Who Is John Cookson?????

 "Excuse our ignorance, but just who is Cookson and why must he remain neutral?

He was Tom Gormley's campaign manager during the 2007 election.  Why does he want to remain neutral?  You will have to ask John yourself.

Picking The Taxpayer's Pockets

“Perrotti wanting to pick your pocket for hundreds of thousands of dollars for equipment, the town wants a new communications system”

In 2003 the officers of the Fire Department sat down with former First Selectman Ed St. John to discuss specs of the new Engine 2.  Mr. St. John suggested to the officers that the Town should have a global plan for replacing the apparatus and the Department should not only review specs for Engine 2, but also look into replacing or refurbishing Rescue 1, and Engine 4. What happened to that plan? After Mr. St. John declared war on the MVFD, all plans for apparatus replacement were tabled.

That was back in 2003.  It is now 2008, and the MVFD still does not have a pumper ordered.  The Department now has four pieces of apparatus that are over 20 years old.  They include the following:

Engine 2 - 1981

Rescue 1 - 1979

Engine 4 - 1987

Engine 3 - 1988

Paul Perrotti is not picking anyone’s pockets. The statement is insulting.  Decisions about this apparatus should have been made years ago, but politics got in the way of public safety. The new First Selectman is being saddled with a problem the previous administration should have solved,  and the Middlebury Taxpayer will ultimately pay the price. Who will be the first to point the finger of blame at First Selectman Tom Gormley? The aging fire apparatus issue is not going to go away.  

The same holds true for the radio system. Anyone who believes that the Police Department does not need a new radio system cares little for the men and woman who put their lives on the line everyday in Middlebury. If the Police Department can not communicate with each other or dispatch, then the safety of the entire community is in jeopardy.

Why Not Volunteer?

Middlebury's Special Interest Groups

“You watch, in the upcoming weeks Fran and his crew will distribute propaganda that says certain individuals are trying to undermine the new Selectman. “ 

Seems like Mr. DeAngelis is fulfilling his own prophesy.  In one sentence he tells his readers, not to be fooled if the party endorsed candidates of the RTC, who unanimously support Tom Gormley, point out that some people who have been added to the petitioning list may not have Tom’s best interests in mind.  And in another sentence fires a softball attack at the First Selectman, who has only been in office for a little over 1 month. Would it really be propaganda?

“Who represents the taxpayer? Nobody. The politicians with their view from the hill will try to "not  upset" the special town interest groups because the interest groups, fire, police, finance bd. etc. are organized and the taxpayers 

are not organized.”

The Board of Selectman and the Board of Finance represent the Middlebury Taxpayer.  They are elected by the voters in Town to serve in those positions. The taxpayer also has a tremendous say through the Town Meeting style of government. The Board of Finance can create budgets, but they are not enacted until they are voted on in a referendum by the Taxpayers.

The FD, Police, and BOF are special interest groups?  What is their special interest?

MVFD - Saves lives - Protects property.

Police - Keep the peace.  Serve and protect.

BOF - Reviews local government budgets in towns or school districts that have the town meeting form of government. 

There is a general theory that individuals must be enticed with some type of benefit to join an interest group.  For the MVFD, is it the benefit of crawling into a smokey house fire, on your hands and knees completely blind,  wearing 50 lb. of gear until you discover the seat of the fire?  For the police officer, is it standing in the pouring rain for hours directing traffic while CL&P replaces a telephone pole knocked down in an accident?  For the BOF is it volunteering hours and hours of your time to create a budget only to have it voted down by the Taxpayers?  

Where are the benefits? I don’t get it?  How are those who are in the MVFD, Police, and BOF benefiting from what they do? Yes, the police get paid for their work, but where is the benefit for the MVFD and BOF?  Is it the fleece or the picnics?

A Message From MVFD Firefighter Steve Wuest

It is not time for Middlebury’s Fire Chief, Paul Perrotti, to leave his position as asserted by Pat DeAngelis. He should stay. DeAngelis’s accusations of rampant misuse of taxpayer funds are more mischaracterizations of those with whom he disagrees.

          

I received apparel and went to fire department family picnics. They are a thank you to volunteers who, at an alarm, drop what they are doing and race to homes at all times of day & night to protect Middlebury’s residents. Volunteers perform other services such as pumping out flooded basements and rescuing accident victims. All FD services are led by Chief Perrotti.

          

Even if the expenditures had come from taxpayer funds, it is a small price compared to a professional department. I wear the shirts proudly. Using DeAngelis’s logic, the town picnic for town employees should be investigated as a gross violation of taxpayer funds.

