audio recording Special Meeting
In a shameless show of corruption and self-service, by a surprise move, two Trustees and the Mayor came secretly prepared to suddenly re-appoint the Mayor as the Village Manager, after removing him only weeks earlier; and to reappoint the Heather Berg as Treasurer, after she resigned twice in recent months.
During the meeting, the Mayor announced what his salary would be without a board vote. The Treasurer (a Mayoral appointment, subject to board approval) was instead nominated by Trustee Bennett and approved confirmed 3-to-2.
The meeting lasted approximately five minutes, with the outcome obviously pre-arranged by Mayor Jenkins, Trustee Matthews, and Trustee Bennett, proof of a blatant violation of the NYS Open Meetings Law. Those of us who pay property taxes in Monticello should be very concerned. Mayor Jenkins has repeatedly announced that he opposes existing the Village Manager law under which he was elected as Mayor, and has undermined more than one qualified and viable Manager candidate, for his own financial gain. (Today, he seconded Trustee Bennett's motion to rehire himself, with Trustee Matthews following along. Trustee Hutchins voted "No", indicating that he was not part of this plot, as I also did.)
The Comptrollers Office continues to audit Village finances, despite the non-cooperation of the Mayor and others. The Village's reserves are depleted, with no indication of where the money went. Mayor Jenkins' criminal trial, for Obstructing Government Administration, is scheduled to proceed within a few weeks in Liberty (unless he pleads guilty), as are the criminal charges against other present and former Monticello government officials in County Court.
