{"id":55825,"date":"2024-08-13T22:26:24","date_gmt":"2024-08-14T02:26:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/?p=55825"},"modified":"2024-08-14T12:06:37","modified_gmt":"2024-08-14T16:06:37","slug":"genesee-county-pontillo-urges-stafford-town-board-to-heed-what-its-residents-are-saying","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/2024\/08\/13\/genesee-county-pontillo-urges-stafford-town-board-to-heed-what-its-residents-are-saying\/","title":{"rendered":"GENESEE COUNTY\/Pontillo urges Stafford Town Board to heed what its residents are saying"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

James Pontillo and his wife, Laura<\/strong><\/em> (photo by Mike Pettinella)<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Mike Pettinella
For Video News Service<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The people have spoken and now it\u2019s up to the Stafford Town Board to listen to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s the message conveyed at Monday night\u2019s town board meeting by James Pontillo, owner of the former Stafford Trading Post at the corner of Routes 5 and 237.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stafford residents are rallying around Pontillo, who has been embroiled in a lengthy legal dispute with the board over the condition of the 134-year-old landmark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The board has placed a certificate of abandonment on the two-story structure and has summoned Pontillo to a hearing on Thursday morning in Genesee County Supreme Court before Judge Diane Y. Devlin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Link to meeting: GENESEE COUNTY\/Stafford Town Board Meeting\/August 12, 2024 \u2013 Video News Service<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>
\"\"<\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Pontillo reported that citizens have gathered more than 200 signatures on petitions seeking to keep the two-story structure from being demolished. He thanked those for caring about his plight, emphasizing that he did not initiate the petition drive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI can’t believe a couple of you took the initiative to get this signed sheet,\u201d he said. \u201cHundreds of people have already signed up — signed it. Other people have made some positive comments, and really not too many negatives. Some were kind of humorous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI just had someone stop over and started working on the island. I said, \u2018What are you doing?\u2019 A neighbor \u2026 I said that\u2019s DOT (Department of Transportation). I\u2019ve asked them multiple times to come in and address that island. He goes, \u2018Yeah, but you know what? It doesn’t look good.\u2019 He took care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pontillo said he was thankful \u201cthat the community is coming together, and the board needs to recognize that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI believe they spoke, and so why not listen to them, so we can move forward.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>
\n

David Roach, attorney with DiMatteo Roach & Kelly of Warsaw, is representing the town in this matter and also was at the meeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Roach admonished Pontillo for ignoring the complaint from the town. (photo by Mike Pettinella)<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMr. Pontillo, do you have an attorney?\u201d To which Pontillo replied, \u201cYes, Pete Sorgi.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThen I cannot talk to you if you are represented,\u201d Roach responded. \u201cHave Mr. Sorgi contact me directly. You\u2019ve had this complaint now for months. You\u2019ve had a motion in default for weeks. Now, I\u2019ve heard nothing from you, and I\u2019ve heard nothing from Mr. Sorgi.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Roach implored Pontillo to call him to \u201cclear up all these misunderstandings.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe will come up with a plan to get this done. But once it\u2019s in litigation, you, if you\u2019re unrepresented, or your attorney needs to talk to me. I understand you don\u2019t do this every day but that\u2019s the way to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While addressing the board last night, Pontillo said Code Enforcement Officer Gene Sinclair has denied him twice in recent weeks for a permit to fix the roof of the building. He also said he just learned that the stop work order issued by the town only applied to the inside of the building, not the outside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOnce I realized that, I said, \u2018Well, then I can go ahead and take care of the outside?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pontillo acknowledged that he is \u201cbothered\u201d by the look of the outside of the building but said he thought he would be breaking the law if he was to put siding up.  Since meeting with Sinclair, he has put new Tyvek on one side of the building, and he said will be siding all but the front of the structure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He disputed the board\u2019s contention that the building is abandoned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe building is not abandoned. Everybody saw the work that’s been done in there,\u201d he said. \u201cI don’t want to get into all the particulars of why it’s not abandoned. I believe the board, if you go into executive session, you might want to talk to the attorney and just say, \u2018You know what? Maybe we should put the brakes on this and move forward in positive way. And I’ll be more than happy to talk \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Previously:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

GENESEE COUNTY\/Town Board taking Pontillo to court over former Stafford Trading Post \u2013 Video News Service<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

GENESEE COUNTY\/Stafford\/Pontillo said he requested building permits again, Stafford Town supervisor says \u2018I don\u2019t know if he did\u2019 \u2013 Video News Service<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

GENESEE COUNTY\/Owner of former Stafford Trading Post building seeks board cooperation to complete outside work \u2013 Video News Service<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

GENESEE COUNTY\/The Sheriff\u2019s Office is investigating after the vacant historic Odd Fellow Lodge was broken into and vandalized on Friday night \u2013 Video News Service<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

STAFFORD\/Pontillo property in Stafford not up to code, Town says it cannot be occupied \u2013 Video News Service<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/fb.watch\/s-W_YWdD3C<\/a>\u2013 August 8, 2015-STAFFORD Residents upset with lengthy dispute over fence on historical property<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

James Pontillo and his wife, Laura (photo by Mike Pettinella) By Mike PettinellaFor Video News Service The people have spoken and now it\u2019s up to the Stafford Town Board to listen to them. That\u2019s the message conveyed at Monday night\u2019s town board meeting by James Pontillo, owner of the former \u2026<\/p>\n

