Clerk/treasurer got improper hike, Torain claims
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Dunkirk Councilman Frank Torain thinks Mayor Kate Wdowiasz's administration improperly offered a pay hike to City Clerk/Treasurer Amy Dobek.
Dobek was city clerk until taking the new combined clerk/treasurer position in January. "The clerk/treasurer’s pay increase was discussed unofficially at some time earlier during the year," Torain said at the most recent Common Council meeting. "It was the opinion that combining both offices warranted an increase in pay, because of extra hours that could result with the additional duties of the newly formed position."
However, Torain continued, "It was brought to the council’s attention that this increase had not been approved by council. After investigation of the council meeting minutes and agendas, it was discovered no resolution had been brought to, or taken up, by council approving a pay increase... In an effort to correct this oversight, the council took up and approved a budget modification on Sept. 1."
Torain said he sought an internal audit to see if Dobek was already getting a pay bump. Records indicated she was getting the increase as of Jan. 26, he said.
"Therefore, the question is, who authorized the payments? Such authorization skirts the authority of the city council to watch and take care of taxpayer money, and is a very reckless type of practice that got us into the financial mess we find ourselves attempting to overcome."
Torain's line of questioning represented a continuation of the tense relationship between Wdowiasz and the council. He said their issues "could easily be handled by effective communication."
He used the analogy of "Josh Allen throwing a football. If he throws a football to a receiver and they are not on the same page and the receiver misses it, it's ineffective communication."
Torain, who is a military veteran and a pastor, stated that "communications start with one person and with somebody else hearing and acknowledging that they received. Council has expressed a will to communicate with the administration. However, the mayor must be willing to share information, talk to the council and not at the council. The mayor has to be willing to cease blaming the council for inaction because we disagree on two actions which does not move the needle forward."
Torain also asked Wdowiasz to "take responsibility for actions that she created that has contributed to a negative climate through City Hall."
The councilman concluded by reiterating that he wants to know who authorized Dobek's salary enhancement in January.