BY ANDY GARDNER

North Country This Week

MASSENA -- The Massena Town Council on Tuesday evening took a vote in executive session and afterwards refused to say what they voted on or how individual members voted.

Those present included Town Supervisor Steve O'Shaughnessy, councilors Sam Carbone, Melanie Cunningham and Al Nicola and town attorney Eric Gustafson.

The only thing officials would reveal is to say they had a discussion about the medical, financial, credit or employment history of a particular corporation, or matters leading to the appointment, employment, promotion, demotion, discipline, suspension, dismissal or removal of a particular corporation." Carbone made that motion to go into executive session shortly after 5 p.m.

O'Shaughnessy referred to the shrouded action as part of "ongoing negotiation for one of the biggest assets in the Town of Massena that we take very seriously."

Officials refused to even say which corporation they discussed. Gustafson said state law bars them from voting to spend money in executive session, so there was no expenditure attached to whatever they voted on.

Gustafson said state law requires them to take a record of the vote, which may be subject to being revealed through a Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request.

O'Shaughnessy had intitally announced the meeting as “to discuss a contract that if discussed in open session would possibly diminish the value of the asset.” That is not one of the reasons spelled out in state Open Meetings Law as an acceptable reason to expel the public.

When asked why the discrepancy between his emailed announcement and Carbone's motion to close the doors, O'Shaughnessy said "I was mistaken."

Members of the public and press who came to the Town Hall for the meeting found the front door locked and had to enter through the police station in the back.