{"id":74721,"date":"2026-04-30T01:15:32","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T05:15:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/?p=74721"},"modified":"2026-04-30T01:15:32","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T05:15:32","slug":"orleans-county-clarendon-historical-society-moves-forward-after-meeting-on-wednesday-evening","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/2026\/04\/30\/orleans-county-clarendon-historical-society-moves-forward-after-meeting-on-wednesday-evening\/","title":{"rendered":"ORLEANS COUNTY\/Clarendon Historical Society moves forward after meeting on Wednesday evening"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Clarendon Historical Society member Raymond Santoro has been filling in as temporary treasurer since February, after the Clarendon Historical Society was turned upside down and\u00a0President and Financial Controller Melissa Ierlan allegedly stole more than $50,000 in Society funds which was allegedly used for personal gain. According to the felony complaint, the alleged thefts occurred between December 16, 2020, and September 27, 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Previously: ORLEANS COUNTY\/Clarendon\/Plea deal offered in Ierlan case \u2013 Video News Service<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The claim was made after a NYS Police investigation in December of 2025. Additionally, in 2023, Ierlan allegedly falsified meeting minutes in order to collect a $102,752 life insurance policy from a deceased community member, part of which was allegedly used for personal gain. The larceny amount was calculated as a result of a forensic audit conducted by the Office of the State Comptroller.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

“We had a meeting in February, it got very contentious,” says Santoro. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the February meeting, Fred Seeman, Melissa’s husband, and Clarendon Town Supervisor, Marc Major had some words. Santoro says he decided to end the meeting after the exchange.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I was hoping tonight wouldn’t get like that and it didn’t. My thing is I want this group to continue on, it’s a great historical organization, they’ve done a lot of fantastic things, especially since it’s such a small community. They got the museum, they got the schoolhouse, they have parades, they do all kinds of things, and of course Melissa was the strength behind everything, but we needed to move on and get new people in, I think these three people we got are going to be great, I feel very good about tonight.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Pictured- five members of the historical society who are family members and supporters of Melissa Ierlan raise their hands to vote no, on moving forward with electing new interim officers. By a 7-5 vote, members decided to move forward with electing new interim officers on Wednesday evening. <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Members submitted names on a piece of paper and placed the paper ballots in a hat to elect the treasurer. Of the two people interested, Erik Hoak, pictured below was elected. Eugenia Mathis was the other candidate. Each briefly spoke about their qualifications.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Peter Turkow was elected President and was the only candidate<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Crystal Gurney will remain as secretary.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Nyla Gaylord with Orleans Community Connects addresses the Clarendon Historical Society members on Wednesday evening<\/em><\/strong>. She says she plans to assist the members in the future and get them on the right path<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I gotta tell ya, this is the biggest mess I ever did see, and business cannot go on as usual,” Nyla Gaylord told those in attendance during her presentation about the constitution and bylaws of the Clarendon Historical Society. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I want to be very, very, clear, nobody related to our previous president, Melissa, can be an officer. The attorney General is very clear about that. The consultants I checked with are very clear about that. It’s not to say that people don’t have the skills, it’s not to imply any culpability on the part of anybody in the family, it’s just the way to do proper business,” Gaylord told the members. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gaylord is part of Orleans Community Connects, a non-profit organization that is available to help other non-profits along with municipal and county governments. Gaylord, who is a Clarendon resident, also attended February’s meeting where members discussed possible president candidates to replace Melissa Ierlan, who has remained as president and has been paying the bills up until tonight’s meeting. Ierlan is a lifetime member. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We have to show that we are proceeding forward in an organized, thoughtful appropriate fashion,” Gaylord says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“This is not something that will come overnight to a conclusion. There’s many, many, different things we need to get into place. The first one in phase one is emergency containment, 0-72 hrs., we’re a little behind. Governance lockdown, identify lawful mechanism and to appoint interim board. Confirm that no unauthorized individuals retain authority. Only three people have any authority, they are the people we elect today. Remove all prior banking and system access. I would recommend a different bank. Disable former leadership credentials. The organization needs a fiscal system. Two signatures are required for expenditures and deposits.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gaylord recommended the organization use QuickBooks, currently they are using pen and paper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The three people elected as president, treasurer, and secretary will serve on an interim basis until elections in November.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Clarendon Historical Society member Raymond Santoro has been filling in as temporary treasurer since February, after the Clarendon Historical Society was turned upside down and\u00a0President and Financial Controller Melissa Ierlan allegedly stole more than $50,000 in Society funds which was allegedly used for personal gain. According to the felony complaint, \u2026<\/p>\n

Continue reading<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":74723,"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":[83],"tags":[5787,5788],"class_list":["post-74721","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-clarendon","tag-clarendon-historical-society","tag-election-of-officers"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8eTP4-jrb","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":76464,"url":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/2026\/06\/26\/orleans-county-ierlan-pleads-guilty-to-grand-larceny-in-clarendon-historical-society-theft-of-funds\/","url_meta":{"origin":74721,"position":0},"title":"ORLEANS COUNTY\/Ierlan pleads guilty to grand larceny in Clarendon Historical Society theft of funds","author":"aka","date":"June 26, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Melissa Ierlan walking into Orleans County Court on Friday surrounded by family and friends Melissa Ierlan, 59, appeared before Orleans County Court Judge Sanford Church on Friday morning and accepted a plea deal in the case of stolen funds at the Clarendon Historical Society over a period of five years.