Fired municipal official suspected of falsifying documents

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — News 4 is learning new information about why a Lackawanna city official was abruptly fired from his job.

Former city assessor Debbie Skulski-Wakelam is suspected of falsifying documents related to her work.

After Lackawanna’s former assessor was fired from her job earlier this month, News 4 filed a public records request for disciplinary documents and we received a police report in connection with the investigation.

According to the report, three weeks ago, Lackawanna City Attorney John Gaughan reported an alleged counterfeiting incident involving Skulski-Wakelam to Lackawanna police.

The report states that in a meeting with Gaughan and Lackawanna Mayor Annette Iafallo, Skulski-Wakelam first denied falsifying an assessor’s notice and petition, then said she had used an ink pad to print the signature. But city officials said there was no such thing as a signature stamp; the report states that Skulski-Wakelam admitted to signing a commissioner’s name on the form.

These forms, also called RP-553, are intended to correct a prior year’s assessment on a home or business.

According to a city spokesperson, several cases of the same offense have been noted. The police report goes on to say that Skulski-Wakelam was given the option to resign or be fired and that she told city officials she would not resign, so she was fired and escorted from the hotel city.

News 4 reached out to Skulski-Wakelman for comment, but she declined earlier this month. At this point, the city of Lackawanna is not filing criminal charges against the former city assessor.