Collins removed as liaison to Town of Hamburg Highway Department
By FELICE E. KRYCIA and DANIEL MEYER
In an attempt to smooth the waters between two elected officials, Hamburg Town Supervisor Steven Walters has temporarily replaced Councilman Joseph Collins as liaison to the town’s Highway Department with Councilman Kevin Smardz.
Collins, who was elected to office this past November, and Highway Superintendent Thomas Best Sr. have had some well documented disagreements over the past month so Walters decided it was time to try and cool things down.
“I’ve spoken to both Tom and Joe and told them they need to work this out between the two of them,” Walters told The Sun Tuesday (Feb. 2) morning. “Kevin (Smardz) has been given this assignment for now, but this is only temporary.”
Walters felt he had no choice but to replace Collins with Smardz, citing a fear that important work that benefits taxpayers will not be able to get done unless Collins and Best are able to work out their disagreement.
“This kind of behavior cannot go on,” said Walters. “What will happen in two years when Kevin and Jon Gorman are off the board and it is only Joe, (Councilwoman) Amy (Ziegler) and myself? This means more work for all of us and we cannot have this type of behavior going on between the elected officials.”
Collins was named the liaison to the Highway and Buildings and Grounds departments, both overseen by Best, during the board’s organizational meeting held last month.
As a liaison, board members are used to work closely with the head of a particular department and help to deliver information to the other four board members, each of whom also serve as liaisons to specific departments.
Best demanded during the board’s Jan. 25 meeting that Collins be replaced, expressing his displeasure with Collins during an explosive outburst that prompted Walters to consider replacing Collins as Best’s liaison.
Best was upset that Collins decided to withdraw two resolutions that Best wanted him to support that involved the termination and hiring of employees, an action that Collins said he took because he had questions about the motions but was unable to speak to Best about the resolutions prior to the board meeting.
The tension between the two apparently increased during an executive session of the board following the Jan. 25 meeting, after which Collins filed what is known as an “informational complaint” about Best with the Town of Hamburg Police Department, an action which is not classified as a formal complaint but instead is an action taken to document that an incident had taken place.
Walters said Tuesday that he hopes the two can work out their issues soon and get on with the business of working for the people who elected them.
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