          

The $800,000 bank account is a legitimate point of discussion and is used for public safety. For example, all residents benefit from a completely fitted out new ambulance being purchased at no cost to the town.

          

I trust Chief Perrotti with my safety and know he has the safety of town residents & volunteer firefighters foremost in his mind when discharging his duties.

          

DeAngelis’s witch-hunt for those with whom he disagrees disguised as high minded, selfless public advocacy is ludicrous. His diatribe of ad hominem attacks and insults are a true testament to the character of the man.

 

Steve Wuest

Middlebury

DeAngelis Continues To Attack Mr. Beldon

“How often does a private citizen in Middlebury come into contact with the Chief Financial Officer of the town of Middlebury? Almost never. Once in a while a citizen may ask for some financial documents that explain how his money is being spent--like on the SALARY of the Chief Financial Officer”

Mr. Beldon is the Chief Financial Officer for the Town of Middlebury.  He works for the Taxpayers in Town.  He works for all of us, not just you Mr. DeAngelis.  This is a busy time of year for this man.  He has to work on the Budget.  Is Mr. DeAngelis  preventing him from doing his job with your endless FOIs to nowhere?  Why is he costing the Taxpayers thousands of dollars?  Can you name one bit of good that has come from any of these FOIs? For all the Taxpayer money that has been spent, when will the Taxpayers see a return on their investment??

The Ambulance

“DO WE NEED A NEW AMBULANCE? DO WE NEED AN 

AMBULANCE WHEN ITS CHEAPER TO OUT SOURCE?”

Yes, we do need a new ambulance, and no it is not cheaper to out source.

The good thing is that when the new ambulance is ordered the Taxpayers will not have to pay one dime towards the cost of its purchase.  Nor will the taxpayers pay for any of the equipment and supplies that will go on the car. The taxpayers will not have to pay for the $80,000 for ALS services as well. In fact the only thing the taxpayers will pay for is the fuel and insurance, and that may even be changing soon. 

Saying it is cheaper to out source the ambulance is like saying it would be cheaper to have a paid fire department rather than a volunteer.  It just is not true.

What is true however is that the Middlebury Volunteer Fire Department Ambulance can’t function at all unless it has volunteers.  We need people from the community to come and help. For those who have school-aged children, please volunteer for a few hours after your children get on the bus.  We will train you.  It not only helps your community, but we train you to know what to do if something happens to one of your family members. 

Call Chief Perrotti, and he can tell you how you can help.

No Room For Change In Middlebury?

"...the  current chairman of the town committee who negated his 

endorsement to join the petitioners, said he “didn’t want to be 

associated with Brennan or any of the people he put together at 

the caucus.”

I always thought that the Chairman of the Town Committee should represent all Republicans in the Town of Middlebury.  But now he says he does not want to be associated with the members of the Republican Party who were actually elected by the Republican Voters at the caucus. Why would he want to alienate members of his own Party?  Do you have to be a St. John supporter, in order to be welcomed in the Republican Party? 

In the 24 years Mr. St. John served as First Selectman, he was only opposed twice.  That was a remarkable accomplishment, and something rarely seen anywhere in politics.  It showed the faith this community had in their leader.

However, what it also did was to stifle the idea of fair and open competition. Now instead of “Let the best man/woman win” concept, we have the idea that anyone willing to step forward and volunteer for public service should be attacked by those striving to hold on to power. Is that a symptom that maybe they have been in power too long?

Personal attacks and mudslinging should not be what drives this Republican Party. The party should not be afraid of change. The Chairman should be working with all Republicans for the common good of all the residents in Town, not just the ones he wants to be associated with. Those who volunteer their time to help their town should not be castigated for their desire to make their community a better place to live.

Gormley Slate VS DeAngelis Slate?????

  “PETITIONING SLATE ANNOUNCED-GOD HELP MIDDLEBURY IF THIS GROUP SOMEHOW LOSES TO THE BRENNAN TICKET”

Brennan Ticket?  The Brennan Ticket seems to me that was the ticket of Fran Brennan and Carol Cipriano.  I believe that ticket was dissolved after the Primary last Fall when the “Brennan Ticket” lost the Primary.  What happen after that?

Mr. Brennan took the lost like a man, and refused to run as a third party candidate. He told his supporters and everyone else, he felt comfortable in a Republican suit. What did he do then? He threw his support behind Tom Gormley, whom he supports to this day.

So what you are saying is that the Brennan Ticket is really the Gormley Ticket, because as the residents in Town will see very soon, those people who were elected by the Republican Caucus are indeed behind Tom Gormley. 

