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. 

No Funds To Reopened Library

"What kind of a town cancels Library hours when there is another town department that has a $800,000 surplus?" 

Wrong again about the $800,000.  You like that number a lot but, sorry it is not accurate. But lets talk about the library. The amount of money that is being spent on FOIs would be enough to reopen the library.  Perhaps you would like to cover the cost of your PD FOIs, so we can open the library again.  If you want all this FOI information, I think the taxpayers would agree that you should be the one to pay for it.

Instead of blaming John Dayton or the Fire Department for the cut in library hours, warm up your never-ending FOI machine and find out which Town Department cut their budgets, and which department did not.  You may find that the blame for the shortage of funds for the library falls on someone else’s shoulders. The Fire Chief can close any building in town if shown to be unsafe, yet I don’t believe he has any power to fund the library that results in its closure. 

More Hate From The Pit.

“Mike Belden must be the worst bookkeeper in the world”

  “ Dayton is the ultimate coward, he makes an allegation but won't say a name. 

Typical of this guy who closes libraries but lets departments buy brass poles that go nowhere.”

They also tie little old ladies to railroad tracks and throw banana peels in front of the Middlebury Convalescent Home. Endless insults with no substance, and there he goes again mocking the tribute to Dr. Arnold. Insults, FOIs, page after page of negative postings.  Everyone in town government is a crook.  The MVFD is hiding thousands of dollars from the ignorant masses. The Fire Chief is a bad administrator.... Hate, hate, hate... Nothing positive ever.  Everyone volunteering for public service in this community should be under suspicion.  Don’t trust anyone.  Especially the 65 members of Middlebury Volunteer Fire Department. They are all in it for themselves and out to get the residents of Middlebury.

So, why didn’t John Dayton mention Pat DeAngelis’s name in the Republican/American article?  Probably to protect Mr. DeAngelis.  Wasting thousands of dollars of taxpayer money with his boatload of FOIs may make some residents a bit testy.

We know there is a very good side of Mr. DeAngelis.  I think all of us would like to see that good side of him instead of all of his hate. Unless he gets a visit from Dicken’s  three spirits, we don’t see that happening in the near future.

Right now, the Middlebury Volunteer Fire Department needs EMTs for daytime. Like most small towns, we need all the help we can get to serve the residents of this community.  Maybe a good thing for a retired gentleman to consider.

Is The Town Hall A Historic Building???`

"With an antennae on its chimney will the town hall now lose its status as an historical building?"

Its one antenna, not antennae which would be plural of course. The problem with the entire historic building argument, is that the Town Hall is NOT listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The most direct way to find out if a property is listed is to check the National Park Service's NATIONAL REGISTER INFORMATION SYSTEM.

We did and found that the building itself is not listed.  Now if the FD had mounted the antenna on the Josiah Bronson house on Breakneck Hill Rd, the Nathaniel Richardson House on Kelly Rd, or Tranquility Farm, it may be a different story. Or would it?  The farmhouse at Tranquillity Farm was recently gutted and is being completely rebuilt.  So much for preserving that property. The Town mounted the antenna on a chimney, they did not gut the structure.

There is the Middlebury Center Historic District which includes the area “roughly bound by Library Rd, North and South Streets, and Whittemore Rd” But, it does not mention buildings.  If such restrictions were in place then residents living around the Green would be denied making exterior changes to their homes such as adding satellite  antennas.  The antenna tower should really be taken down as well, because it falls within this historical zone.

The Town Hall already has a host of different add-ons that would blemish its historic value such as conduits that run up the side of the building. The light for sliding in the back.  Does Mr. DeAngelis want that light taken down, so the children can not slide at night? How about Mr. St John's security cameras, with wires in pipes that run up the front of the building.  Should they be removed as well?

Was putting the new High Band antenna on the Town Hall chimney worth the $4,000 saving to the Town?  We think so. The MVFD was able to save the Town $4,000 of the $5,000 that needs to be generated in order to hire a clerk to respond to Mr. DeAngelis’s FOIs.

Mr. DeAngelis Mocks Fire Pole Dedicated To Dr. Arnold

"Why the hell would we spend two grand on such a pole in a one

story building?"

