By Michael T. Baldwin
The Highway Superintendent resigned and so did a Board member. Now, the town is taking legal action against its former Town Bookkeeper Michelle Dunbar. The 20+ year town veteran is being sued because the town says she failed to turn over paperwork, IRS information, Comptroller’s reports and other information. The three-page complaint, file Number 49073, was filed with the County Clerks Office April 5, 2022. The Town is being represented by Warsaw-based attorney Robert Straussel. Dunbar is represented by Rochester law firm Adams Leclair LLP.
According to the petition, Dunbar “has denied repeated request for books and paper, money and property of the Town of Alma which has led to numerous complaints from the New York State Comptroller’s Office, fines from the New York State Retirement Fund and complaints from the Internal Revenue Service because the Town cannot provide information and/or records which are in (Dunbar’s) possession.”
In early April, Hon. Thomas P. Brown issued an Order to Show Cause and scheduled a hearing for April 22. The Wellsville Sun learned that that item was removed from the court calendar because the parties requested it. Dunbar’s attorney filed a Notice of Cross Motion seeking to dismiss the case. In an Attorney Affirmation, her attorney said she “delivered all of the Town of Alma property in her possession on January 31, 2022 and April 10, 2022. The attorney said “Dunbar complied with her obligations set forth in the Public Officers law.”
