To the Editor:

The Switzkill Farm tenant tragedy is the direct result of a politically motivated stunt perpetuated by an elected official who sees no ethical, moral, or legal limits to his perceived authority.

He views his role as a soldier on a mission during wartime. Nothing is off limits if he thinks he can cripple the “enemy” and advance the cause.

Our tenant was evicted from her home as a direct result of his most recent political stunt. I say evicted because I believe the property owner should provide accommodations when someone is asked to “vacate” because of code violations.

She had no place to sleep. She had to drive to another state. She was effectively evicted because a sneaky little political stunt backfired.

The highway superintendent / Republican party chairman thinks he is an undercover war-time spy. He sneaks behind “enemy lines” to tape people without their knowledge or consent. He is also a propagandist who will publish anything he thinks will advance the cause. It certainly doesn’t have to be true to publish it.

He taped us in our home after using his “Eddy Haskel-Mr. Nice Guy” routine with my father-in-law to get in. He then published a series of posts implying that I was a liar and he had to tape me so people could see the truth. He published a post that said I’m the only one that argued about the seasonal closing of Stage Road to portray me as selfish and unreasonable. I was just a resident at the time.

In reality, he knew very well that a protest petition went to the Albany County Department of Transportation Residency with dozens of signatures. There were nine Stage Road residents’ signatures on the petition amongst the others.

The day my mother died, I attended a board meeting that the superintendent was at along with 22 people protesting the closure. I hadn’t slept in two days but I went and spoke to the board.

Several others gave detailed statements about why they feel the road should remain open. An email from an out-of-state friend who grew up on Long Road was read. The town board passed a resolution stating that Stage Road should not be seasonally closed and the superintendent witnessed that too. He ignored the letter from my now 91-year-old father, asking that the road not be closed. He ignored my earlier letter as well. Does that sound like only one person?

So, he published a very well documented lie on the town page, saying I was the only one arguing that the road should remain open. I was immediately attacked and disparaged in posts from his followers and the same “only one” theme has been repeated in letters to the editor and posts attacking me ever since, right up to the election. This lie very clearly, significantly impacted my credibility and I’m sure the vote count reflected this.

The word “libel” has some variation in its definition from source to source, but this is generally accepted. You be the judge:

— Someone made a statement;

— That statement was published;

— That statement caused you injury; and

— That statement was false.

There is plenty of unscrupulous behavior well documented. The Berne superintendent of highways has occasional reason to do business with state’s Department of Transportation where I work, so he has access there. He went to my workplace and demanded to see the regional director, the highest title in our organization.

The regional director happened to be busy, so he was directed to the regional director of operations, a busy man with a ton of responsibility. Our highway superintendent proceeded to make several false allegations about me while he taped the conversation (he says he always tapes).

He talked to an engineer in planning about a traffic counter he claimed I put on a town highway without permission. Why would I do that? He got belligerent and rude on the phone and called back and did it again.The superintendent cut the lock chains from the counter and took it! I understand the sheriff had to retrieve it.

The superintendent called the DOT director of personnel to file his false allegations. She transferred him to the chief investigator at the investigations bureau, where he filed several politically motivated false allegations during work hours in his official capacity ...

Ironically, one allegation was that I was running my campaign from my state office. A false allegation was also submitted to the federal Office of Special Council. I was subject to a mandated federal investigation.

The state-level charges resulted in another mandated investigation. There was a review of my computer,  my emails, my time-keeping, etc. Many people throughout the organization, top to bottom, knew all about the investigation — but who knew if I was guilty or innocent?

I was subjected to a two-hour interrogation recently. At the end, I was told by the investigator that the allegations were “without merit.” But they will continue to surveil me for a period; I’m told by the Public Employees Federation that is the procedure.

The federal investigation had the same result — that allegation was a lie, too. Put yourself in my place. How would you do under that kind of scrutiny in your workplace?

I haven’t touched on the arrest threats and false reporting to the police. There are dozens of other documented transgressions.  

You know what the superintendent posts: “Treat me with respect and you will also be treated that way. If you don’t then you get what you get.” The problem is that he considers anyone who disagrees with him at all  as “disrespectful.”

This guy wants to work in the school and on the youth council. What are the chances he will be “disrespected” by some kid? What will he do to them. I am genuinely concerned.

I offer these few well-documented “missions” to illustrate lies are standard operating procedure with some of these people and they are lying about the Switzkill Farm debacle. Don’t believe the superintendent of highways was passively along for the ride to “inspect the driveway” when he toured the buildings.

In fact, he has since posted a very detailed description of all the problems he sees on every building. There is absolutely no reason on earth for the Republican Chairman or the Superintendent of Highways to be involved in inspecting buildings and evicting people.

Switzkill Farm was the first Republican mission because they made protesting its purchase a huge part of their campaign. They drummed up absolute hatred of the place and anyone who supported it.

This inspection was clearly a political stunt designed to identify code violation problems so councilpersons [Dawn] Jordan and [Karen] Schimmer could be linked to the problems, associated with the past supervisor and disparaged in the paper and on Facebook.  

After the field trip, the “Republicans” tiptoed away and waited 10 days to put a little buffer time between the “mission” and the day they were going to send the building inspector to Switzkill Farm. The plan was the inspector would cite all the violations and they could run to the paper and Facebook and have a heyday attacking Dawn and Karen.

They didn’t anticipate the inspector ordering the tenants to vacate. If the tenants hadn’t been tossed, nobody would have known about the chairman’s secret Republican mission.  

They say they had no time to inform anyone because the building inspector surprised them by acting independently. There was no time to inform the Switzkill Farm Board or the Democrats on the town board?

Didn’t they identify the supposedly life-threatening code violations and then sit on them for nine days?  They sent us a list of PESH [Public Employees Safety and Health] and OSHA [Occupational Safety and Health Administration] (occupational code violations?) the day before sending the inspector there.

This stunt was deliberately staged and choreographed. There were many days that the Republican team could have used to inform the Democrats and Farm Board of their code-violation concerns. The situation could have been objectively discussed and perhaps arrangements made for the tenants. This is the type of dysfunctional government that results from dishonesty.

Then the criticized Republican team gave their passionate victims’ statements at the board meeting as if they were the victims of this tragedy!  They say farm board members are disrespectful liars now.

I really think attacking volunteers who respectfully read letters is over the line. They were not shouting nonsense from the gallery like the Switzkill protestors. Why would anyone want to volunteer for the town under these conditions?  

Supposedly, no information could be released until the building inspector’s “official report” was released. The letters they read don’t perfectly reflect the Republican team’s “reality” because they were given very limited information from the board. The three of us [Democrats on the town board] had no direct knowledge of what happened because it was a secret mission (until they got caught).

I have been trying to help make Berne a better place. I may make a mistake here and there but I try hard to base everything I say or do on information I can document.

I find Supervisor [Sean] Lyons can be objective; he can productively move things forward in a positive way when not drawn into these dirty political games. I think the supervisor genuinely wants to address the potential safety issues in all the town facilities and I look forward to helping. I just don’t think he was politically savvy in this episode.

I also find it very rewarding to work with councilmembers Schimmer and Jordan; we are extremely lucky to have these ladies on the board. I want to represent everyone regardless of party affiliation. In fact, I was probably a Republican longer than these guys on the board. I think it is possible we can work productively as a board and move things forward.    

Joel Willsey

Councilman

Berne Town Board