A decision on whether complaints against two top Salem Lakes Fire/Rescue officials are sufficient to proceed with a disciplinary hearing was delayed Monday by the Salem Lakes Fire Commission for the second time this month.
This time, a vote was delayed because only two of the five members of the commission were going to be able to vote. President Allen Thennes and Vice President Allen Dunski had previously announced they would recuse themselves from voting on the matter. Commission Secretary Shirley Boening was absent Monday, as she was for the last meeting as well.
Before calling for a vote, Thennes informed attorney J. Michael McTernan, whose clients Wilmot Stage Stop and ATE have filed complaints against fire Chief James Lejcar and fire marshal Steve Ptaszynski, that only two members were present who could vote. That would mean one nay vote could defeat having a hearing.
McTernan agreed to the commission tabling the matter for two weeks in hope of having three voting members present then.
Earlier in the meeting, McTernan said he had filed a new complaint on behalf of Stage Stop. He alleged that Ptaszynski issued a citation for the blocking of an exit. However, the blocking of the door had been already deemed not a problem when a building permit was issued for some work at the restaurant, McTernan said.
“This is just a continued repeated harassment against my client,” McTernan said. “There’s no reason for the fire department to be there. This is uncalled for.”
