OBSERVER Photo James Lynden again brought up an April retreat held by village officials.

Fredonia Trustee James Lynden continued his campaign last week against what he feels are improper practices by some of his fellow village officials.

This time, he said that a recent decision transferring job duties between a couple of village positions should get rescinded, because the board members never formally agreed to the position. “It was never presented to the Board (of Trustees) as a resolution,” he said Monday at a workshop of the board. “A position at the streets department for meter reading was removed from the streets department and added to the water treatment plant.”

That represents an improper transfer of job duties, Lynden asserted, because oversight of an employee was shifted from one supervisor to another without the trustees’ approval. “It was just arbitrarily done in house,” he concluded.

“It doesn’t require a resolution,” said trustee EvaDawn Bashaw. She asked for an executive session.

“Do we need to?” asked Lynden.

“If you want any more answers, I think we do,” Bashaw replied.

“We’re not discussing particularly the person. There’s no issue with the person. It’s the position,” Lynden said.

“There was no issue in the person in the move, either,” Bashaw said.

“Nothing’s changed. His pay hasn’t changed, his job description hasn’t changed,” said Trustee Roger Britz.

“Well, his supervisors changed. … People contacted me…” replied Lynden, before Bashaw cut him off to again ask for an executive session on the matter.

Mayor Doug Essek then asked Village Attorney Charlie Roberts if an executive session was appropriate, and the lawyer said it was. The trustees voted, 4-0, to have the session at the end of the meeting, with Trustee Heidi Powell not present.

In addition to Monday’s action, Lynden has also been critical of an April 23 event held with the four other trustees, which he did not attend. Bashaw and Britz later sent him emails about actions taken at the event after he asked them about it.

While the other trustees referred to it as a retreat, Lynden believes it was an illegal meeting because a quorum of the board made village decisions behind closed doors in an event not publicly announced.