Watching Erie County Legislator
Gregory B. Olma (D- Buffalo)
criticize County Democratic Chairman
Steve Pigeon for the "crime" of patronage leads one unavoidably toward the old
adage, "look at who's calling the kettle
black."
As a county legislator for the past
seven years, Olma has sought to insinuate himself into many of the not-for-profit community organizations in his district, trying to wrest control of their
boards, hiring his political allies, and cutting off funding to non-profits that he
can't control.
Of course, when long-time ally Dave
Franczyk was counci Imember of the
Fillmore district, Olma could rely on
plenty of help from the city to keep the
patronage machine well oiled. After
Franczyk's defeat last November, Olma
lost most city funding for his pork and
patronage projects. A critical mass
occurred: suddenly, without city money,
Olma appears to be losing all of his former bastions of power. Karen Ellington
now occupies Franczyk's former
Common Council seat.
Alt has Consistently reported on his
power grabs. First, at the Neighborhood
Information Center (NIC), he transferred
around $40,000 from NIC to the Polish
Community Center, where his wife was
executive director, and, in the process,
gutted an important senior citizens program.
Next, Alt exposed the East Buffalo
Community Ownership Project — an
Olma-founded housing project — where
$900,000 of taxpayers dollars went to
establish home ownership in the struggling Fillmore district. Aftertwelve
years, not one homeowner was established, while $600,000 was spent on
salaries for people who worked on various Olma political campaigns. Now the
project that Common Council President
James Pitts has decried as "patronage
haven" may come under the budget
knife.
In late January, Olma received another
blow. He was voted off the board at the
Adam Mickiewicz Library and Dramatic
Circle (a.k.a. Mickey's). Alt reported
that this "Library" had received federal
tax dollars (appropriated through city
block grants) that appeared unaccounted
for. Alt revealed that Mickey's is a "library" that does not lend books! It
functions, exclusively, as a members-only bar selling cheap, taxpayer-subsidized Polish beer. Until late January, it
served as a political war-room for Olma,
who lives across the street on Fillmore
and Paderewski.
"Yes, we threw him out. He uses
intimidation and money to buy votes,"
said long-time member Brawni
Niconovich, who led several long-time
older Polish members in the ouster.
Olma had control of the "library" for
years.
One insider said that, with Franczyk's
help, Olma secured a federal grant for
$10,000 for a new door and $14,000 for
new curtains at the Mickiewicz Library.
"The joke around the place was that
Greg took the old door, put it in the attic,
and said he was going to Fix it for about
$100, then put it back up," the source
said. "To date, a new door has not been
purchased, and last'l heard, the old one is
still in the attic." Alt has learned that the
city will conduct a thorough investigation "at the highest levels" to look for the
missing funds.
HE GETS HIS WIFE A NEW JOB
In addition, two new scandals have
damaged Olma's credibility.
First, a revelation that $250,000 in
unpaid bills accrued at the Broadway
Market, where Olma controls the eleven
member board. Secondly, he scolded
County Democratic Chairman Pigeon for
his move to secure a seat as a commissioner for the County Water Authority.
Ironically Alt revealed that Olma's wife
secured a plum position at the water
authority herself, thanks to his backroom
dealings.
THE STORY IS VINTAGE OLMA.
A source in county government told
the tale (see, also, the web-published
illuzziletter.com).
"'Mr. Olma met with Mr. Pigeon and
Vincent Sorrentino during last year's
election campaign ....In exchange for his
wife getting the Water Authority job...
Mr. Olma agreed, in front of two witnesses, to three distinct commitments:
1. That he would support Steve Pigeon
for re-election as chairman of the
Democratic party.
2. That he would support Chuck
Swanick for re-election as chairman of
the legislature.
3. That he would support whomever
was Steve Pigeon's choice to be commissioner of the water authority (we all
know now, and everyone suspected then,
that Mr. Pigeon would be his own choice
for that role.)'"