"The Chief payed $2000.00 of the money the town gave him from the 

Westover money for a pole. That's right, a pole, one of these HERE. We 
don't know why somebody would put a sliding pole in a one story 
building. There are poles and there are Poles.
HERE"

    "You know there blowing smoke at you when they cry about copying 

some financial documents but somehow they can't explain expenditures for 

brass poles, catering services, knit hats, party rentals, polo shirts,propane, 

soda, beer, Bobcat, etc. Stop crying and give the public the figures."

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

All the above come from a Westover GIFT, not taxpayer money.  Since the Westover account is a “gift” and not Taxpayer money does it need to be explained?  If I receive a gift from my parents for Christmas, should I explain it to Mr. DeAngelis?? If I don’t explain it to Mr. DeAngelis, am I hiding something?  I don’t think so.

If Mr. DeAngelis is that anxious for the Fire Department to explain why they erected a fire pole in their firehouse when there is not even a second floor, we would then have to explain to him that the fire pole was put into place to honor Dr. William P. Arnold Jr. who unselfishly served the Town of Middlebury since 1953.  The man who rode to medical calls by horseback during snow storms. A kind, gentle man with a heart of gold who practiced in Town for 50 years. He is the salt of the earth.  His true loves are horses, cowboys, and the Middlebury Volunteer Fire Department.  The Department erected the pole and hung a plaque in that location to honor this fine man.   Any other questions about the pole???

There seems to be no end to who Mr. DeAngelis targets. He is now mocking the honor of an 84 year old Town icon. The Fire Department has a great deal of respect, love, and admiration for Dr. Arnold, and we do not appreciate you attacking an area in the Firehouse we created in his honor.

How many fire poles could the MVFD purchase from Taxpayer money (not gift) Mr. DeAngelis has wasted with his FOIs?

Pat DeAngelis FOIs Cost Taxpayers Another $5,000!

"FOI requests taking their toll 
  What’s the cost for freedom of information? $5,000 and 26 hours. 
  Middlebury’s Chief Financial Officer Michael Belden told the Board of Finance on Wednesday night that a recent influx of Freedom of Information Act requests have made the town’s finance depart ment “collapse.” Belden said town departments have clocked more than 26 hours filling the re quests.  The board’s chairman, Jonathan Dayton, said one resident “who we will not name” was the source of most of the FOI requests.
  “The amount of work that is being done for these requests is unbelievable,” Dayton said. “We have other things we have to do, like payroll. We fought viciously with this one individual to give us more time, but he threatened to take us to the FOI Commission.”
  After 15 minutes of discussion, the board voted to move $5,000 from the town’s contingency fund to hire a part-time worker to handle the FOI requests. "

It seems that Mr. DeAngelis is wasting more of the taxpayer’s money.  Another $5,000 to hire a clerk to handle the FOIs. The $5,000 is nothing compared to what the Police Department paid.  I don’t know what Mr. Belden and Mr. Dayton are complaining about. 

Its okay for Mr. DeAngelis to waste thousands of dollars on taxpayer money on his witch hunts, but the MVFD can’t spend $400 from a Westover GIFT to purchase lime green T-shirts for their kids at the annual FD picnic. Why lime green for an FD event?  The picnic was held at Quassy.  The lime green shirts were chosen so parents could pick out their children in the large crowd.

I think the next FOI Mr. DeAngelis should file, is to see how much money has been wasted on all his FOIs.  We know the Police Department number is a whopper, but we do not have the exact figure yet.  What grand information was discovered through this waste of taxpayer money.  Stay tuned.

Master of Ceremonies Ken Heidkamp’s Faux Pas At St. John’s Retirement Party

Former Chairman of the Fire Commission uses Ed St. John’s retirement party as a springboard in an awkward attempt to slam the MVFD.  His negative comments were met with boos and jeers by guests who paid $30.00 per ticket to attend the event.

This behavior illustrates one reason the Fire Department opposed the Fire Commission from its conception, and how Mr. Heidkamp  continues following a political agenda set by the former First Selectman to “get even” with the Fire Department. 

