilled to see Congressman Jacobs prioritize this critical issue in Washington by introducing legislation that will place a fair liability standard on federally funded infrastructure projects in New York."

"New York's 'Scaffold Law' has been called 'New York's Stupidest Law,' In fact, it may well be one of the most outdated laws in America," said Mike Elmendorf, president & CEO of the Associated General Contractors of New York State. "The Scaffold Law, which creates an only-in-New-York absolute liability standard, holds contractors and building owners wholly responsible for gravity-related accidents on construction sites, regardless of who was culpable. Workers, small businesses, and taxpayers are left holding the bag while trial lawyers laugh all the way to the bank.

"We commend Congressman Chris Jacobs for introducing the Infrastructure Expansion Act to try to spare federally funded projects from these excessive and unjustifiable costs. We urge Congress to act to protect taxpayers — while also continuing to urge Albany to finally correct this injustice by reforming this outrageous and antiquated law.

"New York's regulations have held back our state for far too long," Jacobs said. "Instead of wasting our tax dollars on excessive and unnecessary insurance costs, our money can be better used to fund critical infrastructure projects and good-paying jobs.

"I want small businesses and taxpayers to be able to survive and prosper here, that is why I have taken action today. We need a state that welcomes investment and small businesses, and I will continue to use my office to work in the best interest of the taxpayers and small business owners living in New York."

The Farmer Family released the following statement yesterday about their decision to close the L.B. Grand Restaurant in Le Roy.

To our patrons and community members,

After significant and careful consideration, it is with a heavy heart that we share with you we have made the decision to permanently close the L.B. Grand Steak and Spaghetti House restaurant.

This determination was not made lightly, and only after considerable review of all options. Despite our best efforts to succeed, over the past few months it has become increasingly apparent that keeping our doors open is no longer possible.

The factors that led to this decision are primarily a consequence of the pandemic including the resulting required closure and subsequent restrictions on indoor dining. With no available outdoor seating, a current mandated capacity of only 50% indoors, and the rising cost of food due to supply chain interruption, it is not feasible for us to continue operations.

We would like to extend our sincerest gratitude to our wonderful staff for their years of service. A special thanks is in order for their truly exceptional resilience and patience over the last few months in handling continually changing regulations and procedures due to the pandemic. We sincerely appreciate their hard work and dedication.

In addition, we would like to thank the Piazza Family for the opportunity to be a part of the L.B. Grand family and to serve our community. We remain fully committed to the town of Le Roy and are proud that we are able to continue to provide service in other capacities.

Sincerely,
The Farmer Family

The federal government is letting counties such as Genesee down by failing to “bridge” a gap in funding necessary to prevent a collapse of its infrastructure, Highway Superintendent Tim Hens said on Monday.

Speaking at the Genesee County Legislature’s Public Service Committee meeting at the Old County Courthouse, Hens said most of the county’s large bridges are in desperate need of repair – a situation that seems to have fallen upon deaf ears in Washington.

“We have roughly 100 federal aid bridges and they all have design lives on them of 50 to 75 years,” Hens said, noting that the majority of these spans were built in the 1940s, ‘50s and early ‘60s. “All at the same time, we’re getting slammed with 40 to 50 bridges that need to be replaced and we’re only getting funded for one or two every other year. There’s no way we’re going to keep up.”

Hens said federal money used to come in to do two bridges a year, and then it decreased to one per year. It’s even less frequent now.

“It’s extremely frustrating … we have pushed very, very hard (for funding) all the way up to the president,” he said, adding that he’s uncertain of the status of a bill currently in the Senate.

Genesee County, as is the case with other municipalities across the state, is in the midst of a serious financial crunch due to the COVID-19 pandemic that shut things down in mid-March. The economy has started to recover, but sales tax revenue for the year is down and New York State has cut aid by 20 percent across the board.

Delays in federal funding for roads and bridges forced the county to have to pay “the full shot” (instead of the usual 5 percent) to replace a bridge on Stroh Road in Alexander, a cost of $1.8 million that was taken from the $7.5 million allocated for infrastructure after the sale of the county nursing home.

Hens said the county’s bridges are “getting worse,” advising that 48 of the 92 larger bridges (over 20 feet) are listed as deficient per state standards.

“Statewide, we are probably on the lower end of bridge conditions … and we’re definitely near the bottom of the list of counties in terms of the condition of our bridges,” he said.

