The rapist
Clarence M. Justice, 40• Convicted of raping 15-year-old girl in home of Holly A. Balaya, on Feb. 1, 2009. Serving 4-year sentence.
• Military veteran.
• Former son-in-law of Sally Stephenson.
The board
Sally Stephenson, 62• Vice president of Hamburg School Board; elected to School Board in May 2012.
• Leader of new board majority that put former superintendent on leave, brought in new attorney for district and discontinued district’s involvement in lawsuit against her, her daughter and a teacher.
• Former son-in-law, Clarence Justice, convicted of raping teenager in her daughter’s home, which Stephenson owns.
• One daughter, Holly Balaya, also serves on the School Board.
• Another daughter, Lindsey Stephenson, was fired as a first-year teacher.
• Critics say Sally Stephenson is avenging her daughter’s firing by the district.
• Accused of secretly taping an executive session of the School Board in September 2010.
Holly A. Balaya, 38
• School Board member since 2011.
• Daughter of Sally Stephenson.
• A 15-year-old girl was raped in Balaya’s home in February 2009, following an underage drinking party. Balaya’s former brother-in-law was convicted of rape.
• Balaya said she believes the girl made up rape allegation and claims Justice – despite DNA evidence – is innocent.
• Alleges police and school administrators are covering up major drug problem in Hamburg schools.
David Yoviene, 56
• President of Hamburg School Board; elected to board in May.
• Recently urged School Board members and community members to “stop this war.”
Patricia Brunner-Collins, 48
• Elected to School board in 2006; longest-serving member.
• Stay-at-home mother with job experience as nurse.
• She and other board members filed lawsuit last year, accusing Stephenson and two others of secretly taping an “executive session” of board.
Catherine Schrauth Forcucci, 51
• School board member since July, an ally of Stephenson.
• Alleges police and school administrators are covering up major drug problem in Hamburg schools.
• Went to district offices seeking information about legal fees but left after superintendent called police.
Laura Heeter, 44
• School Board member since July.
• Elected on slate with David Yoviene and Catherine Schrauth Forcucci but has since broken with them and votes independently.
• Homemaker; former special education/elementary education teacher; mother of six children.
Thomas F. Flynn III, 47
• School Board member; former vice president of board.
The others
Lindsey Stephenson, 31• Former Hamburg teacher.
• Daughter of Sally Stephenson.
• Formerly lived with Martha Kavanaugh, social studies teacher.
• Claims she was unfairly fired because she and Kavanaugh tried to make students accountable for their actions.
• Stephenson, her mother and Kavanaugh are accused in a lawsuit of secretly taping board’s executive session in September 2010 where Stephenson’s dismissal was discussed. All three deny the allegation.
Martha Kavanaugh, 47
• Hamburg social studies teacher since 2002 but on leave due to stress.
• Formerly lived with Lindsey Stephenson, daughter of Sally Stephenson.
• Graduate of the London School of Economics, Kavanaugh says she was not allowed to teach economics because of run-ins with school administrators.
• Claims administrators have punished her because she tried to get them to act against students involved in drug dealing and she refused to change students’ grades.
• Filed 26 grievances or complaints against the district and a lawsuit against a village judge.
Andrew P. Fleming, 57
• Hamburg attorney, also serves as Hamburg village judge.
• Admonished by state Commission on Judicial Conduct for representing teenage rape victim after previously as village judge arraigning Clarence M. Justice for the rape of the girl.
• Sally Stephenson says she filed complaint that led to Fleming’s admonishment.
• Law partner of Daniel Chiacchia, a leader of parents’ group that has raised allegations about wrongdoing by Sally Stephenson and her allies on the School Board.
Daniel J. Chiacchia, 51
• Attorney and law partner to Andrew Fleming.
• Outspoken leader of parents group critical of Sally Stephenson.
• Stephenson claims Chiacchia is criticizing her and her family in retribution for complaint she made about his law partner. Chiacchia says his sole motivation is helping school district.
• Filed complaint with state education commissioner asking for removal of Stephenson and Balaya from board.
Charles F. “Chuck” Mahoney, 44
• Former Hamburg physical education teacher who was fired in 2003 and now works for Buffalo schools.
• Filed a lawsuit against Hamburg district, claiming he was unfairly fired. Lawsuit was dismissed.
• Filed another lawsuit last year, claiming a former board member slandered him.
• Active in School Board campaigns and supported at least three successful candidates in last two elections.
Richard E. Jetter, 39
• Acting superintendent since July.
Steven A. Achramovitch, 59
• Former Hamburg superintendent.
Ed Piazza, 47
• Hamburg businessman; leader of parents group seeking to remove Sally Stephenson and allies from School Board.
James D. Tresmond, 73
• Attorney for Hamburg School District, appointed in July by majority of board led by Sally Stephenson. One-year contract is for $110,000.
Richard T. Sullivan, 67
• Attorney for Harris Beach law firm, which represented Hamburg Schools for 10 years before the board went with Tresmond’s firm in July.
Concerned Hamburger
• Anonymous blogger who runs Hamburg Educational Ethics website. (At left is the blogger’s avatar.)• Blog satirizes School Board members and administration with sarcastic, caustic and humorous prose. It was created in November 2010 to provide a “publicly accessible news and opinion forum.”
• Critics say blog is a place where anyone can anonymously target and defame those who speak out at public meetings with nasty and inappropriate comments.
• Successfully fought in State Supreme Court the school district’s attempt to lift his or her anonymity.
Secret Tapes
• Sept. 21, 2010: executive session (which a State Supreme Court justice later ruled violated the state’s Open Meetings Law) during which board members discussed firing of Lindsey Stephenson.The Hamburg School District
• Nearly 3,800 students at six schools across the district.• Students have scored well on Regents and standardized tests compared to other local districts.