REPLACEMENT FOR MIDDLEBURYSTAYINFORMED BLOG

REPLACEMENT FOR MIDDLEBURYSTAYINFORMED BLOG

Okay guys, I had an idea. The biggest problem with Pat's blog is the lack of feedback, which is what makes this blog great - I love the dialogs. That is why I have created a replacement for the blog since Jim needs to concentrate on other things.

The format that I have chosen is that of a message board or forum. That way, it's COMPLETELY driven by you - the readers and community. When something happens that you want to discuss, create a new posting. People will be able to comment on it. I will do it as often as I can as well.

The rules are simple: I will try to be fair, but will delete anything that is too obscene, insulting, or inappropriate. 

The message board is located at:

middlebury.proboards.com

Time To Say Goodbye

This will probably be my last entry for this blog, at least for a while.  This constitutes the 260th entry in this blog since I started it in December of 2007.  That’s a lot of work and a lot of time spent; time I can no longer afford.  I could have written a novel in the same amount of time.  I also have no idea how many people actually read this blog, so I have no idea if it was ever effective.

Time is the problem.  With two children in college next year my main focus should be on making enough money to pay for that.  This blog takes up a whole lot of time, but I thought it was important to give readers a perspective of what was really happening at the MVFD, and not what Mr. DeAngelis published on his website.  I also thought it was important to allow others to post comments, something Mr. DeAngelis does not allow. To sit here day after day and try to counter Mr. DeAngelis’s posts with the truth seems to be a futile exercise, and I have better things to do, and more positive energy that could be directed elsewhere.

I don’t know what happened with Mr. DeAngelis. In 2005, he and a small group of others tried to turn things around in a positive way for Middlebury. For so many years Middlebury residents sat silently and watched their taxes go through the roof. Although I was not part of Campaign 2005, I respected what they were trying to accomplish.  What he is trying to do now, is not positive and I see nothing beneficial about blasting Paul Perrotti and the MVFD on a daily basis. 

As stated above this blog was focused on the truth of what was going on at the MVFD.  Many of the readers wanted it to expand to what was happening in Middlebury as a whole.  I was not in a position to write about any of that, since I don’t know what is happening in Middlebury politics.  I am not part of it, nor do I want to become part of it.

For those who want to continue these discussions, you should start your own blog.  It is very easy to do.  You go to http://www.blogger.com and sign up.  Its free, and the interface is very intuitive.  You can post the link here for others to see it if you want.

Thank you to those who appreciated what we were trying to do here, and those who contributed thoughtful and articulate comments.

More Lies

“At the Fire House Meeting on Monday, Half Chief

Perrotti said that the "officers" would chip in on the 

phone bill...wait we thought that no officers got paid, 

so what are they "chipping in"?...

        According to the email accounts provided to OMP by people who 

were at the meeting at the fire house meeting on Monday night 

Half Chief Perrotti was very agitated about the ridiculously high 

cell phone bill and stated that the officers would have to help pay 

for the cell phone bills because not all the calls are HIS.

    Well, first of all, according to the IRS filing we thought that 

Perrotti said that officers DON'T get paid so why are they 

"chipping" in. And secondly, take a good look at who is making 90 

percent of the calls.”

An absolute lie. Nothing of the sort occurred. Mr. DeAngelis should get his facts straight, but he continues to post attacks against the MVFD and its Chief that are completely untrue. He also keeps alluding that there is something wrong with the MVFD IRS tax return, prepared by Lenkowski, Lonergan, and Co.  The MVFD pays this firm to prepare the tax return and to audit the MVFD books each year. 

As stated in yesterday’s post; each MVFD cell phone gets a set number of minutes.  If an officer goes over his alloted minutes, he is required to pay for the overage out of his own pocket.  He is not paying for anyone else’s phone. That has been the policy since the cell phones were first put into use by the MVFD. No one is “chipping in” anything.

Wrong About Cell Phone Bill

“Why was the MVFD Sprint cell phone bill for April 27-May 26, 2007 $2283.90?  Is this why Perrotti won't keep his word and provide the copies we have already paid for? FOI was made aware of this yesterday.”

Wrong again.  Apparently, Mr. DeAngelis had difficulty reading the statement. The MVFD cell phone charges did not come to $2283.90 for the period between April 27 and May 26, 2007.

In addition cell phone records as far as I know are not subject to FOI.  The statements may be, but not the actual call-by-call record.

In addition the MVFD cell phone bill is not paid through taxpayer money. The MVFD Inc. pays that bill.  

The cell phones have proven to be an invaluable tool for officers to quickly communicate with each other. The cell phones have also made the Fire Chief extremely accessible to the public.  If you need to speak with the Chief he is almost instantly available. This brings the level of service the MVFD can provide Middlebury residents to a much higher level.

Yes Virginia the phone call bills from Sprint are itemized. If 

the officers and men at the Fire Dept. had any onions at all they 

would simply request copies of the phone bills from Sprint for 

2007. On the other hand FOI has assured us that our copies of the 

phone bills are "on the way."”

The information regarding any MVFD bill is available to any member at any time. It is not about onions, it is about having the correct information. Mr. DeAngelis does not have the correct information, and does not report the correct information on his website.

There is a set number of minutes alloted to each MVFD phone.  If the person in possession of the phone goes over the minutes, he is responsible for paying the difference.  This is the same policy as the PD and I believe the Public Works have, with one exception. Taxpayers are paying for the PD and PW phones, but are not paying for the MVFD phones. Since Mr. DeAngelis, as a taxpayer, has no financial stake in this matter, I wonder why he spends so much time looking into it?

The Chief is allocated more minutes than the rest of the officers, because his duties require it.  Paul Perrotti is not only Chief of the Department, but head of Emergency Management as well. These duties are 24/7, 365 days a year.  In a post 9-11 world the amount of work Chief Perrotti is responsible for, has exponentially skyrocketed each and every year.  Chief Perrotti  has set high standards for himself and his position, and if  these standards are compromised, will result in a lower quality of service the MVFD provides Middlebury residents.

On top of that, Chief Perrotti is not a full-time paid Chief. If that were so, he could sit at his desk all day long making phone calls from Fire HQ. But, since Chief Perrotti works for a living, he must take his job as Chief where ever he goes, and you can’t do that unless you have a cell phone.

It Is What It Is

From Republican/American  January 12, 2009

“ MIDDLEBURY
 Former 1st selectman gets copies at familiar location
  He came, he saw, he copied. Former Middlebury First Selectman Edward B. St. John visited his old office at Town Hall on Friday to examine documents he had requested under the Freedom of Information Act. The documents included information on a new pumper truck for the fire department as well as some legal bills.

  St. John said he spent about 45 minutes making notes and purchasing a few copies before he left.
  “I made some copies and jotted some things down, but I’m not sure it was all of what I wanted,” he said.

  St. John said he plans to talk to local blogger Pat DeAngelis about a similar FOI request he made last year to compare notes...”

Out Of Control Accountants Of The MVFD

“Lets have a closer look at that

IRS filing done by the Half Chief

Perrotti

Who authorized giving $ 18,623.00 to "members 

in need". Is the MVFD a charitable organization 

under the law?

In preparing the form did Perrotti mistakenly 

depreciate equipment he claims the dept owns, 

yet is actually owned by the town?

Gee, did the half-chief make a big mistake on

item VA concerning money?

Gee, did Perrotti make a mistake in claiming that 

the charity basketball

game took in $ 95,756. and yet had

NO EXPENSES.

Perrotti's Pawn Shop--

is it his stuff to sell? HERE

 For example, the $ 134.000 ambulance is owned by the 

town yet is being depreciated by the privately owned MVFD. We 

wonder if this and other items on the list are not mistakenly listed 

as MVFD when in fact hey are owned by the town of Middlebury.”

First of all the MVFD Ambulance was purchased by the MVFD, and not by the Town.  On paper the ambulance itself is co-owned by both the MVFD Inc. and the Town.  The only reason for this is so that the vehicle will be covered by the Town’s insurance plan.  Thats about it.  No taxpayer money was used to purchase this vehicle.  This is one of the benefits of the ambulance billing system.

Here’s some news for Mr. DeAngelis.  Paul Perrotti does not prepare the MVFD Inc. tax return.  I would think that would be obvious since the return is signed by Lenkowski, Lonergan and Company LLP.  These are also the folks that the MVFD pays a substantial amount of money each year to audit our books.  Unless you believe that somehow Lenkowski and Lonergan et al are conspiring with the MVFD to do something illegal, then this is nothing more than another of Mr. DeAngelis’s inane attacks.

A Message From Time Machine

time machine said...

Has Pattie Forgotten?

Whatever happened to his big lawsuit where he sued the selectmen, the attorneys, and the planning and zoning members?

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
DISTRICT OF CONNECTICUT

PATRICK DEANGELIS

-- versus --

EDWARD B. ST.JOHN,
in his individual and official capacities,

ELAINE M.R. STROBEL,
in her individual and official capacities,

HALOLD S. LYNCH, JR.
in his individual and official capacities.

TERRY SMITH in his individual and official capacities.

WILLIAM J. STOWELL in his individual and official capacities,

ERIKA CARRINGTON in her individual and official capacities,

JAMES P. JOLLY in his individual and official capacities,

JAMES G. CROCICCHIA in his individual and official capacities,

MELINDA D. BURBANK in her individual and official capacities,

THOMAS E. PROULX in his individual and official capacities,

STEPHEN L. SAVARESE in his individual and official capacities,

DANA D’ANGELO in her individual and official capacities


( lots of legal stuff omitted )


17. At a duly constituted Town Meeting in 1996 in Middlebury CT action was taken and it
was legally voted that “the Town of Middlebury is the owner of a certain piece or parcel of land consisting of approximately 35 acres, which land is a portion of a larger piece or parcel acquired by the Town and designated for senior housing …WHEREAS the town has
previously sold to the Middlebury Senior Housing Associates, Inc. a contiguous parcel which is currently being developed as senior housing".

18. At the 1996 Town meeting it was then voted to authorize the selling of the 35 acre parcel of land for “not less” than 1.2 million dollars so that the land could be developed for
“senior housing”.

19. The contiguous parcel of land previously mentioned as being sold was used for the
building of 72 units of Senior Housing. Said Senior Housing was intended and eventually sold to those individuals who had reached a minimum 62 years of age. Therefore it was reasonable to assume at the time of the said 1996 vote that:

a. the 35 acre parcel being authorized for sale for senior housing would abide by the age
62 definition of “senior” held at the first sale of land (1995)and which resulted in the construction of 71 units of senior, age 62, housing units at the site,
b. the selling price was determined by current market forces in effect at the time, i.e., that while the minimum” price was fixed at “not less than 1.2 million” no agreement nor vote
taken stipulated that the minimum price was forever fixed at 1996 market levels.

20. When 6 (six) years later in 2002 the Selectmen of the Town of Middlebury acting
under of color of law agreed to sell the remaining acreage of the land outside the intent of the 1996 meeting relative to the meaning of senior housing they, the Selectmen, acting under color of law furthermore agreed to sell the land for the price established six (6) years
previous to the signing of the contract in 2002 in spite of the rise in real estate values, in
spite of the land now being served by sewer, water and gas lines.

21. The said contract stipulated that land use approvals must be secured before the said
transaction could be consummated. The Selectman, then named the Buyer as the agent for the land still owned by the town EVEN THOUGH (emphasis added) at the 1996 Town Meeting it was clearly stipulated that it was the Town alone that had the authority to market the land.

_____________________________________

Ah yes. That was yesterday. Pattie was legitimately focused on Straw Pond back then.

Today Pattie is totally focused on $6 fire call incentives.

The biggest problem today is the MVFD spending its own money on fast initial response vehicles.

Yes, this is the new definition of corruption in Middlebury. Straw Pond doesn't matter any more. Pattie and Eddie will issue FOI after FOI to get to the bottom of this new definition of corruption.

We don't need legal terminology any more. Hell no. Pattie would rather use the language of middle school: "Dumb Ass", "Half Chief", "Bone head", "Dunce".

I suppose he's playing to his true audience, the Ignoramuses of Middlebury.

Wake up Middlebury!

Fly Cars Of The World And Take An EMT-Basic Quiz

 “BY PENELOPE OVERTON
 REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN
  WATERBURY — The fire department has been working for four years on plans to take on the responsibility of being the first responders to emergency medical calls, the city fire chief said Tuesday.

  Fire Chief Michael Maglione said his department would be ready to take over first-responder duties from city police by June....

 ... Maglione pegged the overall cost of switching first response from the police to the fire department as negligible — no more than $25,000 for additional equipment and the cost of additional training.”  See the Republican/American for full article.

--------------------------

Waterbury Fire appears to believe that using firefighters as First Responders to free up police officers is a good idea.  Waterbury Police may not like the idea quite yet, but it is sure popular with Middlebury Police. In Middlebury, if their is a medical call at your home, two police officers will arrive at your door. Essentially, the two patrolling officers are taken off the street.  A First Responder from the MVFD could free up one officer.

The new First Responder vehicle could also be the first step in eventually staffing it with a MVFD trained Volunteer Paramedic. That would further improve overall patient care.