Mr. Brennan is just one name on the entire list.  Why not call it the Kasidas Ticket, or the Clark Ticket?   It is apparent that you have some deep-seated hatred for Mr. Brennan.  Frankly, that is your problem, and not the problem of the rest of the Republicans in Town.

It would appear that the “Poster Child” of the Petitioning Republicans, will be none other than Pat DeAngelis.  So should this  be considered the DeAngelis slate.? 

The Muckrakers Of Middlebury

“To uneducated people like P. Perrotti "muckraking" is a pejoritive term, however  "Although the term muckraking might appear to have a negative ring to it, muckrakers have most often sought, in the past, to serve the 

public interest by uncovering GRAFT."

Uneducated???? Mr. DeAngelis,  is “pejoritive” a word? 

The term Muckraking, was a termed coined by Teddy Roosevelt. Although many Muckrakers did provide a positive benefit to society by uncovering corruption and fraud, others were tabloid in their approach, conducting witch hunts to expose fraud where no fraud existed.  Chief Perrotti was characterizing Mr. DeAngelis and Ms. Bollard in those terms.

In his famous Muckrake Speech in 1906 Roosevelt said the following;

I” hail as a benefactor every writer or speaker, every man who, on the platform, or in book, magazine, or newspaper, with merciless severity makes such attack, provided always that he in his turn remembers that the attack is of use only if it is absolutely truthful."

We see nothing in Mr. DeAngelis's assaulting attacks against the Fire Department and its Chief that would be considered truthful.

In his book the Encyclopedia Of Our Presidents on page 119, David Rubel characterized what Roosevelt meant by the term.

"Roosevelt meant the name to be critical.  He thought the Muckrakers focused too much on what was wrong in modern life and ignored what was good about it."

So can that be  said for Mr. DeAngelis? He does not see what is good in this Town.  He ignores the good deeds of the MVFD and their Chief. He burdens the Town with his never-ending crusade of FOIs, at the expense of the Taxpayers. Indeed President Roosevelt could have been talking about Mr. DeAngelis.  But, that's just an educated guess.

DeAngelis Costs Taxpayers More Money

“The game the Fire Chief is playing would be fun--if it involved his money and not ours. “

What game are you playing Mr. DeAngelis?  The costs for paying for all your FOIs are really adding up.  An additional $5,000 having to be appropriated to fund your little retirement hobby.  This does not even include the money the Police Department has spent fulfilling your FOIs, NOR what the Town Hall has already spent doing the same.  Thousands of thousands of TAXPAYER MONEY GONE. This is money that could have been used to reopen the Library. Now you want to FOI why the FOIs are costing so much.  Your efforts would be better spent if you do something positive for this Town instead of knocking every organization that strives to make Middlebury a better place.

The White Avenue Emergency Access Road Distortion

   “When the homeowners on White and Yale Ave and , indeed, the entire town were trying to save their homes from the Straw Pond developers one person sent a letter to the developer and told them that they should put an access 

road into White Ave!  This individual apparently didn't care what such a road would do to the residents of White, Yale, George, John, Steinman and Foster Streets. Who did it?”

“Again, the developer in their lawsuit rely on Perrotti's statements ( not the FIRE DEPT , it was Perrotti who sent the letter to the developer urging them to use White Ave.”

Apparently, Mr. DeAngelis does not know the definition of an EMERGENCY ACCESS ROAD. The proposal was not to build an interstate highway from White Ave. to the Straw Pond Development.  The proposal was to put an emergency access road on White Ave.  

An emergency access road is just that.  It is only used during emergencies, and only when conditions at the emergency warrant not using the main entrance.  It would not be used at any other time. These roads are not unique to Middlebury.  There are similar arrangements at Timex, Steeple Chase, and other locations.

The main entrance to the Straw Pond development would be located on Straits Turnpike. Because of the size of the development, and the number of people living in the area, an emergency access road is necessary.  So where do you put it? From a Fire Department standpoint, the optimum location is from the opposite side of the main entrance.

Former First Selectman Ed St. John proposed that the emergency access road run through the Town Yard. There are two problems with this scenario.

1) The emergency access road would be situated on the same road as the main entrance. From an emergency response standpoint, it is not practical.  If there is a natural disaster such as a tornado or hurricane, or even a motor vehicle accident that brings down the telephone poles on Straits Turnpike, making it impossible to access, how would emergency vehicles reach Straw Pond?  They could not.  The emergency access road must come from a different road.

2) In order to access the development from the town yard,  emergency responders would have to enter through the Town Yard and have to unlock and open 3 gates before reaching the development.  That would reduce response time.  When you consider that a fire will double in size every 15 seconds, this is significant.

The emergency access road on White Ave. would not impact the residents in the neighborhood one bit, unless there was an actual emergency, and access through the main entrance was impossible.  It would remain closed at all other times.

