Join The MVFD, Then You Get To Vote For Chief

“Elections for a new Fire Chief are coming up in November. We think that a new Chief would open up a new era of non-political, friendly relations between the town and this wonderful organization

   

We're certain that so many FOI and other problems could be resolved with a citizen friendly Chief at the FIREHOUSE

Please Vote in this Straw Poll:

Do you feel Paul Perrotti should be replaced as Fire Chief YES or NO

All replies confidential. This is just a poll

    reply to administrator@ourmoneypit.com”

Mr. DeAngelis has it exactly opposite.  The Fire Department is currently enjoying a good working relationship with Tom Gormley and Bob Desmarais.  Plans are on their way to replace a 27 year old pumper, something that Mr. St. John nor Elaine Strobel were able to do.  This is not a victory for the MVFD, but rather a victory for the community.  Public safety finally put ahead of politics.

What Mr. DeAngelis does not understand is that no matter who is Chief of the Department, the outcome would be the same. Mr. DeAngelis would not be entitled to any financial information regarding the Inc. side of the MVFD.  

Even if tomorrow Paul Perrotti wanted to release all documents of the MVFD INC, he couldn’t.  The Chief is the one in charge on the fireground, but on the Inc. side of the Department he is only a single voice, with no more clout than anyone else. In fact, the Chief does not even vote, unless to break a tie.

No one at the MVFD cares about Mr. DeAngelis’s opinion as to the election of Chief this November.  The membership will vote for Chief as they do every two years. If you want to vote for Chief, you need to join the Fire Department.

Mr. DeAngelis’s fake poll will be as accurate as his website.  If he wants to conduct a poll, why doesn’t he get a real blog.

 

But, feel free to send him an e-mail.  I am sure he would be glad to hear from you.

St. John Wants To Return

 BY MATTHEW O’ROURKE
 REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN
  MIDDLEBURY — The longest-serving first selectman in town history is planning a comeback in 2009 two years after his retirement from the post. Edward B. St. John an­nounced that he plans to run again for the town’s top office, which he held for 24 years. His announcement came only hours after the release of a forensic audit on Friday highlighting numerous questions about a road and sewer project he oversaw while he was in office.

  St. John did not run for re­election in 2007 after running mostly unopposed for the ma­jority of his political career.

  “I will be involved in the whole political process in 2009,” St. John said. “Definitely consider me in the mix.”

  He cited the release of the forensic audit, which investigated a project St. John author­ized in 2006 for sewer and road improvements in the Washington Drive area of town, as a catalyst to push him back into politics.

  The report stated that St. John, who was serving as both first selectman and the town’s public works director, did not follow proper bidding procedures and did not have the authority to approve the project without first holding a town meeting.

  “If we can waste the taxpayers’ money on forensic audits, then I will be involved politi­cally,” he said. “We could have put this all to bed, but where does it take us? Nowhere.”

  When asked before St. John made his intentions known to the Republican-American whether the audit could impact St. John’s political future, First Selectman Thomas Gormley said he was uncertain.

  “What Ed does is really up to him,” Gormley said. “Ed has the right to do whatever he wants to do — nobody’s prohibiting him. That’s totally up to him.” Just a month earlier, St. John was exonerated in Waterbury Superior Court of allegations that he sexually abused a teenage boy in at a Rhode Island cottage he rented in 1987. The lawsuit was filed in Oct. 2005, days before a heated election between St. John and then-first selectman candidate Keli-Ann Bollard. Throughout the trial in April, St. John maintained that the lawsuit was politically motivated.

  Local bloggers have posted that St. John supporters have been planning for potential re­election fundraisers since early summer. He may also have the votes on the Republican Town Committee, where his slate won 19 of 21 available seats after a heated primary in March.

  While St. John has not officially filed any campaign paperwork, he said he plans to do so soon after the new year.
  St. John said he wasn’t going to let the results of the recent audit, or any potential future investigation, prevent him from trying to run again for first selectman.
 

 “The whole thing was a witch hunt,” St. John said, a stance he’s maintained since the audit started in May. “We’re going to get some money in the coffers and see where we can go from there.”

