BUFFALO, N.Y. — Gary Chamberlain is out as Freedom Town Justice, having agreed to resign amid an investigation by the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct.
Chamberlain tendered his resignation to the town board dated November 6, in which he wrote:
"It has been my great honor to have served this community as Town Justice for the last ten years, but I am resigning my position as Justice effective at the close of business today. I sincerely thank each of you for your years of support and I look forward to continuing to be an active and supportive member of our community in some other role."
Under a stipulation to the Commission, Chamberlain, who resigned two years before his term would have expired, agreed never to seek office as a judge again.
In its findings the Commission cited numerous transgressions including failure to enforce an ordinance regarding junk on a residential property, and failure to inform a defendant of his due process rights during an at arraignment.
Further, the Commission -noting that judges must stay clear of partisan politics to properly fulfill their role - found that Chamberlain acted improperly when he wrote an op-ed piece in a local newspaper, critical of a range of decisions and policies by NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo, calling the governor “corrupt” as Cuomo ran for re-election in 2018.