Genesee County is responsible for all bridges in the county, an “an extra burden on us that most counties don’t have,” Hens said.

As he presented his departmental review, Hens said the large bridges showed nine “red flags” in 2020 – up from just two in 2019 – with two of those problems permanently corrected with the rehabilitation of bridges on Colby Road in Darien and McLernon Road in Bethany.

The county has 278 bridges of less than 20 feet, and 19 of the worst 30 have been replaced since 2016, including one this year.

Overall, keeping the roads up to snuff and performing preventative maintenance have become more challenging due to budget restraints and lack of funding, Hens said.

Along those lines, he said it is likely (pending negotiations with the employees’ union) that the county will switch to one-person snowplowing – instead of the usual two in the truck – to save money.

“The bottom line is that it seems like we keep kicking the can down the road relative to preventative maintenance and as anybody knows if you put off maintenance on your home, you’ll have bigger problems to deal with – and that’s where we’re headed with highways and bridges,” Hens said. “The continued budget cuts – we’re really out of options at this point. It’s kind of like which finger do you want to cut off your hand?”

He said that further cuts for highway will lead to dropping critical services such as driveway installations and ditching.

“There’s just nothing left to get rid of. Even if I was thinking about trying to privatize some of my department, you still have the maintenance and capital expense – there’s nothing left to cut, bottom line,” he said.

Hens’ 10-year capital plan shows expenditures for infrastructure and related expenses totaling $125 million.

Legislator Marianne Clattenburg brought up the nursing home money and asked what the county’s share was when federal aid for infrastructure came into play.

Hens said that the county’s share is normally 5 percent, prompting Clattenburg to respond that 5 percent of $125 million was about $6 million – less than the $7.5 million in nursing home money.

“Where’s the crisis here?” she asked. To which Hens replied, “The crisis is the fact that we don’t always get federal aid. I usually program two federal aid bridges a year and we don’t always get that.”

Clattenburg then blamed federal lawmakers for putting the county in such a bind.

“We need to stop fighting each other and start thinking about real problems that people are having in Congress. We’re ready to go – we’ve been frugal. We put the money away so we can do this work, and now everything is stalled,” she said.

Legislator Andrew Young agreed, wondering, “Why they’re not talking about an infrastructure bill at the federal level? I don’t get it.”

Despite the financial woes, Hens said he is submitting a county road fund budget of $5,799,749 for 2021, within about $18,000 of the 2020 budget. The county’s general fund contributes more than $5.3 million of that amount.

He said the budget could increase by up to $50,000 if the Town of Bethany enters into a plowing and mowing agreement with the county for next year.

Batavia City Council President Eugene Jankowski Jr. is adamant that neither public speakers nor a petition signed by 161 residents will force the board’s hand when it comes to selecting a permanent replacement for City Manager Martin Moore, who left the position on June 20.

 “We’re going to do our due diligence – getting all the information necessary to make an informed decision,” said City Council President Eugene Jankowski Jr. following Monday night’s Business Meeting at City Centre Council Chambers.

Since Moore’s departure, Assistant City Manager Rachael Tabelski has been serving as the acting city manager.

Council met in an executive session between a Special Conference Meeting and the Business Meeting last night to discuss personnel matters, with the city manager post at the top of the list.

Jankowski said Council is “gathering more information” and expects a decision of how it will proceed by its next meeting on Sept. 28.

In all likelihood, the choices boil down to interviewing Tabelski and offering her the job, or conducting a nationwide search – utilizing The Novak Consulting Group, the Cincinnati, Ohio-based firm that was used in the search that resulted in the hiring of Moore in 2018.

Because Moore left prior to completing two years in Batavia, the Novak firm guaranteed a “free” search for his successor. However, that doesn’t include costs such as advertising in trade publications, expenses incurred to set up interviews (travel costs, for example) and potential moving expenses for the person hired.

It is believed that those additional costs could reach as high as $15,000 to $20,000.

Previously, Jankowski had reported that The Novak Consulting Group would be available to assist the city at the end of this month.

During the public comments portion of last night’s meeting, Batavians Sammy DiSalvo and John Roach spoke on the matter, coming from opposite sides of the fence.

DiSalvo said he supported a full search, pointing to what he called “nepotism” when Tabelski was appointed to the assistant city manager position in August 2018 while her husband, Adam, was a member of City Council.

