Finally...in case you missed it... highlights were NOT included. This is Salka's from Town website:
March 4, 2016
As many in the community have heard by now there has been an issue regarding certain town elected officials who were re-elected this past fall not taking the oath of office in the required time according to state election law. The two officials are Joseph Walker, Town Board member, and Robert Piersma, Town Highway Superintendent. What this means is that the office of Town Board member and Highway Superintendent are vacated as of January 30, 2016. The accepted practice in the past has been that the Town Clerk, who is the only Town official that has the authority to administer the oath of office, was not contacted by either of the officials with a request to complete the oath. This is being treated as a simple oversight, nothing more, nothing less. As a County supervisor I take the oath administered by the County Clerk, of which there is a record of in the County Clerk’s office.
Upon being informed of the situation by our Highway Superintendent I immediately contacted our Town attorney for guidance. In multiple conversations with her we have been informed that these positions may be reinstated by the board providing there is a quorum of which we will have for the upcoming March meeting. There have been some questions regarding whether or not these officials can be paid during this period of vacancy and it is the attorney’s opinion that they cannot.
We will be reinstating these officials at a special board meeting on the 8th. To prevent a similar situation we will be adding the oath of office to our organization meeting that we hold in January of every new year. I can assure the public that never were any services to the town’s people compromised, and Town government was never interrupted.
Thank you,
John Salka
Brookfield Town Supervisor
