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Depew reorganization meeting: mayor, trustees sworn; board approves appointments, policies and meeting schedule
Summary
At its April 7 reorganization meeting, the Village of Depew sworn in a village justice and two trustees and adopted a slate of annual appointments, committee assignments and procedural rules including renewing the OEM alignment with the police department.
The Village of Depew held its annual reorganization meeting on April 7, 2025, where Judge J. Michael Kelleher administered oaths to newly elected officials and Mayor Kevin Peterson and the board approved appointments, committee assignments and a series of administrative resolutions for the coming year.
In the meeting’s opening ceremony, Judge J. Michael Kelleher administered oaths of office to Kathleen McDonald as Village Justice and to Darren Zimba and Robert Morawski Jr. as village trustees. Each repeated the oath common to village officeholders: “I pledge upon my sacred honor that I will perform the duties of [my office] for the Village of Depew to the absolute best of my ability, so help me God.”
The board then conducted the reorganizational business required by law, approving by roll-call votes a series of one-year appointments and administrative resolutions. Mayor Kevin Peterson announced appointments made “pursuant to section 4-400 of Village Law” for many positions and the board carried each item by unanimous roll call.
Major appointments approved included Regina Krenkowski as Registrar of Vital Statistics, Andrew Adolph as Deputy Mayor, Melissa Dadd as Deputy Clerk, Lisa Barone as Deputy Registrar, Samuel A. Alba as Village Attorney, Daniel Shouse as part-time Village Prosecutor, and Paul T. Bumbleo as acting Village Justice. The board also appointed Stephen Soca to the Planning Board (five-year term), Eric Overholt and Michael Gallivan to the Zoning Board of Appeals, Paul Sprada as an alternate member, and Kevin Ferguson as part-time Recreation Director.
The board voted to renew the Office of Emergency Management’s (OEM) alignment under the Depew Police Department for an additional 12 months, continuing the arrangement “until the first Monday in April 2026 or sooner if the mayor and village board determine that the arrangement is no longer working as planned,” language the motion included. Galen Papura Jr. was appointed Emergency Manager and R.J. Neiman was appointed Deputy Emergency Manager; the board noted the two had traded duties from the prior year and that both had served in OEM roles for multiple years.
Other administrative resolutions approved included: - Order of roll-call voting and a seating chart for trustees (adopted by voice/roll call). - Authority for the village administrator to make advance payments for certain claims (utilities, postage, payroll and similar items). - Authorization for specified municipal officials and employees to attend association meetings and seminars in accordance with General Municipal Law §77‑b, with prior written notice required. - Standing committee appointments for the official year (finance; disaster preparedness and public safety; zoning and community development; personnel; public works and solid waste; intermunicipal cooperation; recreation, seniors and veterans; business liaison). - A mileage reimbursement rate of $0.70 per mile for officers and employees using personal vehicles with prior departmental approval. - Per diem meal reimbursement limits (breakfast $12, lunch $15, dinner $25) with itemized receipts required. - Designation of official depositories for village funds for one year (Bank of America, M&T Bank, JPMorgan Chase, KeyBank, Citizens Bank and NYCLASS). - Designation of the Depew Bee as the village’s official newspaper for one year. - Regular meeting schedule: second and fourth Monday of each month at 7 p.m. in council chambers, with a pre-board meeting at 5:30 p.m. - A public-comment policy limiting individual remarks to five minutes, with the mayor or chair empowered to restrict repetitive or irrelevant remarks or to defer response in writing.
All motions shown on the agenda carried by roll-call votes recorded in the transcript as affirmative (the roll calls recorded responses for Trustee Morawski/Mirowski, Trustee Zimba/Ziemba, Trustee Kraft, Deputy Mayor/Trustee Adolph and Mayor Kevin Peterson, among others). Several items were seconded on the record and then carried.
Why it matters: The reorganizational meeting sets the village’s leadership and operational rules for the coming municipal year — confirming who will make legal and administrative decisions, which banks hold village funds, how meetings and public comment will be handled, and how emergency management will be organized in coordination with the Depew Police Department.
The board adjourned the reorganization meeting at 7:38 p.m. The next regular meetings are scheduled for the second and fourth Mondays of each month at 7 p.m.
