CNY Diocese: Key diocesan leaders resign. 60 of 95 parishes behind in assessments
Special Report
By David W. Virtue
www.virtueonline.org

SYRACUSE, NY: (9/15/2006)--Two key diocesan leaders; the chairman of the Property Committee and Diocesan Treasurer have resigned from the board of the Diocese of Central New York, in advance of this November's convention because of the diocese's financial troubles.

A source deep inside the diocese, told VOL that the two men were the financial gurus of the diocese and their resignations were precipitated by the fact that some 60 of the 95 parishes in the diocese are either behind in paying their assessments to the diocese, or are completely withholding assessment payments because of wider theological and moral issues facing the national church. There is no hint of theft or illegality.

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 9 member diocesan board to 7 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.

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