“Again, the developer in their lawsuit rely on Perrotti's statements ( not 

the FIRE DEPT ,”

The Fire Chief speaks for the Fire Department Mr. DeAngelis. Chief Perrotti made his recommendations on sound fire fighting principles.  But it was not just him.  The Police Commission voted and recommended that an emergency access road be situated at White Ave.  It was also the recommendation of the Police Chief to put it there as well.

You are asking Chief Perrotti to compromise “Public Safety”  and the safety of all those who would live in the development for your benefit.  You are asking Chief Perrotti to do something dishonest. He is not responsible for the Straw Pond development.  I think you used up enough pixels on your website in years past pointing the finger at someone else for your Straw Pond woes.  I guess you forgot about that. 

A Message From James Redway

"JIm Redway evidently feels the taxpayer's job is to turn over money tohim at the fire dept and not ask any questions"

Again, Mr. DeAngelis attempts to use attacks and distortions in order to fuel his never-ending hate machine against the MVFD and its members.  Instead of using the truth and real facts, his modus operandi is to hurl out-of-context quotes and with the skill of a carnival balloon clown. spin them into any animal he wishes, 

Unfortunately for Mr. DeAngelis and those feeding him perceived negative information about the MVFD, the Charter was voted down and to the dismay of some on the former MRTC who put Tom Gormley in office, the First Selectman and the MVFD have developed a close working relationship. 

Now some who once supported Tom are in the beginning phases of plotting to get rid of him, after only a little over one month in office. In order to do so they seek to cleanse the new elected MRTC of those who support Tom now and replace them with those who will help fuel their political hate machine.

“They have not been approved by the BOF, but they have been approved by the MVFD who has voted to provide this funding ( Now wrap your mind around this statement. Redway appears to be saying that the town's matching funds have not been approved by the BOF, er, the TOWN, but they have been approved by the MVFD. the MVFD IS THE GROUP WHICH IS SUPPOSED TO BE RECEIVING THE FUNDS FROM THE TOWN. IS REDWAY SAYING THAT THE MVFD IS GIVING THE MATCHING FUNDS TO ITSELF!!!!) if the powers to be do not provide the funding. That will be determined on Wednesday."

This appears to be a difficult concept for Mr. DeAngelis to understand. 

In order to receive the FEMA grant there had to be a contribution of approximately $15,000. It did not matter where this money came from.  You could raise it, you could get if from the Town, “you could deliver it in a paper bag.” (exact quote from FEMA Rep.)  It did not matter where the money came from. Period! 

Back in October 2007 the former BOS and the BOF acted as if they never heard about this provision, even though it had been discussed at a Fire Commission meeting in February 2007 and an article printed in Voices in April of 2007. 

Bottom line was that the BOF did not know where they were going to come up with the $15,000. The Fire Department stepped up to the plate and said, “No problem, if the BOF could not raise the $15,000, the MVFD would come up with the money to cover it. The MVFD asked the FEMA Rep and he told us that the arrangement was fine.

So where is the problem Mr. DeAngelis? What don’t you understand about that? 

   "A formal agreement  between the town and the Fire Dept. for the purposes of this grant has not been finalized.( Until the money is allocated by the town and an

agreement is in place between town and the 501c3 fire dept, according to the grant language)."

Wrong again.  No FORMAL agreement was necessary for the Grant.  Agreement was not even in the language. I believe the true language was ARRANGEMENT.  The Town needed an arrangement with the MVFD which it has.  Again, we asked the FEMA Rep. about this, and he told us that Middlebury Fire fulfilled the requirement.  The MVFD assumes responsibility for putting out fires.  The Town in return funds the MVFD to do so. Nothing else was necessary.  Mr. DeAngelis insisted on making it more complicated than it was, and appeared to claim that he knew more about the FEMA grant than FEMA itself.

"Now, Perrotti's alter ego Jim Redway , a guy who is running ( believe it or not ) to be on the town committee of the Republican party responded to the above by stating ( and these are his exact words):

"There is no agreement necessary." ( in this one sentence Redway makes 

a pronouncement that states the opposite of the grant language)"

First of all, the statement was correct, for the reasons stated above.  

Second, I am no alter ego of anyone. I am and have always been my own man. I don’t follow any agenda other than trying to help my Town and striving to be the best person I am capable of being.  That is one reason why I joined the MVFD twenty years ago... To help other people. I am a Middlebury native, born in 1956. I am a Reagan Republican and a conservative. My interest in politics goes back to when I was young. I campaigned with my Father for Nixon in 1960 at the Middlebury Town Hall handing out Nixon-clickers, and again for Barry Goldwater in 1964.  I worked for the Woodbury Republican Town Committee in 1968 distributing campaign materials for Richard Nixon, and again for the “Reelection of The President” campaign in 1972. I have had the pleasure of meeting President George H Bush Sr, and have had my e-mail read on the Rush Limbaugh show. 

