CHEEKTOWAGA – The Cheektowaga town council appointed Town Attorney John M. Dudziak to full-time status at their regular board meeting Tuesday night.
The appointment comes after Melissa A. Reese, Esq. submitted her resignation as deputy town attorney and prosecutor effective December 31st.
Mr. Dudziak was appointed to the town attorney job on a part-time basis back in July. He served as an Erie County assistant district attorney and former town attorney and prosecutor for Lancaster according to his law practice website.
Currently a resident of Lancaster, Mr. Dudziak tells Cheektowaga Chronicle that he doesn’t have plans to move into the town to conform to its residency rules – which the town council absolved him of Tuesday night based on his “special skills, aptitude, and expertise.”
“I’m originally from Cheektowaga; my family lives here. I live in Lancaster. Its just one of the opportunities that came up. They were looking for a town attorney – it was on the website – so I applied,” said Mr. Dudziak.
He owns the Law Office of John M. Dudziak, P.C. which has offices in Depew and Buffalo. The firm specializes in criminal acts, speeding tickets, DWI arrests, and divorce law. The new position allows him to balance the needs of the town and the continuation his practice.
“I’ll have no problem fulfilling my obligation for the town,” added Mr. Dudziak. “It gives me some time, plus a majority of my practice is night court – criminal matters – it’s not like I do personal injury where it takes a five-hour deposition. It’s something I can work around.”
His annual salary was set at the rate of $98,000 per year, plus a $10,000 yearly stipend to perform prosecutorial duties for the Town of Cheektowaga Justice Court.