Supervisors Deflect Fallout,
Hear Several Complaints
By ANNE HOLLIDAY
WESB/WBRR News Director
Foster Township supervisors on Monday deflected fallout from last month’s meeting when statements were made about former supervisors and township employees.
Former supervisor Chris Wolcott, who resigned in December, said he is “very disturbed” by some of the statements made at the June meeting.
Wolcott said current supervisor Jim Connelly Jr. “has been blaming former supervisors and (former township secretary Jennifer Gorrell) for not getting a recent PennVEST loan “and that is just ludicrous.” He added that blaming Gorrell is “despicable.”
“Somebody dropped the ball and it wasn’t the secretary or former supervisors,” Wolcott said, adding that he believes the responsibility lies with E & M Engineers.
“It was a slip,” said township engineer Roy Pedersen. “This was a procedure we’d never had to follow before.”
Wolcott also took exception to Connolly, last month, questioning diesel fuel contracts given to Wolcott’s employer, William G. Satterlee & Sons.
Calling them “serious and false allegation,” Wolcott pointed out that Kane Liquid Fuels got more business during the time period in question than Satterlee did. Wolcott said Connelly insinuated that Satterlee stopped getting the business when he started asking questions. Wolcott said what really happened is that a “new player” – Griffith Energy of Olean – entered the game and underbid the other companies.
“I had nothing to do with any of those bids,” Wolcott said. “Whether we got it or not is irrelevant to me. I’m not on commission. I’m on salary. I wouldn’t have made any more money in my pocket or feather in my cap, so I couldn’t care less. … For him to make an allegation like that, trying to cast dispersions on my character I think is just … I don’t know what to say about that. … Is he alleging criminal activity here?”
“No one is alleging criminal activity,” Connelly said, explaining that he just wanted answers.
Now you have it, Wolcott said. Griffith is submitting lower bids.
Wolcott ended by suggesting that Connelly “quit blaming everyone else and just move forward and let’s get this township going again. It’s pretty sad when you’ve got to try so hard to make other people look bad to make yourself look good.”
Derrick City resident Denise Strouse, who is Gorrell’s sister, also suggested that they “stop looking in the rear view mirror.”
She said her sister made no secret of letting people know she was leaving her job of 14 years that she “truly loved” because she didn’t feel she could work with Connelly any longer.
“Can we make a deal right now, Mr. Connelly, that we’re not going to go back and revisit the Bob Slike, and the Chris Wolcott and Jennifer Gorrell and the Cary Kaber issues?” Strouse asked. “We have all heard them to death. Let’s move forward.”
Connelly agreed, but said if someone asks him a question about any of those issues, he will answer them.
Township residents Tom Perry and Joe Piganelli spoke in support of Connelly and said township government has been more transparent since he got into office.
In other matters, several Harrisburg Run Road residents asked if their road will finally be paved this year.
Supervisors said they are holding a work session at 6:30 p.m. Thursday to discuss which roads need to be paved, and what they have the money to do. They said Harrisburg Run is on the top of their list.
Also Monday, supervisors accepted the resignation of code enforcement officer Bruce Cauvel because of medical reasons. They had planned to appoint Tom Robinson, but township resident Bob Baker, who had applied for the job previously, asked why he wasn’t even given an interview.
Baker said he was told before that he wouldn’t be considered because he is a contractor and the supervisors felt that would be a conflict of interest. He said he doesn’t think that argument is valid because if he cites someone for a violation he would probably be the last person they would hire as a contractor.
He said he’s been listening to South Kendall Avenue resident Barb Price come to meetings for months and bring issues to the supervisors’ attention that he feels he could have addressed for her “months ago … a long time ago.”
“I drive by properties on my way through the township, like Mrs. Price, and I get disgusted. It bothers me,” Baker said. “It rubs me the wrong way and I think that’s the kind of guy we need in there – somebody that is bothered by trash in the yard and all the issues she’s talking about on South Kendall.”
Price agreed with Baker and said she thinks someone in his business should have the code enforcement position, adding that she wasn’t sure Robinson was as qualified.
Supervisor Dale Phillips said Robinson is qualified or he wouldn’t have been nominated, and added that the township has “a long way to go and we need to get started …”
“I’ve heard this before,” Price said. “I’ve heard this before and I’m not going to listen to it anymore.”
“You don’t have to listen to it,” Phillips said. “We’re trying to do the best we can …”
“Oh come on,” she said, “Get off of that. I’ve been through supervisor after supervisor and, Dale, you’re not helping the matter any at all.”
“Thank you for your opinion,” Phillips said.
“I think your opinion sucks,” Price said.