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Clarendon"","block_context":{"text":"Clarendon","link":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/category\/clarendon\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/snapshot_003.jpg?fit=1200%2C1039&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/snapshot_003.jpg?fit=1200%2C1039&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/snapshot_003.jpg?fit=1200%2C1039&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/snapshot_003.jpg?fit=1200%2C1039&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/snapshot_003.jpg?fit=1200%2C1039&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":79440,"url":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/2026\/08\/26\/orleans-county-ierlan-sentenced-to-weekends-in-jail-and-5-years-probation-in-clarendon-historical-society-theft-of-funds\/","url_meta":{"origin":74721,"position":1},"title":"ORLEANS COUNTY\/Ierlan sentenced to weekends in jail and 5 years probation in Clarendon Historical Society theft of funds","author":"aka","date":"August 26, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Melissa Ierlan,60, appeared before Orleans County Court Judge Sanford Church on Wednesday morning for sentencing. Ierlan was sentenced to four months of weekends in the Orleans County Jail, beginning this weekend, and five years probation. She will pay restitution in the amount of $62,000 to the Clarendon Historical Society. Ierlan\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Clarendon"","block_context":{"text":"Clarendon","link":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/category\/clarendon\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/still-outside.jpg?fit=1200%2C879&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/still-outside.jpg?fit=1200%2C879&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/still-outside.jpg?fit=1200%2C879&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/still-outside.jpg?fit=1200%2C879&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/still-outside.jpg?fit=1200%2C879&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":72748,"url":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/2026\/02\/25\/orleans-county-clarendon-plea-deal-offered-in-ierlan-case\/","url_meta":{"origin":74721,"position":2},"title":"ORLEANS COUNTY\/Clarendon\/Plea deal offered in Ierlan case","author":"aka","date":"February 25, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Ierlan arriving at the Orleans County Court facility on Wednesday morning\/VNS photo A long time Code Enforcement\/Building Inspector for the Town of Clarendon and the Town of Byron appeared in court today in Orleans County. Melissa Ierlan, 59, of Holley, NY was charged with grand larceny 2nd degree\/property value exceeds\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Clarendon"","block_context":{"text":"Clarendon","link":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/category\/clarendon\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/snapshot_002-4.jpg?fit=810%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/snapshot_002-4.jpg?fit=810%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/snapshot_002-4.jpg?fit=810%2C666&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/snapshot_002-4.jpg?fit=810%2C666&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":71129,"url":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/2025\/12\/31\/orleans-genesee-building-inspector-code-enforcement-officer-facing-felony-charges\/","url_meta":{"origin":74721,"position":3},"title":"ORLEANS\/GENESEE\/Building Inspector\/Code Enforcement officer facing felony charges","author":"aka","date":"December 31, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"File photo-Melissa Ierlan at a March 2025 Town of Byron Town Board meeting. A long time Building Inspector for the Town of Clarendon and Code Enforcement Officer for the Town of Byron, is facing felony charges. Melissa M. Ierlan, 54, of Holley, NY, is charged with grand larceny 2nd degree\/property\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Byron"","block_context":{"text":"Byron","link":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/category\/byron\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/snapshot_007.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/snapshot_007.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/snapshot_007.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/snapshot_007.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/snapshot_007.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":34299,"url":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/2022\/07\/16\/nys-police-clarendon-woman-arrested-for-welfare-fraud\/","url_meta":{"origin":74721,"position":4},"title":"NYS Police\/Clarendon woman arrested for welfare fraud","author":"aka","date":"July 16, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"On July 14th, 2022, SP Albion Troopers arrested Kylie Biddle, 29, of Clarendon, NY, charging her with offering a false instrument for filing in the first degree and welfare fraud in the third degree. SP Albion Troopers investigated a welfare case from the Orleans County Department of Social Services and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Clarendon"","block_context":{"text":"Clarendon","link":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/category\/clarendon\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/SP2010-SP-HI-Quality-SEAL-GOLD.jpg?fit=525%2C515&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/SP2010-SP-HI-Quality-SEAL-GOLD.jpg?fit=525%2C515&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/SP2010-SP-HI-Quality-SEAL-GOLD.jpg?fit=525%2C515&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6074,"url":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/2018\/09\/27\/orleans-county-clarendon-three-arrested-after-a-violent-confrontation-with-sheriffs-deputies\/","url_meta":{"origin":74721,"position":5},"title":"ORLEANS COUNTY\/Clarendon\/Three arrested after a violent confrontation with Sheriff’s deputies","author":"aka","date":"September 27, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"On Thursday, September 27, 2018, The Orleans County Sheriff\u2019s Office charged three Town of Clarendon residents following a violent confrontation with Sheriff\u2019s Deputies. 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Bourke reports that at about 2:15 p.m., deputies were called to 4179 Bennett\u2019s Corners road for a reported family dispute in progress.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Clarendon"","block_context":{"text":"Clarendon","link":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/category\/clarendon\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Andrew-Klaver-Mug.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Andrew-Klaver-Mug.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Andrew-Klaver-Mug.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Andrew-Klaver-Mug.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/09\/Andrew-Klaver-Mug.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/videonewsservice.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/annunce-results.jpg?fit=1920%2C1080&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74721","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=74721"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74721\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":74743,"href":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74721\/revisions\/74743"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/74723"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=74721"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=74721"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/videonewsservice.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=74721"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}