MAJORITY LEADER: REFUSE DISTRICT MATTER IS THE PUBLIC’S BUSINESS
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LOCKPORT—Niagara County Legislature Majority Leader Rick Updegrove, R-Lockport, issued a press release regarding certain quotes attributed to Niagara County Manager Jeffrey M. Glatz in a news article related to the county’s investigation into Niagara County Refuse Disposal District Director Richard P. Pope:
The problem focuses largely on the investigation of Pope, who was put on paid leave shortly after he spoke against Glatz’s plan to close all active landfill, which Pope called premature.
The two men openly clashed at an October Refuse District public meeting and a few days later, Pope was suspended. At the October meeting, Pope contradicted Glatz when he said the landfill makes a profit and several times Glatz encouraged Pope to change his answers at the meeting.
A few days later, Pope was put on paid leave.
Afterward, Glatz said the reasons he suspended Pope had nothing to do with his disagreement with him on the closing of the landfill.
Glatz declined to name his reason for suspending Pope, who is a 19-year employee with the county. He was quoted in the Buffalo News as saying that the reasons were “none of [the public’s] business” and that a county employee “has a right to privacy” where his conduct of office is concerned.
Updegrove disagrees and says he wants answers and transparency.
“(This is) completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated,” Updegrove said. “We work for the taxpayers and the public at large, and they are entitled to transparency.”
Not only has the public not been told, but apparently neither has the Refuse Disposal District Board been advised on Pope’s suspension.
According to sources, the investigation, which is being conducted by the county attorney Claude Joerg, may focus on whether Pope properly exercised his fiduciary responsibilities as Refuse District Director.
“The Legislature will seek answers on Mr. Pope’s conduct and performance,” Updegrove said, “and we will not do so behind closed doors. While Mr. Pope does have rights under civil service law, the public has a right to expect transparent oversight of agencies they fund with their tax dollars.”
County Legislator Jason Zona, who is a Democrat, agreed with the Republican Updegrove, but strongly expressed his hope that Pope get a fair hearing, “which is another reason for transparency,” Zona said.
Zona also expressed a concern that the Board of Directors of the Refuse District, of which Zona is a member, have not been told a single detail regarding the reasons for Pope’s suspension.
"I'm thrilled to see the majority caucus is going to join with me in making sure there is full transparency in this investigation,” Zona said.
Looming over the issue is the debate over whether to close the C & D Landfill early.
According to a report prepared for the Refuse Disposal District Administrative Board by Pope and Marguax J. Lingle CPA, chief accountant for the Niagara Treasury Department, the “best management practices” are to keep the C & D Landfill open and fill it up with the refuse of paying customers. The C & D Landfill made a profit of $224,977 in 2011.
Over five years, the landfill is estimated to make $1,124,885 in profit, which, according to a report by Wendel Engineers on June 13, 2012, “there (is) approximately 5 and ¼ years for cell 1A to reach final capacity.”
County Manager Glatz made it clear, at a recent Refuse board meeting, that he wants to close the facility sooner and get out of the business of operating landfills.
Closing the C & D Landfill early will cost one million dollars to cap it, plus about $100,000 to buy waste to fill it up, according to studies.