Potsdam Council forms panel to look into assessor's actions

POTSDAM — The Town Council has formed a committee to look into whether Assessor Kim G. Bisonette did anything wrong during a heated conversation he had with a homeowner upset about his assessment recently.

Supervisor Marie C. Regan has asked Deputy Supervisor Rollin A. Beattie and Councilman Harold B. Demick to investigate complaints made by Derek Stevenson, who says the assessor poked, bumped and yelled at him in a meeting at Town Hall last week.

Mrs. Regan said town Attorney Francis P. Cappello initially told her the situation didn't merit looking into.

"Frank's first response was to ignore it, but I didn't think in this climate that I could do that. I took it upon myself, because I felt some acknowledgment should be made," she said. "We've put a call in to the union, and we're going to take it from there."

Mrs. Regan was alerted to the complaint by a letter from the Town of Potsdam Taxpayers Association, of which Mr. Stevenson is a member.

"Mr. Bisonette acted in a hostile manner when he pointed his finger in the chest of the property owner and chest bumped him twice," the group's letter said. "TOPTA urges you to conduct a full investigation of the incident, and upon completion of the investigation, remove Mr. Bisonette as the assessor before his actions escalate and cause worse damage to the citizens of Potsdam and the town's reputation."

Mrs. Regan said town employees had mentioned to her that there was a stir between Mr. Bisonette and a property owner May 20.

"I had heard that there was a furor from the girls, but I wasn't here when it happened," Mrs. Regan said.

"Ultimately, we'll probably go into executive session and maybe issue a letter of reprimand or something. It depends on what we find."

Mr. Bisonette has encountered criticism from TOPTA and Norwood Pond residents recently, because he has been accompanying a county appraiser to the area to take a second look at properties after many homeowners there complained about their assessments.

"He's being chastised because people say he's singling them out," Mrs. Regan said.