I resent these mean-spirited attacks by Mr. DeAngelis. Like everyone else in Middlebury, I am getting buried by the high taxes in this town. We have one child in college and another getting close. I am very concerned about how taxpayer money is spent, and very upset as to where I have seen it spent in recent years.

 "BUT THE MOST INSULTING ( if you pay taxes in this town ) THING REDWAY SAYS IS:

   "This has nothing to do with the town other then their potential 

contribution of the $15,000 .  SAID REDWAY.

   In other words you nosy taxpayers: give your money 

to Redway and company and shut-up because other 

than YOUR MONEY you have "nothing to do with it."

Again, you display the uncanny ability not to understand the simplest concepts.  I stand by the quote above. It did not have anything to do with the taxpayers in order to get the grant, outside their potential contribution of $15,000. In other words, the grant was not being jeopardized if the Town (Taxpayer money) could not come up with the $15,000, because the MVFD would kick in the money.  The money that would have been kicked in was NOT TAXPAYER MONEY.  It was MVFD INC. money (gifts, fund raisers, donations, etc...).  All his was covered last fall see > 

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

The bottom line, is that with all the interference from Mr. St. John, the Fire Commission and Pat DeAngelis against the MVFD, and all their empty rhetoric, the statements of the MVFD were shown to be truthful and accurate, and their statements inaccurate and unproductive.  The grant money has been delivered, deposited, and spent.  The matching fund amounts are in the process of being finalized.  The radios have been installed in the apparatus, the antenna is in place at the Town Hall.  The firefighters will be getting pagers this week, and the system will be going live very soon. Preliminary tests of the system have yielded better results than expected, and Middlebury is on its way to a great new radio system.  So everything Pat DeAngelis has stated above has proven to be incorrect, yet he continues to this day as if they are still issues.  They are not.

"DOES ANYBODY WANT THIS GUY  ON THE 

REPUBLICAN TOWN COMMITTEE? HAS HE NO 

SHAME?"

Apparently, some do since I was elected to serve on the MRTC. The real question is - Have you no shame Mr. DeAngelis, attacking those in Middlebury who actually do something for this Town on a day to day basis?

Whether James Redway gets elected or not in a primary is NOT important to me.  What is important is that those who do get elected, put this Town back on-course in a positive way. Tom Gormley and Bob Desmarais have taken the first steps in that direction. They are doing an excellent job.  They have opened the lines of communication between all departments in Town.  There is an open-door policy at the Town Hall. They are moving Middlebury in a positive direction.  We need people on all committees and commissions who will move with that same spirit. The old agendas fueled by arrogance and hate must fade into memory.  The hope for Middlebury is not with those who have served before, but with those who step forward and take the chance to do something for their community in a positive way.

Another Back Room Deal

This country was founded on those who were willing to take risks, and to step up to the plate and do what was right for their country. Read how the signers of the Declaration of Independence risked everything to do what was right.  Please click link below.

Our Lives, Our Fortunes, Our Sacred Honor.

Should we attack those who are willing to volunteer for public service?  

There is one and only one agenda, and that is to do what is right for this town and for the residents who live here.

A Message From Ray Kasidas

I think it is time for me to say something. I do not feel that I owe anyone an explanation for my actions, but it seems as if my story needs to be told by me instead of assumed by someone else. I, believe it or not do not care about anybody elses agendas. What i do care about is being able to live in this town. I have always heard in this town "if you don't like it get involved and change it". That is exactly what I did. It just so happens that two days before I was asked to run for a seat on the RTC I opened my mortgage statement and saw the third increase in two years, due to taxes. That is why I put my name in the race, for my family, so we can live in this town and enjoy it for many years to come. I have no other agenda except for trying to keep Middlebury an affordable place to raise a family. THAT IS THE ONLY REASON! If its wrong and people do not approve of my reasons I am sorry. Maybe someday you will realize I did it for you and your families also. That is my story!!!!!!
If anyone would like to comment about this , please feel free I am always open to criticism. The only thing I ask is don't be anonymous, sign your name to your post like I did.

Firefighters Should Not Be Allowed To Vote

“Anyway how important are these meetings if the guy running them jumps when summoned by a politician? That WAS Paul Perrotti at the caucus Monday night, right?”

