Williamsville residents will decide Aug. 17 whether they want to have a village

government.

The Village Board Monday set that date for a public vote on whether to abolish its

government, setting the stage for the first showdown on the issue since activist Kevin Gaughan

started his campaign to dissolve village governments.

The vote was unanimous — and immediately triggered an angry response from Gaughan,

who made a surprise appearance at the board meeting.

Picking a date that is the height of summer vacation "is appalling," he said after the

session. "The most jaded political bosses in America would blush. I've never heard of an

election in American when most people on vacation."

Gaughan had pressed for a vote on the day of the primary election, but Trustee Jeffrey L.

Kingsley said the village does not have polling places for primaries. The next possibility,

right after Labor Day, would be difficult, he said, because so many people would be out of

town, taking off for the last chance before summer's end.

Instead, the board selected the day it thinks will attract the largest turnout possible, he

said.

"It's not rocket science," Kingsley said of the reason Aug. 17 was selected.

Gaughan argued that the board could have voted to set a date as late as October. He even

pulled Kingsley aside after the session to tell the trustee that he misled residents by saying

the vote had to be sooner.

"It was accurate," Kingsley said repeatedly.

Under the law, the board had 30 days — since determining enough valid signatures had

been turned in calling for a vote — to pick a day for the election, which would need to

be within 60 to 90 days.

The Williamsville Citizens Study Group, a committee of residents studying the dissolution

issue, had asked that the election be held soon.

"We want it to be over with," said Chris Duquin, leader of the group.

The village determined June 11 that Gaughan and his volunteers had turned in 553 valid

signatures — far more than the 367 required by law.

But several residents showed up at Monday's session to complain that Gaughan and his

volunteers had used misleading tactics to gain those signatures. Several have asked that their

names be removed from the petitions.

One resident, Pat Odea, said a friend of his said he'd been "duped" into signing the

petition, thinking it meant the current board — which his friend didn't care for —

would be replaced and that the measure would also save $2,000 to $3,000 in taxes.

Other residents had similar stories, with one saying that Gaughan had created an

"atmosphere of deception" to get signatures.

Village Administrator Lynda Juul told the audience that residents who want their names

removed can do so by submitting a statement, witnessed or notarized, to the village. She said

forms to do so can be found at Village Hall.

During the session, Kingsley told the audience he hoped the community could engage in a

"productive, healthy debate" between now and Aug. 17. "We are still going to be neighbors."

Also on Monday, the board voted to have both polling places at Village Hall, instead of one

there and the other at the Village Meeting Hall, as had been a standard practice.

The measure passed 4-1.

Mayor Mary Lowther cast the dissenting vote, saying it is hard to find parking during the

day at Village Hall. Voting will be between noon and 9 p.m.