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.