Middlebury's Finest Now Under Attack

 And you thought that the Middlebury Police, Special Crimes Unit, didn't do anything but drink coffee and eat pizza

Good news, your lawns are safe again thanks to the MIddlebury

Police. You know those ugly signs that sprout up all around town? Well, you 

don't have to worry about losing two bucks on a sign. Not with the amount of 

cop-cars, cop motorcycles and support personal that we spend two million 

dollars a year on here in Middlebury so that the police can protect us.”

Here we go again. Move over Paul Perrotti and the entire MVFD. Move over Tom Gormley, Bob Desmarais, John Dayton, Fran Brennan,  John Cookson,  Steve Saverese, Mittens the Cat, and the entire slate of “Row A”  RTC candidates.  Mr. DeAngelis is adding “Middlebury’s Finest” to the list of corrupt, Gestapo-like, incompetent, politically motivated do-nothings. 

Mr. DeAngelis is all for free speech as long as he is the only one who can speak. It was unacceptable that a resident purchased political signs with his own money and distributed them throughout Town on private property.

The signs were ugly, and their message was contrary to what Mr. DeAngelis believes in. The removal of the signs was justified.   Instead of condemning those who stood in the way of freedom of speech, he attacks the Police Department for making arrests in which an eye witness identified the two suspects.

“There is some interesting "testimony" here": 1. that John Cookson

would actually use his own money to pay for some cheap signs...”

What’s so interesting about that? 

Mr. Cookson believed strongly that the budget should pass.  He put up his own money to get his message out and exercised his freedom of speech. But how could that be? Everyone is a lier in the eyes of Mr. DeAngelis... almost everyone.  Everyone who lives in Town, volunteers for positions, or is employed in some capacity by the Town should be suspect.

“...2. that Jim Roy, an employee of the police dept has the authority to "catch" and "confront" people. We wonder what would have happened if Roy was not a police 

employee. Would anybody have taken him seriously?”

Jim Roy is a dispatcher that works at Middlebury Headquarters.  He has worked there for over 20 years. He’s also a Middlebury Volunteer firefighter and EMT, and has been a dedicated member for over 20 years as well. 

As far as I know, you don’t need any authority to confront anyone trespassing on your private property and stealing property from you. You also don’t have to work with police officers every day to report a crime that you are witnessing.

Being a dispatcher, you need several skills. You have to take information that comes in to you, quickly interpret and process it and in a split second take the correct action that can mean the difference between if someone lives or dies.  To do it correctly is an art.  

Anyone who has ever listen to Jim coordinate Town resources during a structure fire is truly impressed.  There is no one better behind that microphone that will act decisively under such stress and responsibility, and still come across over the air as if he is cool as a cucumber. Its truly a gift.  

His job dictates a precision eye for detail.  Identifying two individuals he personally knows, identifying the vehicle make, and noting the registration is a walk in the park for Jim.

“When Polly Wilson had her car "keyed" after she spoke against the budget and after beer bottles were smashed in her driveway she reported the incident to the Middlebury Police.   

The Police did nothing. Why, was Polly Wilson on the wrong 

political side?”

Here we go again.  Our Police Department will only do their job if and only if they politically agree with the complainant. 

Did Mrs. Wilson witness the vandalism to her vehicle? No.  Did Jim Roy witness the theft and actually talk to the suspects? According to Jim, yes.  You don’t have to be Charlie Chan to see that there is a big difference.  

What Do You Think Of This?

Audit faults town on sewer, roads project - Says Middlebury failed to follow law

 BY MATTHEW O’ROURKE
 REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN
 MIDDLEBURY — Town officials failed to follow proper bidding procedures and acted without authority when they went ahead with a 2006 sewer and roads project in the Washington Drive neighborhood, a forensic auditing firm concluded in a report released Friday.
  

In addition, the auditors were unable to find contracts between the town and subcontrac­tors working on the project.
  

Those conclusions were part of a 12-page report compiled during a nearly five-month in­vestigation by Farmington based Kostin, Ruffkess and Company into sewer and road improvements completed by the town on Washington and Lakeshore drives and Narcissus Road.

 The firm wrote that in its review of various town commission minutes, “it appears that an appropriation for Contract 41 was not approved in accordance with the charter,” and proper bidding procedures “were not followed for both the sewer and road construction projects.”

 The Board of Selectmen voted to pursue a forensic audit in April after officials learned that the town is owed $928,000 by Middlebury Land Associates, a developer building homes in that area. That figure has since grown to more than $946,000.
  