“Regardless of whether her husband abstained from that vote or not, that is called nepotism,” he said.

“Now I want to fast forward to September 2020 … and this is the first time we’ve heard from any of you about Novak, the company that did the manager’s search, which you get a free search through if city manager left within two years, which he did,” he added.

“They said they could not start until the end of September. Hopefully, they do start that search and you go down that road, rather than just appointing somebody that was appointed while her husband was in a position of power. I don’t think that is really a way that city government should be functioning and that is not a good way to represent the people of Batavia …”

After expressing his dismay with changes in the City Deer Management Plan, DiSalvo ended his five minutes by producing a petition of what he said was 150 signatures (actually 161) of Batavians “who would like a full city search and do not want somebody who is appointed to the position by City Council.”

Next, Roach stepped to the podium, stating that “I take the opposite view on the hiring of the city manager.”

“I think it’s kind of embarrassing that the nine Council people – five of you haven’t been able to say as a majority – ‘Let’s make a decision.’ By now you should have been able to say in executive session, ‘OK, we’re going to go with the headhunter group or we’re going to hire the current assistant city manager,’ ” he said.

Roach then credited Tabelski for moving city business along.

“Obviously, she must be doing a good job,” he said. “The city is functioning well and I cannot for the life of me understand why you people still have to go into meetings to decide to make a plan to have a plan. Either hire her or say no, ‘you don’t cut it, we don’t want you’ – and let her start looking at alternatives. It can’t be that hard to say yes, you’re our choice, or you’re not.”

He also said he heard that a City Council member placed petitions in some businesses.

“I don’t know if that’s appropriate or not,” he said.

Finally, he mentioned Council’s handling of authorizing more pay for those who have took on added responsibilities in the absence of a permanent city manager.

“I’m also a little disappointed that the last time we didn’t have a city manager, everybody voted to give the other staff that were pitching in to do extra work, extra money. And they were all men,” he said. “This time, the same thing – we don’t have a manager and people need a little extra money for doing extra work, and some of you voted no, but they’re women. Coincidence or not? I’ll let you all respond.”

The path to passing a City of Batavia Deer Management Plant plan -- fraught with controversy, changes and a bit of confusion – became much clearer tonight when City Council approved a proposal giving its police department oversight of the operation.

By a vote of 6-2, Council endorsed an archery-only plan that puts management in the hands of police – understanding there will be overtime costs involved – and also allows only city employees to hunt on two parcels of city property and restricts hunting to antlerless-only deer in those two zones.

Council members Jeremy Karas, Patti Pacino, Kathleen Briggs, Al McGinnis, John Canale (who was the liaison to the Deer Management Plan Committee that resigned in protest of changes to the original plan on Aug. 13) and President Eugene Jankowski voted in favor of the plan. Council members Robert Bialkowski and Rose Mary Christian voted against the plan.

It was Jankowski who introduced an amendment to prohibit the taking of deer with antlers on city property. That passed by a 7-1 count with McGinnis, who objected to the amount of time (about an hour) spent debating the pros and cons of the plan, abstaining.

Council Member Paul Viele was not in attendance.

Apparently taking the advice of Canale, who brought up the board’s history of “kicking the can down the road,” Council decided to adopt the plan and worry about implementation later, especially in light of the Batavia City School District’s “hybrid” schedule that has some students learning remotely from home.

“I don’t see what else there is to discuss,” said Canale, adding that the police department is more than capable of deciding whether it is safe for people to hunt in any of the five pre-determined zones. “It’s not like we’re sending out people into the woods on October 1st with bows and arrows” if the police deem that it’s not safe.

Jankowski said he agreed with Canale, urging his colleagues to “approve this and (then) the implementation is up in the air.”

“Personally, I don’t think it would have worked well for the volunteer (committee) to take on that kind of work,” Jankowski said.

Police Chief Shawn Heubusch said he anticipates overtime charges of $4,000 to $5,000 annually, calling it a “conservative estimate depending upon the level of commitment.” He also said he will select an officer from the department to head the program.

Heubusch said he plans to reach out to Town of Irondequoit police officers, who run the program there, as well as talk to landowners in the three zones that aren’t city property, and attempt to get landowner agreements signed and set up the selection process.

“There’s a lot of work (to be done),” he said, noting that although the department is fully staffed, it isn’t at a point where he can take an officer off the road.

