Six months have passed since police raided Jewett Town Hall

JEWETT―Nothing has changed, and everything has changed, in the aftermath of a search warrant being executed by the Greene County Sheriff's Office at the Jewett Town Hall more than six months ago.

There are still no official details about the July 2 raid beyond a brief police press release issued at that time and stating the sudden entry was prompted by “allegations of potentially fraudulent activity."

Sheriff's Captain Joel Rowell further stated that a team of investigators seized “electronic devices, paper files and business records,” without identifying any specific departments or individuals.

The root source of the allegations has not been revealed and, except for acknowledgment of participation by the district attorney’s office, nothing is confirmed about the legal trail leading to issuance of the warrant.

It is likely the warrant contains a name, or names, linked to the suspected fraud along with a judge’s signature authorizing the look-see.

Jewett government leaders haven’t unveiled the document, saying they are acting on the advice of counsel, and police have offered no additional lowdown on what is, apparently, an ongoing investigation.

Even as mystery formally surrounds the inquiry’s impetus, by all informal accounts in this small rural town, the probe purportedly involves the evolution of a building project dating back to the spring of 2025.

Meanwhile, as the community waits fora second law enforcement shoe to drop―or not―a deep division has surfaced within the town board.

The divide has been particularly evident at monthly council meetings that, since last summer, have repeatedly descended into intense verbal flare-ups, lately resulting in the passage of new Rules of Order.

Those decrees directly impact longtime Highway Superintendent Robert Mallory who has been at the epicenter of the disturbances.

Mallory has insisted that the police matter be handled openly, to whatever extent non-litigiously doable, so the citizenry is not left in the dark. 

He has been consistently joined by Town Councilman John Pumilia who, last October, launched a surprise write-in campaign for town supervisor, challenging incumbent supervisor Greg Kroyer.

Pumilia announced his intentions during an October 8 council session amid rising tensions that had culminated in Kroyer declaring anyone wishing to speak first needed to be placed on the agenda. No exception was noted for other town board members.

Pumilia resisted the perceived muzzling, saying to Kroyer, “I don’t answer to you.”

“You aren’t my boss. I don’t have to ask to be on the agenda. I am here to ask questions. I don’t like what I see,” Pumilia said.

“I am running the meeting,” replied Kroyer who, as town supervisor, sets the monthly agenda.

“If I send [the supervisor] a note [to be on the agenda] and he doesn’t like it, it doesn’t get on. Are you kidding me?” Pumilia said.

Kroyer handily won the election. He and the remaining councilmembers― John Giordano, Jeanie Scotti and James Pellitteri―are aligned in not referencing the police episode, deferring to advice from counsel.

Those four voted in favor of the fourteen Rules of Order that emerged one week after the November 5 election. Pumilia was the lone “no” vote.

Kroyer, presenting the measure, said, “We’ve had multiple disruptions of our meetings. This will go a long way toward keeping order. These are how the meetings will be conducted in the future.”

A deputy sheriff was atypically seated in the meeting room, reportedly sent by the sheriff’s office, unsolicited, based upon what had been occurring at previous council sessions.

Mallory has no official say in the day-to-day affairs of town government and he is not mentioned in the new Rules of Order, adopted November 12.

Some of the rules are redundant such as, “a majority of the board will constitute a quorum,” which has long been standard procedure for conducting any government meetings.

Noticeably different is Rule #12 stating, “town board members and the town clerk shall be the only individuals seated at the main meeting table. All other town officials and the public shall be seated in the audience area.”

Over the years, giving routine monthly reports on his department, Mallory has held a reserved chair at the main table. That is no longer the case. No other town officials sit at the head table other than the town attorney, an appointee not always present.

The town attorney sat at the table for the most recent board meeting, December 10, which went smoothly. Mallory did not attend.

Additionally,  Rule #13 states, “if necessary the supervisor may retain/appoint a Sergeant of Arms to maintain the civility of the meeting, and have those interrupting or preventing the meeting from proceeding, to be removed from town property.”

The next council session is scheduled for January 14. An agenda is normally sent out prior to the session by the supervisor.