CASSADAGA — Sam Alaimo will no longer supervise the Village of Cassadaga Department of Public Works.

Alaimo issued a verbal resignation from the role of DPW Supervisor shortly before the new year, effective Dec. 31. The Village Board accepted his resignation at a recent meeting, pending the submission of a written letter of resignation.

Alaimo was mired in controversy over the past few years as tensions between residents and Board members were often directed toward the DPW. Residents criticized the timeliness of leaf and brush pickup, as well as snow removal, which led to contentious Board discussion at several meetings on purchasing practices regarding the need for a new snowblower. Trustees Danna DuBois and Cathy Cruver also became frustrated at the inaction of Alaimo regarding a request for an inventory of Village equipment.

However, most notably, a conflict between Alaimo and Adam Diate, owner of Valley Outdoors, led to charges against Alaimo, following months of back-and-forth between Diate and the Village.

The dispute, regarding the placement of cement blocks on Diate’s property to protect a fire hydrant from traffic, first led to a heated discussion at a Village Board meeting in May of 2024. Over a year later, Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a complaint regarding an incident that occurred on Friday, June 6, 2025, at approximately 9:23 p.m., at Valley Outdoors. After an investigation, Alaimo was identified and charged with Criminal Mischief in the Fourth Degree, Criminal Tampering, and Trespass.

Despite being charged for an incident involving one of the largest businesses in the village, Alaimo kept his job as the head of the Department of Public Works. Deputy Mayor Bill Astry said following the charges being filed, “At this point, there’s nothing we can do. He’s innocent until proven guilty.”

Now, Alaimo steps away from his post, coinciding with the Village’s new administration. Mayor-elect Rudy Abersold takes office Jan. 1, along with newly elected Trustee Jeff Frick and re-elected Trustee Danna DuBois. Abersold takes over for Bill Dorman, while Frick replaces Trustee Cindy Flaherty.

The outgoing administration made one other notable move at the latest Village Board meeting, as the Village of Cassadaga Zoning Laws were officially updated. Dorman, Astry, and Flaherty voted in favor of the changes, while Cruver and DuBois abstained.

The updates were made following a public hearing, which featured comments from Abersold, along with Nancy Wickmark and Ryan Burlingame from the Zoning Rewrite Committee. Input was also received from the County Planning Department.

Wickmark urged the Village Board to accept the changes the Zoning Rewrite Committee put forth, with the ability to make amendments later on, if necessary. Abersold, who opposed Wickmark in the November election, urged the Board to wait until the new administration was in place to discuss the matter.

The law was approved with Dorman casting the deciding vote. Abersold said, “The new administration does not agree with this action.” Amendments can be made at a later date.