ERIE COUNTY, N.Y. — The Town of Evans is not used to the spotlight.
In fact, the most action you’ll see outside town hall is traffic going both ways down Route 5.
But its own former supervisor Mary Hosler is now set to change all that, filing a cease and desist letter against the town, alleging defamation.
“When you start lying and start using your public office to create or to undermine public trust, I have a problem with that,” she said in an exclusive interview with 2 On Your Side.
It all follows recent findings by the town’s ethics committee that allege Hosler took $23,000 in payments from the town that she was not entitled to. The committee recommended the town board vote to make her pay the funds back.
The findings state that the former supervisor knowingly accepted opt-out payments for the town’s health insurance while she was already receiving the benefits due to her husband also being a town employee. They also say that Hosler violated town code by voting herself in as the town’s budget director that came with an additional $15,000 stipend.
2 On Your Side: “Are you saying none of this happened?”
Hosler: “I'm not saying none of it happened. … I was entitled. I was paid.”
In an interview with 2 On Your Side, Hosler said she did nothing wrong. She argues a town resolution allows for her to receive those health insurance opt-out payments and also pointed to town code that says the supervisor serves “as the budget director unless he/she appoints someone else.”
Hosler: “If this was a position that was something new and created and wasn't obligated to me, absolutely, I wouldn't vote on it, but this is already the position of the supervisor,” she said.
2 On Your Side: “Now your belief is that you can opt out of [the health insurance] and then still receive that insurance through your husband?”
Hosler: “Yes, we're two separate employees. I mean, school districts, municipalities, they have husbands and wives all the time.”
The town’s current supervisor Ray Ashton backed his predecessor, passing along a letter that he sent to the town board on Oct. 28, questioning the ethics committee’s findings and arguing the payments she received followed town code.
For those reasons, Ashton is now advising the board hold off on voting on the ethics committee’s finding, which they did at their most recent board meeting Wednesday night.