--------------------------------------

Wikipedia describes the benefits of a Medical Fly Car -

“A fly-car can help emergency medical organizations use their resources more efficiently, sending this smaller vehicle to the scene of an emergency call, where they can assess an incident's severity (especially where there is reason to suspect the injury or illness is not serious) and call in additional help if required.

The units can also provide 'first aid' assistance for those cases which do not require hospital treatment, and can be dealt with by the clinician on site (such as cuts and bruises to non-dangerous body areas), which saves the larger ambulances for other, more urgent jobs.

This can represent a resource saving on several levels, with most fly-cars costing much less than full size ambulances, and because they can often be staffed by a single person (ambulances require a minimum of two crew members: a driver and an attendant).

Fly-cars can also be used to speed response times. This especially applies in areas such as busy roads, where the smaller cars are able to move through traffic faster than a full size ambulance. Some fly-cars also have off-road capabilities, giving them access to areas that traditional ambulances cannot reach.”

------------------------------------------

This is from the “Evening Sun.”

CHENANGO COUNTY – There is no easy answer to the county’s ambulance shortage, one long-time volunteer firefighter and emergency medical technician says.

“It’s going to take some creativity,” said Glenn Degear, a 32-year volunteer with the Preston Fire Department. “But it’s great that the county is looking at the situation and giving it attention.”

Last Tuesday, in response to the announcement that Superior Ambulance – a private

company that handled the bulk of emergency calls in a number of rural townships would no longer be serving Chenango County after Oct. 25, county Fire Coordinator Matt Beckwith suggested the Board of Supervisors consider implementing a “fly car” system that would add manpower to struggling volunteer emergency medical squads.

“This is a very good starting block toward solving the EMS crisis,” Beckwith said. “There are a lot of logistics left to be worked out. But the question is: Right now, how do we provide the best possible care for the people who are hurt out there in their homes or lying in the street? Right now, this is the best it’s going to get.”

--------------------

From Red Jacket Volunteer Fire Department in Seneca Falls, NY.

“2003 Chevy Suburban

1251 is Red Jacket's EMT response vehicle. It is the first EMS vehicle out the door for all ems calls. The Fly Car is equipped with enough equipment to handle multiple patients at one time. It carries oxygen, backboards, a scoop stretcher, trauma supplies, burn supplies, etc. The Suburban is capable of carrying four EMT'S. This vehicle is only a Basic Life Support Unit.”

----------------------

From New Zealand 

Ruawai dinner raises $23,000 for first-response vehicle

By DOROTHY SIMPSON - Dargaville News | Wednesday, 29 October 2008

Getting the Ruawai Volunteer Fire Brigade a first response vehicle was the motivation for the local community putting its money where its mouth is to raise a whopping $23,000 for the cause.

The Ruawai Lions fundraiser dinner on October 18 was described as a night to remember. Organizers say this vehicle will be fully equipped for first response emergencies and will save valuable time and cost by being able to get quickly to medical emergencies before the ambulance – from Dargaville – is able to attend.

Brigade members are undergoing training to handle these emergencies and having this facility in the community is expected to save lives.

-------------------------

Fire Departments throughout the world are using First Responder Vehicles to try to improve patient care in the wake of dwindling EMS volunteers.  The MVFD is being proactive in this endeavor, and doing so at a minimum cost to residents. The MVFD First Responder Vehicle will be fully funded by the Department except for the fuel.

It must also be said that the MVFD needs residents to help out with this growing EMS volunteer shortage. Volunteer your time to help.  The MVFD will train you and help you acquire either an MRT or EMT-B certification. You're not going to medical school. Much of emergency medicine is common sense.  Take the test below and see how you do.

EMT-Basic Test

1) The EMT-B should treat a partial airway obstruction as if it were a complete airway obstruction when the patient  -

A) Cannot cough or has a weak cough, is cyanotic or shows other signs of poor air exchange.

B) Makes a wheezing sound.

C) Signals you to perform the Heimlich maneuver.

D) Points to his mouth or neck.

2) You arrive at a scene where a 22 year old woman says she is experiencing labor pains.  After assessing the patient you learn that this is her first delivery, she is experiencing labor pains but she is not straining, and there is no crowning.  What should you do?

A) Move all non essential personnel out of the room and prepare for delivery.

B) Transport the mother to the hospital.

C) Tell the mother to close her legs and not to push, then transport.

D) Tell the mother to pant while you prepare for delivery.

3) In accidents involving downed electrical wires and damaged utility poles, the danger zone extends from -

A) Each intact pole and from the sides the distance that the severed wires can reach.

B) Beyond each intact pole for a full span and from the sides the distance that the severed wires can reach.

C) 20 feet in all directions from the severed wires.

D) 50 feet in all directions from the severed wires.

4) The ratio of ventilations to compressions during 1-rescuer CPR on an adult is -

A) 2 ventilations every 30 compressions.

B) 2 ventilations every 15 compressions.

C) 1 ventilation every 15 compressions.

D)  1 ventilation every 5 compressions

5) In order for a splint to be effective, the EMT-B should -

A) Immobilize the joint above and below the injury.

B) Only use splints carried aboard the ambulance.

C) Always replace any protruding bones.

D) Always realign all joint dislocations.

6) Anaphylactic shock is caused by -

A) Burns.

B) Severe infection.

C) Severe blood loss.

D) Allergic reactions.

7) The first indication that a patient may be diabetic is -

A) Difficulty breathing

B) An altered mental status.

C) A high pulse.

D) A low blood pressure.

8) If a patient has taken 2 nitroglycerin tablets and has a systolic blood pressure less than 100. How many more tablets can the patient take?

A) 0

B) 1 tablet.

C) 1 tablet if he waits 10 minutes.

D) 2 tablets, each dose 3-5 minutes apart.

9) Blood vessels that carry blood away from the heart are known as -

A) Capillaries

B) Veins.

C) Arteries.

D) Lymph ducts.

10) The best way to control a bleeding wound is to -

A) Apply direct pressure

B) Cover the wound with a bandage and apply a loose dressing.

C) Cover the wound with a loose dressing then apply an ice pack.

D) Apply a tourniquet.

11) Once a dressing is in place, it should never be removed because the removal may -

A) Cause the patient to go into shock.

B) Be painful for the patient.

C) Restart the bleeding.

D) Create infection.

12) You arrive at a scene and find your patient complaining of ringing in the ears. His respirations are deep and rapid. What may you suspect is the cause of the poisoning?

A) Snake bite

B) Ammonia or chlorine gas.

C) Aspirin.

D) Acids or alkalis.

13) One of the first steps in treating a patient who is suffering from an inhaled poison is to - 

A) Remove contaminated clothing and jewelry.

B) Administer a high concentration of oxygen

C) Remove the patient from the source.

D) Take vital signs every 5 minutes.

14) One will lose body temperature faster if you are lying supine on the cold ground rather than standing because of which form of heat transfer?

A) Conduction.

B) Convection.

C) Radiation.

D) Evaporation.

15) A patient should not be rewarmed too quickly.  Doing so will circulate peripherally stagnated cold blood and  rapidly cool the vital center areas of the body.  This could possibly cause -

A) Hyperthermia.

B) Hyperventilation.

C) Cardiac arrest.

D) Seizures.

16) The signs and symptoms of heat stroke include all of the following except -

A) Rapid, shallow breathing.

B) Full and rapid pulse.

C) Dilated pupils.

D) Excessive perspiration.

17) Which of the following should an EMT-B do first when assisting in the birth of a baby? 

A) Lay the baby on its back.

B) Clamp and cut the cord.

C) Clear the baby's mouth and nose.

D) Lift the baby by the feet and slap its buttocks.

18) When treating a child with a fever, do all of the following except -

A) Submerge the child in cold water, or cover the child with a towel.

B) Remove the child's clothing, but do not expose the child to any conditions than may bring on hypothermia.

C) If local protocols permit, give the child fluids by mouth or allow the child to suck on crushed ice.

D) Transport all children who have suffered a seizure.

19) Patient care for the responsive pediatric poisoning  patient should begin with -

A) Providing the patient with oxygen.

B) Administering activated charcoal.

C) Transporting the patient immediately to the hospital. 

D) Contacting medical direction or poison control.

20) When you are within sight of a potentially hazardous motor vehicle accident,  you should do all except the following -

A) Rush up to the vehicle and remove the patient before the vehicle explodes.

B) Look to see if there are hazardous materials placards on the vehicle.

C) Look for potentially fallen power lines.

D) Look for liquids escaping from the vehicle.

Answers:

1) A

2) B

3) B

4) A

5) A

6) D

7) B

8) A

9) C

10) A

11) C

12) C

13) C

14) A

15) C

16) D

17) C

18) A

19) D

20) A

That was not so bad, was it?  You can do this, and we can help you do this.  Knowing what to do in an emergency helps provide you peace of mind.  It helps you protect your family and also helps you benefit the community. You learn a skill that will stay with you for a lifetime.  It is a skill, which is completely designed to help others.  What could be better?

Wrong About Buses And The First Responder Vehicle

 “The devil is in the details....or, we need a bus

for 8 or 9 people? Who is paying for this bus?

It was very interesting to see how Perrotti spends money ( other 

than his own )when he feels threatened.

A few months ago when a citizen actually wanted to see some 

financial documents that were public info Perrotti was forced to 

attend an FOI hearing in Hartford.

He could have driven there in his car as did everyone else. However 

a bus...A BUS...was rented to take ALL HIS SUPPORTERS TO 

HARTFORD.

Well the bus was "filled" with about 10 firemen, maybe 9. We don't 

know how much the bus cost but we couldn't help but notice that 

the 8 or 9 firemen who "supported" the half-chief were doing "OK' 

in terms of the amount of money they were making in fire pay. 

Coincidence? Maybe.”

As usual Mr. DeAngelis gets it wrong. The bus in question was a bus Middlebury Firefighters rode up in to Mr. DeAngelis’s frivolous FOI hearing. The bus was not carrying 10 supporters of Chief Perrotti.  It was carrying 10 MVFD firefighters, who took the day off from work to support the Middlebury Volunteer Fire Department. It was an incredible waste of time; a hearing in which Mr. DeAngelis’s lawyer spent over 3 hours finding out important facts such as Mr. St. John was once First Selectmen, Ken Heidkamp once saw a copy of the MVFD bylaws, and Mr. Belden could read the MVFD budget. Read more here.

As for the bus. Who paid for it?  Answer - the bus company.  They kindly donated the services to the MVFD.  It was not taxpayer money, nor MVFD money. DONATED.

To fully understand the enormous stupidity of 

purchasing a "fly" car in Middlebury , take into account the 

following

a. We, as a town, cannot even fully staff the one ambulance we have.

Many times that is the problem.  We cannot scramble a crew.  There are not enough residents in town who are willing to donate their time to run on the ambulance.  That is why a First Responder Vehicle can help improve patient care. I

b. We, as a town, don't have a para-medic anyway.

c. We, as a town, must rely on Campion Ambulance Service for a 

para medic anyway,

Mr. DeAngelis is under the false impression that every call requires a paramedic and Campion.  That is not how it works.  There are BLS calls, which is basic life support, and their are ALS calls - advanced life support.  Many calls require only an EMT, and no paramedic services at all.

e. Our Police Force are the town's "first responders", as they 

should be.

Most of our police officers have MRT certifications.  I believe only three police officers have EMT certifications. A MRT certification requires only about 40 hours, while an EMT certification requires over 160 hours.  EMTs have a higher level of training.  It is in the best interest of the patient to have an EMT respond as a First Responder.

In addition the Police Department has already stated they welcome the MVFD First Responder vehicle, because it frees up their officers to do other assignments in Town. 

If there is a medical call at your home two police officers will be responding.  That basically takes all the police officers off the road.  A MVFD First Responder frees up the second officer, so he/she can resume other duties.

The cost of the First Responder Vehicle is covered by the MVFD, so no taxpayer money will be used except for the fuel needed to operate it.

The number one priority is to improve patient care.  The ultimate scenario and the best bang-for-the-buck for Middlebury residents is for FD 11 to roll with a crew.  That way Campion expenses are covered by the MVFD and not by the patient.

If a crew cannot be scrambled, using the First Responder Vehicle, at least one trained EMT will be responding to help the PD and Campion.

There is nothing “stupid” about attempting to improve patient care. Everyone in this community can help improve patient care.  Volunteer your time and take an EMT course at Fire HQ.  The MVFD will pay for it, and help you pass the course.  You will not only be improving yourself, but also helping your fellow residents.

More Bah Humbug From The Pit

“Corruption Brewing?

                       

 Gormley denies conflict as town officials, in effect,write themselves checks.   

Dear Selectman Gormley,

I hereby disclose and claim that a conflict of interest exists among yourself , Mr. Desmarais and Mr. Paul Perrotti in the signing and approving of checks that cover your own disbursements or those in those relationships prohibited in theCharter . Please investigate this matter.

DeAngelis

Actually, Tom , it is not a "statement"  per se, it is an accusation 

of wrongdoing that I'm asking you to investigate.”

