The Seneca Babcock Community Association (SBCA) announced it would be ending numerous services following reports that the organization lost its tax-exempt status in 2017 after its executive director failed to properly file years of tax returns.
Less than a day after Brian Pilarski confirmed his resignation from the organization’s board, he announced the association’s community-based programs would be suspended for the foreseeable future.
Pilarski shared three letters with BTPM NPR that were sent to participants in the association's youth, senior citizen and childcare programs, notifying members that services would end March 13. The letters state that while the SBCA will assist in connecting families with other local resources, there’s no definite timeline for when programming might resume.
Deputy Mayor Maria Whyte said in a statement to BTPM NPR that the City of Buffalo is working to ensure continuity of services for residents who may be impacted.
"The City has begun discussions with Erie County to explore ways to continue key services, including senior nutrition programming at nearby community centers such as the Delavan Grider Community Center and the Tosh Collins Community Center, while the situation with Seneca-Babcock is addressed,” she said, adding that the city and county will have a follow-up meeting to continue discussions.
Lovejoy District Common Council Member Bryan Bollman said he is working to minimize the damage that could be done from the program shutdowns.
“I'm advocating and trying to do everything I can to see that the doors remain open, so we will see where that goes, but it’s certainly a concern and could have major impacts on my district,” Bollman said.
Erie County Legislator Frank Todaro, who called for the SBCA to be investigated by the New York State Attorney General, also expressed concern for the families that will be affected.
“The investigation has to happen, but what about the displacement of these services now for the community members that rely on these services?” he said.
Todaro also said the latest news has left him with more questions than answers concerning the association’s financial crisis a day after its director’s resignation. He said his office got city and county comptroller audits and found the SBCA received $2.05 million in city grants since 2017 and $2.29 million in county grants since 2019, years after the organization lost its nonprofit status for Pilarski’s failure to file the Form 990 annually required by the Internal Revenue Service.
“I don't know what's going on over there, but things are starting to unravel real fast,” Todaro said. “We're over $4 million. Where's the money? Not even where's the money; how was it spent?"
Records from ProPublica’s Program Protection Program loan tracker shows the SBCA received a COVID-era loan in May 2020 for $115,900. The loan provided $100,000 to protect 72 jobs, while the rest covered utilities and health care. It is unclear whether the association applied for a loan as a nonprofit.
Bollman also said he wants every dollar accounted for, but he doesn’t believe Pilarski’s oversights were intentional.
“I don't expect that there is fraud but hey, why leave any question to it? Account for every single dollar, and taxpayers deserve that. But I've known the director to be very good, very active in the community,” Bollman said.
In a statement to BTPM NPR, Erie County Comptroller Kevin Hardwick said his office is working with government partners to gather facts about Erie County’s contributions to the association to “determine the best course of action to ensure that taxpayer dollars were allocated and spent appropriately.”
Whyte said the city has reached out to the SBCA board to offer technical assistance from the federal and fiscal oversight staff at the Buffalo Urban Renewal Agency to help stabilize the organization’s finances.
This isn’t the first financial controversy the association has been plagued with. In October 2024, the association temporarily shut down operations amid a dispute with the City of Buffalo over more than $90,000 in utility bills, according to a message Pilarski posted to clients at the time.
