Email leads to call for resignation
COHOES, N.Y. >> The vice president of the Common Council called Tuesday night for the resignation of another member for sending what he claims was an unprofessional email.
Bill Smith called out 6th Ward Councilman Randy Koniowka after receiving emails this week in which Koniowka asked several officials, including Smith, to have no more communication with him.
“As a councilman, how can you effectively do your job if you ask the council VP and other elected officials not to communicate with you?” asked Smith after the meeting.
Koniowka admitted he did exchange several emails with Smith and did ask Smith to cease all communications with him.
“In the last email that I sent him, and it really will be the last email I ever send him, [ I wrote] ‘ You know, Bill, you’re trying to play games which you don’t have the brain cells to play.’” explained Koniowka. “I told him do not call me, do not email me, do not text me and don’t even look in my general direction ever again.”
Koniowka said he sent that final email to Smith because of recent disagreements over council resolutions.
“It was between some general disagreements and [that] he tries to get cute with things and he tries to play a game that he doesn’t have the brain capacity to play,” said Koniowka. “I don’t think that was overtly offensive.”
During the council meeting, Mayor Shawn Morse implored council members to try to work together in a professional manner.
“It is highly impossible for us to perform our duties if we can’t communicate with each other,” said Morse. “I think it’s imperative that if there are issues that need to be addressed, we have an Ethics Committee that could certainly hear those concerns, but we all have to be able to communicate and talk with each other in a professional manner.”
Koniowka said he has no intentions of resigning from the council and said Smith handled the situation poorly by calling him out during a council meeting.
“I think it was very silly of him and very petty for him to display that at the meeting,” said Koniowka.
Smith would not say if he would take his concerns up with the Ethics Committee, saying only that he just wants everyone to help move the city forward.
“I just want us to work together and move this city forward,” said Smith. “As the mayor has said, it’s OK to agree to disagree, but if you can’t move on from a disagreement, maybe politics is not the place for some.”