The Fredonia Village Board moved a bit closer to filling the hole left by the sudden departure of administrator Richard St. George at its Monday workshop and regular meeting.

The board hired former village administrator Jim Sedota to handle purchase orders this week, at a fee of $200. It also started looking at applicants for clerk and treasurer — the positions Mayor Athanasia Landis wants the board to fill, as she feels the original 1967 resolution that started the administrator position was illegal.

“I wouldn’t go so far as to say it was illegal. It was ill advised to do it by resolution,” Village Attorney Dan Gard said during the workshop. He stated that since a transfer of power was involved, the village should have ordered a referendum so the voters could decide on it.

Gard said the village has received six applicants for clerk and four for treasurer. Trustee Doug Essek wanted to review the applications in executive session, which the board did after the regular meeting.

“I think we need to do it as soon as possible,” Trustee Michael Barris said of hiring for the positions. Landis said she hopes to start interviews Monday.

The temporary hiring of Sedota came after a discussion started by Trustee Doug Essek, who stated, ‘The board needs to hire someone with municipal knowledge to be the proper person to do this. …I’m not comfortable that we’re following internal controls.”

“If we need an accountant for a short time, that would be the way to go,” Trustee Roger Britz said. Essek said that without someone reviewing purchase orders, village officials can’t be sure they are correct. The board went into a half-hour executive session not long after that discussion, at one point summoning Sedota, who was in the audience. The regular meeting began immediately thereafter and Sedota’s hiring came by special resolution.

Essek and Landis later argued about the hiring of Johnson, Mackowiak & Associates LLP. to do accounting work for the village. Essek said the resolution was drafted on the premise that St. George would return temporarily.

“This was a false premise… the topic was pushed through,” he said. “The manner in which this proposal was read was deceitful.”

Landis denied Essek’s accusation. “It was not hinged to anything,” she said. “There’s nothing underhanded there.”

The only speaker during the public portion of the meeting was former village attorney Sam Drayo, who wished to refute some of the statements Landis made in a letter to the OBSERVER that ran Sunday.

“You’ve continued the chaos by making unfounded statements,” Drayo said to Landis, denying that St. George has ever made racist or sexist remarks to employees, as Landis alleged in her letter. “He has never made any such remarks in my presence… I’ve never heard any complaints from (village workers) at all. Your accusations have the potential of hurting the village. They were very unwise remarks.”

He also criticized her claim that the administrator position had become the most powerful post in the village. “That’s not true. The board makes all the decisions,” he said. “My suggestion to avoid any future conflicts is to follow the charter.”

In response to Drayo, Landis said, “I stand by every word in that statement.”

“I think you owe Rick an apology. What you said is untrue,” retorted Drayo.

In other business, the board:

¯ Approved a request from Fredonia firefighters to hold an MDA boot drive on the corners of Temple and Church streets Aug. 31.

¯ Approved suspension of the open container ordinance for the Farm Festival, in Barker Common only.

¯ Allowed the advertisement of bids for a new fire department pumper truck.