Continue reading<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":55834,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[23,10],"tags":[512,96],"class_list":["post-55825","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-genesee-county","category-stafford","tag-james-pontillo","tag-stafford-town-board"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8eTP4-ewp","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":56618,"url":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/2024\/09\/05\/genesee-county-stafford-attorneys-looking-for-james-pontillo-to-submit-scope-of-project-to-show-fire-code-compliance\/","url_meta":{"origin":55825,"position":0},"title":"GENESEE COUNTY\/Stafford\/Attorneys looking for James Pontillo to submit \u2018scope of project\u2019 to show fire code compliance","author":"aka","date":"September 5, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"File photo By Mike PettinellaFor Video News Service Attorneys for the Town of Stafford and for James Pontillo reached an agreement in Genesee County Supreme Court on Thursday afternoon that requires Pontillo to hire an architect to define the \u201cscope\u201d of a project to bring the 134-year-old former Stafford Trading\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Genesee County"","block_context":{"text":"Genesee County","link":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/category\/genesee-county\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/1000122025-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/1000122025-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/1000122025-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/1000122025-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/1000122025-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":69066,"url":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/2025\/10\/14\/genesee-county-stafford-town-board-to-consult-attorney-regarding-pontillos-request-to-waive-fine\/","url_meta":{"origin":55825,"position":1},"title":"GENESEE COUNTY\/Stafford Town Board to consult attorney regarding Pontillo\u2019s request to waive fine","author":"aka","date":"October 14, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"BY MIKE PETTINELLAFor Video News Service James Pontillo received some support from a couple town residents on Monday night in his bid to have the Stafford Town Board waive the fine imposed him for missing the deadline to complete work on the former Stafford Trading Post building. The board, however,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Stafford"","block_context":{"text":"Stafford","link":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/category\/stafford\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/pontillo-10-13-25-a-2.jpg?fit=523%2C373&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":73078,"url":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/2026\/03\/10\/genesee-county-pontillo-out-of-frustration-plans-to-run-for-stafford-town-supervisor\/","url_meta":{"origin":55825,"position":2},"title":"GENESEE COUNTY\/Pontillo, out of frustration, plans to run for Stafford Town supervisor","author":"aka","date":"March 10, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Pontillo speaking to the board on Monday evening By Mike PettinellaFor Video News Service James Pontillo, citing \u201cfrustration\u201d with the Stafford Town Board, says he plans to run for the town supervisor position that is up for reelection in 2027, looking to replace longtime Supervisor Robert Clement. Pontillo made his\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Stafford"","block_context":{"text":"Stafford","link":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/category\/stafford\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/snapshot_003-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/snapshot_003-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/snapshot_003-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/snapshot_003-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/snapshot_003-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":55440,"url":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/2024\/08\/05\/genesee-county-town-board-taking-pontillo-to-court-over-former-stafford-trading-post\/","url_meta":{"origin":55825,"position":3},"title":"GENESEE COUNTY\/Town Board taking Pontillo to court over former Stafford Trading Post","author":"aka","date":"August 5, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"By Mike PettinellaVideo News Service Just like the name of James Pontillo\u2019s limited liability company, the plight of the former Stafford Trading Post certainly is \u201cthe talk of the town.\u201d On Sunday afternoon, Pontillo invited Alecia Kaus, publisher of Video News Service, and this reporter to tour the inside of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Genesee County"","block_context":{"text":"Genesee County","link":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/category\/genesee-county\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/20240804_171006-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C776&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/20240804_171006-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C776&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/20240804_171006-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C776&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/20240804_171006-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C776&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/20240804_171006-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C776&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":58936,"url":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/2024\/11\/14\/genesee-county-attorney-stafford-town-board-has-hunted-pontillo-down-for-eight-years\/","url_meta":{"origin":55825,"position":4},"title":"GENESEE COUNTY\/Attorney: Stafford Town Board has \u2018hunted Pontillo down for eight years\u2019","author":"aka","date":"November 14, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"(File photo) Left-James Pontillo with wife Laura at a Town Board meeting earlier this year. (Right-Former Stafford Trading Post building) By Mike PettinellaFor Video News Service The lawyer for James Pontillo, owner of the former Stafford Trading Post at Routes 5 and 237, has come out on the offensive, claiming\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Stafford"","block_context":{"text":"Stafford","link":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/category\/stafford\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/stafford-pontillo-court.jpg?fit=1071%2C563&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/stafford-pontillo-court.jpg?fit=1071%2C563&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/stafford-pontillo-court.jpg?fit=1071%2C563&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/stafford-pontillo-court.jpg?fit=1071%2C563&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/stafford-pontillo-court.jpg?fit=1071%2C563&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":68167,"url":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/2025\/09\/16\/genesee-county-stafford-pontillo-renews-building-permit-fines-remain-in-force\/","url_meta":{"origin":55825,"position":5},"title":"GENESEE COUNTY\/Stafford\/Pontillo renews building permit, fines remain in force","author":"aka","date":"September 16, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"By Mike PettinellaFor Video News Service James Pontillo has renewed a building permit issued by the Town of Stafford after being slapped with a stop work order on Tuesday morning. 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