Those who attended the event would characterize his assailing comments directed toward the MVFD as cowardly and in poor taste.  A retirement party is hardly the venue for pontificating negative and inane comments about our dedicated volunteer fire department. It would appear that Mr. Heidkamp and his guest of honor remain bitter that the Charter change that included a permanent Fire Commission was defeated soundly by an almost 2 to 1 vote by residents last November.  

The original political game plan is not working. To the dismay of the previous administration and a handful of his minions, the Police and  Fire Departments have developed a close working relationship with the Board of Selectmen. Because of this, they have afforded the new leader of this community no “honeymoon” ... a story for another time.

The Town is getting back to normal.  The lines of communication are open again.  The divisive commissions are crumbling. Departments are working together, and having regular Department Head meetings with the Board of Selectmen.  Democrats now have a say at the Town Hall, and are no longer treated as an empty suit at the table. Republicans are realizing that some of the “old guard” is just the wrong guard to be leading their party.

Mr. Heidkamp, if you have something to say about our Middlebury Volunteer Fire Department, I suggest that you go to their Firehouse and say it.

Stop Whining And Pay-Up Middlebury!!!

     “It has come to our attention that a certain town employee is whining about 

responding to FOI requests. Here is what we have to say to him:

 a. If you cannot produce end of the year financials for preceeding years, then something is wrong with your system, or you.

 b. How hard is it to hit the "print" key?

 c. You want us to never ask what you do with our money? I don't think so.

Democracy can be a pain, all that accountability and stuff.”

I believe those who will be “whining” the loudest will be the Taxpayers in Town when they find out how much Taxpayer money all these FOIs are costing them.

I guess your version of democracy includes taking police officers off the streets, and the hiring of clerks to feed your fishing expeditions that fuel the never-ending attacks on the Police Department, Fire Department, and the new Board of Selectman. Because of the cost of all these FOIs, you have now set your sights on the Middlebury Taxpayer who has to pick up the tab.  Most people in Town will not be very happy paying for your constant attacks on those who unselfishly serve this community.

The Westover Account Is A Gift Not A Tax

           “ First of all you have to understand what the "Westover Account" is. It's' money that Westover school pays to the TOWN---not directly to the Firehouse, but to the TOWN. It does so in lieu of taxes. The TOWN then gives the money to the Firehouse.”

Thats right, you need to know what the Westover Account is, which apparently you do not.  Westover is a private, non-profit girls boarding school and is tax exempt.  It is not required to pay any taxes.  It does not pay this amount of money in lieu of taxes, because it does not have to pay taxes at all.  The money that is given to the Town is what is called a GIFT.  

The Town then gives out the money to various departments and they can do what they wish with the money.  That is how Westover wants it.  There are absolutely no restrictions on how the money is to be spent.  Again, it is a gift not a tax payment.

The Fire Department actually gets more, but Mr. St. John would skim off the top $2,500.00 to be used for the Town’s Appreciation party at the end of the summer.  I believe that is chicken and beer instead of burgers and beer. 

Even though the money is meant to go to the Fire Department to do what they wish with it, it is still a Town controlled account. All of the expenditures from this account must be paid by the Board of Selectman. The Selectmen write the checks, not the Fire Chief.

This account has been around for years and has been used by all Fire Chiefs for whatever they wished. It is not a unique account for the current Chief.

What are all these Astro bills?  Electrical improvements to the Firehouse at discount prices and approved by Ed St. John. 

Fleeces and shirts to the members, how could they do such a thing?  A member risks his life 365 days a year, spends hundreds of hours helping our residents, and at the end of the day they give them a fleece.

FD Victory Parties?  If the Town sees it fit to take $2,500.00 for a Town party, it seems the MVFD can take a certain amount to pay for FD parties.  

Did Santa's Elves Save Middlebury $4000.00 ???

"It seems that when the fire chief wanted to put his antennae on the town owned tower at the town hall the town rightfully wanted guarantees from the vendor that the vendor would not harm the tower. When the vendor refused to give said guarantee the chief had no choice but to call out the huge ladder truck ( it's good to see that we use that $750.000 piece of equipment for something, even if its just for antennae installations ) and hire some elves to put the antennae on the chiming of the town hall"

Wrong again.

