By Jim Tricoli
AMHERST TIMES
All Citizens be aware their taxes will go up this year partly due to the abatements given to developers by this Amherst IDA.
The Amherst IDA was granted the tax abatement they requested. The vote was 6 to 1. The only vote against was cast by Michele F. Marconi.
I arrived a little late to the meeting. They were already discussing whether or not the Amherst IDA would give Uniland the tax abatement they were asking for to build a hotel next to our hockey complex or would they build some place else. Disinformation was rampant during the meeting and important information wasn’t mentioned. The Executive Director of the AIDA was giving pertinent information as to why they should put off the vote until all the information was checked out thoroughly.
The speaker for Uniland said the present Town Supervisor, Mr Kulpa, was in favor of this project. This is a was blatant lie. Mr. Kulpa had already told Mr. Mingoire he wasn’t for it as the contract now stands. It needed more work.
When negotiations were going on between the Town of Amherst and Uniland, Dr. Weinstein was the Supervisor and he voted against this project and said this publicly. Supervisor Weinstein attended the last Town Board meeting on December 11, 2017 and remained in town until the 18th of December, 2017. He did not give his Deputy Supervisor, Stephen Sanders, permission to sign anything between the Town of Amherst and the Uniland Co. concerning the hotel Uniland wanted to build next to our hockey complex.
Stephen Sanders took it upon himself to sign the contract with Uniland. He worked on the contract, which most of the Town Board members didn’t see, nor did Supervisor Weinstein. He called Supervisor Weinstein and told him the contract was done. Supervisor Weinstein told him he still would not sign it and did NOT give his permission for Sanders to do so.
The Supervisor was in town, he was not incapacitated at the time the contact was signed by Sanders. Sanders signed the contract which makes it null and void. The Amherst IDA has Sanders on the Board at this present time. He is no longer on the Amherst Town Board due to term limits.
The Amherst IDA has this information and refuses to investigate these charges.
The final remedy to this illegal act will be decided in court and charges will be brought against not only Stephen Sanders but the entire Amherst IDA Board with the exception of Michele Marconi who voted “NO” to the tax abatement.
Originally published on Amherst Times. Republished with permission.