Rochester Smoke Out, December 5, 2013
Commenting on Rochester comics, Carl Chipman said:

…I’m sick and tired of all the rumors and suggestions from various factions ever since Tavi decided to buy property in Tennessee. If Tavi Cilenti resigns, we will advertise and interview applicants for the open seat. There will have to be 3 out of 4 of the members of the board agreeing on a candidate for an appointment to be made. If that is not possible, then the law provides for the governor to appoint someone until an election could be held in November…

…We need less concern for power and influence in our community and more concern as to making our town a better place to live, work, and play.

I could not have said it better!

Shawangunk Journal, August 14, 2014
Cilenti Resigns from Rochester Town Council
Chipman Promises Transparent Replacement Process

Town supervisor Carl Chipman read Cilenti’s letter of resignation at the August 7 meeting of the board, and laid out a process for seeking a replacement until a special election can be held in November…

Calling it the “open and proper way to do this,” Chipman asked his board to approve a resolution directing the town clerk to publish a notice of the vacancy… Town residents are invited to submit a letter of interest to the clerk by August 25, and the board will interview those candidates at their August 28 workshop meeting, which begins at 5:30 p.m. The board will then decide who will fill the open seat.

So far, so dandy, but it’s more to it… Long before the deadline for submitting applications, everybody knew that the chairman of a major political party called his people on the Town Board and asked them to vote for a certain candidate, who happens to be registered in the other major political party! Fishy, ain’t it? Long before the deadline for submitting applications, everybody knew already who is going to be appointed by the Town Board.

In my limitless stupidity I thought that the appointment to the vacant seat must be made based on a person’s record and specific experience for the position.

So, being curious about candidates’ record and experience, I splurged on a FOIL request. What follows is the list of the candidates for the vacant seat on the Rochester Town Board. The thumbnails under their names show all pages of their applications. Click on the thumbnails to read for yourself. Under each name, I took the liberty to insert my two cents.

Cindy M. Fornino

MY TWO CENTS:
A masterpiece of minimalism. I’m still speechless.

William C. Mallery

MY TWO CENTS:
Apparently nobody knows his name. On the town’s website he is listed as Cliff Mallory. On the Ulster Literacy Association website he is listed as Cliff Mallory. Makes one wonder if he ever had the curiosity to visit one of these websites. And if you think accuracy is not important, google Mallory and Mallery and compare the results.

What I really love is the corporate ethics of Mr. Mallery’s former employers:

“At issue are allegations that JPMorgan and firms it later purchased, Bear Stearns and Washington Mutual, sold risky mortgage securities during the housing bubble while misrepresenting their quality. These securities later failed in huge numbers, playing a key role in the 2008 crisis.”

Manuela Michailescu

MY TWO CENTS:
You be the judge! Manuela is my wife, so I’m not commenting on her application.

Toby Stover

MY TWO CENTS:
Houston, we have a problem. Ms. Stover’s application didn’t make the deadline specified in the legal notice (“…no later than 8/25/2014 at 11 am”). Her email to Carl is dated “Monday, August 25, 2014 12:20 PM.” Sorry!

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I hope the transparency touted by Supervisor Chipman is real, not just lip service advancing personal goals. To quote Benjamin Franklin, “If you want to have a good sleep, go to bed with your clear conscience.”

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At the Thursday, September 4, 2014 meeting, Town of Rochester Councilpersons Chachkin, Chipman, Drabkin and Spano unanimously voted to appoint Cindy Fornino as a member of the Town Board.

Congratulations, Cindy!

– Jon Dogar-Marinesco