One week after it was revealed that a man hired by the town is a registered Level 3 sex offender, Woodstock Supervisor Bill McKenna has neither responded to requests from the Town Board for hiring records nor convened a special meeting to address the issue.
“Several members of the Town Board have asked the supervisor for an executive session in which we can confidentially discuss this matter,” said board member Anula Courtis. “We have yet to receive any response from the supervisor’s office.”
Courtis, the Democratic nominee for town supervisor, is one of several board members who say they were not informed that Michael Innello—first hired in March as a seasonal maintenance worker and promoted to full-time in June—had been convicted of sex crimes and designated by the state as high-risk.
According to state records, Innello was convicted in 2021 of sexually abusing an unconscious woman and possessing child pornography. He was sentenced to five years in prison and released in December 2024 and registered as a Level 3 sex offender—a permanent designation that indicates a high risk of repeat offense.
McKenna has defended his decision not to alert the board, telling The Overlook, “I didn’t think it was pertinent. It didn’t affect how he could do the job.”
He said he vetted Innello through conversations with counselors and his parole officer. “He does not pose a danger to children,” McKenna said. “We are keeping him away from children and away from prolonged contact with all our employees. He’s out working on his own for the most part.”
McKenna did not explain how Innello is being monitored.
Courtis, however, called the hiring an ethical lapse. “We have an ethical responsibility to let people know that, in fact, there is an individual on payroll who should not be 1,000 feet from children,” she said. “The decision to hire him was made in a silo.”
Town Board member Laura Ricci acknowledged the complexity of the situation but emphasized the need for transparency going forward. “This is a person who has served his time,” she said. “Eyes wide open is a smart idea. What can we learn for the future?”
Katey Abbott, director of the Woodstock Summer Recreation Camp, said she was not fully briefed before camp started. “I was not as aware of it as I would have liked to have been,” she said. “Once things came out, there was a lot more information that made its way to me.”
Abbott has since implemented new safeguards. “Every single staff member that we have knows exactly who this man is, has seen a picture of him, knows his full name, and all the charges that he has,” she said. “If he is seen on site near the camp, we will go straight to the police department.”
A Woodstock parent speaking on the condition of anonymity said she felt betrayed by the lack of disclosure. “It feels to me like really just a lack of judgment,” the parent said. “If the board was voting on this and making decisions together, if they don’t have all the information, then how can they make an informed decision?”
Courtis said she has already begun working with HR professionals to revise the town’s outdated hiring policy. “Were I supervisor, I can tell you we would never be in this situation,” she said. “This would have been a discussion with the entire Town Board. Because that is the right thing to do.”
A group of Woodstock residents, calling McKenna’s decision to hire a Level 3 sex offender “dangerous and negligent,” signed a petition drive calling for the employee’s dismissal and an ethics investigation into why McKenna did not disclose the man’s criminal history.
“The supervisor’s defense—that people should ‘get to know him before judging’—ignores the serious threat posed by this individual and dismisses the reality of trauma for survivors,” read the petition, started by Woodstock hair stylist Lisa Vianello. It had drawn 222 signatures by Friday morning.
The uproar began when board members said last week that they were unaware of Innello’s criminal background when they voted on June 10 to promote him to full-time laborer at a rate of $21.35 per hour.
Assistant Recreation Director Patrick Acker declined to comment, citing guidance from Supervisor McKenna. The supervisor said he would relay The Overlook’s questions to Innello but did not provide direct contact information.
As of this week, Innello remains on the town payroll. McKenna told The Overlook he does not plan to terminate Innello’s employment with the town.
The next Woodstock Town Board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, July 22, at 7 p.m.
Noah Eckstein is the editor-in-chief of The Overlook. Send correspondence to noah@theoverlooknews.com.