City Attorney George Van Nest reported that he has already spoken with people in Irondequoit, who indicated that the Monroe County town’s program “works well and is effective.” He also said state Department of Environmental Conservation officials support the “tweaks” made by him and Acting City Manager Rachael Tabelski.

The most significant changes were moving oversight from the Deer Management Plan Committee to the police department, giving city employees exclusive rights to hunt on city property – eliminating members of the Genesee County Federation of Sportsmen – and, per tonight’s amendment, putting in a provision to cull antlerless-only deer on city property.

Jankowski said he received thirdhand information that someone saw a large buck on one of the properties and that “somebody has designs on those antlers.” His amendment, however, can not be enforced on land owned by private citizens who agree to participate in the plan to reduce the deer population.

Van Nest said a New York State hunting license gives hunters the authority to take a buck on private property.

Before the vote to pass or reject the amended plan, Bialkowski attempted to table the measure, stating that the latest plan (dated Sept. 14) was not presented in a Conference Meeting, it comes with increased costs and was subject to a review of the school’s scheduling.

“I’d like to refer it back to committee … back to a Conference Meeting,” he said.

Christian supported tabling it as well, with her comments indicating she thought the plan included hunting by guns along with bow and arrow.

That’s when Canale spoke up, noting that the Deer Management Plan Committee worked very hard and for a long time (eight months) to put together “a wonderful plan, working with (former City Manager) Dr. (Martin) Moore on the “meat and potatoes of the plan.”

He credited Tabelski for making necessary revisions.

“I don’t think kicking the can down the road will help us out,” he said. “Approve it tonight and implement it when it’s safe.”

As a result, a vote to table the plan was defeated by a 6-2 count with Bialkowski and Christian voting to table it.

The deer management plan subject came up right from the start of the Special Conference Meeting that preceded the Business Meeting where the resolution ultimately was approved.

Batavia residents Sammy DiSalvo, David Majewski and his son, Noah Majewski, spoke about the plan during the public comments portion of the agenda.

DiSalvo said he identified “at least 20 changes from the original proposal – at least five of which are entirely new.”

He said he took issue with “taking away power from people who are citizens and experienced hunters.”

“I am sure there are many police officers who do hunt and are very capable, but you are taking this away from people who have spent 50-60 years as the main thing that they do,” he said.

As far as private property is concerned, DiSalvo said that owners of the three non-city property areas have decided not to participate in the plan – something that took Council and city management by surprise.

“I find it suspicious that Mr. DiSalvo, whose father (Samuel) was on the deer committee, is saying that everybody but the city is not participating,” Jankowski said. “He’s making detailed responses about landowners that we don’t even know about yet.”

DiSalvo applauded the police department for the great job it does in law enforcement, but disagreed with putting the responsibility of the deer management plan upon the officers.

David Majewski said he was concerned about people coming on his son’s property (25 acres) off Alexander Road, which is adjacent to one of the city-owned parcels. He said his son manages the property for deer hunting, and is worried that deer remains left on his property would attract more coyotes to the area.

“I’m kind of curious as to why city employees will be allowed to hunt. There are plenty of other good hunters,” he said.

He said he was also concerned about liability and the possibility of a lawsuit should someone trespass onto his son’s land – which he uses for beaver trapping -- and suffer an injury.

Noah said he has encountered many people trespassing from city property onto his property.

“I’ve notified people in the City of Batavia building and nobody seems to care. They usually end up being friends of people,” he said.

He also mentioned liability and that he runs “nuisance beaver traps” with a nuisance beaver permit from the DEC. He said the traps are set around a swamp and he would hate to see someone step in one of those traps.

“I just feel like this is opening up a whole new can of worms to bring more people into an area that’s populated with people, that has people running around there," he said. "... and not knowing who’s going to be hunting back there or anything like that, it’s a big area of concern for me.”

Press release:

New Cases – As of 2 p.m. 

• Genesee County received zero new positive cases of COVID-19.
  • One of the previous positive individuals has recovered and has been released from mandatory isolation.
  • Four new individuals are on precautionary quarantine due to travel from restricted states.
     
• Orleans County received one new positive case of COVID-19.
  • The new positive resides in Albion.
  • The individual is in their 50s.
  • The individual was not on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive.
  • Two of the previous positive individuals have recovered and have been released from mandatory isolation.