Corruption is not brewing, but stupidity certainly is, and all of it seems to be coming from the “Pit.”

Mr. DeAngelis continues to appear to be accusing Tom Gormley and Bob Desmarais of corruption, when of course none exists. Mr. DeAngelis seems to have little understanding how Town government works and how funds are paid out. Instead of learning the facts, he suggests that the Selectmen are doing something inappropriate and he also encourages local reporters to join him at tilting at windmills. They are not taking the bait.

Since it is the role of the Selectmen to sign all checks derived from Town funds, would it not be a conflict of interest to sign their own paychecks?  Apparently it would to Mr. DeAngelis. It is simply idiotic. 

But, the truth is that Mr. DeAngelis does not really believe there is corruption here.  That is why he puts a question mark after all of the inane statements.  These statements are made as an attempt to make Tom Gormley and Bob Desmarais look bad, and at the same time take the story off Mr. St. John.

“Tom, isn't it time you stopped with the girlie, Obama thing of blaming all your screw ups on the previous administration? Be a man,Tom and face your responsibilities. Stop taking "it's his fault, wah-wah" lessons from Perrotti. Be a man not a half-selectman.”

I don’t believe Tom was being girlie when he pointed out that Ed St. John, and Tom Proulx collected fire pay from the checks they signed when they were Selectmen.  I think the intent was to show that this is certainly nothing new. Mr. DeAngelis believes that all Middlebury history started on the First week of December in 2007.

“Actually the article decried the lack of para medics. Why don't we just let Campion come to Middlebury with their para medics. Why duplicate the service when we don't have para medics? If you are going to quote the newspaper, be accurate.”

Perhaps if you are going to comment on the article you should consider some sort of accuracy yourself. Read the article again.  The article talks about how there is a lack of EMT-B volunteers, not paramedics. By the way Mr. DeAngelis, paramedics is not spelled para medics.

If Mr. DeAngelis had understood the fairly straight-forward article, he would have realized that the MVFD actually saves the taxpayers at least $350,000 per year in ambulance services. There is no duplication of services.  The MVFD pays $80,000 each year for paramedic services, and not one dime of that comes from taxpayer money.  It all comes from ambulance billing.  Conversely, if the MVFD were to drop the ambulance billing, the residents would be responsible for a whopping Campion paramedic bill, and Campion would not be forgiving if your insurance company did not pick up the tab.  

It is in the best interests of the taxpayers to have FD 11 roll to every call. There is no denying that. If FD 11 does not roll, and you need a paramedic, you will be stuck with the entire paramedic bill, instead of the MVFD picking up the tab.  That is why the MVFD needs residents to dedicate their time and volunteer for the ambulance.

However, when there is an ambulance call, the Middlebury Taxpayer is not the MVFD’s number one priority. At that point, the patient is more important. That is why 85% of the members voted to purchase the First Responder vehicle with non-taxpayer money.  The First Responder vehicle will help to ensure that there will be a trained EMT or MRT at the scene to assist our police officers if FD 11 cannot scramble a crew. PATIENT CARE IS THEIR NUMBER 1 PRIORITY.

 “b.   Secondly if there was a competent, respected Fire Chief in 

Middlebury I doubt you would have any problem recruiting 

volunteers for the dept.  Given the authority I will address that

problem quickly.

c.    I would immediately stop using junk cars with untrained "fly" 

operators and in doing so would stop embarrassing the citizens of 

the town and would attract more volunteers.

The MVFD Chief with the possible exception of Rich Nicol is the highest trained Chief who ever held the position, and the highest trained firefighter in the organization.  He is more than competent to serve as Chief.  The constant attacks simply illustrate the ignorance of the attacker. Again, Mr. DeAngelis did not read the article very well.  The shortage of EMTs is a nation-wide problem and certainly not restricted to Middlebury.  In fact, the MVFD should be commended in that they are trying to find ways of mediating the problem with the least impact on our taxpayers.  The MVFD purchased the First Responder vehicle with their own money and will be purchasing a municipal license plate with their own money.  This will cost the Department $400.00 per year.  By purchasing the plate, the First Responder Vehicle will come under the Town's municipal insurance policy. The only cost to the Town will be FUEL.  This is a small price to pay for attempting to improve patient care.

“Really, Tom? What about:

      on July 6, 2008 Bob Desmarais received $ 2402.71, M. Dayton,

$ 1,018.17, on July 6,2008 Paul Perrotti got 2476.00 above his

$ 7500.00 stipend, above his free car and free gas and on and on.

Where is the "volunteer" in the Middlebury Volunteer Fire Dept?

Tom, you don't get it. Even President Bush rescinded a pardon 

because of the "appearance of impropriety". You cannot allow 

yourself and others to sign checks that put money in your pocket or 

in the pockets of family members. It is really very simple to 

understand. Isn't it?”

It is simple to understand, but apparently not simple enough for Mr. DeAngelis.  There is no impropriety at all. Here is how it works.  Bob Desmarais would not receive a single dime if he did not attend fire calls.  Neither would Mike Dayton, nor Paul Perrotti. There is a very small group of really active Middlebury Firefighters.  My records show that there are only four members of the Department that make over 50% of the calls.  Both Paul Perrotti and Bob Desmarais are included in that 4.  Mike Dayton is close behind and is an extremely dedicated young member.  You didn’t mention Jon Vaughan who comes in at number 3 with 63% of the calls.  What about me?  I am fleecing the Town responding to over 70% and coming in at #2.  How can that be allowed?

Fire pay is earned Mr. DeAngelis.  I doubt seriously many people would run into a burning building for $6.00. The argument is stupid.  Mr. DeAngelis knows it stupid, and he embarrasses himself running with the torch of Mr. St. John, attempting to invent a controversy and create a sense of chaos where none exists.

“By remaining an active member of the Fire Dept or any town agency, takinng an active part and accepting money restricts elected officials in  their ability to serve the citizens at large. For example, if there is an issue regarding payment for MVFD expenses from Town funds, vs. MVFD funds, a vote to spend Town funds benefits the members of the MVFD at the expense of all the citizens of Middlebury."

More bull.  Any funds that are paid from Town funds to the MVFD or its members is for the expressed intend to benefit the entire community. No one at the MVFD is getting rich by volunteering their time and jeopardizing their lives.  In fact, we all loose lots of money by doing so.  $6.00 per call (not per hour)  is no way to get rich.  It helps buy a few Christmas presents in December. Thats about it.

 “Half Chief tries to stop delivery delivery of Christmas Carols to Middlebury homes.”

Mr. DeAngelis again tries to act like he has an understanding of the MVFD, when he clearly illustrates that no understanding exists.

Christmas Rounds by the MVFD is not a caroling event, and if you have ever heard us sing, you would certainly understand why. The MVFD members are not visiting shut-ins and lonely people to spread the Christmas cheer.  They are visiting each other’s homes and creating their own cheer. Thats it.

“Content on OMP, aside from the occasional truth and fact, is mostly fictional. Depictions of public figures are for satirical and humor value only and are not intended to slander or insult. Our aim is to amuse and poke fun, not publish libel. Any and all other figures featured on our site, aside from public figures, are fictional characters. Any likeness or similarity that they may have to persons living or dead is coincidence”

There is nothing true about anything written on the Pit.  It is fictitious, but not for satirical or humorous reasons. It’s only intent is to try to hurt good and honest people who dedicate their time trying to make Middlebury a better place to live.  It ridicules those who do the most for this community and libels them at every opportunity.  It serves no positive purpose, yet seeks to create an atmosphere of distrust and chaos.

There is nothing amusing about hurting other people’s feelings, and ridiculing those who have spent years protecting the residents. Mr. DeAngelis talks about the Christmas holiday.  (By the way Mr. DeAngelis, it WAS the Romans who killed Jesus you know.) He talks about Christianity. I just find this hypocritical for someone who appears to spend a good part of his time maligning the good deeds of others. As someone on this blog has, already suggested, that would be the task for his Priest to undertake.  If not, what Mr. DeAngelis really needs is a visit from Jacob Marley’s ghost. Merry Christmas. The Christmas truce did not last until the 12th night, but who would have thought it would?

A Message From Newspaper Reader

Mr. Taxpayer was not clear enough in his post below, so let me clarify:

The legal bills presented by Savarese involved matters pertaining to Deangelis!

You read it right, folks. Deangelis is burning up the town's money and patience by being the subject of frequent legal meetings and discussions. In addition, if you read those bills closely, you'll see that he is also wasting the time of Claudia Tata (Selectman's Office Administrator) and Edith Salisbury (Town Clerk). We are talking of many hours per month of harassment. Look at those bills!

Exactly how much "truth" has he exposed with all those FOI's and private meetings?

Nothing! Nada!

All he knows is juvenile taunting and lies. "Brainless" "Dumb Ass" "Half Chief" "Boneheads"

A Message From Taxpayer

Deangelis Harassment Wastes Endless Town Hall Time and Money

Pattie publishes page after page of legal fees paid by Middlebury taxpayers like me. What for? To amuse himself at my expense. Countless hours of Tom Gormley's time is wasted. Barbara Whitaker's time is wasted. Steve Savarese's time ($$$) is wasted.

This time and money could have been spent on something useful. Pattie proves with those legal fees that he harassed Gormley from day one. Distracting the new First Selectman from learning his job.

Pattie has the nerve to say in his writings that he was helping Tom. Remember this whopper: ""We all tried to help him because his new, young administration needed help."

That wasn't help. That was sabotage. That was intentionally distracting Tom from his job, day after day. The bills prove it and Pattie is proud of it.

Wake up Middlebury! Wake Up!

This guy is screwing you! He's screwing me! He's screwing the entire town!!!

And he is proud of it. The Bas#@?d.

Freedom Of Speech Alive And Well At The MVFD

“As a town department, fire dept meetings are open to the public. We tape all fire dept meetings. At the last one members openly challenged the half chief and some refused to approve his latest actions including a divisive , petty, badly written letter the Half Chief sent to the dept. criticizing other members.”

This shows how little Mr. DeAngelis knows about what is going on at the MVFD. People standing up at MVFD meetings and saying their piece is nothing new.  They have been doing that for as long as I can remember.  That is one purpose of the meeting. It is the correct forum, and giving your opinion is encouraged.

I guess Mr. DeAngelis thinks that when you get a room full of 30 to 60 Alpha Males all together, they are all going to hold hands and sing Kumbaya.  That does not happen. Everyone has an opinion.  Matters are openly discussed and then voted on.  The majority rules. That is how it works.  That is how it is suppose to work, and guess what?  It does work!

I think the MVFD meetings are much more tame than they have been under other chiefs.  Members can disagree with each other, but I can guarantee that on the fireground all that goes away.  We work together as a cohesive team to get the job done quickly and correctly.  That is the tradition of this great Department.

There is another tradition in the MVFD and has been a tradition since 1941. What happens at the meeting stays within the walls of the MVFD.

A Tempest In A Teapot

“Signing and approving of checks that cover their own disbursements from the Fire Dept. and other accounts are clearly direct financial interest. How is this allowed to continue and where are the two local newspapers on this issue?”

Mr. DeAngelis is so far off base on this one it is absolutely absurd.  This is an example of Rule 2 and the newly added Rule 8 of the Formula Of Hate.

Rule # 2         Create an artificial controversy.

Rule # 8 Infer that Tom Gormley and Bob Desmarais are filling their pockets with money off the backs of the taxpayers, in a sneaky underhanded way that violates the charter.

Mr. DeAngelis ignores the checks and balances within the system.  I.E.  The BOS does not write these checks, they simply sign them.  Their salaries are set.  They are paid with checks written by employees of the Finance Office.  They do not fill in these amounts, but simply sign the checks. This includes their own pay checks.  

This also holds true for MVFD incentive Pay and Fire Pay. The MVFD gets one big check from the Town, and then the MVFD Treasurer writes checks based on what each firefighter has earned.  Tom Gormley and Bob Desmarais do not dictate how much money they receive from these funds.  To say this is somehow a conflict of interest is absurd.

The whole argument is just so silly, its hardly worth talking about.  No wonder no newspaper has picked up on the story.  The reason? ... There is no story. It is a tempest in a teapot.

Repackaging Old News

“Half Chief must hand over 120 documents while his treasurer, Michaud,  faces subpoena.”

Nothing new here. The same old story being retold. Mr. DeAngelis was so concern as to what is written in the MVFD’s checkbooks, he failed to bring his own on the two occasions he showed up to Fire HQ to examine records that he was legally entitled to see.  

Now, he is finally mustering up the $70.00, the cost of copying these documents, as outline by FOI law. This is not exactly earth-shattering news.  Mr. DeAngelis could have had these documents weeks ago, if he had just brought his checkbook with him.

Mr. Michaud is the MVFD Treasurer. Several weeks ago he made himself available at Fire HG for a full day.  Mr. Michaud was to let Mr. DeAngelis see any MVFD document he was entitled to see by law.  Why is it that Mr. DeAngelis only spent about an hour looking at records, when he had the entire day? He was also given a second opportunity to examine MVFD documents several weeks later. He did the same thing; stayed for about 1 hour and left.

