| Notes |
A job with the Erie County Water Authority is on the horizon for a former Cheektowaga councilman who left office after being convicted of unemployment insurance fraud earlier this year.
Charlie Markel is scheduled to start Monday as a temporary water utility worker, which pays $45,260 annually, a spokesman for the agency said Monday.
"It's not a civil service title," said Brian A. Gould of e3communications, which handles public relations for the Water Authority. "He's filling in right now for someone that's on a leave of absence."
Should an opening occur, Markel could be considered for permanent status, Gould said.
Markel is the latest politically connected hire at the authority, which has instituted new hiring policies in recent years to widen the pool of applicants beyond political circles.
The former councilman was midway through his second term when he left office in April, after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge related to unemployment insurance fraud. Under the Public Officers Law, once an elected official enters a guilty plea, the office is considered vacant because it involves a violation of the oath of office. |