Council member exits meeting

After stating she felt a discussion was inappropriate, Whitehall Town Council member Francine Giono-Janik walked out of the governing body’s monthly meeting Monday night.

Janik left the meeting during a discussion about cameras during the Mayor’s report.

Mayor Dale Davis was asking Council Members on the record if they had installed the cameras that were found in the Ambulance barn last month.

Davis said there has also been another camera found by a local Sheriff’s Deputy.

“There was a camera found in a room where the files had been kept. It was imbedded in an un-working smoke detector. The deputy knew there was also a recorder above the ceiling and how they wired that recorder they tapped into existing wire above the ceiling,” Davis said.

While the Mayor was discussing the cameras, Janik said, “Point of order, this is totally inappropriate.”

Town Attorney Edward Guza asked Janik to state for the record what her position was as to why it was inappropriate.

“I think it is inappropriate you are doing an investigation open in the public and not brining in all the facts and just your own teeny little mirrors,” she said.

Davis then asked Janik if she put cameras in the Ambulance Facility.

“I put cameras in yes, after you voted to put them in,” Janik said.

Town Clerk/Treasurer Summer Fellows then quickly asked out loud if there were hidden cameras.

“They were there for my protection since you assaulted me in Town Hall the last time you were Mayor,” Janik then said, with it being unclear if she was responding to Fellows.

Guza said he thinks what the Mayor’s intentions are is to find out whether or not there was some form of public involvement by the Council with the hidden cameras.

“If there was, and the Mayor might not know about it, I think the purpose was to find out if any of the Council members who have been on the Council, some of them for years and years, to determine what they know about it. I think that that is a fair inquiry under the circumstances, because indeed if there was public approval by the Council to put in these cameras in the ambulance barn, then obviously there hasn’t been any crime and the investigators should know about that,” Guza said.

Janik said “you voted to put them in there”, to which Fellows responded, “No, no we didn’t.”

“I’m leaving, this is totally inappropriate you are making this meeting hostile Dale (Davis),” she said.

Davis then stated he just asked a question.

“You are making it hostile,” Janik responded.

Fellows then stated Janik is showing her true colors on T.V.

“I am sorry, but I am not going to deal with this hostility from you and you,” she said pointing to Davis and Fellows.

Guza said he for one did not want her to leave.

“You are letting it happen,” Janik responded.

Guza then stated he is actually trying to stop her from leaving.

Janik then exited Town Hall and Davis made one more statement about the cameras.

“Ok, so there is an investigation going on about these cameras and it sounds like we already figured out who put them in. Everything was brought up about HIPPA in the past, we can’t have this because of HIPPA and one camera was right over the PCR files so when you opened up the file cabinets and you could look right into these cameras and somebody, Francine for example, preached it and preached it about HIPPA violations. So who was putting the HIPPA violations out there?” Davis said.