Supervisors decided to table the issue for a month and talk to Baker about the position.
WESB/WBRR News Director
Foster Township supervisors on Monday deflected fallout from last month’s meeting when statements were made about former supervisors and township employees.
Former supervisor Chris Wolcott, who resigned in December, said he is “very disturbed” by some of the statements made at the June meeting.
Wolcott said current supervisor Jim Connelly Jr. “has been blaming former supervisors and (former township secretary Jennifer Gorrell) for not getting a recent PennVEST loan “and that is just ludicrous.” He added that blaming Gorrell is “despicable.”
“Somebody dropped the ball and it wasn’t the secretary or former supervisors,” Wolcott said, adding that he believes the responsibility lies with E & M Engineers.
“It was a slip,” said township engineer Roy Pedersen. “This was a procedure we’d never had to follow before.”
Wolcott also took exception to Connolly, last month, questioning diesel fuel contracts given to Wolcott’s employer, William G. Satterlee & Sons.
Calling them “serious and false allegation,” Wolcott pointed out that Kane Liquid Fuels got more business during the time period in question than Satterlee did. Wolcott said Connelly insinuated that Satterlee stopped getting the business when he started asking questions. Wolcott said what really happened is that a “new player” – Griffith Energy of Olean – entered the game and underbid the other companies.
“I had nothing to do with any of those bids,” Wolcott said. “Whether we got it or not is irrelevant to me. I’m not on commission. I’m on salary. I wouldn’t have made any more money in my pocket or feather in my cap, so I couldn’t care less. … For him to make an allegation like that, trying to cast dispersions on my character I think is just … I don’t know what to say about that. … Is he alleging criminal activity here?”
“No one is alleging criminal activity,” Connelly said, explaining that he just wanted answers.
Now you have it, Wolcott said. Griffith is submitting lower bids.
Wolcott ended by suggesting that Connelly “quit blaming everyone else and just move forward and let’s get this township going again. It’s pretty sad when you’ve got to try so hard to make other people look bad to make yourself look good.”
Derrick City resident Denise Strouse, who is Gorrell’s sister, also suggested that they “stop looking in the rear view mirror.”
She said her sister made no secret of letting people know she was leaving her job of 14 years that she “truly loved” because she didn’t feel she could work with Connelly any longer.
“Can we make a deal right now, Mr. Connelly, that we’re not going to go back and revisit the Bob Slike, and the Chris Wolcott and Jennifer Gorrell and the Cary Kaber issues?” Strouse asked. “We have all heard them to death. Let’s move forward.”
Connelly agreed, but said if someone asks him a question about any of those issues, he will answer them.
Township residents Tom Perry and Joe Piganelli spoke in support of Connelly and said township government has been more transparent since he got into office.
In other matters, several Harrisburg Run Road residents asked if their road will finally be paved this year.
Supervisors said they are holding a work session at 6:30 p.m. Thursday to discuss which roads need to be paved, and what they have the money to do. They said Harrisburg Run is on the top of their list.
Also Monday, supervisors accepted the resignation of code enforcement officer Bruce Cauvel because of medical reasons. They had planned to appoint Tom Robinson, but township resident Bob Baker, who had applied for the job previously, asked why he wasn’t even given an interview.
Baker said he was told before that he wouldn’t be considered because he is a contractor and the supervisors felt that would be a conflict of interest. He said he doesn’t think that argument is valid because if he cites someone for a violation he would probably be the last person they would hire as a contractor.
He said he’s been listening to South Kendall Avenue resident Barb Price come to meetings for months and bring issues to the supervisors’ attention that he feels he could have addressed for her “months ago … a long time ago.”
“I drive by properties on my way through the township, like Mrs. Price, and I get disgusted. It bothers me,” Baker said. “It rubs me the wrong way and I think that’s the kind of guy we need in there – somebody that is bothered by trash in the yard and all the issues she’s talking about on South Kendall.”
Price agreed with Baker and said she thinks someone in his business should have the code enforcement position, adding that she wasn’t sure Robinson was as qualified.
Supervisor Dale Phillips said Robinson is qualified or he wouldn’t have been nominated, and added that the township has “a long way to go and we need to get started …”
“I’ve heard this before,” Price said. “I’ve heard this before and I’m not going to listen to it anymore.”
“You don’t have to listen to it,” Phillips said. “We’re trying to do the best we can …”
“Oh come on,” she said, “Get off of that. I’ve been through supervisor after supervisor and, Dale, you’re not helping the matter any at all.”
“Thank you for your opinion,” Phillips said.
“I think your opinion sucks,” Price said.
Supervisors decided to table the issue for a month and talk to Baker about the position.
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