“We love poor people”, Scott Bylewski says, “Send us WNY’s worst.”

Responding to recent criticism about the town’s “Residents Only” rule for admittance into any of Clarence’s town parks, Scott Bylewski tried to clear the air. In a telephone interview, Bylewski defended the policy and explained that it doesn’t purposely target any particular socioeconomic group.

“Clarence has dozens, if not 30 residents who identify themselves as non-Caucasian, and we have close to 9 children eligible for the free lunch program in our schools.” he said. “And these people are still allowed in our parks. So to say that our parks are only for wealthy white people is really unfair”.

Indeed, over 98.65% of Clarence is white and less than 2% of the population is below poverty. “The “Residents Only” rule was put in place,” Bylewski said, “just so the folks who pay the town taxes would be able to enjoy the parks, and really, anyone is welcome to join that group.”.

“We don’t care how poor you are, how dirty your fingernails are, or how swollen your liver might be as a result of your current coping mechanisms. Come to Clarence and enjoy our parks; right after you buy a $250,000-$1,000,000 permit”. Said Bylewski, referring to the price range of the homes in Clarence.

Bylewski said that it’s not as if people are being checked at the parks entrances. “But it would be a good idea to have the title of your home with you as well as a current, unsuspended driver’s license. Especially if you have a car without matching tires, but if that’s the case you probably didn’t make it past Transit Road anyway”.