While appearing to agree to these
terms, he, however, went privately to
current water commissioner George
Hasiotis to cut a deal to support him for
another term as commissioner, if he
helped clinch his wife's appointment.
After the November election, Annette
Junciewiz got her letter of appointment,
and began work on December 6, 1999.
Olma says that his wife's hiring was
done from a civil service list from which
she "scored first." Alt discovered that,
on her civil service exam, Junciewicz
tied for first (i.e. in the top percentiles)
with 24 others.
Although his wife was hired ahead of
23 water' authority candidates who also
scored first on the civil service exam,
Olma says that the decision to hire his
wife was made by ECWA management
and not though political influence.
After his wife was hired, however, he
felt no urgency to help Swanick retain
his chairmanship. According to a source
in county government, when asked to
support Swanick, "Mr. Olma balked and
replied that it was now a 'new day' in
Erie County politics." He then, reportedly, met with representatives of the
Republican party, hoping to cobble
together enough votes to elect someone
else chairman (in his imagination, perhaps, himself). He was attempting to turn
the Legislature's majority over to the
GOP, with him as a swing vote.
Unfortunately for Olma, Swanick easily outflanked him, and quietly secured
15 of the 17 legislature signatures supporting him for chairman, including all
of the Republican members. Olma's second "promise," support for a commissioner for the water authority, was problematic. He had promised two people
the same support, Hasiotis and Pigeon.
"A NEW DAY"
Perhaps sensing that The Buffalo News
would praise him if he criticized Party
Boss Pigeon, Olma amused party insiders by presenting himself as a reform
leader. After being called "divisive" by
The News editorial board, during the last
election, he thought that he might secure
a new "outsider," or "maverick" status
with The News. Since his wife's job was
secure, he had nothing to lose by supporting Hasiotis. He had declared it "a
new day," and so it was. He was now
earning $42,000 as a county legislator,
and, with his wife earning around
$50,000 at the water authority with benefits, the anti-patronage Olma family
income rose to $100,000.
BROADWAY MARKET SCANDAL
Now Olma is coming under a fire at
the Broadway Market. As facts surface,
it is possible that his mismanagement
may jeopardize the survival of the 112-year-old Polish marketplace. A few
weeks ago, the market's managers,
telling city officials that a "financial crisis" occurred, asked taxpayers to pay
$135,000 to bail the market out. The
blame fell initially on fired bookkeeper
Richard Cohen who, allegedly, failed to
tell the market board of $250,000 in bills
owed to creditors. Half of the bills are
owed to Niagara Mohawk, which threatened to shut off the market's electricity.
At first, the city said that it wouldn't
help until an audit was completed, but
later agreed to help to keep the market
open through the busy Easter season.
Fillmore Councilmember Karen
Ellington sponsored a resolution calling
for an investigation. And City
Comptroller Anthony Nanula's office
has begun a comprehensive audit. Under
Olma's management, the number of paid
positions.at the market went from two to
five, more-than tripling the cost of management. One hundred and twenty thousand dollars was recently spent on
salaries, furnishings, and new computers.
And, although the market obtained more
than 2.4 million in grants, and market
tenants pay top rates for rent, the market
is deep in debt. Much of the money was
spent for patronage employees, including
a cultural anthropologist.
Olma says that the fiasco was caused
by misrepresentations of the bookkeeper,
whose understanding of accrual accounting was faulty. In one instance, market
managers submitted a request to the city
for reimbursement of more than $2,000
for a gas bill, when the actual bill was
$37. He says there is a "good chance"
that no money was stolen. But, if there
was theft, expect the findings to be
referred to the district attorney's office.
Meanwhile, another ethics question
was raised. Olma, as a county legislator,
has voted on county funding for the market for several years, and yet he sits on
the board. The legislature voted twelve
to five to cut off the market's approximately $50,000 in funding, until a full
investigation is made.
The city comptrollers report, which is
expected to take about a month to complete, may lead to Olma's ouster on the
board.
One by one, "maverick" Olma's
patronage havens are going, going,
gone...