The project, a proposed 118­to 145-unit complex on 144 acres, first came before town land use commissions in 2005 and received approvals later that year. Only four of the 35 homes in the first phase of the subdivision were built. Kostin, Ruffkess and Company was hired for $13,500 to review of all financial records between the town and subcontractors involved in the project, plus the town charter and meeting min­utes from various commissions. Former First Selectman Ed­ward B. St. John, who was also the town’s public works director, signed a contract in August 2006 with the developer calling for the town to complete the work, but he subcontracted many of the improvements, paying companies out of a reserve fund in the town budget.
  

The subcontractors stopped getting paid after Middlebury Land Associates stopped paying the town in September 2007.
  

The charter requires a town meeting to fund projects that are not included in the town’s annual budget. Auditors wrote in their report that several actions — including potential charter violations for authorizing funds without a town meeting — would require an attorney’s opinion before any legal action could be taken.

 St. John maintained his allegation that the audit was part of a “witch hunt” by town officials and questioned the credibility of the auditor’s report. He insisted that the town did complete bids and contracts for the project and said that he left them in the selectmen’s office when he retired in 2007. When asked if he had contacted First Selectman Thomas Gormley about the documents before the audit, St. John said he hadn’t.

 “This is nothing but a witch hunt to stab Ed St. John in the eye,” St. John said Friday.
  

Town officials have argued that the audit was a necessary step in understanding how the project worked before they go to the American Arbitration Association next month to negotiate a payment schedule with the developer.
  

Gormley said it was important that the review be done by someone outside town government.

 “We didn’t want to do this internally; that wouldn’t be fair or just,” Gormley said.
  

Any further investigation into potential violations or wrongdoing will depend on Town Attorney Stephen Savarese’s legal opinions based on the audit, Gormley said.
  

Calls to Savarese were not returned Friday. The auditors said they were unable to find any record of bids being submitted for the sewer line project.
  

They noted that when “documentation for the bid on the sewer line construction was re­quested from the WPCA (Water Pollution Control Authority), we were informed that the Town acted as the general contractor on this project as many others in the past.”
  

St. John admitted that he followed similar procedures throughout his 24-year tenure as the town’s chief executive, but said any charter violations were unintentional.
  

“They should look at all they’ve done if they’re going to criticize charter violations,” he said. “That’s the only bad one we ran into. We should focus on getting the money back.”
  

Auditors also reported they did not find any contracts be­tween the town and Hubble Construction, a Burlington­based company that completed much of the work along Washington Drive. On a separate project Hubble was completing near Glenwood Avenue in 2005, auditors found that the town paid police for pri­vate duty out of a state grant ac­count for a water project near the Timex Corporation on Christian Road.
  

Typically, private contractors pay for police services, which include monitoring and directing traffic.
  

“It is not clear who has the authority to waive the charges for police outside services and how this should have been documented,” the report reads.

Insults Without Ideas

“Is Tom so dumb that he thought Middlebury wants or needs 600 affordable housing units.

Our only hope is that Gormley  and Savarese don't ruin the town before we

kick him out of office.

Tom whined about his home value, the fire dept stamps its feet because it wants a new truck, Tommy wants to spend the slush funds until he bankrupts the town..do you feel lied to? Do you feel the budget "cut" that got the budget "down" to a 10 percent INCREASE was all a big lie? Welcome to the club and vote "no" on the upcoming referendum.

Tommy Boy and his brain trust feel its time to bring out the second half of the budget. In spite of ripping us off for a 10 percent increase, Tommy Boy wants to charge you more for a FIRE TRUCK ( those parades are important ), a bridge, slush funds, etc.

Gormley likes to blame the budget increase  on Region 15.  Now, do you think Gormley and his yahoos have the SLIGHTEST idea of how one deals with a huge educational unit like Region 15? Their expertise stops at"gee, how red should we paint this old car?"

          Instead of dealing with the Region they come back to things they can understand like fuel tanks, trucks, jackets, pizza , old cars, etc.

         So they jacked you up for an extra fuel tank they don't need, now they want to jack you up by letting you vote to let them spend the slush funds and to buy more vehicles. MORE CASH, THEY WANT MORE CASH.

          DO YOU GET IT, YET?