In order to install the antenna on the current tower would have required digging a trench from the Town Hall to the tower. This would have been expensive and was not included in Chief Perrotti's Homeland Security Grant. It would have been an added cost to the taxpayers. In consultation with N.E. Communications it was determined that the chimney of the Town Hall would make an ideal location to mount the new antenna.

The new site offered several advantages.  1) There was no need to dig a trench.  2) There was a cost savings, because not as much cable would be required. With less cable, there is also a boost in reception. 3) It is a better location and will actually provide better reception than the existing tower.

So who were these elves?  Not Santa's, and certainly not hired as incorrectly reported above. These were members of the Middlebury Volunteer Fire Department who took time out of their holiday weekend to help their town and save the Taxpayers thousands of dollars.  It was a difficult job, and members worked in excess of five hours on the project.  Watertown Fire was called to assist with their platform truck. Middlebury's Truck 1 Aerial Ladder was also used in the operation.  The operation was a success and the MVFD is now one step closer to implementing the new high-band radio system awarded from the almost $300,000 radio grant.

How In The World Could Paul Perrotti Trade A Town Vehicle For A Golf Cart??

Well, the truth is, HE CAN'T!  At least not without permission from the First Selectman. In order to sell or trade any vehicle you need a "Title" for the vehicle. This is something Paul Perrotti had no access to. Only the First Selectman has access to such titles and would have the authority to sign this title over to another party. Taft School could not have registered the vehicle with DMV without a title.  So, if Paul Perrotti did not sign over the title, who did?  The answer - former First Selectman Ed St. John. So the question should really be, why did former First Selectman Ed St. John trade a town vehicle for a golf cart?

Because the transmission was gone and the vehicle was falling apart.  The vehicle was a 1994 police car that was passed downed to Chief Perrotti.  Taft School expressed an interest in the vehicle thinking they could put a new transmission in and get a few more years out of it; something the Town was not willing to do. So the vehicle was traded for the golf cart, plus Taft made a  $500.00 donation to the Fire Department. 

The golf cart has come in handy at a variety of calls.  It has also been utilized by the Police Department from time-to-time.

There is no mystery here, just a former First Selectman who apparently forgot he signed off on the title.

What Does John Dayton Know About Fire Apparatus?

"So, John Dayton, who works in a bank, we believe, does not "agree" with a professional fireman who teaches fire education courses. And what, pray tell, are Mr. Dayton's qualifications relative to fire safety? We should listen to him, not an expert?  Why?"

Simple, John Dayton is a veteran member who has been with the Department for many years.  In his younger years he was extremely active with the Department. Because of his firefighting training he understands "rural firefighting" much better than the "city firefighting" consultant who spent only two days in Middlebury. 

The notion that everyone else in the world knows what is best for fire protection for the Town other than the Fire Department, is simply ridiculous. The MVFD has been successfully protecting this Town since 1941.  Their understanding of the apparatus needs far overshadows the opinion of a consultant who only visited the Town for two days. If you review his report he shows little understanding of our town and our Fire Department.  He did however get a few things correct. 1) The MVFD needs a new Pumper and Rescue, and 2) The MVFD is a well-run Department.

But, you don't have to be a trained firefighter to understand the basic principles of firefighting, which have not changed since Ben Franklin started the first department in Philadelphia.  In order to put out a structure fire efficiently, you need water.

How many fire trucks does it take to extinguish a fire?  If there are no hydrants, you may need all of them.  Even with hydrants at the last structure fire, the Department used Engine 3, Engine 1, and Engine 4 at the scene.  So, where was Engine 2?  Back at the firehouse where it suppose to be.  Engine 2 is a second alarm piece.  If you have another fire in town and have your only three engines committed to a first call, how will you respond to the second call?

The answer, a mutual aid company maybe?  Maybe, but what if a natural disaster such as a hurricane or tornado has occurred, and mutual aid companies are not available? What then?

With the increase in development in Town, and the population on the rise with hundreds of new homes being built, it makes little sense to reduce the fleet.