Now he talks about subpoena? This is a clear example of Rule #7 in Mr. DeAngelis’s Formula Of Hate - Infer that the MVFD is hiding something, or doing something illegal. Mr. DeAngelis was provided a door of opportunity, and he slam the door on himself.  At what point will FOI look at his actions as nothing more than harassment? 

The Ethics Of Check Writing

          “ Is it ethical for Gormley and Desmarais to sign checks as Selectman when some of the money in those checks goes to them personally?

            Well, what do YOU THINK? Look at what they are doing in light of what is going on in this country. Business as usual for the politicians, local or otherwise.”

Here we go again.  Suggesting that Tom Gormley and Bob Desmarais are doing something unethical if not illegal. 

Every check that comes out of Town Hall is signed by the Board of Selectmen. That includes the Fire Pay and Incentive Pay checks.  Those checks are then deposited in the MVFD checking account and the MVFD Treasurer writes checks based on the MVFD fire pay records, and the “Vonk Formula,” ( The Incentive Pay Formula.)

Neither Tom Gormley nor Bob Desmarais play any role in determining how the money is paid out. Tom Gormley and Bob Desmarais receive Fire Pay. Mr. DeAngelis is attempting to suggest that somehow this is unethical.  He also tries to clump them in with the stereotypical politician, which is not only untrue, but incredibly unfair.  The self-proclaimed “conscience of Middlebury” seems to be lacking one.

Mr. DeAngelis is also forgetting that Mr. St. John and Tom Proulx were also Selectmen as well as firefighters, who also signed the same checks that were delivered to Fire Headquarters during their tenure.

To answer Mr. DeAngelis’s question.  Yes it is indeed ethical to sign checks as Selectmen, when some of the money goes to them personally.  After all who would sign their paychecks?

Mr. Anonymous Talks About FOI Law

Let's look at a couple of pertinent sections of the FOI law that Pat wants to ignore..........If the commission finds that a person has taken an appeal under this subsection frivolously, without reasonable grounds and solely for the purpose of harassing the agency from which the appeal has been taken, after such person has been given an opportunity to be heard at a hearing conducted in accordance with sections 4-176e to 4-184, inclusive, the commission may, in its discretion, impose against that person a civil penalty of not less than twenty dollars nor more than one thousand dollars. The commission shall notify a person of a penalty levied against him pursuant to this subsection by written notice sent by certified or registered mail. If a person fails to pay the penalty within thirty days of receiving such notice, the superior court for the judicial district of Hartford shall, on application of the commission, issue an order requiring the person to pay the penalty imposed. Interesting food for thought. 

And here's another area that Pat doesn't talk about on "The Pit": Sec. 1-214a. Disclosure of public agency termination, suspension or separation agreement containing confidentiality provision. Any agreement entered into by any public agency, as defined in section 1-200, with an employee or personal services contractor providing for the termination, suspension or separation from employment of such employee or the termination or suspension of the provision of personal services by such contractor, as the case may be, that contains a confidentiality provision that prohibits or restricts such public agency from disclosing the existence of the agreement or the cause or causes for such termination, suspension or separation including, but not limited to, alleged or substantiated sexual abuse, sexual harassment, sexual exploitation or sexual assault by such employee or contractor, shall be subject to public disclosure under this chapter. (P.A. 06-132, §1.) Someone ought to look at requesting a certain former State of CT. Librarian and why he suddenly "retired".

Here's another section Pat doesn't want to read: Sec. 1-241. (Formerly Sec. 1-211). Injunctive relief from frivolous, unreasonable or harassing freedom of information appeals. A public agency, as defined in subdivision (1) of section 1-200, may bring an action to the Superior Court against any person who was denied leave by the Freedom of Information Commission to have his appeal heard by the commission under subsection (b) of section 1-206 because the commission determined and found that such appeal or the underlying request would perpetrate an injustice or would constitute an abuse of the commission’s administrative process. The action authorized under this section shall be limited to an injunction prohibiting such person from bringing any further appeal to the commission which would perpetrate an injustice or would constitute an abuse of the commission’s administrative process. If, after such an injunction is ordered, the person subject to the injunction brings a further appeal to the Freedom of Information Commission and the commission determines that such appeal would perpetrate an injustice or would constitute an abuse of the commission’s administrative process, such person shall be conclusively deemed to have violated the injunction and such agency may seek further injunctive and equitable relief, damages, attorney’s fees and costs, as the court may order. (P.A. 93-191, §2; P.A. 97-47, §14.)

The Formula Of Hate

                “Why is it, do you think, that the Half-Chief won't hand over Copies of the check register showing the check #  and amount recorded for each person receiving fire incentive pay for this time period?

                  Why is the Half-Chief willing to spend thousands of taxpayer dollars to keep this information away from the public? Is it because the "formula" for spending what was supposed to be pension money, scewered in favor of a few? Where is the audit of this money. Why does Gormley protect hiding this information? FOI will make them turn it over, but money wasted by Perrotti on lawyers is a tremendous amount.”

Mr. DeAngelis, once again, illustrates that he and his website have the uncanny ability to “get it wrong.”

1) Records of the Fire Incentive Pay for the last year are posted at Fire HQ.  They have been posted at that location since July of this year, when the Incentive Pay is distributed.

2) If Mr. DeAngelis would like to have copies of the check register showing each check number, perhaps he should have considered paying for each copy of the check register as required by FOI law.  

On two separate occasions MVFD personnel took time off  and set aside full days to  allow Mr. DeAngelis access to whatever he was legally entitled to.  On both occasions Mr. DeAngelis left Fire HQ after only about 1 hour.  He left without copies of anything, because he elected not to pay for them.  To keep singing the same old song that he has not been given access is just not accurate.

3) To say the Chief Perrotti is willing to spend thousands of taxpayer dollars to keep this information away from the public is libelous. As stated above, the information is public and is posted in a Town building. In addition, no taxpayer money has been used by the MVFD to pay any lawyer.

4) As stated before, the Incentive Pay was established to reward those who contribute the most to the organization. It was established by the members of the MVFD and former First Selectman St. John, as an alternative to a “Pension Plan.”  A pension plan was not a realistic option for the Town, because it would cost too much to seed, and was difficult to establish which veterans would be eligible and which veterans would not be eligible. The plan would prove too expensive for the Town. The Incentive Plan became a much more realistic alternative.

Scewered is not actually a word, but if Mr. DeAngelis meant skewed, he could not be further from the truth.  The “Vonk Formula” could not be more fair.  Each member of the MVFD, whether they be an Active or Veteran member, has an equal opportunity to benefit from the Incentive Pay.  All you have to do is participate. The formula is based on fire calls, years of service, drills, and meetings. The majority of the “points” come from fire calls.  That is what is important, and that is what we do.  This is not a Bridge Club. It is a Fire Department, and the primary “incentive” is to get members to show up for fire calls, and to keep them showing up for fire calls year in and year out.

People who earn the highest Incentive Pay, have done the most.  People who do not meet the minimum number of points to qualify for Incentive Pay get nothing.  

5) Mr. DeAngelis asks where the audit of the Incentive Pay is.  As stated above, the records for the Incentive Pay are posted at Fire HQ - a Town building. This is nothing new, these records have been posted at Fire HQ since the plan was initiated several years ago.  Mr. DeAngelis and all other Middlebury residents have access to these records.

6) Why does Tom Gormley protect hiding this information?  Here is the attack de jour on Tom Gormley. What would any of this have to do with Tom Gormley? Nothing! 

The above is just another example of all the distortions that come from the pit. It follows the same old tired formula.  Here is the “Formula of Hate.”

1) Post a statement that you know is not true.

2) Create an artificial controversy.

3) Create an atmosphere of chaos and the sense that events are spinning out of control. 

4) Infer that those who take the time to volunteer their time in Town are incompetent.

5) Infer that taxpayer money is being wasted.

6) Infer that the MVFD is hiding something, or doing something illegal.

7) Infer that Tom Gormley is hiding something or covering up something for the “good-old boys” at the MVFD.

This list may get bigger.

8) Infer that Tom Gormley and Bob Desmarais are filling their pockets with money off the backs of the taxpayers, in a sneaky underhanded way that violates the charter.

I guess those who believe what they read on Mr. DeAngelis’s website will be the same people who may pay him $5.00 a month to read it.

A Message From Internet Surfer

I was hoping that somebody else would respond to this thread. I'm not sure it is true that 99% of Middlebury doesn't care about this issue. It is probably more accurate to say that 99% of Middlebury is not aware of this issue.

The trouble with a high profile response directly to Pattie's attacks is that Pattie gets undeserved limelight. He'll exploit that limelight with more outrageous attacks.

This blog is a low profile "point by point" response to Pattie's attacks. Thoughtful people that are tuned in to the issue will read this blog and form an informed opinion.

Our friends "reader" and "taxpayer" are concerned about people who hear about Pattie's outrageous accusations second hand and believe the rumors. How do you counter the rumors without putting Pattie in the limelight? I don't know. Should the MVFD publish something for Joe Average Citizen? Something easily understood with a few minutes reading?

A Message From Long Term Resident

I expect that "Joe Average Citizen" is quite aware of the good works being done by the MVFD. Just this last week we had the Fire Prevention Poster Contest and the Tree Lighting and Bonfire. During the year we have had pasta dinners, Circus, Open Houses, and many other good things. The "call log" appears in the Bee every week.

Deangelis needs to blow a lot of smoke to make Joe Average Citizen think ill of the MVFD.

But he's sure trying, isn't he

A Message From Reader

Middlebury Volunteer Fire Department Puts Children in Danger

This would be the headline in OMP if Pattie wrote about the ice skating rink being built at Shepardsons.

The Sunday Republican American said " The rink's ice will be provided and maintained by the Middlebury Volunteer Fire Department"

(Sorry for double posting. I don't think many people look at older threads. By the way, I counted 23 times that Pattie used the taunt "half-chief" in OMP today. Why doesn't he just write "half-chief" over and over hundreds of times, interspersed with "nyah nyah". That's intelligent. Amazing what comes from a 65 year old "masters" of whatever.)

A Message From Truth Detector

More OMP Lies and Distortions

Eddie must be very very nervous!

Pattie posted these lies and distortions today:

"Dayton and Gormley want to "write off" Washington Drive as an "uncollectable debt".

In generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), if you don't see something as being collectible, then it is noncollectable. If it were anything other than Eddie's malfeasance Pattie would not say it was collectible. Everybody knows that this so-called accounts receivable is uncollectable. Dayton and Gormley are providing accurate financial statements, not politically colored distortions.

"We all tried to help him because his new, young administration needed help."

and

"No matter how much his former supporters tried to help Tom" 

What whoppers! Tommy got no help! Not from Pattie, not from Eddie, and certainly not from the MRTC.

Biggest Whopper

Pattie uses double-talk to blame Tommy for Eddie's crime.

First this:

"Tom needs Ed to blame for his own screw ups, but it won't work because Ed St John has nothing to do with the current administration and their mistakes."

And then this:

"Blaming St. John and Strobel has the advantage of providing Gormley with a talking point even if he fails to recover 96 percent
of the money because he can claim 'victory' with a 5 percent recovery."

Not so fast Deangelis. And, by the way, the figure is $950K not $900K that St. John misappropriated. You exaggerate everything else but you try to minimize Eddie's crime. Stop the double speak. The mistakes were not made by Gormley, they were made by Eddie and Elaine. You are not denying it ("he can claim 'victory' with a 5 percent recovery.") Tommy did not misappropriate the Washington Drive money. Tommy did not build all the sewers and roads for the cluster housing and the hundreds of new Region 15 kids, Eddie and Elaine did that. They "built it" and the developers came and Eddie never got the town's approval.

Go ahead Deangelis. Blow smoke. Distort. Lie. Taunt. Whatever.

Eddie caused it. Tommy is fixing it. You are lying. That is the truth.

SEEC Complaint Letters

Former Chairman of the fire commission and Mr. DeAngelis both filed complaint letters to the SEEC against the MVFD.

It certainly is not surprising that Mr. DeAngelis wrote such a letter against the MVFD. It just comes natural to him, and he gets a bang out of filing complaints and writing letters.  However, Mr. Heidkamp is a different story.

Click Here For Complaint Letters

Mr. Heidkamp was appointed by former First Selectman St. John, as Chairman of the fire commission.  The Charter vote to make the temporary fire commission permanent was defeated in November of 2007 by a two to one margin.  A full year later Mr. Heidkamp decides, that he as a concerned Middlebury resident, should report the MVFD. He obviously did not like that the Department took measures to educate Middlebury residents as to the damage the present fire commission was doing to the Town, and the ramifications if such a politically motivated group would in fact, be made permanent.

This was not the first time Mr. Heidkamp tried to attack the MVFD.  On March 20th, 2007, while the Fire Department was training with representatives from Holmatro, the Chairman of the fire commission was drafting a 45 page document that smeared the Middlebury Volunteer Fire Department and our Chief, in an effort to justify their existence to the Charter Revision Commission. 

