By Ashley M. Casey

Staff Writer

While meetings in the first year of Lysander Supervisor Joe Saraceni’s administration tended to be peaceful, the Lysander Town Board’s first meeting of 2017 saw residents and town employees hurling accusations at each other about misconduct on social media.

During the citizens’ comment period of the Jan. 5 meeting, resident Georgia Gillespie told the town board that she recently encountered a Facebook page using the town’s emblem and name. She said the page had posted a picture of a “pile of feces” and used “scatalogical language.”

Gillespie said she sent a message to the page saying, “This is untenable. Anyone who would leave these kinds of messages does not deserve to have the right to use Facebook. We don’t operate like that in this country.”

She said the anonymous administrator of the page replied, “Stay off our site … both you and I will be happier.”

Gillespie said she filed a complaint with Facebook and contacted the town.

“I was informed that everybody knew about it, everybody had tried to do something about it and nothing was ever done,” she said. “I do not see any reason why people who are serving should put up with this kind of disreputable, unfair [conduct].”

Councilor Roman Diamond and a few audience members applauded Gillespie’s comments. Diamond said public officials must accept a certain amount of public scrutiny and criticism, but he condemned such anonymously created Facebook pages.

“Unfortunately, there are sites that have impersonated the town of Lysander, using our slogan, our name,” Diamond said. “There are new sites that always seem to be created and they always seem to be disparaging. … It comes to a freedom of speech issue.”

Diamond added that he feared publicly condemning the creators of the Facebook pages might give them more attention.

Gillespie asked if the town had any legal recourse with regard to copyright infringement. The town board voted to have town attorney Tony Rivizzigno look into possible recourse. Saraceni said he has spoken to Onondaga County District Attorney’s Office, and the town will report the matter to Facebook as well.

“I would hope the town has the ability to protect its logo,” Saraceni told the Messenger.

Saraceni said he does not read or “troll” the anonymous Facebook pages in question, calling them “negative, disgusting and cowardly.” He urged residents not to engage with these sites.

“Don’t read that stuff, don’t participate in it, don’t like it,” Saraceni said.

Burtch, Falconer speak out

However, the social media issue did not end there. Resident Fred Burtch asked the town board about his tax bill and about the newly approved water district lease agreement with the village of Baldwinsville. He also presented the board with photographs of a town highway department employee using a town-owned vehicle for personal errands at Walmart in Clay.

Saraceni told Burtch to submit his comments in writing to the town and said the highway committee is working to address his concerns.

Burtch then turned his attention to social media mudslinging. He argued with Diamond about his posts on Facebook and questioned the town board about a disparaging Facebook comment he said Mike “Bugsy” Bishoff made about resident Jim Jellett. Bishoff is the former chair of the Lysander Republican Committee.

“Every single one of you sitting up there received an endorsement from that man,” Burtch said. “What I want to know is if the five of you are going to disavow his words and his statements.”

Burtch reminded the town board that he, Jellett and Bishoff were involved in a fight at the Fireside Inn on election night in 2011. Burtch alleged that Bishoff punched him in the back of the head.

“I disavow anybody that uses this type of language on social media,” Saraceni said. “If he posted that, I would not be associated with that.”

Saraceni cut off Burtch’s further comments and said, “We’re not going to engage. You’ve proved once again that Facebook is an ugly tool.”

Deputy Town Clerk Janet Falconer, who was sitting in the audience, also spoke up about social media harassment that she said she experienced when she first applied for a job with the town. Falconer was appointed by former deputy town clerk Elaine McMahon, who took over when Lisa Dell was elected Onondaga County Clerk.

“I am 99 percent sure that one of the people who tried to attack me [on social media] is in this room tonight,” Falconer said. “I was crucified by the B’ville Blotter because someone was very angry with the previous town clerk and ripped me apart because I was hired by, not the previous town clerk, but the deputy who took over.”

Falconer said the B’ville Blotter Facebook page referred to her as a “criminal” and “the white-collar bandit” after she and her husband declared bankruptcy. She also said her previous employer informed her that someone named Fred had called inquiring about her.

Falconer pointed at Fred Burtch and said, “I know that you help run B’ville Blotter.” She broke down in tears and Town Clerk Dina Falcone went over to comfort her.