Seventeen new individuals are on precautionary quarantine due to travel from restricted states.

Robin Scott Brooks, 58, of Hutchins Place, Batavia is charged with first degree criminal nuisance. Brooks was arrested by the Genesee County Local Drug Task Force and the Batavia Police Department. It is alleged that at noon on June 30 on Hutchins Place that Brooks allowed people to sell narcotics out of his residence. In addition, Brooks allegedly received a benefit (money) from the people selling narcotics from his residence. He was issued a hand-written appearance ticket and is due in Batavia City Court on Tuesday, Sept. 15. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer James DeFreze.

Janel B. Patterson, 41, of Valle Drive, Batavia, is charged with issuing a bad check -- with knowledge of insufficient funds. Batavia Police Officer Nicole McGinnis arrested Patterson on Sept. 8 on the charge, which stemmed from a fraud complaint on June 12, 2019, at Batavia Restaurant Supply Inc., 301 W. Main St., Batavia. After an investigation by Batavia Police Officer Stephen Quider allegedly found she issued a bad check, Patterson turned herself in on an arrest warrant and was arraigned in Batavia City Court. She is due back in court Oct. 27 to answer the charge.

Joseph W. Freeman, 36, of East Main Street, Batavia, is charged with two counts each of criminal possession of stolen property in the fifth degree and falsifying business records -- making a false entry. Freeman was arrested at 2 p.m. Sept. 10 after an investigation. It is alleged that he possessed property stolen from various stores on Veterans Memorial Drive in the Town of Batavia. Freeman was released with appearance tickets and is due in Batavia City Court Oct. 13. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Kenneth Quackenbush.

Eric J. McGill, 37, of West Main Street, Batavia, is charged with criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree. McGill was arrested after an incident at 7:53 p.m. Sept. 2 on Hutchins Street, Batavia, wherein he allegedly possessed an illegal billy (club) -- an expandable baton. He was arraigned in Batavia City Court Sept. 3 and released under supervision of Genesee Justice. He was due back in city court Sept. 5. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Adam Tucker, assisted by Officer Wesley Rissinger.

Brandon T. Tackett, of Batavia, was arrested at 7:17 p.m. Sept. 3 on Miles Road in Bentleyville, Ohio, and charged with possession of a controlled substance in the fifth degree. Tackett and four Ohio residents were located in a parking lot after a report of a suspicious vehicle that had pulled into a driveway. Tackett is accused of possessing crystal methamphetamine. Bentleyville police report also finding in the red 2002 Chevy Malibu sedan a small blue case containing drug paraphernalia -- including a butane torch and a smoking pipe with tube, scales, cash, and prepaid gift cards. Tackett was transported to Bedford Jail.

Mario Alberto Reyes, 48, of Groth Road, Holley, is charged with: two counts of driving while intoxicated; operating a motor vehicle without a license; and moving from lane unsafely. At 12:45 a.m. on Sept. 13 on Clinton Street Road in Stafford, Reyes was arrested after a traffic stop. He was released with appearance tickets and is due in Stafford Town Court on Oct. 6. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Jordan Alejandro, assisted by Deputy Austin Heberlein.

Ralph Andrew Burdick Sr., 63, of Kysorville-Byersville Road, Nunda, is charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance in the seventh degree. He was arrested at 5:09 p.m. Sept. 11 on Veterans Memorial Drive in Batavia for allegedly possessing a bottle of pills inside his vehicle without having a prescription for them. Burdick was issued an appearance ticket for Town of Batavia Court and is due there Oct. 22. The case was handled by Genesee County Sheriff's Deputy Jacob Gauthier, assisted by Sgt. Andrew Hale.

Quentin I. Bloom, 22, of North Spruce Street, Batavia, is charged with second-degree criminal contempt. Bloom was arrested Sept. 9 following an investigation into an incident that occurred at 3:34 a.m. on Aug. 23. He allegedly contacted a protected party who had an order of protection from him. He was arraigned in Batavia City Court and released under supervision of Genesee Justice. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer Stephen Cronmiller.

Hezekiah N. Burch, 18, of Oak Street, Batavia, is charged with second degree criminal contempt for allegedly disobeying a court order. On Sept. 7, Batavia Police Officer Peter Post arrested Burch after an investigation of an allegation that Burch had contact with a person on Hutchins Place, Batavia, who had an order of protection against him. Burch was issued an appearance ticket for Nov. 11 in Batavia City Court. Post was assisted by Sgt. Dan Coffey.