The Chairman of the fire commission made a variety of attacks against the Department. He documented his attacks with a volume of paperwork, obviously provided to him from the former First Selectman.  He recklessly released this document to the Charter Revision Commission without ever consulting the Fire Department to see if any of his accusations were actually true, thus illustrating to us, that his interest lies with the former First Selectman rather than the Truth, the Fire Department and the community.

Click Here For Original Article And Video.

These actions illustrate that Mr. Heidkamp’s motivations were always political and that he never had the MVFD’s best interests in mind. For someone who was appointed to help the MVFD and provide oversight over the organization, he certainly showed poor judgement by writing not only a completely inaccurate complaint letter, but also a letter in which its contents only seek to damage the reputation of the MVFD and the Town the organization protects.

Where Is The Value?

“ Brevity and specificity being our goal among other matters 

please consider the following a complaint relative to my Nov 17 

FOI request made of Mr. K. Michaud, Treasurer of the Middlebury 

Fire Dept.

Specifically the following list points to the information never 

provided to me in this or any other FOI request made to the 

Middlebury Vol. Fire Dept. or of Mr. Michaud.

The following is a list the 15 items which have never been provided 

to me and which form the basis of this complaint.

For the calendar years , 2005, 2006 and 2007, I wish to inspect

1.  Copies of canceled checks for each person receiving fire 

incentive pay for each time period mentioned above,

2.Copies of the check register showing the check #  and amount 

recorded for each person receiving fire incentive pay for this time 

period,

3. Copy of the W3 transmittal form showing the amounts reported 

to the Social Security administration for the time period quoted 

above,

For July 2005 through November 2007, please provide the 

following supporting documentation:

4.  Number of fire calls submitted in the payment request to the 

Town of Middlebury,

5. Invoice showing the total fire pay requested from the Town of 

Middlebury,

6. Copies of canceled checks for each person receiving fire pay for 

this time period,

7 Copies of the check register showing the check#  and amount 

recorded for each person receiving fire pay for this time period,

8, Copy of the W3 transmittal form showing the amounts reported 

to the Social Security administration for this time period,

( For your fiscal years ending in , 2005, 2006 and 2007 please 

provide the following documentation for inspection:

9. Total revenue received related to ambulance operations.  This 

includes, but is not limited to, donations, private and insurance 

billing payments and any other ambulance revenue.

10 Any deductions for uncollectible billings,

11  Net Revenue Received

12 All expenses charged against ambulance revenue including, but 

not limited to:

o Copies of all invoices paid

o Copies of all canceled checks applied against the invoices

o Copies of all canceled checks for each person receiving payment 

for ambulance duty

o Copies of the check register showing check# and amount 

recorded for each check payment made for ambulance expenses

13. Net Income (or Loss) from ambulance operations,

14. If there are payments made to individuals for ambulance duty, 

copy of the W3 transmittal form showing the amounts reported to 

the Social Security administration for this time period.  

15. At the FOI Commission hearing it was noted that the Fire Dept 

had sent audits of its dept to the Town ( Mr. Belden ) for the past 

three years. I hereby request to inspect these audits

Thank You,

Pat de Angelis”

It seems to me the there were two occasions where the MVFD set aside full days for Mr. DeAngelis to examine any record he was entitled to see.  Yet, he elected not to take advantage of first, the MVFD Treasurer taking a full day to help him, and on the second occasion the MVFD Chief taking a day off from his work to provide information as well.

In addition, Mr. DeAngelis, according to FOI law, must pay a set amount for each copy of any document he would like.  The MVFD has yet to see his checkbook, because he can’t expect the taxpayer nor the MVFD to provide him such copies for free.

The above list illustrates more than anything that this appears to be no more than pure harassment of the Middlebury Volunteer Fire Department.

If Mr. DeAngelis wanted to see more information, perhaps he should have spent more time at the MVFD to examine these documents when he had the chance, instead of leaving after an hour or so. 

Nothing productive will ever come out of any of this.  To me it is just another deterrent  for those who want to volunteer for the MVFD.  That hurts this Town. The people who do the most in this community are criticized by those who do absolutely nothing.  That will be their legacy.   A paid fire department may be their legacy as well, if those who choose to volunteer one day say, it is just not worth it.

The All Important Ambulance Agreement

“Where is ANY AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE MVFD AND THE TOWN? How did the half-chief commit the town to a town meeting to approve 15 grand for a grant the first selectman never even knew was being applied for?”

Thats not true.  Mr. DeAngelis has a very short memory.  It seems that Mr. St. John wrote a letter to Ron Clark on March 9, 2006 saying that he wanted to continue with the grant process.  See the link below.

http://middleburyfire.org/grant1.pdf

In addition, all this about an agreement between the Town and the MVFD is nothing more than just fluff.  The MVFD has operated for decades without such an agreement with the Town. The agreement was obvious.  All of a sudden this is all so important.  The MVFD keeps responding to calls, and the lawyers keep sending their bills.  Who is winning from all of this?

Mr. St. John tried to make political hay over insisting that the MVFD and the Town draft such an agreement.  FOI how much was spent on legal bills by Mr. St. John in his attempt to take over the MVFD ambulance and thus gain control of the ambulance billing funds.  The MVFD flatly rejected the St John agreement.

When Tom Gormley took over, he threw the St. John agreement out the window, and a new realistic agreement was drafted.  This was presented to the members of the MVFD.  To my recollection there was only one paragraph the members did not like, and it was sent back to be reworded.  It is not the MVFD dragging their feet on the agreement.

Eliminate a paragraph and bingo the Town has its all important agreement that will do little to improve patient care.

Who Want's To Be An EMT?

 “Letter from Middlebury firefighter...

I just finished reading that joke of a [ newspaper ] article about Fredo's [ Half Chief Perrotti ] request. I have an idea for a "fly" car.  Instead of "treating the symptom, treat the cause".

Instead of buying another piece of equipment that won't get out if the firehouse, like the ambulance, Paul should RESIGN!! When he's gone morale should improve and that should fix the "volunteer shortage".

Disgusted middlebury firefighter”

Once again, we have another imaginary firefighter friend of Mr., DeAngelis. Any real Middlebury Volunteer Firefighter understands what the real problem is.  There is a lack of Middlebury residents who are willing to take the time out of their lives to volunteer for the ambulance and this community.  

That is no surprise. You have to be dedicated.  You have to endure some personal sacrifices. None of us were born with fire helmets nor jump bags in our crib.  It is a personal choice that takes a lot of personal thought, before you do it.

You have to put your life in danger.  You have to put your health in jeopardy.  If you screw up, you could be personally sued. You see people at their very weakest moments.  You see suffering, you see death, and witness those who have spent a lifetime together say goodbye. Sometimes all you can do is hold their hands and attempt to provide some sort of comfort, some relief to their suffering.  You are at your best, when things around you are at their very worst.  You attempt to find order in total chaos. 

At the same time, you inconvenience your family. You miss the school play. You miss Christmas Eve. You miss that birthday party.  You have to take a 160 hour course and then re-certify 2 years later.  Who in the world wants to do that?

The idiotic statement that somehow if Paul Perrotti resigned, all these residents would be lining up in front of the firehouse to volunteer is just asinine.  

I have been with the MVFD for 20 years, and I have never met Mr. Disgusted Middlebury Firefighter.  Perhaps, if he or she was a real firefighter this person would have the guts to sign their name.

On the other hand, I know each and every person who rides FD11, and I consider them all heros.  They are Middlebury’s most precious treasure, and I have the deepest respect for what they do for all of us in this community.

More Garbage

“Well, the opposite is true. If the profit making ambulance service doesn't reimburse , the taxpayer , then the taxpayer ,in fact, pays twice. Ergo it is not a "free" service.”

The ambulance does not make a profit!  Every last dime goes back to sustaining the service. No one said that the ambulance is free. How could it be free? The MVFD could stop billing tomorrow.  The Middlebury resident would then have to pick up the tab on replacement ambulances, $80,000 worth of Advanced Life Support fees, each and every year.  They would also have to pay for all supplies and all new equipment. They would see a marked increase in their taxes.

Why is it that town after town is going to these billing systems?  Is Middlebury unique? NO.  Its your choice.  Is it better to have those who are actually using the ambulance, pay for it, or should the cost be spread among everyone in Town.  There are many doctors’ offices in town.  Do you, as a taxpayer feel comfortable with our ambulance giving free services that you are paying for for those who do not even live in Town.  Are you content with that arrangement?  If so, lets get rid of billing.

The MVFD is acting in the BEST interests of everyone in this community.  We are trying to get the best bang for the buck.  The First Responder vehicle is not a toy (more on that in a later post). It is a way to help improve patient care.  To my knowledge, all but two Police Officers are MRTs.  MRTs are trained to about 40 hours.  EMTs are trained to over 160 hours.  Would patient care improve, and would the MVFD be taking some of the burden off our dedicated Police Officers using this car? YES! If we can not get a full crew, than it is better for patient care to at least get one of our EMTs on-scene as soon as possible. 

The idiotic logic that the First Responder Vehicle is anything, but an attempt to improve patient care is simply garbage.  It is yet another attempt to politicize the MVFD. Its time to wake up, ignore the lies and do what is in the best interest of those in this community.

Static Under The Bridge

“This is a typical Half truth from the half chief. Campion has para-medics, a higher classification than an EMT, and Campion gets many, many, calls from Middlebury. In fact, the "why" of why we even need to duplicate Campion's service to the town has never been answered.

Think about it. We pay twice, once with our taxes when we financially support the ambulance and once when we use the service. Why not just use Campion and cut the cost?

Perrotti , it is reported, said that Savarese said that by not 

reimbursing the town the 40 grand we pay for the amublance 

insurance premiums the ambulance service would be "free".

Its paramedics, not para-medics. Mr. DeAngelis once again illustrates that he does not know what he is talking about.  Not all calls require a paramedic.  Campion has both EMT Basics and Paramedics.  If the call does not warrant an R-5 you will get two EMT-Basics instead.

If you DO need a paramedic and FD11 responds to the call, you will not have to pay for that paramedic.  The MVFD picks up that tab.  In fact, the MVFD pays about $80,000 per year and every year for this service. None of that comes from taxpayer money.  It comes from the Billing System.  The Billing System is not 100% funded by Middlebury residents.  Every I-84 call, every accident that involves an out-of-town resident, every doctor’s office call that involves an out-of-town resident is still billed.  There are a great number of people that don’t live in Town that are funding this ambulance through the billing service. That takes some heat off all of us.

On the other hand, if FD11 does not respond to the call, and FD11 does not transport, you the patient, will be stuck with the entire bill.  Its a BIG BILL.

In addition the MVFD has never taken anyone to collections.  If your insurance company does not pick up the tab, and you can’t afford such a bill, it simply disappears.  Campion would not be so forgiving.

If you get rid of the MVFD Ambulance, the price of ambulance services would skyrocket.  Your taxes would go up.  The most surefire way to prevent this from happening is for people in the Town to stop being so apathetic and volunteer to help.  A Volunteer ambulance cannot function if there is no one who is willing to take the time to volunteer.  Its not Paul Perrotti’s fault that their are not enough EMTs to staff the car 24 hours a day.  It is the fault of those who are complacent to sit on their backsides, criticize those in Town who do the most, and offer nothing constructive.  Mr. DeAngelis and all those who seek to attack the MVFD are static under the bridge.

You are paying next to nothing in taxes for FD11. Fuel and the small amount of money to pay for insurance on FD 11 and FD 12, plus about 12 EMTs.  Its not $40,000.  This $40,000 price tag is a made-up number.  It is it fantasy.  If it is true, show us the bill!

There are people in this Town who are trying to kill the goose that laid the golden egg, and then blame either Tom Gormley or Paul Perrotti for doing it.  Start looking at the facts and ignore the static. Stand up and help!  Stand up and VOLUNTEER!!!

Setting The Record Straight

“This is where the Waterbury newspaper got it wrong. "Paul Perrotti" didn't receive a grant. Pat DeAngelis wrote a grant for the Fire Dept. DeAngelis didn't write it for Perrotti. Perrotti did nothing to get the grant. He lied to DeAngelis, telling DeAngelis that the grant never was awarded when it had been. He lied and told DeAngelis that the town had already agree to the matching funds, which it had not.

Paul Perrotti "received" nothing. All he did was take credit for something he couldn't possibly do: write a grant. The firemen "received" the grant, not Perrotti.  What a loser.”

Actually, to set the record straight, Mr. DeAngelis wrote the narrative to the grant. That’s it.  Not the entire grant.  His narrative was reported to have been filled with grammatical and spelling errors, and was reworked by Chief Perrotti, and the FD secretary.  Also some of the language Mr. DeAngelis used had to be changed as well, because certain firefighting terminology was not correctly used.

In addition, the narrative of the grant is just one part of the grant, and not the entire grant. A great deal of information was collected and compiled by Chief Perrotti that was key to obtaining this grant. This took hours and hours of work and represented the main part of the grant. The MVFD was appreciative of Mr. DeAngelis’s work and even brought it up at a BOS meeting, in which Mr. St. John scoured at the very sound of Mr. DeAngelis’s name.  

Its amazing what happens over time.  The real truth is forgotten and a new truth is invented to fit the agenda de jour.

