Claverack Dems say town clerk not satisfying FOIL request

November 28, 2025 | Register-Star, by Spenser Walshg | Page: 01 | Section: A

CLAVERACK- Town Democrats aren't satisfied with the records the Claverack town clerk provided in response to their Freedom of Information Law request about the nature of his appointment.

"To date, I have not received the responsive records, nor have I received a written explanation outlining the statutory basis for withholding the requested information," Columbia County Democratic Committee secretary and Claverack resident Claire Ackerman, who filed the initial request Oct. 1, wrote in a follow up message to Town Clerk William Rich Michael. "You did not provide the records I requested; instead, you created a new Excel spreadsheet that is entirely non-responsive to the specific items listed."

Ackerman is seeking compensation and payroll records from 2018 to present for Michael, former Town Clerk and current Deputy Clerk Mary Jean Hoose and Deputy Clerk Vonda Teaney. State law mandates that a response to the FOIL request, either one providing the records, explaining why providing them is not possible or acknowledging the request and providing a date for a full response, must be sent within five days after the request is received. Michael said he acknowledged the request Oct. 1.

The FOIL request, as well as a complaint filed with the state comptroller's office, originated from Hoose's retirement as town clerk in August and the subsequent installation of Michael as town clerk while he was campaigning for the position.

For more than a month, Michael served in the role of town clerk before he was officially appointed in an Oct. 9 town board meeting. Claverack's Republican-led town board said Michael, who won in November's election to a full term as town clerk, was serving as the town's deputy clerk prior to Hoose's resignation, and was moved up to fill Hoose's vacant position, but Ackerman said there is no record of him holding the deputy clerk role and it was not listed on the town's website.

Ackerman said she is looking to find out if the appointment was done legally, if taxpayer dollars were being used properly and if standard budgeting and hiring procedures were being followed by the town.

Claverack resident and Town Democratic Committee Chairperson Stephanie Sussman also filed a complaint with the Office of the State Comptroller asking for a review of Claverack's finances, including hiring and payroll practices surrounding Michael's appointment, as well as the placement of a political candidate into a vacant elected office without proper appointment. The office has acknowledged receipt of the complaint and is still reviewing it, Ackerman said.

"Our concern is that the town may have created a paid position without board approval, and may have issued compensation outside the adopted budget," Ackerman said, referring to Michael's unlisted tenure as deputy town clerk before he was officially appointed town clerk at the Oct. 9 meeting.At the Oct. 9 meeting,

Claverack's Town Supervisor Clifford "Kippy" Weigelt said Michael had "been working with the town for years now as a deputy clerk.

"Ackerman said Tuesday the board should have had a formal hiring process regarding the appointment of a town clerk.

"I'd also say that the town should have had a job posting, interview process, and formalized this appointment in a legal, proper way - there are qualified people who would have applied," Ackerman said. "Instead, Supervisor Weigelt and the other Republicans hired their friend and a candidate for that office. It's disgraceful."

In Claverack, Michael is the official in charge of handling all Freedom of Information requests.

Michael said Tuesday he's working to deliver the requested records as soon as possible.

"There's a lot of work in it," Michael said. "I'm working on it now and will get it to them as soon as I can."

Michael did not provide a date for when he might respond to the request.

Ackerman said she's after the actual payroll records and Michael only provided a spreadsheet that restated the records, not the actual records, themselves."

Without the actual payroll records, there is no way for the public to determine whether the appointment and its associated compensation comply with New York state law," Ackerman said. "These are our tax dollars, and if they can't even tell us who is working for the town, when they started, and when the role was created, then we need a full audit of town finances. It's very, very concerning."

Ackerman said providing an Excel spreadsheet with the records doesn't comport with state law.

"Under New York's FOIL law, municipalities must provide existing records, not create new ones, so the response was not legally compliant," Ackerman said Tuesday. "My request is simply for the factual documents that show what was paid, when, and under what authority."

In the Oct. 9 town board meeting, town Democrats also criticized the board for appointing Michael to the role he was a candidate for in the November election. Michael won November's election by 76 votes, receiving 1,104 votes to Democratic candidate Amber D'Amato's 1,028.

On Sept. 26, Weigelt said he did not recall the date Michael took over the town clerk's position from Hoose or the date the board voted to appoint Michael, as well as the results of that vote.

He also said in September that Michael had been working for the town on a part-time basis for over two years, doing "computer stuff and water collection," and, to the best of his understanding, no public meeting was required to confirm Michael to the town clerk's position.

"It does not have to be done during a public meeting; we can do that for anyone, if we have to," Weigelt said in September.

Any public body making an official decision in an executive session is required to record and summarize the actions taken and the date the action was taken in its meeting minutes, according to the state's open meetings law. Any actions taken during regular sessions are also supposed to be documented, including any votes or resolutions.

Ackerman said all town residents have an interest in making sure their town government follows the law.

"If a town can create, or expand, paid roles without a public vote, without documentation, and without any explanation of compensation, that undermines basic accountability," Ackerman said Tuesday. "It also sets a precedent where public funds can be used without oversight. This isn't about any one individual. It's about whether Claverack is complying with state law, managing taxpayer dollars responsibly, and operating with the openness that residents deserve."

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