Fredonia Mayor Douglas Essek sits alone just before Monday’s workshop meeting of the village Board of Trustees, the first meeting Essek presided over as mayor. OBSERVER Photo by M.J. Stafford.

Fredonia village government’s first official “meeting” of 2020 on Monday wasn’t really a meeting at all.

Two of the four members of the Board of Trustees, as well as new Mayor Douglas Essek, attended — not enough for a quorum. Therefore, it could not be termed an official meeting and was called a workshop. Trustees Roger Pacos and Roger Britz attended, while Kara Christina and James Lynden did not.

The village’s original email to the OBSERVER said Monday’s meeting would be a regular meeting. Last Friday, a follow-up email stated it was changed to a workshop, which does not require a quorum.

Britz repeatedly noted that since Christina and Lynden were not there, the officials gathered Monday couldn’t make any decisions.

What could be called the “Board of Rogers” agreed that they would like to go back to holding board workshops and meetings on separate days. They are proposing that regular Board of Trustees meetings be held every other Monday at 6:30 p.m., with workshops held on the opposite Mondays. However, with no board quorum present, there was no vote to make that official. (The board met every other Monday last year, doing workshops and meetings at the same session.)

Britz, Essek and Pacos also discussed the board vacancy that opened when former trustee Essek won the mayoral race in November. The Board of Trustees will have to fill its own vacancy to come up to a full five members.

Essek stated that with the exception of Marc Ruckman, an independent who filled a Democrat’s seat, recent board vacancies have been filled with members of the same party. Essek is a Republican.

“There was no rhyme or reason,” Pacos said about filling the vacancies. “In some cases they appointed someone who ran (in the previous election), in other cases they did not. The charter said we should appoint a qualified person.”

He added that as a brand-new board member, he would defer to the other three members on this issue as they have more experience and know what qualifications are needed better than he does. Britz, Christina and Lynden were all re-elected.

“With the absence of two trustees tonight, we can’t sit and discuss this plan,” Britz said. He said he wanted to hear their thoughts on the matter before moving ahead.

In other business Monday, village resident Mark Twichell told the board they can expect a presentation at its next meeting from people who want SUNY Fredonia to save the Fenner House on Central Avenue. He said the presentation will include requests for actions the village government can take to help accomplish that.