      This town has turned into one big expensive joke.”

We sure do get it.  Mr. DeAngelis seems to have run out of ideas, and simply resorts to shrill. The chief spokesman for the previous administration continues to try to create an atmosphere of chaos and incompetence, that does not exist.  Why?  There are 948,000 reasons why.

Some common distortions:

1) Mr. DeAngelis continues distorting the budget even though it passed by substantial votes.  Region 15 increases its budget by almost 1 million dollars and Mr. DeAngelis does not notice. He also ignores the spending of the “rainy day” fund by the previous administration, (at the insistence of Mrs. Bollard), the loss of $371,377 in fees, $135,000 in lost interest, and finally Mr. St. John’s win/win Washington Dr. deal.   With all of that loss, Mr. Gormley managed to still cut 3.16% from the budget.  He should be commended for his efforts to keep taxes down.  The net-impact was a tax increase just under 6%, not 10% as Mr. DeAngelis reported.

2) New fire apparatus.  Again, Mr. DeAngelis characterizes new apparatus replacement as unimportant and just a parade toy for the MVFD.

The MVFD has been attempting to replace fire apparatus since the first specs for Engine 2 were drawn up in 2002.  Mr. St. John stonewalled all plans for apparatus replacement since 2003, allowing his animosity towards the MVFD to stand in the way of public safety.  

The result, one engine that is 27 years old, a rescue truck over 30 years old, and two front-line pumpers that are 20 and 21 years old.  In three years Engine 1 will be over 20 years old as well.  Year after year Mr. St. John allowed the apparatus to age without a long-term plan of replacement.  On the other hand, for at least the last 12 years, the MVFD has submitted a long-term apparatus replacement plan each and every year.

There has been money set aside by the BOF every year to pay for the new Engine 2.  The apparatus will be paid in full, and not bonded. 

First-due engines are not parade pieces. They do not leave town for parades.  If your house catches on fire, this engine will be the first at your door.  Whether life and property are saved during a fire, is determined during the first few minutes apparatus is on-scene.  Quick attack with big water dictates the end-result. The first due engine must be in peak condition. Relying on a 20 year old engine that has already failed this year en route to an accident on 84 is risky.

The firefighters who ride frontline fire apparatus are interior attack firefighters.  In other words, they enter the burning building and attack the fire from the inside. It is an extremely dangerous job. Many times our firefighters are forced to crawl through heavy smoke and heat, deep inside a structure, in order to locate the seat of the fire and extinguish it.

It is imperative at this attack engine is working perfectly.  The very lives of the interior attack firefighters and the fate of the structure, all rely on the attack pumper.  How long will Middlebury delay replacement to try to beat the odds before one of our firefighters is killed, because the apparatus fails when it is needed the most?

3)  Mr. DeAngelis ridicules Tom Gormley saying, “Gormley and his yahoos have the SLIGHTEST idea of how one deals with a huge educational unit like Region 15? “

Thats the problem, the educational unit is too big.  Time to make it a little smaller by looking at its budget and reducing programs and services that are unnecessary, wasteful, redundant, or ineffective. Is Middlebury spending too much for the services our children get in return? Should Southbury be paying more? 

The DeAngelis approach is to leave the Region alone and allow them to grow unchecked and increase our taxes yearly, while whacking a sledgehammer at the Town side, stripping-down Town services to the minimum. i.e. Library and Dump hours, and a fleet of obsolete fire apparatus.

4) Mr. DeAngelis feels that the Town was “jacked” by the new fuel tank being installed at Fire HQ.  I would characterized this as the exact opposite.  Taxpayers were being ”jacked” under the St. John administration when tens of thousands of gallons of premium diesel fuel meant for powering fire apparatus was being used to heat Fire HQ. Thats a waste of taxpayer money.  The new fuel tank at Fire HQ will allow the older tank to be filled with less expensive home heating oil.  The result?  The new tank will pay for itself in less than three years and the Town will realize savings from each year after.

The Bottom Line:

As much as Mr. DeAngelis does not want you to believe it, Tom Gormley and Bob Desmarais keep marching on in an honest and straightforward approach to undo some of the mistakes of the previous administration.  All without the support of a St. John controlled RTC, that’s chief accomplishment so far seems to be successfully dividing the Republican Party.

