Petition for VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE In Alma Town Supervisor Ronald Staedt
The Supervisor of the Town of Alma, NY, no longer serves the residents of this town and this petition is for the immediate resignation or removal of the above-named individual from his position.  He has focused on personal agendas, failed to update essential plans to keep the town safe, and avoided enforcing local laws due to it impacting him personally.  His activities include submitting mileage without proof of miles, defamation of character of some of the residents of this town, making false statements, altering certified payroll, breach of union contract, and insurance fraud.  These actions have resulted in litigation that will possibly cost tens of thousands in taxpayer dollars to settle, potentially increasing our taxes.  This is not the conduct of a responsible town supervisor that upholds the oath of the office he was elected to.  These are the actions of an individual who has failed to fulfill the responsibilities of his position and shows blatant disregard for the people he is supposed to serve. The Town of Alma deserves a supervisor that works for the residents, not for himself.  By signing this petition, we can make a difference and regain control of our town. 
Ronald Staedt, Town Supervisor: • On May 1, 2018, at the town board meeting he gave a false statement saying “the State wants the Highway to cut their budget 30%.” (an interview with the Allegany County Administrator revealed this to be false) • He tried to implicate Highway Superintendent, Dan Ford, in tampering with time cards and payroll. • He approached the Town of Willing asking them to take over the Highway Department's duties in Alma. • He spread rumors that Mr. Ford had been arrested and “taken out in handcuffs by the DA”.  • He had the town's attorney draw up a new contract for the Alma and Allentown Fire Departments that would require them to reimburse the Highway Department for assisting them.  Under this contract, if the Fire Departments needed the assistance of the Highway Department, they would be required to reimburse the Highway Department for equipment, fuel and man hours.  • He approached Willing and Shinglehouse Fire Departments asking them to take over duties for Alma Fire Dept while in negotiations with Alma, offering $30,000 to do so. • He altered certified payroll and withheld 40 hours of an 80 hour pay period, totaling 120 hours from the Highway Dept workers without notice to the Highway Crew or their Union.  • He met with David Shields and Vincent Bock before a meeting with the Union despite him assigning Mr. Bock to take his place for the meeting, thus having no reason to be there. (illegal quorum) • Although he does not have any authority over the Highway Department or their payroll, he gave the following list of demands to the Highway Superintendent, Dan Ford: o Pay date to fix CERTIFICATION of time (sic) o Employees must punch in/out (sic) o Time cards must be signed by emp. (sic)
o Time certified by Town Supervisor or Designated (sic) o Failure to punch must be explained by employee to Town Supervisor.(sic) o Must take lunch and 2 breaks unless precluded by EMERGENCY operations (snow, trees etc.) (sic) • He sent a certified letter to Dean Clayson, Deputy Highway Superintendent/Union Steward stating “as per collective bargaining agreement (CBA), this will serve as notice as per Article 25, section 25.02, effective pay period 23 (10/25/18-11/27/18), winter work hours will begin. Payrolls will be processed accordingly” despite it being agreed on at the board meeting the previous month that it would be at the discretion of the Highway Superintendent due to extended good weather allowing them to do more road work. Had this occurred, the men’s pay would have been significantly reduced yet again. Mr. Staedt does not have authority over the Highway Department or their payroll. • Ronald Staedt, Vincent Bock and Karen Linza altered certified payroll and withheld a combined 96 regular hours and 18.7 overtime hours from the Highway Department workers.  (payroll #1, January 2019) • At the January 15, 2019 board meeting Mr. Staedt was asked if he ever certified payroll.  He said, “No, I just glanced at it.” This is a false statement as he certified payroll #18 in September 2018 then altered payroll #19 (second time in September 2018) and payroll #1 (January 2019) that had been certified by the Highway Superintendent, Dan Ford.   • He has made the statement “I run this town, not you, title says it all” • He continually submits mileage with no proof of miles driven.  • He “drove the roads” and submitted mileage for it.  This is the job of the Highway Superintendent and part of his salary.  • He made a false statement to the District Attorney resulting in the investigation of the Highway Superintendent and his Deputy.  Upon investigation, it was determined that there wasn't a case. • He submitted a fraudulent insurance claim regarding the investigation and collected monies from it despite there being no claim.  • He lied to the public after the US Department of Labor did an audit of the town board's payroll practices stating that they found nothing wrong.  The USDOL did find several issues and they were told that they needed to stop altering certified payroll. • He continues to alter certified payroll despite being told not to. • He made false claims to the insurance company that resulted in the bond being dropped on the Highway Superintendent and his Deputy. • He has made attempts to illegally fire a well qualified new hire at the Alma Highway Department due to a personal grudge. • He has authorized illegally withholding pay from one of the men in the Alma Highway Department. • At the February 5, 2019, board meeting he voted in favor of “eliminating the third full-time position”. • His actions have cost the taxpayers over $10,000 in legal fees and that number continues to rise every day due to litigation from several entities. • He continually looks to other town supervisors for assistance in running the Town of Alma.  • He refuses to allow public comments from the residents during public board meetings yet invites other town supervisors to attend and speak.