Batavia, N.Y. (WBEN) - The search continues for a new president and CEO of Western Regional Off-Track Betting (OTB), but any potential announcement of new leadership is going to have to wait.
A special meeting of the Board of Directors on Thursday was set to take place at Batavia Downs Gaming to further discuss new leadership going forward at OTB, but that meeting was canceled on Tuesday and has been canceled "until further notice."
The new president and CEO will be voted in by the Board of Directors to replace Henry Wojtaszek, who is set to leave OTB at the end of the year after 15 years with the corporation.
"What I do know is that I'm not involved in the search process," said Wojtaszek in an interview with WBEN on Wednesday. "I have a very good relationship, I have a great relationship with the Board of Directors. We've worked very closely over the years. I think we've brought some great teamwork to this place, and we've certainly grown the revenue here. I think our employees are second-to-none, the customer service that we provide. And that's a combination of working with the Board, and them having trust and faith in the officers and the employees here."
While no date for the next Board meeting has been set in stone to this point, Wojtaszek was told by Chairman Dennis Bassett that it is likely to take place sometime next week.
No matter how the search goes down in the end, Wojtaszek says he's very much looking forward to working with whoever is selected to take over his role, and ensuring a nice, smooth transition.
"I think the employees here have earned that right to expect a nice, peaceful transition, where they can continue to do the great work that they do. But this place, it's grown by leaps and bounds," Wjotaszek said. "I've been here 15 years, the last eight as CEO, and I couldn't be more proud of the work that they've done. I hear it on a daily basis when I'm on the floor, talking to our guests after the concerts, what a great experience they have here. And I firmly believe that that's going to continue here."
One of the names being brought up as a potential candidate to succeed Wojtaszek as the new president and CEO at Western Regional OTB is Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown.
Brown has served as mayor of the City of Buffalo for most of 18 years now, and his fifth term as mayor ends next December. Over the last couple of years, there has been speculation over Brown's desire to potentially leave office early to explore other opportunities in the city.
While Wojtaszek admits he doesn't know Brown much personally, he is familiar with his accomplishments as the Mayor of Buffalo.
"I think he's a strong candidate. Again, I don't know who he's competing with, so I can't tell you relative to that. But I can tell you I think he's a good leader," Wojtaszek said. "I think he has strong relationships throughout the state, so we'll see who the finalists are, and we'll see how that works out."
He further adds the ball is not in his court to recommend who may step in as a replacement as president and CEO of OTB. That decision will be up to the Board of Directors.
Wojtaszek also addressed on Wednesday the recent calls from state lawmakers regarding a severance package deal for Wojtaszek and two other outgoing executives at Western Regional OTB. State Assemblywoman Monica Wallace and Sen. Sean Ryan claim the executives have been accused of impropriety, and that the buyouts violate the Severance Pay Limitation Act.
"I would just echo what the attorney for the Board told the representatives and the general public. Clearly, the statutes that are appointed doesn't apply to what the Board did. They have had very good legal advice, they're on solid legal ground," Wojtaszek noted. "And I would say, again, what Terry Connors said: We certainly will cooperate with any probe that anybody wants. We've done that with anybody else that's come in here, whether it's the comptroller or whoever comes in here. We provide documentation, we provide people who want to talk to them. We're very transparent in that regard, and we'll continue to be that way."
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