To the Editor:

The G.O.P. -approved Berne Town Board members have threatened me with censure and removal from office in an illegal “executive session” in their continuing campaign of harassment to drive me from office. The campaign began in August 2017 when the GOP chairman initiated state and federal investigations of my alleged misconduct, in my workplace, and falsely reported an incident to the police. 

Like the town investigations of Dawn Jordan, Karen Schimmer, and myself, those earlier investigations were also based on false allegations and were determined to be without merit. All the investigations are an incredible waste of tax dollars at the federal, state, and town levels.

Tens of thousands in tax dollars have been used to harass and intimidate Democrats while a faded and tattered flag flies over a World War II veterans’ monument that is falling down in the town park. The people’s money could be better spent.

They did not schedule their harassment censure, they just generally threatened me with it to keep it hanging over my head. Pure harassment. The results of the ridiculous “investigation” were known in January.

They discussed it with me in an “executive session” and their new attorney advised that I could not share this nonsense publicly. I knew it would happen eventually, but they didn’t want me to know when.

They each rehearsed disparaging statements about me, in executive session, that they said they planned to deliver in an open meeting. This, and their “strategery” to install a convicted felon as planning board chairman were their priorities that required emergency meetings and executive sessions during a state of absolute emergency due to a pandemic.

This latest “investigation” at taxpayer expense was ridiculous to start with. The deputy supervisor’s previous attempt was an investigation of my alleged “sexual harassment.” 

In 2017, he, the supervisor, and the superintendent of highways / GOP chairman illegally erected their huge election billboards on state rights-of-way, blocking sight distance and creating a public safety hazard.

Led by the superintendent of highways, they violated Section 52 of the New York State Highway Law and illegally erected huge signs in places that could not be ignored by the traveling public, for their own personal and political gain [see related post at AltamontEnterprise.com]..

In the process, they endangered themselves and the traveling public as they submitted no safety plan for each of the numerous locations. The illegal, very prominent locations gave them unfair public exposure.

In an email that looked as though a second-grader composed it, Mr. [Deputy Supervisor Dennis] Palow admitted to the erection of the signs and advised that I offended him when I referred to the “erection” of the inappropriate and illegal signs.

He says in that email that he looked up the word “erection” to understand its meaning. It’s all pathetic and ridiculous.

It was determined back then that I am not an appointee, personnel, or an employee. I am an independently elected representative of the people and the “employee handbook” does not apply to me.

So, then this lawyer initiates yet another investigation of my alleged violation of the employee handbook? This time for my “discrimination” against the guy who continually threatens, intimidates, and harasses me in angry tirades during meetings? The same guy who advised me to move away in a red-faced tirade in my very first experience with him in an executive session?

He usually keeps his threats, harassment, and intimidation confined to situations where he knows there is no recording or press (executive sessions and town board work sessions).  But, because he cannot always control himself, his ridiculous threats, harassment, and childlike taunts during meetings are on tape, in the newspaper, and well documented.

Think about it this way; it is a very elementary legal fact: the Berne Employee Handbook does not apply to me as an independently-elected representative. What kind of lawyer would then engage in yet another investigation of my violation of rules that do not apply to me?

The purpose of the investigation was purely political. If you hire a painter to paint the barn, he or she will ask: “What color?” even if the barn has already been painted.

There was no legitimate purpose for the investigation in the first place.The only purpose is harassment.  The “investigation” was not based on sworn or testimony or proven facts. It’s based on hogwash. The investigation is meaningless and only functions as clear evidence of ongoing, very long-term harassment at taxpayers’ expense.

I didn’t discriminate against anyone. I attempted to restore the decorum of town board meetings (particularly executive sessions and workshops), to a level where things could be discussed objectively.

I addressed the issue in confidential emails to the supervisor in an attempt to address the problem. Somehow, the confidential emails ended up in the hands of an extreme right-wing radio talk-show host who coincidentally attends events cleaning monuments in Washington with the Berne supervisor.

She very intentionally misled the public about the email content and an angry demonstration by mostly outsiders resulted at our town hall.

If one actually reads the confidential emails in context, in their entirety, I think it is clear that my intentions were the exact opposite of discrimination. I wanted to address the deputy supervisor’s very  aggressive, threatening, and inappropriate behavior to restore the town board decorum to a functional level, but I made it clear that the deputy supervisor’s inconsistent and often wildly inappropriate behavior could be related to his service and that needs to remain confidential.

I shared no confidential emails with anyone they were not addressed to until out-of-context excerpts were read aloud by the deputy supervisor himself, in public, at the town hall, and then a video of his very deliberately misleading, out-of-context reading was posted on YouTube.

With the exception of Bonnie Conklin, whom I can agree to disagree with, these folks are among the most dishonest people I have ever encountered. I don’t think the people of Berne realized that they were electing aggressive, dishonest thugs and bullies.

Our town is in absolute chaos during a state of emergency and it is nasty, dishonest political harassment and intimidation that consumes their attention. All the boards and committees are in a state of suspended animation due to their “reorganization.” The town government is dysfunctional.

Decisions and agreements that impact residents are made behind closed doors and written requests for information are ignored. These people very deliberately violated their statutory obligations in the budget process, making effective review impossible.

Controlling the town is like steering a ship. It’s easy to go too fast to negotiate the channel. We are headed in the wrong direction, going too fast, and the rocks are getting closer. Don’t blame me.

Joel Willsey

Berne Town Board

Editor’s note: See related story.