Christopher Allen Sewar, 33, of Hutchins Street, Batavia, is charged with two counts of disobeying a judge's court mandate. He was arrested at 9:18 a.m. on Sept. 7 after an investigation of a violation of a court order by allegedly initiating contact with a protected party on Maple Street in Batavia on Aug. 25 and with violating the order on Aug. 23 on South Spruce Street, Batavia. He was released on appearance tickets and is due in Batavia City Court Dec. 8. The cases were handled by Batavia Police Officer Miah Stevens.

Lisa M. Babcock, 33, of North Spruce Street, Batavia, is charged with second-degree criminal contempt. At about 8:30 p.m. on Sept. 9, Babcock was issued an appearance ticket for Batavia City Court, where she is due on Dec. 8. She was arrested after she allegedly failed to appear in court Aug. 18 after being served with a subpoena. The case was handled by Batavia Police Officer John Gombos, assisted by Officer Christopher Lindsay.

Six Flags Darien Lake announced today that due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, it will remain closed for the remainder of the 2020 season, which was scheduled to end in early November.

According to a statement on its website, the park remains committed to the health and safety of park guests and team members.

“These are difficult times, and we know the COVID-19 pandemic has caused many challenges for everyone,” the statement read. “Given the situation we want to ensure we provide you with all the value of your Season Pass. All 2020 Six Flags Darien Lake Season Passes and Pre-Purchased Tickets will be valid for the 2021 season.”

Previous story: No news is sad news for Six Flags Darien Lake patrons, seasonal part-time workers

Eight of the 20 "resident" members of the City Police Collaboration Advisory Stakeholder Group are diverse Batavians who say they desire to build a bridge between citizens and law enforcement that will lead to a safe and healthy community for all.

“Obviously, there’s a problem going on with police in America so I want to be a part of the solution, starting with that, if I can be,” said Brandon Armstrong, owner of Royal’s Barber Shop at 56 Harvester Ave. “And other than that, I pretty much want to help out in the community to make sure they’re (police) doing their part and to make sure the community is safe.”

Armstrong, one of three members of Just Kings Social Club, a local organization formed to foster equality and racial justice, also brought up the issue of respect.

“I want to make sure we’re being treated properly and we’re not living as if we’re in a prison or living in fear in our own hometown,” he offered. “I just want to be a little more comfortable.”

Francis Marchese, a semi-retired certified public accountant, said he is eager to see what comes out of the group discussions. The first meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Sept. 24 at City Centre Council Chambers.

“I have lived in Batavia all my life and I feel that I will be able to help format a better condition for the City of Batavia and for the people who live here – that my voice may be heard,” he said. “I want to listen to what the group has to say … a group made up of people of different nationalities and to see what their consensus is and to see what they really want to accomplish.”

Marchese acknowledged “a lot of injustice in cities … but I also feel that no matter what the people department does, (the perception is that) they’re in the wrong – and that’s not right either.”

Victor Thomas, an employee of Western New York Concrete and Just Kings member, said he wants to be involved in “something that could help my community” and is pleased that the committee includes several citizens and not just law enforcement or government and civic officials.

“It’s a great place to start,” he said. “I hope to get a better understanding of how police officers view something and to bring issues to them that they may or may not be aware of. It’s definitely a challenge but I’m looking forward to it.”

For Raelene Christian, a retired NYS employee, the advisory group could be a way to restore community policing the way that her mother, City Council member Rose Mary Christian, remembers it.

“I believe that our police in our nation are being vilified, but the vast majority are good, hard-working people who just want to do their jobs … to serve and protect. Of course, there are bad officers, so I’m not saying there isn’t room for community policing,” she said. “In the old days, my mother knew all of the police officers. So, how do we get back there? Today, there is a lot of mistrust.”

Bill Hayes, owner Turnbull Heating & Air and active community member, said serving on the advisory group is a way that he can “give back to the county and city that have been very good to me” over the past 30 years.

“When I was in the service, there was no black, white, Hispanic – everybody mattered and we need to believe that in order to stand by it,” he said. “There are three stories to be told, and the third one is what are you going to do about it?”

He said that he is there for people to lean on, if necessary, and to hear others’ viewpoints.

