Town of Ulysses

ULYSSES SUPERVISOR DERIDES RESOLUTION BARRING OPEN TALK ON WATER DISTRICT:

Ulysses Town Supervisor Doug Austic calls it a “gag order.”

Austic said a resolution adopted by the Town Board earlier this month placed limitations on his right to free speech and interfered with his ability to do his job.

Town Board members who approved the resolution disagree.
The disagreement stems from ongoing discussions about the town's proposed Water District No. 5, and the way in which the project is being managed.

“I don't think they understand what they passed,” said Austic, who wrote a letter to New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, seeking an opinion on the legality of the resolution.

On April 11, the Town Board adopted a resolution requiring “that the Town Supervisor and his agents only communicate in writing, including but not limited to e-mail or fax, concerning the proposed Water District No. 5 on behalf of the Town to individuals, firms, agencies or other entities external to the Ulysses Town government upon approval of a majority of the members of the Town Board in office as of Jan. 2006, given at a regular or special meeting of that board.”

According to Austic, having to consult with Town Board members before communicating with others when discussing Water District No. 5 interferes with his freedom of speech, as well as the ability to do his job.

Ellis, Marino and fellow board member Lucia Tyler voted yes to adopt the resolution. Austic and board member Rod Ferrentino voted no.

“It is ridiculous,” Ferrentino said of the resolution. “It shows a lack of understanding of what a town officer does. It shows a total lack of experience from those board members. As far as I'm concerned, I don't honor it, and I never will.”

Austic said he won't honor the resolution either. In a letter written to Town Board members, Austic said that he will consider the resolution “null and void” until Spitzer's office advises him that the resolution is a legal binding act on the Town Board's part.