The Rt. Rev. Gladstone "Skip" Adams of the Diocese of Central New York announced the resignations of two leaders from the Diocesan Board at its August 1, 2006 meeting. They are William R. McNeiece, III, a member of the Diocesan Board who served as the chairman of the Property Committee (which is a sub-committee of the Board), and Bill Branson, Jr., the treasurer of the diocese and a member of the Diocesan Board and the Finance Committee (another sub-committee of the Board) also resigned recently. The resignations were announced in an August 2, 2006 e-mail issued by Kathleen McDaniel, Executive Assistant to the Bishop, to the clergy of the diocese. Adams accepted their resignations with sincere appreciation for their hard work on his behalf and that of the Diocese.

The two resignations will now reduce the 13 member diocesan board to 11 active members. Bishop Adams heads up the Board which also includes his executive assistant Kathleen McDaniel (basically his secretary) and his chancellor Paul Curtin, Esq.

On the same day (Sept. 1) that the orthodox parish of St. Andrew's, Syracuse, the largest parish in the diocese, was being hauled into court by the bishop, Adams held a clergy conference at which he was asked by one of his clergy what the legal cost would be to seize St. Andrews. The bishop said the legal cost would be about $20,000.00.

However the source told VOL that this was before he lost a series of motions which ultimately lead to the denial of his lawyers' motions for a temporary restraining order and a preliminary injunction against the parish, and the dismissal of the lawsuit against the individual members of the vestry.

At that last motion date on September 1, the judge said that this case was likely to be in for "protracted litigation" and offered to personally mediate the dispute. "The lawyer for the diocese was obviously stunned by the judge's granting of the motion dismissing defendants from the lawsuit and the 'protracted litigation' comment from the court. It would appear that the legal fee estimate of $20,000 is woefully inadequate," he told VOL.

A diocese losing its financial officers and suffering income loss may not be in a good position to sustain "protracted litigation" to seize one of its parishes, he said. At the same clergy conference, the bishop told his priests that the diocese had no use for the St. Andrew's building and property, as it already owns several vacant parishes. It is likely that the diocese would have to sell the property, but urban churches fetch little money, and tend to sit on the market for some time. They also need to be maintained till they are sold, that is, if a buyer can be found, said the source.

The same e-mail McDaniel released to the clergy concerning the resignations of the two board members of the Finance and Investment Committee also made a recommendation to the Board to sell the abandoned Thornfield Conference Center which was torn down several years ago. It is thought that the proceeds from that sale of Thornfield will finance the lawsuit against St. Andrews.

Bishop Adams also faces a $1.2 million lawsuit from Fr. David Bollinger the former rector of St. Paul's Church in Owego, for intentional infliction of emotional distress and loss of services. This will further deplete the diocese's meager financial resources.

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