I guess Mr. DeAngelis does not believe that Middlebury Firefighters should have an opportunity to exercise their right to vote as Americans.  The Chief should not be able to change a meeting night by one day in order to allow Republicans (and there are lot of them) in the MVFD to have a voice in Town government. Is that a privilege reserved only for those who align themselves politically with himself and Mr. St. John?  Mr. DeAngelis complains that there were not enough Republicans at the caucus and that the resulting vote was unfair, yet, he also complains about the people who were in the room exercising their right to vote. How odd.

Back Room Deals...

"We have been told that on March 4 all Republicans will get a chance to 

vote on who will represent them on the Republican Town Committee when an 

open free election/primary will be held in town.

NO MORE WATERBURY BACK ROOM BRENNAN DEALS"

If the former MRTC organized the caucus, named the date, and invited all Middlebury Republicans to come and cast their vote,  how in the world can the caucus be characterized as a "back-room" deal”???? The 125 Republicans casted their votes and at the end of a long evening voted out 9 members of the committee who served previously. They also did not vote in former First Selectman Ed St. John. Why was that? Maybe its part of the new look from the hill?

The results were not expected by some former members of the committee, along with Ed St John and Pat DeAngelis, so their team has exercised their right for a primary.  I think it is a good thing that all members of a political party have a say in who will represent them. That is the American way. I believe that is why there was the caucus.  Every Republican was invited.  If some did not show up was it a back room deal?  If there is a primary, and only 25% of the Republicans show up to vote, could that be considered a back room deal as well? Should the primary be repeated until the “correct” people get elected?  

How was it that in 2005, Mr. Stowell would not allow the Middlebury Republicans to caucus for their candidate, with the MRTC deciding that they would appoint Ed St. John  as their candidate for First Selectman, instead of asking the rest of the Republicans who they wanted, by holding a caucus? The voice of the rest of the Middlebury Republicans was squelched by a Town Committee who proclaimed their was no building large enough to caucus the rest of the Republican party.

So its only a back room deal if Mr DeAngelis and Mr. St. John’s slate does not get in. In previous years the MRTC chose members of their committee in the bi-annual caucus. I am not sure, but was there ever a primary held before for the MRTC, or did they rely strictly on the caucus?  Were all those previous years “back room deals as well?”

Tom Gormley is the new look from the hill. The members of the new Town Committee elected are those who support Tom Gormley and the work he is doing.  This is not a Brennan come back, and never was.  This is an effort to support Tom Gormley. Middlebury has to come back together.  Tom Gormley is working well with the Fire Department and things are finally getting done;  something that has not been happening for years stalled by Mr. St John’s Fire Commission and his constant, never-ending attacks upon the MVFD and its Chief. Would a pro St John slate for MRCT be good for Middlebury.  Do we want to return to the old days, or do we want to continue with Tom Gormley’s fresh, new look?

No Chicken Parm. For You!

On his website Mr. DeAngelis has posted a bill from Dibi’s Deli for $420.00 dated 7/15/06. What the heck was this for? It was not for the Firefighters. Firefighters did not attend the event. 

Mr. St John handed the Fire Department his hand-picked Fire Commission in June of 2006.  The Fire Department decided that they would take the “highroad” and try to be civil to this new commission. In keeping with that spirit, the FD invited the entire Fire Commission and their families to the VIP Dinner at the Fire House. This catered dinner was held in conjunction with the Car Show, a fund raising event. 

A tradition, started back some years ago at the Carnival was to dedicate each of the awards given out at the parade to the families of fallen Middlebury Firefighters.  This included the following families; Dwyer, Lahey, Delaney, Comerford, and Eustace.

When the FD stopped putting on the carnival, they decided to continue this tradition by dedicating the Car Show trophies to these families. As with the carnival, members of the above mentioned families attended the event to present the trophies.

Before the presentation of the awards the families of the fallen firefighters were invited to dinner at the Firehouse, along with the Fire Commission and their families. That included Mr. DeAngelis’s new friend Ken Heidkamp.

The only Firefighter in the building was Captain James Redway who served the dinner to the MVFD’s invited guests.  No other Firefighter was in attendance, except for Chief Perrotti greeting the guests when they arrived. No Firefighter was served dinner.

An earlier bill dated July 10th 2006, from Maples Restaurant was for the Firefighters annual July Dinner Meeting.  This money was paid from the Westover Gift. This morale- building dinner meeting is well deserved for the men and women who serve this town in a positive way everyday of their lives.

