The Peru Gazette

Peru – Public comments and potentially controversial agenda items are not normal town board organizational meeting agenda items. The Peru Town Board’s January 2, 2018 Organizational Meeting was different. Click here to view all the meeting. 

The published agenda included a resolution to fill the vacant town board seat created when Brandy McDonald became town supervisor and at the beginning of the meeting Supervisor McDonald asked for a motion to permit public comment on any matter.

At thirty-one minutes into the meeting newly elected counselor Melvin Irwin motioned to consider a resolution to appoint outgoing Councilman Donald McBrayer to a 12-month term to the Town Board. Next November an individual would be elected to fill the remaining year of McDonald’s term. Councilman Jim Douglass seconded the motion. Then Irwin asked that his motion be tabled until the next meeting saying, “I want more time to think it through to be honest with you.” Supervisor McDonald indicated he hadn’t wanted to place the open seat on the agenda, but he had spoken to Irwin prior to placing it on the agenda. Today Irwin told the Peru Gazette he had indicated that he would support McBrayer’s appointment but now thinks he would like to consider the matter further. He would not comment on the contents of a note that former Peru Town Attorney Dennis Curtin placed in front of him at the seventeen minute point in the meeting.

During the public comment portion of the meeting Dennis Curtin reiterated what he had stated at the Board’s December 11 meeting calling on Brandy McDonald to be present in the town hall for the majority of Town business hours. He said that Supervisors Michael Bardon and Ken Jahn did not have a deputy supervisor and when Donald Covel appointed one it was a fiasco. Curtin contended that the deputy supervisor’s only role is to stand in for a supervisor when he or she is on vacation or absent for health reasons.

McDonald responded that he finishies his full-time job at 3:30 PM and that he has vacation and other times. He said other towns have supervisors with full-time jobs. He stated that Town of Mooers Supervisor Jeff Menard works at a full-time job until until 5:30 PM and Beekmantown Supervisor Dennis Relation has a full-time job. McDonald concluded, “He does a good job. I plan on doing a good job and moving forward.”

Curtin responded, “When campaigning you told people you would be in the Town Hall so I think you have an obligation to be here. If you’re going to accept the salary you should be here in the Town Hall. If you’re not going to be here I have a problem with that and I think other taxpayers will too.”

Editor’s Note: Counselor Jim Langley was excused from this meeting. Today he told the Peru Gazette that he had to be in his office at 1 PM, when this meeting was held. He said he was not aware that Don McBrayer was being considered for the vacant position. He would have had to study the issue.

Click here to view all the meeting.