I believe that Middlebury residents see through the shrill, and hate that resonates from Mr. DeAngelis’s website. They recognize its source, and they reject it. Mr. DeAngelis described those who voted for the budget as “a_____es.” That is what he thinks of at least 1005 Middlebury residents.

Residents are sick and tired of empty, politically-motivated hate, without any real ideas.  Unproductive and insulting rhetoric is a reflection of the source rather than the target.

Will the problems of the Town be solved overnight?  No they won’t, but residents can go to sleep at night knowing that Tom Gormley and Bob Desmarais are working in an open and honest manner to try to correct these problems.

Linda Mascoli's Letter To Editor Republican/American

MIDDLEBURY NEEDS TO GET OUT OF REGION 15
  

Now that the 2008-09 Middlebury town budget has been passed, I wonder when taxpayers are going to realize that the driving force behind the spending increases is the Region 15 school budget.

  Until we can get the education budget under control, the town budget will continue to be reduced and residents will feel the pinch. Unfortunately, no one high enough in public office is willing to admit publicly that the school budget is out of control and that we se­riously need to look at deregionalization because we have no voice against Southbury.

  Until we consider that option, we will continue to see cuts made across the board to town services until there is nothing left to cut. At the same time, taxpayers should keep an eye on how much the school budget grows.
  

Linda Mascoli 

Middlebury

A Message From "Campaign 2005"

It makes me crazy when I see how Ken Heidkamp and most of his Republican Town Committee buddies sat on their hands when the time came to help Tom Gormley.

These people put on a huge campaign last year to get their seats on the committee. They put a big ad in the paper proclaiming their support for Tom. Deangelis dedicated week after week promoting these guys. Elaine Strobel ran on his ticket. They had a big fund raiser.

Tom gets in office - and then - dropped.

I just cannot figure it out. Can Doctor St. John really have this many people in his pocket? And what in the world do they possibly have against the MVFD? Can anybody provide some background on this?

Tom Gormley inherited a pile of turds. He's trying to straighten it out. He's untangled some of it. He's reduced the town budget. They should be throwing Tom a big dinner! They should be throwing Paul Perrotti a big dinner too for all that he and the MVFD have done for Middlebury, not against Middlebury. But they're kissing the doctor's ass.

I just don't get it.

The MVFD reminds residents to properly dispose of oil soaked rags by soaking them in water and storing them in a covered metal can outside the residence.

More Inaccuracies For Mr. DeAngelis

 “Before we buy a new fire engine for 

parades how about the MVFD pays for part 

of it out of their $ 800,000.00?

    According to their IRS filings the MVFD has over 800 grand in

assets. They have refused to open their books but when they finally do

on Oct 16th. we will get a look at how they have been spending this

money. Do you notice how they want to quickly get the fire truck money

BEFORE FOI orders them to open their books after the Oct. 16 FOI 

hearing?

       Gormley is not out of the woods on this one as he may still has 

personal financial culpability.”

Mr. DeAngelis continues to illustrate that he has an inability to listen and learn.

1) The MVFD does not have $800,000.00. The tax return he sites is 2005.  Not exactly up to date. 

2) Plans for a replacement pumper began in 2002.  I would not say the process is being rushed. As usual Mr. DeAngelis does not know what he is talking about.

3) No member of the MVFD has any intention of being in Hartford on October 16th.   Any information he is legally entitled to has already been delivered, in the process of being delivered, or is available at Town Hall.

4) Front line fire apparatus does not go to parades out of Town.

A Message From "I've Had Enough" and "Mr. Anonymous"

 i've had enough said...

The first poster is right, the budget doesn't revolve around Paul, it revolves around the well being and safety of our community. The MVFD budget is a whole $209,000 out of the nearly $9 million dollars, thats roughly 2% of the entire budget. We are the largest department with the smallest budget. This is a very insignificant cost when compared to what a paid fire department would cost.

The reason that Mr. Gormley is working to get a pumper is because he realizes the seriousness of the situation. The town is in terrible shape because of the incompetance of the last administration that Pat seems to enjoy defending. An administration that he was working so hard to break down and destroy for the past 3-4 years (wonder why that is). Ed is the reason that we have a fleet that has 4 soon to be 5 fire trucks that are over 20 years old, and slowly falling apart. These trucks, though they may not run every day, work very hard when they are run. It is time to stop playing these stupid games, grow up and get this town running smoothly again.

