Controversy Dominates Town Board Meeting

By DARLA M. YOUNGS
HARTWICK

Bryan LoRusso and several former Town of Hartwick employees want Hartwick Town Board member Chris Briggs to resign. A contingent of concerned Hartwick residents wants LoRusso, also a Town Board member, to resign. Hartwick Town Supervisor Robert O’Brien will be relocating before the end of the year, leaving that post unfilled. And the town’s attorney, William Green, has resigned, effective January 1, 2025.

The room was at maximum capacity on the evening of Monday, October 14, when approximately 50 residents assembled for the monthly meeting of the Town Board. In preparation for what was expected to be a long meeting, there was pizza and, just in case things got out of hand, there was law enforcement.

The meeting began like any other, following a slight delay in start time due to difficulty connecting to Zoom, via which the town meetings are recorded and made available to the public. The full board was in attendance: Supervisor O’Brien, Briggs, and LoRusso were joined at the table by board members Bruce Markusen and Tom Murphy, along with Andrea Vazquez, the town clerk, and attorney Green. A call to order was followed by roll call, review of the previous month’s minutes, review and approval of bills, and other budget and finance reports.

O’Brien then opened the meeting to public comments, at which time a group of nearly two dozen audience members stood to speak, or to show solidarity for those who did.

JoAnn Gardner was first to address the crowd with regard to “Mr. LoRusso’s Facebook threats against people with Harris/Walz signs,” referring to a recent controversy among Town of Hartwick residents involving comments made by LoRusso on his personal Facebook page, where he wrote, “Starting to see Harris signs going up! Remember them when we [lose] our country!! You can repay them later!!!” and “I’ll be posting [addresses].”

“I have lived in big cities, I have visited many countries around the world. In my entire life, I have never felt the type of fear I felt when I read Mr. LoRusso’s threats,” Gardner read, hands slightly shaking. “So here I am, missing my son’s last ever soccer game against the team’s biggest rival to say, words matter. Posts matter. Sowing intimidation in the hearts of your neighbors? That means something. And it shouldn’t be ignored. Violence begins with words and promises. Your posts have been violent, Mr. LoRusso.

“Engaging in voter intimidation and threats of violence most certainly creates an appearance of impropriety, so I am asking for Bryan LoRusso’s resignation from the Hartwick Town Board. I also ask that the town convene a board of ethics to assess these threats and advise the Board on next steps,” Gardner continued.

Chris Olesen, Gardner’s husband, spoke next.

“I am here tonight to first remind the members of this board that they have signed an oath to uphold the constitutions of both the United States and the State of New York. And as elected officials, they have an obligation to protect the welfare and well-being of this town’s citizenry…,” Olesen read. “Mr. LoRusso—you have either carelessly or maliciously (or both) painted a target on the backs of many of the people in this community. People who simply think differently from you in a country where they are wholly free to do so.”

Olesen then made reference to Section 806 of the General Municipal Law, regarding “rules of ethical conduct for elected officials which must be observed so as to maintain a high degree of moral conduct and public confidence.”

Also asking that LoRusso resign, Olesen addressed the Town Board members directly: “Please refer to the Code of Ethics in the Hartwick Employee Handbook. The one rule I urge you to consider is the Appearance of Impropriety Rule, which states, “An official must avoid circumstances that compromise his ability to make decisions solely in the public interest or create an appearance of impropriety.”

An impassioned speech by Hartwickian Jan Conklin followed Olesen.

“It cannot be said enough times, apparently, that when you take an oath of office you officially accept the massive responsibility of representing all of the townspeople and the various interests that allow us to thrive as a united community,” she said, looking directly at LoRusso. “Violent, dangerous rhetoric or threats are not protected by the First Amendment. Sowing these seeds in the Town of Hartwick is not acceptable.”

Beth Utter spoke next, saying “This is not Hartwick. This is not the town I grew up in. I no longer feel safe.”

Martha Clarvoe then read a statement on behalf of her and husband Paul in support of Town Board member Chris Briggs, whose resignation has also been called for by LoRusso and a number of former town employees for alleged harassment and “abuse of power.”

Clarvoe said, “I am here to speak in support of Mr. Chris Briggs. I have attended town board meetings for at least eight years, online or in person, and have observed Mr. Briggs’ behavior. Over the years, he has been cool, calm, and collected and very informative…Chris holds a required, current Class C plant or distribution system license and is the only person with six years’ experience and knowledge about the Hartwick water system. I feel if Chris were to be pushed off this board, it would be an extreme loss for the town and the residents.”

Town Board member Tom Murphy was the last to speak. He said he and LoRusso are “just associates.”

