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Wednesday, July 23, 2008 7:14 PM EDT
Unruly meeting gaveled to an early finish
By John T. Eberth
Olean Times Herald
OLEAN - Acting Common Council President Michael Kayes gaveled Tuesday’s council Committee of the Whole meeting to a close after resident Tina Kamery began firing questions about city finances at Mayor David Carucci and members of the council.
Mr. Kayes ran the meeting because Council President Richard Smith, R-Ward 6, was unable to attend.
Her question was the last in a series from administration critics Tuesday night that included former council president Gary “Casey” Jones and financial analyst James Brady.
They questioned a proposal from Mayor Carucci to borrow a $2.8 million revenue anticipation note (RAN). For the last two years, the city has had to take out RANs to ensure Olean has adequate cash on hand to pay city workers until state aid is received in March and taxes are paid in May.
Because the city doesn’t have a surplus account, it has to borrow money during the last quarter of each budget year which ends May 31. The city runs out of money each February or March, shortly before receiving a state aid check and just before tax revenues enter city coffers in May.
The questions had an effect. The council voted 4-2 to defeat the $2.8 million RAN. Mr. Kayes, D-Ward 2, and Alderman Andrew Searles, R-Ward 1, voted to borrow the money. Alderman Raymond Wangelin, R-Ward 3, Linda Edstrom, R-Ward 4, James Finch, R-Ward 5, and Frank Steffen, D-Ward 7, voted no.
Council members who voted no said they want more clarification from the mayor and Auditor Janet Jones on why the money is needed.
After the meeting, Mayor Carucci said he plans to bring the RAN proposal back to the council within the month. He blamed himself for the no vote.
“We’ve got three new aldermen on the council and they’ve never been through this before; they don’t know why we need the RAN,” he said, adding the city should give an orientation on Olean’s financial situation to all new council members.
Ms. Kamery burst into the council chambers during the meeting with no shoes on and wet hair. She said she was in her pool at home, watching the meeting on television, when she became enraged because Mayor Carucci asked Mr. Brady if he paid cash to replace the roof on his home.
At the time, Mr. Brady was criticizing Mayor Carucci for increasing the city’s debt by borrowing money. Mayor Carucci was arguing that the city had to borrow money, as most citizens do, to pay for large projects.
Ms. Kamery said the mayor was out of line by asking the question.
“Who is he to ask a resident whether they paid cash for something or not?” Mrs. Kamery said after the meeting. “He’s the mayor, he shouldn’t be asking a private citizen how they paid for something.”
Before Mr. Kayes gaveled the meeting to a close, Ms. Kamery demanded to know how much debt the city is in. Auditor Jones was unable to attend the meeting and Mayor Carucci told Ms. Kamery he didn’t know the precise figure. Ms. Kamery and Mayor Carucci’s voices became louder as they talked.
“We don’t have those numbers at the tips of our fingers,” he told her.
“Why not? This is a business. How can you not know that?” Ms. Kamery responded, pointing out the mayor has often boasted he runs the city like a business.
Mr. Kayes tried in vain to use his gavel to restore order. Finally, his voice rising Mr. Kayes said: “Miss Kamery, this is getting very personal and it will stop now. This meeting is adjourned.”
After the meeting, Mr. Kayes lamented the fact the meeting spun out of control. Earlier, he attempted to stop Mayor Carucci and Mr. Brady from interrupting each other while discussing city finances.
“I tried to shut down the mayor and Jim Brady when they started at it, but as you saw, apparently no matter how hard you hit that gavel on the table, it has no effect on them,” he said.
At times, Mr. Kayes’ staccato rapping of the gavel on the council table sounded like someone hammering nails. The sound echoed through the room. A court security guard waited near an open doorway in the chamber.
After the meeting, Mayor Carucci said he won’t guess at the amount of debt the city has at this moment because he knows if he’s wrong, Ms. Kamery and Mr. Brady will come after him.
“If I gave her a figure and I was off by 2 cents, they’ll crucify me,” he said. “They’d come up here and say I’m a liar. If she wants numbers, she can contact the city auditor’s office and we’ll get them to her.”
Mayor Carucci said it makes more sense to borrow money for projects like the $2.5 million East Olean sewer repair because the loan will be paid off over time, by taxpayers who benefit from the project.
“Why would we blast the taxpayers one time for something that will last 20 years?” he said. “That wouldn’t make any sense.”
® Contact reporter John Eberth at jeberth@oleantimesherald.com
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