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Retreat may be in picture for council

Natalie Luczkowiak

The Dunkirk Common Council may be doing a retreat to improve communications.

At last week’s workshop, council member Natalie Luczkowiak mentioned “a retreat for communications between the mayor and the council that (councilman-at-large) Dave (Damico) wants to put forth. In order for us to go forth with a resolution, we need three dates to provide.”

Damico asked his fellow council members to pick three Saturdays “and we’ll see if we can get something scheduled quickly.”

Councilman James Stoyle said, “I’m not having any retreat. Do you people read the papers, for Christ’s sake?” The comment drew laughter.

Stoyle was apparently referring to an April 2021 Fredonia Board of Trustees meeting that most of that board characterized as a retreat. Trustee James Lynden, who did not attend, alleged they illegallly conducted official business in what amounted to a closed meeting. He repeatedly criticized it in the following months, as did former Village Attorney Sam Drayo.

“We can actually do trainings,” City Attorney Richard Morrisroe told Stoyle. “As long as it remains training, and we don’t do anything that would call for an agenda, we can have a retreat. As long as it remains in the training room, and not doing the people’s business during the retreat.”

“The idea is to try and build communication between the council and mayor,” Damico said.

Morrisroe said Damico had recommended a retreat facilitator that he knows from his time on the Dunkirk Board of Education.

After the workshop, during the regular meeting, Luczkowiak touched on council relations in a wide-ranging statement during her allotted comment time.

“On to another subject, integrity,” she said. “It was brought to my attention by two current council people here, that the state Comptroller’s Office had recommended separate stream funds, one for the garbage/refuse and another for the Boardwalk part of our city budget. I remember the former council chair stating that as well, exact quote, ‘They highly recommended we do this.’

“I called the Comptroller’s Office (without anyone’s advice), because no notes or names were supplied or remembered. The Comptroller’s Office investigated, they do not ever recommend how a municipality should run their budget, and did not in our case either.

“I bring this up because I want to go forward with a better council than what has been, one that is free of misunderstandings, misinformation, and manipulation. We are a new team, and I hope that our new team will be characterized by integrity, teamwork, and honesty.”

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