Key policy leaves Jewett clerk’s office in limbo

JEWETT―The legal labyrinth is deepening in Jewett where new policy has been created that government leaders had previously said was already in place and being properly enforced. It is linked to a dispute over municipal keys.

Town board members, at a May 13 meeting, passed a “Key and Security” policy to “help maintain security and safety of all individuals.”

The rule “requires all employees, appointees and officials to receive a new key for their respective offices and/or work areas.”

Further, all personnel must sign an acknowledgement form in order to be given the key, holding them accountable for misuse or loss.

Creation of the policy comes after the town, two months ago, changed the locks on entrances and interior doors at the municipal hall and highway department garage, in addition to installing security cameras.

Workers were told they were obliged to sign the acknowledgement form to get a new key. Town Clerk Maya Carl, however, refused to do so and since then has been without keys to the building and her office.

At the time, Town Supervisor Greg Kroyer said, “the town board has set a policy for administering the building. Any elected or appointed [official] has to sign for the key,” noting he advised Carl of the policy.

Carl, declining to sign the form, said, “I have never seen it written that having a key is contingent on me signing a paper.”

Carl further claimed the key policy referenced by Kroyer was an arbitrary, “made up policy,” dictated by him, not approved by the town board.

A policy has now been adopted, introduced at the May 13 meeting by Kroyer, with councilman John Pumilia casting the lone “no” vote.

Pumilia, moments before the vote, asked Kroyer directly, “So, that means that as of right now, [a policy is] not in effect?”

Kroyer replied, “This policy? Correct. But…the board that changed the keys, that updated the locks, has that authority to do so. One hundred percent.”

“Our board is the one responsible for security in these buildings. If we vote for it tonight, it will be in effect, immediately,” Kroyer said.

Carl, in a subsequent interview, said she will not honor the in-reverse-order policy, or sign the form, leaving the town clerk’s office in limbo, accessed only if someone else is in the building and unlocks the office door.

The stalemate expands tensions and legal complexities that have arisen since July 2, 2025, when the Greene County Sheriff's Office executed a search warrant at the Jewett municipal hall.

A press release issued at the time by sheriff’s office Captain Joel Rowell stated that the raid was prompted by “allegations of potentially fraudulent activity.”

Rowell further stated that deputies seized “electronic devices, paper files and business records,” not specifying which department was the focus.

Kroyer offered no comment on the matter on advice of counsel. Nothing more was heard until mid-January of this year when Carl and Highway Superintendent Robert Mallory put the Town on notice of a potential civil lawsuit.

Their notice of claim alleges that in the aftermath of the police search they are being subjected to a “hostile work environment” by some town officials through “intentional infliction of emotional distress” and “civil conspiracy.”

A supplementary notice of claim, served on the Town in April, states that the alleged violations of civil law by some town officials against Carl and Mallory have multiplied. Town officials, on the advice of counsel, have again offered no comment.

It is revealed in the notices of claim that Carl and Mallory, in the spring of 2025, reached out to the sheriff’s office, leading to the search and resulting in the allegations by Carl and Mallory of retaliation by some town officials.

The initial notice of claim alleges that:

“During the fall of 2024, [Mallory] became aware that a private home was being constructed and a foundation was laid on property owned by Barbara Schobel, the planning board chairperson for the Town of Jewett.

“Around that same time, [Mallory] mentioned to [Carl] that the construction was in progress, and [Carl] mentioned that that was odd because she had not received a check for a building permit for that property.

“Upon information and belief, a structure was fully framed on the Schobel property during the month of March 2025.”

On April 16, 2025, prior to contacting police, Mallory and Carl, “requested a meeting with the town supervisor, Greg Kroyer, to discuss the apparently illegal and uninspected construction,” the notice of claim states.

The document further states that Mallory and Carl:

“Informed Greg Kroyer that it appeared that building and zoning laws were disregarded during and following the construction of the planning board chair's house.

“Greg Kroyer downplayed the reported misconduct and code violations but nonetheless requested more time.

“On April 23, 2025. [Mallory and Carl] requested a second meeting with Greg Kroyer. At this meeting, [Mallory and Carl] asked for an update on the misconduct and code violations and [Kroyer] again asked for more time.”

Kroyer advised Mallory and Carl that, "at the end of the process, the file would reflect the project,” the notice of claim states.

A sequence of events then unfolded, including talks and correspondence between Mallory, Carl, Kroyer, other town board members and Town Attorney Tal Rappleyea, the notice of claim states.

The document states, that “on May 14, 2025, [Kroyer] told [Mallory] not to speak to any council members without his permission and stated that he would not have a meeting or discuss the issues further.”

Six weeks later, the sheriff’s office search occurred in what county law enforcement officials say remains an ongoing investigation.