As far as Chief Perrotti lying, that is just untrue.  Paul Perrotti called Mr. DeAngelis on the very day the MVFD found out they were awarded the grant.

As for the matching funds, Mr. DeAngelis must be forgetting that Mr. St. John’s illustrative fire commission knew about the matching funds months before the December deadline. Their lack of communication with the BOS bolsters the MVFD’s argument that the fire commission created an unnecessary wall of bureaucracy between the MVFD and the BOS.  It illustrated that a fire commission was awkward and ineffective. It was created only as a political instrument of Mr. St. John and he used it as a wielding sword of aggression.

For more information about what the BOS and the fire commission knew and when they knew it click on the link below.

http://www.middleburyfire.org/grant2.pdf

The world according to Mr. DeAngelis is not one of satire, but a web of spun distortions and lies to carry on Mr. St. John’s bitter and arrogant vendetta against the MVFD and it’s Chief.

He is joined by former chairman of the now defunct fire commission Ken Heidkamp.  Both of these Middlebury residents wrote complaint letters to the SEEC against the MVFD.  They are coming soon. Mr. Heidkamp’s complaint letter to the SEEC assumes many things that were just not true.  His letter illustrates what this blog and what the fight against the fire commission was really about.  To read more about the MVFD’s fight against the fire commission click on the following link:  

http://www.middleburyfire.org/charter2007.htm

For those of you who read this blog, who think that enough is enough with the MVFD, and lets concentrate on the RTC, you have it all wrong.  The political epicenter in Middlebury IS the MVFD. The former first Selectman has created the politics and sets the agenda, not the MVFD. It is the reason why Mr. St. John did not ride off in the sunset.  It is why he is going against Tom Gormley.  It is why he is organizing his cronies on the RTC. 

Distort the truth, attack the MVFD in any way possible including bogus and untrue complaint letters to the SEEC.

Bury the MVFD with a never-ending flood of FOIs that are generated more from Bronson drive than they are from White Ave.  Attack Tom Gormley and Bob Desmarais. Create a sense of chaos where chaos does not exist.

It is time for people in Middlebury to wake up and take a look around to see what a very small group of people are trying to do to this Town.

Its not about being a Democrat nor a Republican.  Its about what is in the best interest of this Town.  

If you are a Republican it is time to get behind Tom and give him the support he deserves.  Mr. St. John said himself that it would take at least one if not two terms for Tom to get to know the job.  It’s ironic that he never afforded Tom such a honeymoon, and appears to work against him at every opportunity.

This Blog Is Not Dead

This blog is not dead.  Just taking a bit of a vacation. It will return. I care too much about what happens to this Town to turn the switch off.  Stay tuned.

A Complaint Of Errors

Well, I can certainly understand why the writer of this SEEC complaint against the MVFD did not want anyone to see their name. Will you look at the amount of errors in these three small paragraphs?  I can understand a few typos and grammatical mistakes.  I make a bunch myself, but there is spell check for heaven’s sake.

electionering electioneering

beleive believe

attahced attached

thas that

was were

There was nothing the matter with the MVFD handing out information that informs the voters of what they were voting for.  This is important information and directly addresses firefighter and public safety. It counters the negative and incorrect information that has been released by Mr. DeAngelis on his website and in letters to the Editor.

No MVFD INC. funds were used.  No taxpayer funds were used. I wrote the 3-fold brochure and one of Middlebury’s most loyal and dedicated firefighters printed them out on his personal laser printer.

The hot dogs, which by the way were expertly cooked, were purchased from funds donated by our brother firefighters out of their own pockets. 

Firefighters did not approach voters before going into the polls, but rather offered them a free hot dog after they had already voted. After just going through a National Election, and all the problems that are associated with that around the State, I can see the SEEC dropping everything to investigate this. Loose-cannon firefighters, madly wielding hot dogs, duping the public into replacing a 27 year old pumper.  

A True And Well Thought-Out Message From "Mr. Anonymous"

Did anyone read the Letter to the Editor in todays Bee? Marcucci and Murphy make some good points, especially about how the local RTC's are run. Just take a look at ours.......Registered 

Republicans have no say at the caucus over who our RTC "annoints". If you are not one of the "beloved", you have no choice but to primary. Our RTC needs to be mindful of the fact that unaffiliateds are still the largest bloc in this town. They may soon become sick and tired of the antics by the RTC. 

Ask Ron Clark whether he thinks he'll be nominated for another term on the Police Commission. He has no illusions about the current RTC. The Republicans of this town need to take control of our party back from the "elitist" few, who think they know what is best for the rest of us. I know some of you will say that we tried and failed, but I say that just means we have to try harder. 

Why do I discuss the RTC here? Because Middlebury politics is dominated by the Republican Party. And, the current RTC will be nominating candidates for public office, who will, quite possibly, be controlling the town just a year from now. The Democrats are making inroads, which I believe, in Middlebury at least, is a good thing. But they still do not have a big enough base to wrest control of town government away from the Republicans. 

Therefore, it is incumbent on the "disenfranchised" Republicans of this town, most of whom are completely bi-partisan, to regain control, and work for the betterment of Middlebury. We all need to stop focusing our attention on the individuals, and look at the collective whole. The issues are clear. Bi-partisanship is the only way to effective loal government. Tom has made great strides in this area, despite the constant roadblocks thrown up by the "elite". This momentum must be sustained if we are ever to bring Middlebury forward to where we need to be, and once were.

A Message From "A Friend"

If there was ever a reason to continue your blog, it is reflected in the following quote:

"It should be the highest ambition of every American to extend his views beyond himself, and to bear in mind that his conduct will not only affect himself, his country, and his immediate posterity; but that its influence may be co-extensive with the world, and stamp political happiness or misery on ages yet unborn."

—George Washington, letter to the Legislature of Pennsylvania, September 5, 1789

The Quote That Was Not

Nice try at an original quote. Unfortunately, it was not too original. It was one of the more memorable quotes from King Vidor’s 1956 version of the epic, “War And Peace.” The line was spoken by General Kutisov in the following passage...

Kutusov. - Your plans ! Tomorrow after the battle, the generals will wonder why their plans did not succeed. And they will blame everybody but from themselves.

Bolkonski. - How will the battle go tomorrow ?

Kutusov. - I believe that we shall lose the battle, but we shall not lose the war. We shall sign the peace and we shall begin the war again. Men like Napoleon don't stop until their own ambition has destroyed them. The only important battle is the last one. 

Man's Humanity To Man - Thank You Middlebury

“Kurt Vonnegut once wrote, “I can think of no more stirring symbol of man's humanity to man than a fire engine.”  Yesterday those who came out and voted in favor of the new pumper showed their humanity towards the residents in our community. It was a victory for the Town, and all of its citizens.

Replacing Engine 2 is the first step in rebuilding Middlebury’s fleet of fire apparatus.  The old Engine 2 will now be sold, and the MVFD can say goodbye to a 27 year old engine that has served the community well throughout its years of service.  Engine 4, from the West End Station, will take it’s place. Engine 3 will be moved from Fire Headquarters and relocated at the West End.

The new Engine 2 will faithfully serve the Town for the next 20 years as a frontline pumper. Thats a long time. We just hope that for the next 20 years we still have volunteers who will be willing to ride aboard it. 

Thank you Middlebury!

Re-Writing History

Isn't this the same truck the Fire Commission approved in 2003 and that Paulie screwed up? So Paulie thinks he is a success because it took him 5 extra years to do what could have been done in 2003. This, in a way, is a metaphor for his career and the reason why he'll be out in 2010.”

Mr. DeAngelis is once again incorrect and attempting to somehow warp history.  It is a  convoluted attempt to move the blame for the delaying fire apparatus replacement off the shoulders of former First Selectman Ed St. John and Mrs. Strobel.

The truth is that there was no fire commission in 2003.  Mr. St. John and Mrs. Strobel formed their ill-fated commission back in June of 2006. You can watch it happen by clicking HERE.  The funny thing is that Mr. DeAngelis was also in attendance at that exact meeting when the fire commission was formed, so I am curious why he thought such a commission was in existence in 2003. 

If you watch the video you will hear Chief Perrotti read a prepared statement regarding the BOS dragging their feet in making the decision about replacing the pumper.

You can’t change what actually happened.  The Department drew up a plan in 2002, had a spec in 2003, and the rest is history.  

The Truth Needs Neither An Excuse Nor An Apology

One truth is the Middlebury Volunteer Fire Department is absolutely the best organization that I have ever had the pleasure of being associated with. I have always said, that the best thing I ever did, besides marrying my wife, and raising my family was to join this organization. Middlebury is lucky to have such a dedicated and caring group of people.

Another truth is that everything I have ever done as a member of the Department was for the benefit of my brother and sister firefighters and for the safety of Middlebury residents.  That has always been the agenda.

The MVFD never got into politics.  It was politics that drew in the MVFD. The door opened the moment when Mr. DeAngelis attempted to discredit Mr. St. John by filing an FOI request regarding documents Mr. St. John had signed when he was Chief, with Ph.D. following his signature. There was then a flood of attacks against the organization that continue even now.

The daily attacks on the MVFD, its Chief and Officers has been disgraceful. Lies and distortions, artificially generated to continue a bitter vendetta is detrimental to public safety. The attempt by outside forces to try to divide this Department is not in its best interests and hurts morale.

I was quoted in the paper several years ago saying, - “All I want to do is come down to the firehouse, jump on an engine and fight fires.” That holds true today.  Last year I believe I attended more fire calls than anyone in the Department.  Big deal.  Its not because I had to.  It was because I wanted to.  I care about what happens to people.

The MVFD should stay out of politics.  So stop drawing us in! Stop the attacks, the distortions, and the lies. Is the MVFD perfect? No its not.  None of us are perfect, but we are doing the best job we know how to do. Firefighting is a noble attempt to try to bring some sort of stability in the face of utter chaos. I have been on the nozzle of some of the worse structure fires in Middlebury in the last 20 years.  That is difficult enough.  We don’t need to keep fighting fires started by the destructive rhetoric of those with political motivations. 

This blog will go away when the distorted and shameful attacks on the MVFD cease.

James Redway

Incentive Pay 2007-2008

“This does not include "incentive" pay or stipends .”

Mr. DeAngelis is once again incorrect.  The above list is in fact the Incentive Pay for the period of July 2007 - June 2008.  If you add all the numbers up you will see that the total comes to $30,000, which is the yearly incentive pay for the MVFD.

I don’t know what Mr. DeAngelis is trying to prove by all this, but he certainly does a bang-up job illustrating who is dedicating the most amount time to the MVFD.

The Incentive Pay plan was a plan started by the MVFD when Mr. St. John was First Selectman. Several years ago there was discussion of providing a pension plan to give something back to members for their years of service.  The system proved to be too expensive. On top of that, requiring members to wait until they were 65 years old to collect this pension hardly was a way to attract young firefighters.  

Consequently, an Incentive Pay plan was established.  It was based on a “Point System.”  The Point System is based on the member’s fire call attendance, training attendance, meeting attendance, and years of service. There is a minimum number of points one must accumulate in order to qualify for pay. (Thus the name Incentive.)

Mike vonKannewurff created an Excel Spreadsheet program that easily calculates the Incentive Pay using the parameters described above.

So what does the above list show?  It shows the names of Middlebury Firefighters whose participation was such that they earned the minimum number of points to qualify for the incentive pay.  Members who do not appear on the list did not make the necessary number of points.

Those with the highest pay where those firefighters who attended the most number of fire calls.   The more calls you make, the more pay you get.  If you don’t make enough calls, you get nothing from the plan.

The list above is a snapshot in time, showing the dedication many MVFD members have towards protecting life and property in Middlebury.

In addition:  The 2006-2007 Incentive Pay list is posted at http://www.middleburyfire.org

VOTE YES TO QUESTION #4

Public safety is so much of a priority for the dedicated members of the MVFD, that they got together the other night and passed the hat once again for the safety of residents of Middlebury. The pumper is such an important issue at this time, that members pulled out their own wallets to help promote a favorable outcome on Question #4 on the referendum.

The signs that you will see around Town were paid out of the personal finances of the MVFD members.  It is refreshing to see that the members of the MVFD are willing to invest their personal finances to promote the well-being of this community.  A tradition since 1941, the MVFD has always looked out for the best interest of our residents.

This is a time where residents can return the favor.  Help them, help you with this new pumper.  Vote YES for Question #4.

Download and distribute their brochure at:

http://www.middleburyfire.org/pumper.pdf  Be patient, this version is “press quality,”

 and may take a few minutes to download.

The Westover Donation Is Not Taxpayer Money

“Finance Bd meeting shows Perrotti spent $6800.00 on one budget item when his allocation for the item was$500.00. Now do you see why we FOI his accounts?

Now do you see how the Finance Bd countenances careless overspending? And why is the town spending the $ 6300 to pay this overdraft?  And how do things like this happen? Who is keeping an eye on departmental spending?”

Got it wrong again. It would seem that Mr. DeAngelis, Mrs. Bollard, and Mr. McCormack don’t know the difference between taxpayer money and donations from tax exempt organizations.

