Fredonia Trustee Michelle Twichell, left, reacts as Trustee Nicole Siracuse reads a statement criticizing her at Monday’s trustees meeting. Trustee Paul Wandel is in the middle.
Fredonia’s geyser of a debate erupted again this week at the Board of Trustees meeting, as Trustee Nicole Siracuse blasted Trustee Michelle Twichell for speaking to the Chautauqua County Legislature against the latest water study.
Siracuse called Twichell’s appearance in Mayville last week “highly inappropriate.”
Twichell said she was a representative for the village, according to Siracuse. “At no point did this board appoint anyone as a representative for that meeting, nor did this board vote in support of the statement that was made or the sentiments behind it,” Siracuse said.
The county Legislature voted unanimously to approve American Rescue Plan Act funding for the study, which will investigate combining Fredonia’s water system with the North County Water District. A state grant will also be used to help fund the study.
Twichell’s position is “damaging to the process of this village and its residents in seeking safe, reliable, and sustainable drinking water,” Siracuse said.
Twichell responded, “I am a trustee, I am able to make these statements without the board’s approval. … I told them I was a village trustee, so they understood that.”
She concluded, “You can’t parrot (Trustee) Jon (Espersen) now and gaslight me.”
That was a reference to Espersen’s OBSERVER column last weekend that criticized her. Twichell had just responded directly to the commentary during her own report time.
“He seems to be gaslighting me all the time,” she said of Espersen. In response to Espersen’s criticism that she does not seek information at North County Water District meetings, she said, “I’m really not looking to join the (district). I really would rather look at fixing our reservoir, fixing our spillway and providing our residents with the water we have.”
Regarding the new study, she said: “I don’t see the impact on how that’s going to change my mind.”
Trustee Ben Brauchler commented earlier, “I hope no one is objecting to us collecting as much information as we can before we go forward with any kind of decision about the water. I know some people don’t seem to like the idea that some other group is doing a study about it. If someone wants to do a study and we could potentially benefit, we’re not paying for it, it’s not our study — I think it’s a pretty good idea.”
Espersen was not at Monday’s meeting.