“Hopefully, I can help. If not, I’ll leave the board,” he said. “I didn’t sign up to just be on another committee.”

Establishing a rapport with the police is vital to Gregory Munroe II, a Pioneer Credit Recovery employee and Just Kings representative.

“I am looking to learn how Batavia works and if something terrible (police action leading to tragedy) ever happened in Batavia -- and I sure hope it never does -- to make sure there is accountability,” he said. “I want see Batavia stay as safe as it is and even safer. It’s important to build the connection between police and the community.”

On having three Just Kings members in the group, he said the “city has embraced our group for the most part … and we’re heading in the right direction.”

Michael Henry, lifelong Batavian who works at the DePaul residence in Warsaw, said support and accountability go hand in hand.

“I want to know that the police are doing the best that they are capable of and have what they need to do their best, and also to make sure there is a measure of accountability,” he said.

The Batavian was unable to reach Bill Blackshear, who like Henry was added to the group earlier today.

Blackshear has spoken in favor of increased dialogue among different racial groups and law enforcement in the past, including a 2017 plea to City Council to act to bring citizens together “for a better communication and a better understanding of each other.”

In 2018, The Batavian reported on school district policies that prohibited school board members from talking to the public about their individual views on school district policy.

In 2020, only one superintendent -- Mickey Edwards in Byron-Bergen -- informed us that only the superintendent was authorized to speak to reporters about district issues and that any statements from board members needed his approval. If we sought their individual views, they could speak as private citizens but he informed us he didn't have their private email addresses. We issued a FOIL request for their district email addresses, which we received.

Though only one superintendent attempted to claim to be the gatekeeper for school board statements this time around, the practice of school board members continuing to avoid public accountability for their position on policy issues is unabated in 2020.

We attempted to survey every school board member in Genesee County on their views related to school reopening in the age of coronavirus. Only two school board members out of 52 in the county responded with individual answers. Alice Ann Benedict, Batavia city schools, responded via email as requested. John Reigle answered the questions as part of an interview about his appointment as a trustee to Batavia city schools.

The school boards in Byron-Bergen, Le Roy, and Oakfield-Alabama provided group responses. John Cima, board president for Pembroke, provided a response that he said was made on behalf of the board.

We did not offer school boards the option of a group response but they did anyway.

We wonder how many teachers in Genesee County would give their students a failing grade for failure to follow instructions, turning an individual assignment into a group assignment?

There was no response whatsoever from Alexander, Elba, and Pavilion.

School board members are elected individually not as groups. The voting public has a right to know -- and every reason to expect -- what each individual school board member thinks about issues of public importance related to their school districts. The failure to be transparent -- and worse yet, forced group conformity -- deprives the public of a robust public debate, something essential in a healthy democracy, about important issues.

The requirement that the views of school board members go through a vetting process -- either superintendent approval or a homogenized group statement -- clearly violates the very idea of the First Amendment, depriving school board members of their right to speak freely and the press of its responsibility to accurately report on government policy.

This new strategy of a group response under the guise of "we speak with one voice" is no less noxious to the concept of a free and open society. It requires conformity and stifles dissent. It clearly sets up a chilling effect on free speech.

School board members will tell us they willingly go along with this "one voice" policy but we have no real idea which board members secretly feel their individual viewpoints are being unfairly kept from the public. "Individuality is fine as long as we all do it together," Frank Burns said in an episode of "M*A*S*H." That's long been the cry of the conformist in their discomfort with dissent. But good policies can't be fashioned without dissent and dissent can't be tested for its durability without healthy public debate.

These policies, as we saw and reported on in 2018, can even have a chilling effect on candidates for open seats in school board elections. How does a democracy continue to function when candidates for office refuse to answer questions for voters?

The Batavian will continue to press for school board members to be open and honest with the voters who elect them.

Responses to our questions:

• Alice Ann Benedict
• John Reigle
• Group response from Byron-Bergen
• Group response from Le Roy
• Group response from Oakfield-Alabama
• Response from John Cima for Pembroke

Here is a list, by district, of elected officials who did not respond individually to our questions.