For years Westover School, an organization that does not pay taxes in Town, has donated a large sum of money to various departments in Town.  That included the MVFD, the Police, and Library. What some on the BOF have incorrectly stated is, that this donation is paid in lieu of paying taxes.  That is not true.  Westover is a school and therefore is tax exempt.  They don’t have to pay taxes and they don’t have to give a donation. The donation is not taxpayer money. They give this donation because they are a wonderful organization that appreciates the various Town departments that help them throughout the year.

In the past the MVFD has received $10,000.00 per year.  Former First Selectman Ed St. John used to take $2500 of that money and use it for the Town-wide Employee appreciation picnic.  The rest of the money was given to the MVFD to spend as they wish through a Town account.

What is important here is that there are no restrictions on how this money is spent.  It is a gift.  The MVFD could do what they want with it.  Chiefs have used it throughout the years to try to make up where their budgets fell short.  One year Chief Perrotti used the money to pay for on-spot chains for Truck 1.

Many years the money is used to purchase fire gear and dress uniforms for new members.  The dress uniforms are ordered in the winter so they are ready in the summer.  Chief Perrotti ordered new uniforms as he has done in the past, expecting to pay for them as he has also done in the past out of the Westover account.

So what happened?  During the budget talks, some members of the BOF thought they had the power to confiscate this money from the MVFD and dump it into the General Fund. WRONG! They did this after the uniforms had already been ordered. This action was totally contrary to the intentions of Westover School and the School sent a letter to the Town stating that the money should go back directly to the MVFD.

When the uniform bill came in last summer, Chief Perrotti issued it to be paid out of the Westover account.  The bill was not paid, until it was approved the other night at a BOF meeting.

Once again, Mr. DeAngelis does not have his facts straight.  Taking money that was donated to the MVFD was totally against the intentions of those at Westover.  The result is that next year, Westover will issue the check directly to the MVFD, and bypass the Town all together.

A Message From 55 Year Resident

Elaine has been a selectman for 10 years or so. She knows how the budget process works. She ought to know a tiny bit about accounting and financial statements.

Elaine should know that the MVFD has a capital replacement account that gets funded with about $75,000 per year to keep the apparatus up to date. In a town of about 7500 that comes to $10 per year per person or about $50 for a family of five. Not really a lot to keep the fire department up to date.

But what happened? I'll tell you.

Back in 2002 or so things turned dark and got darker still in 2005 when Eddie was challenged. Read this blog for the full story.

Elaine went along with Eddie and held up the replacements. She did that during relatively "flush times" when Eddie was running the "Construction Company" full blast with bright shiny green trucks and fancy gold pin striping.

Did Elaine ever speak up?

No.

Not according to any Selectmens minutes or by any actions that I can remember.

Elaine and Eddie are responsible for holding up the periodic scheduled replacement of fire equipment. For purely political reasons. Now, in 2008, we have aging equipment and have not kept the schedule that would have been fairly painless (remember, $50 per year per family) to afford.

Gormley is trying to unload the green trucks, but who wants them now?

Elaine has plenty of blame on her hands. And now she wants a referendum so that she is popular with the White Avenue crowd.

Take a bow Elaine! Great going.

Magic Pumpers And Other OMP Fairy Tales

“ Magical Fire truck increases in value by $ 12 500.00 PER WEEK.

Well boys and girls wouldn't YOU like to have a truck that increases in value by $ 25,000.00 EVERY TWO WEEKS. If you would like such a truck just ask Mr. Wizard ( Paul Perrotti ) who claimed at the Selectman's meeting ( look at page four after clicking here ).that such a truck exists right there in his imagination!). If the town 

doesn't do what he says the truck will keep increasing in value until it is worth 5 million dollars!

Wow, what a truck! We think it increases in value so much because you can bake magic waffles and strawberry pancakes on the fenders of EACH WHEEL. Now, don't forget, whatever anybody else says, when you grow up, YOU should always tell the truth.  We wonder what a real Fire Chief would say.”

I guess Mr. DeAngelis never learned that important lesson.

When the local Ferrara sales representative priced the MVFD spec, the price of the engine came to $505,919.00, which was well above the American LaFrance price. This is the important part here. The National Sales Manager of Ferrara was aware of the LaFrance bid, and was also aware that the MVFD was chiefly an American LaFrance Department.  In an effort to break into Middlebury, and to increase Farrara’s presence in New England, he agreed to lower the price of the apparatus to $474,920.00.  That is a great deal of savings for the Town.   This price is good until December 1, 2008.

December 1, 2008 - The price will increase $20,000.00, for the exact same engine.

On January 1, 2009, NFPA 2009 goes into affect and there will be another price increase of $20,000.00 to $25,000.00.  

Total increase will be $40,000.00 to $45,000.00

There is nothing magical about the price or the pumper.  Just the cold, hard facts.

“Let's assume that Perrotti is actually, this time telling the truth and that $300,000 in town funds have been set aside.”

Actually, at the Town Meeting, Finance Chairman John Dayton said that there was $350,000.00 available for purchasing the apparatus right now.  With another $75,000.00 being allocated for apparatus replacement next year, the total amount would come to $425,000.00 available, which would leave only $50,000.00 that would have to be paid on the pumper.  Mr. Dayton said that this could be done in such a way as to have no effect on taxes.

“And besides isn't it true that Perrotti could have bought a truck in 2002 but  he was more interested in playing town politics rather than in doing his job?”

This statement is a lie.  In 2002 Chief Perrotti enjoyed a good relationship with former First Selectman St. John.  It was not until August of 2004 when the relationship deteriorated, directly from the action of Mr. DeAngelis submitting an FOI request regarding documents in which Mr. St. John sign Ph.D. after his name.

In early 2003, the MVFD Officers and Mr. St. John sat down at a meeting and spoke about replacing Engine 2, refurbishing or replacing Engine 4 and Rescue 1. It was Mr. St. John’s idea to create a “global plan.” Mr. St. John never followed up on these meetings.  There was no money available to purchase any apparatus.  Mr. St. John told the MVFD Officers that the entire project would be paid for through a bond package.

Since Mr. DeAngelis was not at any of these meetings, he is hardly the best person to be speaking about any of this.

Mr. St. John and Mrs. Strobel continued to block apparatus replacement until Mr. St. John left office.  Mrs. Strobel appears to be continuing her attempts to block apparatus replacement and has shown on several occasions that she does not support the Fire Department.  The delay in apparatus replacement has already cost the Taxpayers around $174,000.00.  You can thank Mr. St. John and Mrs. Strobel for that.

“If a new Fire Chief were to be elected Sunday night we would direct our attorney to give the new Chief "some time" to discuss the matter by postponing Wed's hearing. This would stop Mr. Michaud or anyone else from being questioned under subpoena next Wed. Given the extra time perhaps all sides in the matter could come to a "peaceful" resolution.”

Mr. DeAngelis can’t seem to understand that there are accounts that he is NOT legally entitled to see. It would not matter who is Chief. The result would be the same. The Fire Chief does not have the authority to give any of these documents over to Mr. DeAngelis.  These funds belong to MVFD Inc., not Chief Perrotti.  It is the equivalent of saying that the President of GE has the authority to show Mr. DeAngelis financial documents.

“We would certainly co-operate with a new Chief that truly has the best interests of the town in mind.”

A disgraceful statement, but that is what we are accustom to, from Mr. DeAngelis. Chief Perrotti has always had the best interests of the Town in mind. 

Mr. DeAngelis’s crusade to prevent the purchase of the pumper is full of lies, and distortions. It is a disservice to our firefighters who volunteer their time, jeopardize their safety, and inconvenience their families, in the name of helping those in this community.  It is also doing a disservice to the community, whose very safety depends on fire apparatus working properly when it is needed the most.

More Nonsensical Rants From OMP

“Now some of you amateur lawyers are going to try to justify the actions of some of the firemen who interfered with the referendum on the Charter changes. First, numb-nuts, read the law AND THEN WE'LL DISCUSS THE CASE LAW:

Sec. 9-369b. Local questions and proposals. Explanatory text. 

Expenditure of state and municipal funds to influence vote prohibited. 

 We're sure the Chief will say that the money spent was not "public" that it came from "some other fireman fund". Uh-uh. The law and the CASE LAW state quite clearly that any town agency that RECEIVES, NOT SPENDS, BUT RECEIVES PUBLIC MONIES CAN'T GO AROUND MESSING WITH THE VOTERS.”

Nice try, but you have a little problem with your argument. The small amount of money that it took to buy a few hot dogs, a few signs and some coffee did not come from any Town fund, and it did not come from any MVFD INC. private fund.  It all came from passing the hat among the members personal funds and donations. Members using their own personal funds in defending their First Amendment rights to freedom of speech. How could they?

“Also it was Gormley who allowed such activities to take place, even with his crackerjack attorney standing there, the law was evidently broken. Oh, nice example for the kids, Tommy.”

The self-proclaimed elderly, partially disabled, mild-mannered, former librarian seems a bit confused. Election Day 2007 was the date of the referendum on the Charter Revision questions. Guess what? It was also the very same day that Tom Gormley was elected First Selectman.  Mr. St. John was First Selectman on that day, not Tom Gormley.

This entire matter is a joke.  It is meant to intimidate and harass the MVFD members. What will be the ramifications for the person who signed the complaint when it is determined that he/she knowingly filed a false and malicious complaint with the SEEC against a volunteer fire department?

Yet More Lies From The Pit?

 Out of respect for his father who was a professional fireman Pat DeAngelis wrote the grant for the Firehouse communications gear.  Paul Perrotti signed the application and then LIED about the whole 

deal. The issue here is not who wrote the grant but the fact that Paul found it necessary to lie about the whole thing. DeAngelis was willing to let Paul take the "credit" but then Paul wouldn't even tell DeAngleis that the grant was received. A little paranoia, ya think? 

BULL! Here is another lie.  What Mr. DeAngelis is not telling you is that there are several parts of a grant.  The main part of the grant was compiled by Chief Perrotti.  This encompassed a great deal of background information and specific information regarding the Department, its equipment and the demographics of the community.  This is the hard part of writing grants.  It is the research that must be done.  On the other hand, Mr. DeAngelis wrote the narrative part of the grant, a page or two that explains why the Department needed such a grant.  

What Mr. DeAngelis does not tell you and what he himself was not told (to spare his feelings), was his narrative was so filled with grammatical errors, and some of the language included was not appropriate for someone writing a grant for the fire service.  The narrative had to be heavily edited by Chief Perrotti and the MVFD secretary to put it in a form that could be submitted. Needless to say, the MVFD was very appreciative of the work that Mr. DeAngelis did do, and still is to this day.

Another outright lie is that Chief Perrotti “lied about the whole deal.”  Not true. At a Selectman’s meeting Chief Perrotti said that he had help with the grant and even mentioned Mr. DeAngelis’s name. That was met by Ed St. John’s rolling eyeballs.  The truth is that Mr. DeAngelis did not want to get involved with taking any credit for the grant.  He wanted to stay out of it.

It is also a lie that Chief Perrotti never told Mr. DeAngelis that the grant was received.  The day the MVFD found out about the grant, Chief Perrotti called Mr. DeAngelis to congratulate him. 

““F”, the new pumper is a pathetic joke. The money for the pumper was there in 2002 but Perrotti didn’t want to take it because ( wah-wah ) he didn’t like St. John. Now the department suffers because of him.”

Again, more lies. The spec was written in 2003. Chief Perrotti and Mr. St. John were getting along just fine.  It was not until Mr. DeAngelis FOIed the Fire Department for Mr. St. John’s Ph.D. papers that the relationship started to deteriorate.  That was in August of 2004. There was no money for the pumper in 2002.  At an Officer’s meeting in 2003 with Mr. St. John, they discussed bonding a project that would have replaced Engine 2, refurbish or replaced Engine 4 and Rescue 1. There was no money available. They would have had to bond the whole project.  

 "C" , "D" and "E" are nothing more than the taxpayers giving money to the FIREMEN not to Perrotti. In fact, with a new Chief the money would be far greater.”

More cyber-garbage from Mr. DeAngelis. C, D and E were not paid from taxpayer’s dollars.   The new ambulance is from the Ambulance billing service that Mr. DeAngelis falsely tells everyone makes $200,000.00 a year. The 4 defibs and furniture came from MVFD Inc. funds. When the Town asked for help in purchasing 2 defibs, the MVFD stepped up to the plate, once again, and ordered 4 instead of two.  Get your facts straight! None of this was paid through taxpayer dollars.

“Following preliminary discussions the State Elections Enforcement Commission agreed to accept a complaint against certain members of the Middlebury Vol. Fire Dept. The Town never should have allowed a town dept, the Fire Dept. , to violate State Statute as the complaint indicates. The individuals involved will be held accountable according to State Law”

The real question is who signed the complaint, and who will be accountable when this individual files a false claim against a volunteer fire department.  What will be the ramifications for filing such a false complaint?  

All these attacks on the MVFD and Chief Perrotti a week before the Fire Department Elections. This is their big swan song week. An endless montage of lies and distortions encompassing a vain attempt to try to change the outcome of the election of Chief.  The people who do the least for this community are attacking the person who does the most for this community. It is pathetic.

