Town Board Meeting 3/11/24 Video Clips & Key Takeaways
Will the ‘Worst Supervisor Ever’ Ever Leave Office, Resign?
“I NEVER WILL!!” - Brian J. Kulpa
March 11, 2024 – Amherst NY Town Board Meeting Summary
Click Blue Underlined Items for Video Clips
Good Board:
Shawn Lavin & Michael Szukala kept their laptops closed/at home.
Brian Kulpa answered some questions.
Bad Board:
Brian Kulpa waited 2 hours and 24 minutes to answer questions instead of engaging with residents in real time. Brian also did not keep his word “I answer all the questions at the end”, as he skips questions he doesn’t like or want to answer.
Angela Marinucci spoke only for 17 seconds again of the 2 hours 39 minutes & 19 seconds.
Lavin didn’t speak at all, once again… except for three words… “present”, “supervisor”, & “yes”.
Michael Szukala didn’t speak at all, once again... except when he motioned to call a resident out of order.
Kulpa looked like being at the meeting was beneath his duties, not looking up or making eye contact, head-in-hand much of the time with his classic smirks and eye rolls towards the residents.
Berger and Kulpa again were distracted by each other, whispering private comments to each other and giving each other looks all meeting.
Brian Kulpa only spent 15 minutes of 2 hours and 39 minutes answering only his select questions and concerns of taxpayers. Some of those “answers” were misleading & politician speak.
The 7th meeting, filled nearly if not all the seats (well over 200 peopl) in Amherst town hall chambers once again and had the following key moments.
Key Votes:
The board unanimously voted to approve the save face “transparency” law without focusing on what the residents are actually calling, asking, requesting for, & providing solutions to as well. They did so quickly after a recess, in a rather skittish manner that is ironic for a news headline branded “transparency & participation” law. A resident even brought attention to the law having the town board being their own authority to scold themselves if they like. Remember the same board members that voted through the 11.4% tax hike with the 3rd tax cap override in a special meeting after elections are the ones writing their own budget law and are the ones, they appointed to tell themselves what to do.
Key Moments:
Transparency Debacle of the Deputy Supervisor: This was the first meeting with the board being open about the Deputy Supervisor, Shawn Lavin. Was Jacqui Berger demoted after her outburst about her being tired of hearing about God at the last meeting? The Board has yet to be transparent about when, who, what, where regarding the 2024 deputy supervisor.
Amherst Town Board, Sincere Ignorance & Conscientious Stupidity: A description from Martin Luther King that describes the Amherst Town Board was met with a huge cheer from the audience of over 200 residents.
Resign? “I NEVER WILL!” -BJK: Brian Kulpa mentioned in the Dec. 4th 2023 town board meeting that he was physically sick about the 11.4% tax hike he voted for, interrupting a senior lady in tears that said she may lose her house. A resident spoke about days after that Kulpa interruption he was in a luxury tax paid suite with politicians, family, & friends and also had no donation asterisks next to his name either. When she called for Kulpa to resign, Brian Kulpa narcissistically interrupted “I NEVER WILL!”. This should alarm every resident, as this is how Kulpa views himself… as he is the king of Amherst.
Free LED Streetlights? No thanks, we have taxpayers: Resident once again brought up that Supervisor Brian Kulpa & the town board decided not to use an opt-out national grid/NYPA offer to get free LED Streetlights, for no cost to taxpayers, instead of spending nearly $50 million with a 32 year return on investment. Brian Kulpa continues to ignore & not answer this question.
Transparency for me, not for thee: A number of residents spoke up about what true transparency and budget information would mean to them, asking for clearly fund information, budget processes, better accessibility to the budget by online applications & website improvements, workshops, & more information not less.
Table for 5: A resident said, the people should be at the table at every decision as they are the ones paying and impacted. A pause on all unnecessary projects was demanded, especially after the obscene 11.4% tax hike. The board however continues to omit working alongside residents.
Worst Supervisor Ever Memorbilia: Finally, the legacy that Brian Kulpa is creating for himself & the board members that go along with his desires over the residents… is a bad one. In fact, dozens of people held up signs at the meeting with Brian Kulpa’s supervisor portrait saying “Worst Supervisor Ever”. One resident even gave a sign to the supervisor to keep as a memory of his legacy.
Brian Kulpa however, may not even care about his legacy in the residents’ eyes… maybe he doesn’t care about a legacy, but cares about carrying out an agenda. Which begs the question, who is really running Amherst & making these decisions that the town board is forcing on to residents, families, parents, businesses, students, & people of all cultures?
Full meeting here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSCRjQ-J5KM&t=8647s
The next, and the last meeting before a 5 week break, town board meeting is Monday, March 25, 2024, 7pm, at Amherst NY Town Hall. It’s free, open to the public, & a great way to meet new friends & neighbors.