We give back to our town in many ways in addition to risking our lives whenever the tone goes off. We pay for our own ambulances, we offer scholarships, sponsor the little league and the list goes on. We do all of these things with money that we work very hard to raise, and money that people donate out of pure generosity to the department, not money from the town as Pat suggests.

October 6, 2008 5:46 PM

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

 mr. anonymous said...

I couldn't have said it any better.......The only additional comment I'll make is that many of those in ESTJ's clique wouldn't be caught dead driving a 20-30 year old car, unless it was a restored antique, out for a leisurely Sunday drive. The apparatus looks as good as it does because it is lovingly maintained by the members. But, looks can be decieving. With the exception of the two newest pieces, Engine 6 & the Ladder, every other truck has suffered some kind of mechanical issues in the last 4 years. These vehicles don't get used like your family car. They sit idle, waiting. When they are called for, they work hard, harder than anyone's family auto ever would. When I have to drive one of those trucks to a fire, I always have it in the vack of my mind that something could go wrong at any moment. Is that the kind of fire apparatus you want pulling up in front of your house when there is an emergency? That's the big question here.......

October 6, 2008 8:36 PM

New Engine 2 On The Horizon

“Thursday, Dayton, Gormley and Savarese met to discuss the new fire 

engine they want to buy. Now, we’re not against fire engines nor are we 

against buying a new fire engine if it is actually needed.

What we do question is the amount of money the fire department is going 

to kick in for the new engine and before we hand out hundreds of 

thousands of dollars shouldn't that department have fiscal oversight other 

than two Selectmen who are firemen?”

When Mr. DeAngelis says,“We”, he means Mr. St. John and himself.  Mr. St. John still can’t get over that his fire commission went down in flames. The fire commission was a politically motivated tool of Mr. St. John to “get back” at the MVFD.  It was an unnecessary level of bureaucracy that attempted to interfere with fireground operations, attempted to stall repair of lifesaving equipment, and was a threat to both firefighter and public safety. 

The public in a two to one vote, rejected Mr. St. John’s fire commission when they voted down the charter change that would make the fire commission permanent, last November.

Tom Gormley, Bob Desmarais, and the BOF are doing what Mr. St. John nor his fire commission could do.  They will be purchasing a badly needed pumper for the community.  That’s right, for the community, not the MVFD. This is not a toy, it is a necessary tool to protect life and property.

As far as oversight; Mr. DeAngelis keeps forgetting that Mrs. Strobel is also a selectman in Town. There are three selectmen, not just two. Under Mr. St. John’s administration there were also two firefighters who were selectmen.  What’s the difference? What better people to understand the apparatus needs of the community than firefighters.

As far as the MVFD Inc. contributing to the cost of the Engine? I think the Department has pulled its weight by purchasing a $190,000.00 ambulance that will not cost taxpayers one cent. 

Every Trip To Hartford Wastes Middlebury Taxpayer Money

“On Oct. 16 the Middlebury Volunteer Fire Dept Inc. will be

subpoenaed and asked to reconcile financial records. Their money comes 

from you. Now you will get a chance to see what is done with your money.”

Mr. DeAngelis wants to spend more of “his own money” on a lawyer and drive up to Hartford with his two sidekicks, in order to ascertain information he can obtain by simply reading the MVFD budget that passed by over 200 votes last week. He also seeks to waste more Taxpayer money with his never-ending flood of FOIs directed at Town Hall.  How much will it cost the taxpayers to send the Town's  attorney to Hartford on the 16th?

As stated countless times, all Taxpayer money that is budgeted to the MVFD is paid through Town Hall.  The Town’s Finance Department writes the checks, not the MVFD, nor the MVFD Treasurer. 

If Mr. DeAngelis needs more details about the Department’s heating  and electrical bills, he needs only to go to Town Hall. The Town Hall is a lot closer than Hartford. 

Putting The Town Back Together

     “The town has no leadership. The town "leaders" care more about revenge than about the good of the town. Gormley cares more about pointing out the mistakes of the previous administrations than about putting this town back together.