Public Money VS The Ambulance Fund

“Dayton's opinion is more important than the library? Here are a few 

things that are seemingly more important because while John is

closing libraries he is seemingly okay with money the Fire Dept 

spends on

Ladies Polo Shirts

Brass poles that go nowhere

Ladies Fleece jackets

Food

Beer

Propane gas”

It seems that Mr. DeAngelis is having a hard time understanding the difference between public money (taxpayer money) and MVFD INC funds (donations, gifts, ambulance billing, fund raising etc ...) They are not one in the same.

John Dayton controls the “Public Money,” but has no control over MVFD Inc. money, again, made up of donations, gifts, ambulance billing, fund raising, etc... 

Now John Dayton does have control over the $5,000 plus that he has to dig up because of all the FOIs.  That is money that could be spent on the Library. 

Again, Mr. DeAngelis’s  $800,000 figure is incorrect.  For instance, the entire amount of the Basketball fund raising has to be shown in the MVFD books, yet the Department only receives a small percentage of that total. I believe around 30%. The rest goes to the fund raiser.

Then there is the ambulance replacement fund and the ambulance fund itself. Because of ambulance billing, the taxpayers of Middlebury never have to worry about paying for a new ambulance.  The money is already in the account, because the MVFD puts money towards a new ambulance each year.  Although the Library is a great resource, the ambulance may just be a bit more important because it can save your life. 

Mr. DeAngelis  may not know that the MVFD pays $80,000 a year for ALS services.  This should be a Town expense as mandated by the State of Connecticut, yet the MVFD picks up the tab. This not only saves the taxpayers $80,000, but also saves those who use ALS services hundreds of dollars off their bill that they would have been charged if the MVFD ambulance did not respond. Any medications the medic uses on-board the ambulance are paid by the MVFD. 

This is one reason why Middlebury needs more volunteers to be trained as EMTs.  The more our ambulance responds instead of Campion, the greater the saving to the person who needs the service. 

The MVFD also pays for all medical supplies, oxygen, which includes oxygen utilized by the Police Department. Pagers have to be purchased from this account.  Since their was not enough money in the FEMA grant, the FD will be purchasing pagers for the ambulance staff.  High band pagers cost approximately $700.00 each.  The truth is, the MVFD pays for every aspect of the ambulance except for fuel, insurance, and the firehouse where it is stored. 

The ambulance is used by a great many people who are not town residents. Almost every I-84 call, many MVA accidents in town, and calls to doctor’s offices have a great number of people being served by our ambulance who are not Middlebury residents.  These individual’s insurance companies are helping to fund the ambulance which helps to fuel the ambulance fund so the Department will not have to go to the taxpayers.

How ambulance money can be used is very restricted.  It has to be used for ambulance or EMS-related purposes only.  It can not be used to pay library employees.  

Right now the MVFD is in the first steps of purchasing a new ambulance which will cost approximately $160,000.00. The money is already in the bank and there will be no need to go to the taxpayers for one cent of the cost of the replacement ambulance.

Every penny in the ambulance fund will go towards expenses associated with the ambulance.

Everyone should be cautioned, that this is NOT the goose that laid the golden egg.  If we do not have volunteers to ride on our ambulance, all this money will vanish.  Volunteer to help your community!  Call the MVFD and find out how you can help.

The MVFD also contributes back to the community in other ways as well.  We host the Town-wide Halloween party for the children, support the Little League, Middlebury Food Bank, and give two $1000 scholarships to high school students each year. We also support a variety of other charities.

Firefighters Attacked For Volunteering For Public Service

"Brennan stacked the room with his flunkies on the Fire Dept and won an election in a room. This is all about his ego and the egos of his small time minions."

There he goes again attacking the members of the Middlebury Volunteer Fire Department, because they wanted to volunteer for public service and support First Selectman Tom Gormley. Tom Gormley and the MVFD have developed a close working relationship.  We would like to see that continue without the interference of some individuals on the old committee that despise the Fire Department.  

Tom is trying to change the Town, and those on the new committee are trying to help him fulfill his quest.  This has nothing to do with Mr. Brennan, and has everything to do with Tom Gormley and his pursuit to turn this town around.

So who were these “flunkies” from the Fire Department?

Lt. Ray Kasidas 3 years of service w/ MVFD

Lt. Chip Longo 13 years of service w/ MVFD

Captain James Redway 19 years of service w/ MVFD

Former Chief Rich Nicol 47 years of service w/ MVFD

David Lenkowski 20 Years of service w/ MVFD

John Cookson Honorary MVFD Member and campaign manager for Tom Gormley.

102 years of collective service to the Town of Middlebury. Between all of them, they responded to Fire Calls 613 times last year, not including ambulance calls.

More insults for the ones who volunteer.