Batavia

• Peter Cecere
• Shawna Murphy
• Tanni Bromley
• Barbara Bowman
• John Marucci

Alexander

• Brian Paris
• Molly Grimes
• John Slenker
• Sara Fernaays
• Chris Mullen

Byron-Bergen

• Debra List
• Yvonne Ace-Wagoner
• Kimberly Carlson
• William Forsyth
• Tammy Menzie
• Amy Phillips
• Jennifer VanValkenburg

Elba

• Michael Augello
• Michael Riner
• Michael Hare
• Dean Norton
• Travis Torrey
• Trisha Werth
• Michael Zuber

Le Roy

• Jacalyn Whiting 
• Denise Duthe 
• Christine Dowell 
• Richard Lawrence  
• Peter Loftus 
• William MacKenzie 
• Lloyd Miller

Oakfield-Alabama

• Timothy Edgerton
• Lorna Klotzbach
• Matt Lamb
• Justin Staebell
• Jackie Yunker Davis
• Pete Zeliff
• Daniel Groth

Pavilion

• Marirose Ethington
• Jeff Finch
• Margaret Gaston
• Rebecca Dziekan
• Kevin Stefan
• Callin Ayers-Tillotson
• Christopher Jeffres

Pembroke

• John A. Cima
• Heather Wood
• Ed Levinstein
• Dan Lang
• Art Ianni

The City of Batavia Police Department today announced the addition of two people in the “resident” category of its Police Collaboration Advisory Stakeholder Group, increasing the total number to 20.

Michael Henry and Bill Blackshear have been added to the committee, and will join residents Raelene Christian, Bill Hayes, Francis Marchese and Gregory Munroe II.

Others who have been selected are as follows:

Police Chief Shawn Heubusch, Assistant Chief Chris Camp and Batavia Police Benevolent Association President Matt Wojtaszczyk;

Public Defender Jerry Ader and First Assistant District Attorney Kevin Finnell;

Acting City Manager Rachael Tabelski, City Council Member Kathleen Briggs and City Attorney George Van Nest;

Batavia City School Superintendent Anibal Soler Jr., YWCA Executive Director Millie Tomidy-Pepper, Batavia Housing Authority Director Nathan Varland;

Business owner Brandon Armstrong, Just Kings representative Victor Thomas and Rev. Martin Macdonald, City Church pastor.

Jay Gsell and Erik Fix have been appointed as facilitators/moderators.

The group has been formed in compliance with Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Executive Order No. 203 on police reform.

It is charged with reviewing police policies and procedures, and adopting a plan that addresses, per the mandate, “the particular needs of the communities served by such police agency and promote community engagement to foster trust, fairness, and legitimacy, and to address any racial bias and disproportionate policing of communities of color.”

The advisory group’s first meeting, which is open to the public, is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 24 at the City Centre Council Chambers. All COVID-19 protocols will be in effect.

The governor’s executive order stipulates that municipalities must adopt a plan and submit it to the state by April 1 to be eligible for future state funding.

Press release from AAA:

Today’s national average price for a gallon of gasoline is $2.19, down 3 cents from last week. One year ago, the price was $2.57. The New York State average is $2.28 – down a penny since last week. A year ago, the NYS average was $2.73.

AAA Western and Central New York (AAA WCNY) reports the following averages:

• Batavia -- $2.22 (down a penny since last week)
• Buffalo -- $2.25 (no change since last week)
• Ithaca -- $2.21 (down 1 cent since last week)
• Rochester -- $2.26 (down 1 cent since last week)
• Rome -- $2.32 (down 1 cent since last week)
• Syracuse -- $2.22 (down 2 cents since last week)
• Watertown -- $2.32 (down 2 cents since last week)

With road trip season in the rearview mirror, pump prices have dropped along with demand. The Energy Information Administration reports that gasoline demand dropped last week, which is helping to bring pump prices down.

Low demand will likely help pump prices to continue their descent as summer fades to fall. Even back-to-school season didn’t lead to an increase in demand for gasoline since so many students are studying virtually.

From GasBuddy:

"Seasonal factors, as expected, are pushing gas prices down in most areas across the country. In addition, oil prices have hit a rough patch on renewed concerns about the economy and falling demand, leaving motorists the beneficiaries for the next few weeks," said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy.

"No one should be in a rush to fill up as prices will likely continue to trend lower, especially as the summer gasoline requirement ends on Tuesday, ushering in cheaper to produce winter gasoline and a return to less fragmentation in supply since winter gasoline is common nearly coast to coast, making it less of a headache to produce fuel since it can be used universally."