WEST SENECA, N.Y. (WKBW) — The West Seneca Town Board has appointed Marc Priore to fill the council seat left vacant by the resignation of former Councilman Jeffrey Piekarec.
Priors was sworn in during Monday night's town board meeting. He will fill the seat previously held by Piekarec, who stepped down in April.
Priore is no stranger to local politics.
In 2024, he ran for New York's 142nd Assembly District seat but was defeated by incumbent Assemblyman Patrick Burke.
"I very much appreciate the opportunity and faith that the town council members and supervisor have shown in me," Priore said. "I look at this opportunity as a 5 month job interview for our real bosses, the residents of West Seneca," he explained.
Priore will serve the remainder of the term through November 2026 and will be eligible to run for election if he chooses.
The appointment comes months after Piekarec's sudden resignation ahead of a special town board meeting that was expected to include discussions of a disciplinary matter.
At the time, Piekarec publicly said he was resigning to focus on "other professional and volunteer endeavors."
However, West Seneca Town Supervisor Gary Dickson later said the resignation followed the online publication of text messages in which Piekarec allegedly shared details of confidential executive session discussions with a third party.
Dickson called the disclosure a "blatant violation" of the town's ethics code and a "serious betrayal of public trust."
Executive sessions are closed-door meetings used by public bodies to discuss sensitive matters including litigation, labor negotiations, and personnel issues.
Piekarec did not directly address those allegations in his resignation announcement.
Instead, Piekarec thanked residents for their support and highlighted accomplishments from his more than six years in office, including investments in parks, infrastructure improvements, support for public safety initiatives, and several town policy changes.
With Priore now appointed, the town board returns to full strength.
The appointment has already drawn criticism from the West Seneca Democratic Committee.
In a statement released Monday, committee chair Amy Kobler criticized both the appointment process and Priore's selection, arguing the seat was filled without public interviews or public input. The committee also raised concerns about Priore's financial history and said voters should ultimately decide who serves in the position.
Town Supervisor Gary Dickson declined to comment on the appointment.
"The appointment to fill the vacancy on the town board in West Seneca is completely separate from the ballot in the general election," Erie County Republican Committee Chairman Michael Kracker said. "The Republican party will consider candidates for the upcoming town board election in West Seneca at the appropriate time." he added.
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