UPDATE: West Seneca town Council Member Jeffery Pierkarec has resigned following what town leaders are calling a "betrayal of public trust." You can find more information here.
ORIGINAL: A West Seneca town council member has resigned ahead of a special board meeting where officials were expected to discuss a disciplinary matter behind closed doors.
Jeffrey Piekarec stepped down before Monday night’s special meeting, which was scheduled to include an executive session.
Town officials have not publicly said what prompted the meeting or the resignation.
In a letter to the West Seneca Town Clerk, Piekarec wrote that he is “resigning from his elected position as Town Councilmember to focus on other professional endeavors.” You can find a full statement from Piekarec on his Facebook page here.
However, sources tell 7 News that Piekarec may have shared sensitive town information with members of the public. Those sources say the information involved internal employee matters. That information has not been confirmed by town officials.
Piekarec was elected in 2019 and re-elected in November 2023.
West Seneca Town Supervisor Gary Dickson initially declined to comment on the resignation, but released the following statement on Tuesday:
"The resignation of Councilman Piekarec follows the online publication last week of numerous texts from him to a third party in which he divulged the details of confidential discussions between town board members in executive session. This is a blatant violation of the town’s Ethics Code and a serious betrayal of public trust.
Executive sessions are used to discuss sensitive topics such as on-going litigation, labor negotiations, and the hiring and discipline of town employees. Leaking the content of such discussions can damage the town’s interests and cause embarrassment or hurt the reputation of innocent parties.
The third party that Mr. Piekarec sent the texts to, as well as the group that published them online, also showed questionable ethics.
Once trust is gone it cannot be recovered. Mr. Piekarec has made the right decision to resign and give the Town Board an opportunity to appoint a replacement."