Burtch objected to Falconer’s comments and then addressed the town board about their hiring policies. He said he had submitted a job application to the town highway department that went unanswered.

“You just hired a felon who shot someone to work in the highway department, and you hired another person who got out of jail after a year for failing to pay child support,” Burtch said.

The town board voted to recess the meeting. Saraceni approached Burtch and said, “You’re out of control. You either settle down or we’re going to ask that you be removed.”

“It’s pretty tough to run a Facebook page when you’re spending eight months at the Jamesville Hilton. My attorney’s going to have something to say about that tomorrow,” Burtch said.

In 2013, Burtch was sentenced to one year at the Onondaga County Department of Correction in Jamesville for violating an order of protection that former Town Clerk Lisa Dell had against him.

Saraceni asks PAC-B to stop recording

During the recess, Saraceni asked PAC-B videographer Jim Houghtaling to stop recording. Houghtaling, who is also vice-chair of the PAC-B board of directors, continued recording.

“You record the public meetings of the town of Lysander. That’s what we pay you to do,” Saraceni told Houghtaling.

“Keep recording, Jim,” Burtch said. “If there’s a meeting in this building, PAC has the right to record.”

“Fred, you’re disrupting the meeting,” Saraceni said.

Falconer apologized for her “outburst” and Saraceni told her she was not disruptive.

“You are a resident of the town of the Lysander. You have every right to make a comment. There’s no prerequisite that you have to act a certain way,” Saraceni said.

“Joe, what did I do that violated your rules?” Burtch asked. “Did I speak too loud? Did I go over my time? Did I ask department heads a question when we’re not supposed to be?”

Currently, the town of Lysander does not have a time limit on how long residents may speak during the public comment period. During the previous administration under former supervisor John Salisbury, the town board agendas listed no time limit for citizens’ comments on agenda items but listed a three-minute limit for “recognition of citizens” at the end of the meeting.

Burtch and Falconer exchanged more words about her accusations, and Saraceni asked her to “save our comments.”

When the town board resumed its meeting, Saraceni announced that he would be taking Houghtaling’s refusal to stop recording up with PAC-B.

Resident Jim Stirushnik voiced his displeasure with the supervisor’s actions.

“I disagree strongly with your attempt to muzzle the press. It’s a First Amendment right. My ancestors have fought for it, and I object to you trying to muzzle the press,” Stirushnik said.

Saraceni responded to Stirushnik’s concerns and said he was not trying to “stifle the press.”

“We fund PAC-B to cover official meetings, and that’s for the benefit of the residents who aren’t able to attend. When I call a recess for a meeting that’s out of control, when the town’s business is not being covered and PAC-B is still recording on our taxpayers’ dime, it’s frustrating,” Saraceni said. “We don’t pay PAC-B to cover nonsense, and that’s what went on earlier. … We’re here to do the people’s business, and that was not the people’s business. That was a massive distraction.”

Saraceni said he was a journalism major at the University of Tennessee and “fully support[s] the rights of the press.”

“My concerns over PAC-B continuing to record had nothing to do with stifling the press,” he said. “It had everything to do with making sure the residents that are paying their tax dollars to fund this organization get the information that we paid for.”

Stirushnik asked if the Messenger was recording. The Messenger recorded the entire Jan. 5 work session and town board meeting, including the recess. Saraceni pointed out that the town does not fund the Messenger.

“The fact that you are using your authority as the town and funding to try to muzzle the press is even more repugnant,” Stirushnik said. “They are the press. They are open to anything which goes on in this process, whether you choose to have it or not have it.”

During the meeting, Houghtaling texted PAC-B Board of Directors Chair Andy Dryden, who arrived and spoke with Saraceni after the town board meeting.

“He explained what happened and asked us to be courteous,” Dryden told the Messenger. “I explained we don’t censor. If there’s something personally embarrassing, we might edit that out.”

Dryden said PAC-B planned to broadcast the Jan. 5 meeting in full, including the recess. The video is available at pacbtv.org and will be broadcast on Time Warner Channel 98 and Verizon Fios Channel 30.

Houghtaling clarified PAC-B’s funding situation to the Messenger.

“We’re not funded by the town,” he said. “They’re required by law to provide us with franchise fees from Time Warner and Verizon.”