Dayton Township Trustee James Satchel, right, asks Supervisor Robert Cook, far left, to give up at least five of six township positions held by Cook. Cook declined to do so. Township Trustee Robert Steele, center, listens.
By Tom Gilchrist
Staff Writer
DAYTON TWP. — Dayton Township Trustee James Satchel, accusing Supervisor Robert Cook of “conflicts of interest” on Monday night, asked Cook to give up at least five of the six positions Cook holds in the township: supervisor, zoning administrator, blight enforcer, land division officer, building-maintenance supervisor and road committee chairman.
Satchel handed out a flyer stating Cook receives $6,621 per year plus mileage as supervisor, $2,000 annually plus mileage and other fees as zoning administrator, $2,000 per year plus mileage as blight enforcer, mileage plus $50 per land split as land division officer, and mileage as road committee chairman.
“Now Bob reports to nobody; he only reports to Bob, because Bob’s at the top,” Satchel said of Cook’s role in township government.
Cook didn’t dispute the annual salaries, but said after the meeting he doesn’t intend to give up any of his township jobs.
“Now Bob’s argument over the years has been this: ‘Nobody wanted the job,’” said Satchel, who has served on the township board about two years.
“I haven’t seen any of these jobs come up yet … to be offered to the public, and they should,” Satchel said. “You should be offered these jobs, this $2,000 on the (zoning administrator’s post) and $2,000 on the (blight enforcer’s position) and then the (land division officer’s post).”
Though Cook is the township’s elected supervisor, Satchel suggested the township post the other five positions to see if the public shows interest in them.
“There’s a lot of people that could take $2,000 a year and let it be extra income,” Satchel said.
Township resident Greg Lotter, however, took issue with a phrase on Satchel’s flyer stating “Robert Cook is not responsible to anyone in these positions.”
“That’s not true,” Lotter told Satchel. “He’s responsible to us, every election. If nobody liked what he was doing, they wouldn’t vote him back in. You are incorrect in your statement, sir.”
“I support that,” added township resident James McMinn.
Lotter said Cook also is responsible to four other members of the township Board of Trustees.
“You, apparently, are the only individual that has a problem with it,” Lotter told Satchel.
“When you say I’m the only person, that’s probably true, because the people up here allowed it over the years,” Satchel replied. “This only happened because they allowed it, and it can be undone.”
Later in Monday’s meeting, Cook said he wanted to pay Travis Klimek to plow and shovel snow outside the township hall this winter. Township resident Richard Seidler — formerly the township supervisor — has plowed snow for free outside the hall for several years.
Cook said a township Policies and Procedures Manual grants him the authority to hire someone to plow the property, but Satchel disagreed and asked township Clerk Mike Mocniak if he supported paying someone to plow and shovel outside the hall.
“It’s hard to turn down free,” Mocniak answered.
Seidler, however, pushes too much gravel off the township property when he plows it, according to Cook.
“And then you want me to have more gravel hauled in here because you pushed it all off?” Cook asked Seidler.
Seidler said he could pull gravel back into place outside the hall.
Township resident Janett Meyers addressed Mocniak’s remark, saying “‘Free’ doesn’t mean you get a good job done.”