Does Not Want To Pay 50 Cent Fee On FOI Documents

     “ Ya just can't fool John Dayton. At Ed St. John's farewell shindig John Dayton was heard telling the folks that DeAngelis went to town hall to get FOI documents and he used a SCANNER instead of paying 50 cents a document. In fact even the big city newspaper reporter knew of the SCANNER caper.”

Its okay for the Town employees to spend hours accumulating documents to fulfill  Mr. DeAngelis’s FOIs, and rack up thousands of dollars of Taxpayer money doing so,  but Mr. DeAngelis  somehow does not see fit to pay the Town the 50 cent per copy fee for each document that he would like to keep, electing instead to scan the documents.  Is that fair to the Town?

Got It Wrong Again - Smoke Screen

"Gormley supporters to primary Republican Tax and Spend 

Town Committee"

Mr. DeAngelis has set a record in attacking a new group of people in town.  It has not even been 24 hours since the caucus and he has already labeled the new Republican Town Committee as a tax and spend committee. How is that since they can't raise taxes  and are not even on the committee yet.

Launching another smoke screen towards his readers, Mr. DeAngelis tries to paint the new Republican Town Committee as Tax and Spend, non-Gormley supporters.  Sorry, not true.  They were almost all Gormley supporters who were voted in last night.  Sure the old guard supported Tom in November, but they are not supporting him now. They are upset with him for being a good and honest man who wants to put the town back together, and not following the marching orders of the past administration. Tom is his own man and will not yield to the pressure of the old Town Committee. Their biggest gripe, is that the First Selectman and the Fire Department have developed a close working relationship, something the past administration despises. The radios are up and working and working well - thanks to the Board of Selectman and the Fire Department.

So Tom is a “marked man.”  Those who say they are supporting him are attempting to initiate the first step in removing him in two years.  They attempted to remove anyone on the Town Committee who was involved with the Brennan campaign, not realizing that those in the Brennan campaign after the primary became Tom’s true supporters and the ones who will ultimately keep Tom in office in two years. As you remember Mr. Brennan stated that he would accept the Primary decision and not run as an Independent.  He kept his word, and threw his support to Tom. The old committee, not tolerating any deviation off the St. John doctrine conspired to remove those who went against them, and if brought back to power, will ultimately seek to remove Tom.

Don’t be fooled by the smoke screen, and don’t be fooled by the distortions that will be coming from those who will launch the primary.  They just can’t stand being out of power. They just don’t want to see Tom Gormley put this town back together, and succeed in his administration.

More Bashing Of The MVFD Chief

“The Fire Dept is not under a microscope, just the Chief One of the latest lines out of Tucker Hill is that the dept is "under the microscope". Not true. Just about everyone in town appreciates what the majority of the firefighters do. They just need a new Chief. They need to elect someone that can get along with others not someone who argues with every 

administration that questions him.”

No one in the MVFD as ever said “The Department is under the microscope.” What has been said is, Pat DeAngelis does not appreciate the Fire Department one bit.  His daily attacks against the Department and its Chief have illustrated this.  He has no respect for the organization, and every member in the organization knows this and does not appreciate his comments. His “satirical” website is laced with hatred towards the MVFD.  

He also has no idea how much the MVFD does to help the residents on a daily basis.  While Mr. DeAngelis launches his daily attacks and FOIs, the MVFD is out saving lives, and property.  They are Volunteers who have chosen to dedicate their time, energy, and safety to this community.  Few have any idea the number of hours the Chief puts into his Volunteer position and how many people he has helped including you Mr. DeAngelis.   

Besides having the highest number of calls attended year after year, he helps residents behind the scenes in small ways that yield great results; from delivering generators during power outages to those on oxygen therapy, and returning in the dead of night to refill the gas tank, to rescuing cats in trees. - A service many fire departments have discontinued. I believe the Chief has just surpassed his 100th cat rescue.  

Speaking of animals, it was Paul Perrotti and Mike Proulx who swam through a partially frozen Lake Quassapaug on a dark evening in the middle of January, 500 feet off shore to rescue a German Shepard who had fallen through the ice. They would crawl on the ice a short distance and then the ice would break, and into the water they would go.  They swam on until they could crawled back on the ice and continued, all while the dog wailed in fear in the distance.  Once reaching the animal, they grabbed it, secured it, and the firefighters on shore pulled the three back to safety. The operation was a success and the dog and owner were reunited.

He never wears his good deeds on his sleeve, but rather forges on to his next challenge. He does his job with an enthusiasm unmatched by any member of this Department, and his love for the Department and the people in this community is the driving force behind his seemingly limitless energy.

The Fire Department does not need Mr. DeAngelis telling them who they should NOT elect Chief. They do not need advice from someone who has declared war on the organization.