“It seems to me that Bryan is doing some things very well in the community and needs work on others,” Murphy said, adding, “We need to make sure everyone in this town feels safe. Social media is a forum for people to vent—we need to learn to use it better.”

LoRusso did not respond to public comment during the meeting, but did share his thoughts with Iron String Press via e-mail on October 10.

“No one was threatened. People are certainly allowed to make up any stories they wish in their own heads. That is their freedom of speech,” he wrote. “I must ask this very simply—how insane have we become as a community to worry about my social media, my freedom of speech and expression, over the fact that we have a resigning town supervisor after many, many years of running the Town of Hartwick, in the middle of budget season, or the fact that we have seven written complaints from constituents, elected officials, and former officials, men and women alike. Please tell me why my social media is more important than these topics?

“People with Trump derangement syndrome can make up whatever they would like. I am contemplating bringing up a budget line for group therapy for the upcoming year,” LoRusso wrote.

Regarding inquiries into his social media posts pertaining to political signs, LoRusso has said, “My statement was directed at those who do not support President Trump and the sheer fact that those of us who have a different vision for the United States should remember those supporters and send thank you cards if President Trump is not elected into office and our great nation fails. I will also comment that while I am a 2A supporter, this should not be used against me with those who surmise the worst. This particular debate with political signs is simply dumb.”

Following reports from various departments and committees, and other business, the Town Board moved into Executive Session to discuss “the medical, financial, credit or employment history of a particular person or corporation, or matters leading to the appointment, employment, promotion, demotion, discipline, suspension, dismissal or removal of a particular person or corporation.” Much of the crowd remained in attendance.

Returning from Executive Session at 8:11 p.m., the board voted to “hire a labor attorney to investigate certain allegations against certain employees.” It was then that attorney Green announced his resignation, effective the first of the year.

A second public comment period was opened then, which became somewhat heated when Martha Clarvoe asked town officials to confirm whether Sarah McGuire—former Hartwick town clerk and current employee of LoRusso, was doing work on behalf of the town. LoRusso initially said she was “volunteering her time, looking over highway bills,” but minutes later said, “I’m paying her,” resulting in exclamations of “that’s conflict of interest.”

One audience member said, just before the close of the meeting, “I wish all of this would stop. Just do your job.”

Following the board meeting, LoRusso posted on Facebook: “You didn’t miss anything! A bunch of people made up stories about me threatening them and [asked] me to resign! Not one threat not one name used not one address used all made up in their heads. It was Russia all over again! Apparently I live in a lot of [people’s] heads rent free.”

Supervisor O’Brien said of the meeting via e-mail on Tuesday, October 15, “It was quite a meeting, but really awesome to see increased public participation. I’d love to see the meeting room full for all of our meetings.”

Asked if law enforcement is present at all Town Board meetings, O’Brien said, “No, they are not. I requested a law enforcement presence last night, as I had heard speculation that the meeting could get intense. Fortunately, it did not, but as one of our primary responsibilities is public safety, I think the request was justified. We thank the Sheriff’s Office for their presence and hope they got some pizza.”

Of the meeting in general, O’Brien considered it a win-win.

“With the increased attendance comes increased awareness of what topics the board is contemplating and faced with. Our constituents came out in force and all were able to speak,” O’Brien said.

O’Brien also clarified that Sarah McGuire is not working on town “business,” nor is she assisting the highway superintendent in putting his bills together.

“Technology can be challenging at times and, based on conversations this morning with the highway super [Keith Bronson], she previously assisted him with organizing a calendar, navigation of the FEMA Portal, and education on creating reports,” O’Brien said.

On Tuesday afternoon, LoRusso shared his thoughts about the meeting via e-mail: “As we all saw, even on the news broadcast [WKTV], there was not one name mentioned, no one threatened, no addresses used, and no photos and [the] like. The left throughout the country created a narrative that is simply untrue. There were no threats made to anyone. Contrary to popular belief, we are not a country of feelings, we are a country of laws.”

LoRusso, who indicated he was blindsided by the public comment, said he will not be resigning.
“There were many more people outside of the radical room last night that did vote for me to represent them. Regardless of how offensive this all may be, I am still entitled to my opinion. It is called my First Amendment [rights],” he wrote. “I find it ironic how people literally lectured me on their Constitutional rights while trying to deny mine.”

Green had not responded to follow-up inquiries as of press time.

In the wake of this emotionally-charged meeting, and with tensions currently running high in the Town of Hartwick, perhaps these words from Gardner will resonate on both sides of the aisle: “Donald Trump is not dropping off a casserole. Kamala Harris is not organizing the trick-or-treating along the Husky Trail. Neighbors are the ones who do this. Neighbors have each other’s backs. Neighbors support each other. Neighbors need to respect each other’s different political views and each other’s First Amendment rights.”