More Intimidation Attempts Against The MVFD

“Beginning in 2006, the Middlebury Volunteer Fire Department, Inc. had been actively engaged in lobbying efforts to defeat a proposed charter revision and those candidates supporting the charter revisions in the Town of Middlebury, Connecticut.”

You left out some pretty key elements. Lets look at the facts here.  

1) Mr. St. John and Mrs. Strobel proposed a charter change that would include a permanent fire commission. The purpose of the MVFD is to protect lives and property from fires and other disasters.  The fire commission was a disaster, and not only threatened firefighter safety, but public safety as well. 

The fire commission was a group of untrained, uninformed, politically charged individuals, that served as a roadblock between the MVFD and the BOS. During their tenure they delayed apparatus replacement decisions, attempted to interfere with fireground operations, and attempted to stall the repair of essential lifesaving equipment. The fire commission threatened firefighter and public safety.

When former First Selectman St. John and Elaine Strobel made a move to make the temporary fire commission permanent, and created language in the Charter that would in-essence, take the vote for Chief away from the MVFD members, the Department, led by Chief Perrotti informed Middlebury residents of the destructiveness of such an action. The realization that the Fire Chief could be appointed by a fire commission, even if the Chief is not a firefighter was absolutely ridicules. It should also be noted that the late Selectman Hal Lynch was strongly against such a Charter change.  Read more about Hal here.

Allowing a politically motivated group to control fire safety in town could not be tolerated. The Department was well within its rights to protect its members and the residents from the damage a permanent fire commission would have inflicted if allowed to continue.

2) The question regarding whether to make the fire commission permanent was the only element of the Charter change the MVFD was opposing. In fact, on July 14, 2007, Chief Perrotti gathered almost 200 signatures from residents who wanted to see the fire commission question be separated from the Charter Revision vote. Mrs. Strobel was quoted in the July 17, 2007 Republican/American saying, “Splitting up the ballot would become too complicated.”  The petition was denied by Ed St. John and Elaine Strobel.

3) At no time did the Middlebury Volunteer Fire Department ever formally support any candidate. The assertion above is an outright lie.  The MVFD is made up of Republicans, Democrats, and Independents.  That was made very clear at the time. Whether or not members, as Middlebury residents, supported their chosen candidates outside of the MVFD was well within their First Amendment rights.

“They actively campaigned against the charter on their website (www.middleburyfire.org).”

The website is not the official website of the MVFD Inc., and is not owned by the MVFD. It is a privately owned website, and funded 100% through private funds.

“They created mailers actively opposing the charter change and encouraged voters to help defeat it.”

The mailers were not created by the MVFD Inc. No MVFD Inc. funds were used to create such mailers, and none were ever mailed out.

“Most disconcerting is the fact that this organization has raised significant funds through public grants, bequests, fund-raisers or tax-deductible donations and then used these funds to support political activities.”

Another lie. Not one penny of the funds used to fight the Charter change that included a permanent fire commission, came from taxpayer money. Nor were any funds of the MVFD Inc. used in the endeavor.   Once again, the information above is wrong. All funds used were personal contributions from members.  

This is just another act of intimidation directed toward the MVFD, in an effort to stifle their voice in the upcoming referendum that will determine if Middlebury replaces a 27 year old pumper.  This is no different then the IRS threats made earlier. This is just harassment of individuals of a volunteer organization whose only motive is the safety of fellow firefighters and those in the community they serve.

One last thing. It will be interesting to see if this letter, dated yesterday is actually sent.  Why is the signature blocked out?  Who wants to keep their identity secret, when simple FOI to the SEEC would reveal the author. Who is going to sign this letter. Mr. St. John, who has aspirations of returning to office? I doubt it.  Mrs. Strobel?  How about the former chairman of the fire commission?  Who wants to have their name attached to a document that is full of false claims, and is designed to intimidate and harass a volunteer fire department? 

73% Of All Firefighters Are Not "Real" Firefighters

Read below another reason that this is no time to spend money on a fire engine that the 501 C3 privately owned Middlebury Fire Dept could buy on its own. Maybe with a new , responsible chief SOMETHING could be worked out, but not with the present leadership.

Hey, I thought it was all about the money. Now you say its the Chief.  Well, which is it? What could be worked out with a new Chief that could not be worked out with the present Chief? 

The BOS approved the pumper.  The BOF approved the pumper.  There is money available to pay for the apparatus that does not raise taxes.  What’s the problem?  What could Mr. DeAngelis “work out?”

Mr. DeAngelis plays absolutely ZERO role in determining whether the MVFD gets new apparatus outside his NO vote on the referendum, and his attempt to sway other voters not to vote for public safety with his cacophonous rhetoric.

Dayton, Gormley, Cookson and others are "pretend" fireman, guys that 

want to strut around with white hats and tee shirts. My father, who was 

a REAL city fireman would have laughed at these guys.( ALONG 

WITH A LOT OF OTHER PEOPLE ).

Mr. Cookson is an honorary member of the MVFD and has never claimed to be a firefighter. He does not have gear, and does not respond to calls. Mr. Cookson was given honorary status through his many generous contributions to the department over the years.

Mr. Gormley and Mr Dayton are both Veteran Firefighters. Mr. Gormley has been a firefighter with the MVFD for over 20 years, and Mr. Dayton a member for a great many years longer.  

John Dayton has not been active with the MVFD for several years, but in his early years was extremely active with the Department.  I remember hearing a story that occurred in either the 70s or 80s in which John Dayton was attributed to saving the life of a young driver at a motor vehicle accident.

Mr. DeAngelis’s statement regarding “real city firemen” is disrespectful to every volunteer firefighter. Volunteer firefighters make up over 73% of all firefighters in the USA. I rather doubt Mr. DeAngelis’s father would be laughing at that. On the contrary, I would think he maybe a little disappointed in how his son is treating the very volunteers that are willing to risk their lives for the members of our community.

“When a man becomes a fireman his greatest act of bravery has been accomplished.  What he does after that is all in the line of work.”  ~Edward F. Croker - Chief FDNY - 1899 -1911

More Imaginary Friends

       “Many local firemen , including some veterans have written to us 

saying " the time has passed economically". They say that if the present Chief had not wasted six years fighting with the First Selectmen , the money was there for a truck. The problem was that the Chief could not work with the Selectman and the moment was lost.

Now , with the economy shot we have to wait for a more 

appropriate time.

      This is the opinion of many of the firemen at the present time.”

More imaginary firemen friends for Mr. DeAngelis. Again, because of the language used and the outright lack of knowledge regarding the true facts, it is very easy to detect that no real firefighter has been writing to Mr. DeAngelis.

The problem was not that the Chief could not work with the BOS, but rather it was Mr. St. John who refused to work with the MVFD.  He stonewalled apparatus replacement since 2003, and in doing so has cost the taxpayers thousands of dollars.  

It has been reported that if Mr. St. John had voted to replace Engine 2 at the time the Fire Department requested, the taxpayers could have saved $174,000.  That is money lost, because Mr. St. John chose politics over public safety.

There was a spec written in 2003.  It was ready to go out to bid. The ball was in Mr. St. John’s court.  Yet he did nothing. Blaming the delay on Chief Perrotti is just another outright distortion of the real events that unfolded since 2002.

Mr. St. John continues to try to interfere in the apparatus replacement with his recent Town Hall FOI request regarding apparatus replacement documents, and through Mr. DeAngelis.

Politics And Pumpers

“Perrotti is now leading an effort to secure a new pumper truck for the department, some­thing he has fought for since 2002.

Just as we thought: the pumper truck is a political need not a TOWN NEED . Paul needs the pumper to get re-elected. The town doesn't need it.”

Mr. DeAngelis again seems to exhibit an absolute lack of understanding of the fire protection needs of this community, and once again promoting the political and arrogant agenda of the previous administration.

Chief Perrotti has been leading the effort to purchase a new pumper since 2002. Where has Mr. DeAngelis been? Apparatus replacement schedules vary throughout the country, but nowhere is it considered safe to be running  20 year-old apparatus as your frontline pumper. Click Here.

To suggest that Chief Perrotti somehow is trying to secure a new pumper in some way to help his re-election, is simply moronic. 

Replacing the pumper is entirely a “Town Need” and Mr. DeAngelis is attempting to stand in the way of firefighter and public safety by publishing his distorted letters to the editor, and on his website.

More Inaccurate Statements From OMP

“Many members viewed the outcome as a victory.   (defeat of charter revision).

This is exactly why we can't have a childish person like Perrotti in that office. The Charter revision contained many points that the TOWN needed, like automatic referenda and constraints on spending. All Perrotti saw was that an oversight board would control his runaway spending and his refusal to open the financial books to the town.”

Mr. DeAngelis is once again wrong about all the above. It is true that there were good elements of the Charter revision, and that is precisely why Chief Perrotti gathered nearly 200 signatures on the morning of July 14, 2007 for a petition that would have made the decision to create a permanent fire commission a separate question on the Charter Revision vote.  Mr. St. John and Mrs. Strobel would not allow it. Read about that here.  So if you want to blame anyone for the failure of the good parts of the charter, blame Mr. St. John and Mrs. Strobel.

Accusing Chief Perrotti of runaway spending is libelous.  The MVFD is one of the largest departments in Middlebury with one of the smallest budgets.  Over the last two years, Chief Perrotti and the MVFD has CUT ITS BUDGET by almost 14%.  The Department runs on $209,000. A paid department would cost the taxpayers millions.

All taxpayer money expenditures for Fire Department budget items are paid by the Town Hall Finance Office, and signed by the Board of Selectmen, not by Chief Perrotti.

Mr. DeAngelis keeps repeating the same old lies over and over again, but no matter how many times he repeats them, they are still not true.

“And, by the way, the bullshit that only firemen should be concerned with this election is just that, bullshit. As long AS YOU TAKE MY MONEY TO BUY YOUR STUFF AND TO PAY YOUR FIRE CALLS I SURE AS HELL WILL ADDRESS THE ISSUE OF WHO IS RUNNING THAT TOWN DEPARTMENT.”

More shrill from the Pit.  The last thing anyone at the MVFD wants is Mr. St. John, Mrs. Strobel, Mr. Heidkamp, or Mr. DeAngelis telling our brave firefighters who will lead them on the fireground. The more they try to interfere, the more it angers the rank and file.

Incorrect Statement

BY MATTHEW O’ROURKE
 REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN 

“But his removal of a portrait of a young Chief St. John from the department’s walls earlier this year led some to question if he let a personal fight with St. John go too far.”

That is an incorrect statement. On more than one occasion did the subject of removing former Chief Ed St. John’s portrait from the hallway of Fire HQ come up, and on more than one occasion Chief Perrotti tried to block such a vote.  When a member insisted that his request be made into a motion, Chief Perrotti had no choice but to honor the motion.  The motion was seconded, and a vote was taken.  There was only one nay vote.  Chief Perrotti did not vote, since the Chair does not have a vote, except during ties.

To say that Chief Perrotti had anything to do with the removal of Mr. St. John’s portrait is absolutely 100% incorrect. It was the decision of the membership, not of the Chief. 

Conversely, it was only the decision of Chief St. John to put the portrait up in the first place. Where was his authority?

The characterization that this is a personal fight against St. John is again not correct.  What is correct is Mr. St. John’s constant attack on the Chief and the MVFD, that continues today through Mr. DeAngelis, and illustrated by St. John’s recent FOI requests at Town Hall regarding apparatus replacement documentation. History tells us that he did nothing about securing new apparatus from 2003 until he left office, yet now has an interest in the apparatus.

“Some members have quietly voiced frustration with Perrotti’s involvement in town politics, which they feel has kept the department in the spotlight for too long.”

Chief Perrotti and the MVFD were drawn into politics by former first Selectman Ed St. John, through his constant attacks on the organization and his appointment of a politically motivated fire commission.  The fire commission was a group of untrained, uninformed, politically charged individuals, that served as a roadblock between the MVFD and the BOS. During their tenure they delayed apparatus replacement decisions, attempted to interfere with fireground operations, and attempted to stall the repair of essential lifesaving equipment. The fire commission threatened firefighter and public safety.

When former First Selectman St. John made a move to make the temporary fire commission permanent, and created language in the Charter that would in-essence, take the vote for Chief away from the MVFD members, the Department, led by Chief Perrotti informed Middlebury residents of the destructiveness of such an action. The realization that the Fire Chief could be appointed by a fire commission, even if the Chief is not a firefighter was absolutely ridicules.  The Charter was defeated by almost a 2 to 1 margin in November of 2007.

Every single, solitary action made by Chief Perrotti is for the well-being of the Middlebury Volunteer Fire Department. As Chief, that is his number one concern. If some want to consider that political, then so be it.  

Chief Perrotti has been the hardest working Chief who ever held the office, and the MVFD has had some very hard working chiefs.  Since September 11, 2001, the role of Chief has increase exponentially. Paul Perrotti has met these challenges and in so doing, has raised the bar of being chief very high. The MVFD and the residents of Middlebury should be grateful they are blessed with such a dedicated, hardworking, and generous individual.