I think Mr. DeAngelis is a little mixed up here.  I don’t think Mr. Gormley and Mr. Desmarais  are trying to point out the mistakes of the previous administration, but rather trying to repair the mistakes of the previous administration.

Here are just some examples.

1) Prior to the 2007 election Mr. St. John was attempting to stonewall the MVFD radio grant by demanding that the MVFD or Northeast Communications pay for an engineering study done on the radio towers at Town Hall.  The MVFD wanted to replace an older and heavier low-band antenna, with a lighter newer high-band antenna. Mr. St. John would not allow it until the engineering study was conducted. The cost of the study?  Approximately $5,000 to $10,000 per tower.  In addition the study would not be able to be completed in time to meet the FEMA deadline.  This could have resulted in Middlebury losing the almost $300,000.00 radio grant. But, that was the point. Sink the radio grant and blame Chief Perrotti.

Immediately after the election, Tom Gormley approved mounting  the antenna on the Town Hall Chimney.  Mr. St. John was not happy.

2) Prior to the 2007 election Mr. St. John was spending thousands of dollars of taxpayer money drafting a Town/MVFD Ambulance agreement that would in essence have taken over the MVFD billing funds from the MVFD, and allowing it to be added to the general fund.  The MVFD paid thousands of dollars of its own money (not taxpayer money) defending the Department, thus preserving this billing system that saves our taxpayers thousands of dollars each year.  Even though the MVFD flatly rejected the contract, Mr. St. John’s lawyer went on the attack telling the very volunteers who ride on the ambulance to “Batten down the hatches.”  

Immediately following the election, Mr. Gormley and Mr. Desmarais threw Mr. St. John’s ambulance agreement right out the window. Currently, the BOS and the MVFD are in the final stages of drafting a new agreement that will protect the interests of both the Town and the MVFD Ambulance.  Mr. St. John did not like that too much either.

3) One of the biggest surprises Mr. Gormley and Mr. Desmarais discovered after taking office was the $948,000.00 Washington Dr. deal.  This was a huge problem right from the beginning.  Instead of sweeping it under the rug, Mr. Gormley and Mr. Desmarais ordered a Forensic Audit to have an independent company examine how the Town ended up in this position.  Mr. St. John did not like that at all.

Just taking those three elements.  Jeopardizing the radio grant, Middlebury would have lost $300,000. Attacking the MVFD Ambulance.  Middlebury could have lost it’s Volunteer ambulance.  The door-prize for that maneuver, a possible $350,000.00 per year in increase of taxes to hire a private ambulance service. Last, we are still out the $950,000.

Today, under Gormley and Desmarais, we have a working high-band radio system being utilized.  We are on the verge of a new ambulance agreement.  The MVFD enjoys a good working relationship with Mr. Gormley and they will be moving ahead to replace badly needed fire apparatus that Mr. St. John had ignored since 2003.

In addition, looking into the possibility of relocating Triangle Boulevard families to the Washington Drive area, could be the first step in recovering the $950,000.

These are all positive moves and the very essence of putting this Town back together.

    “The lack of respect of the town towards this administration was evident during the budget vote.”

Bull.  People vote their pocketbooks. There will always be a group of people who will always vote “No,” no matter what.  I include myself in that category most of the time.  But, it gets to the point, where logic has to triumph over emotion and people have to get together and do the right thing for their community. 

In addition during the budget votes, a great many people incorrectly thought they were voting for the School budget instead of voting for a tax decrease of 3.16% on the Town side. When it was publicly clarified the result was a passed budget.

To characterize it as a referendum on Tom Gormley is just not correct, just as it was not a referendum on Mr. St. John who did not pass his last budget until November of last year.

More Distortions From Mr. DeAngelis

“Paul Perrotti takes good care of his men. When things get troubled as 

they are in the case of the FOI hearing he has no problem pushing his men

in front of him. The firehouse treasurer will face Atty. Buckley's questions

relative to reconciling the fire house books with IRS reports. Good luck.”

There is nothing troubled or troubling at the MVFD except that it is constantly being harassed by Mr. DeAngelis’s FOIs, regarding information that either he can easily obtain from Town Hall, or for information that he is not legally entitled to receive.

Once again, here is why. There are two entities at work.

1) The Middlebury Volunteer Fire Department.  This is the Town Department that receives funding through taxpayer dollars.  This is the Town agency that puts out fires, cuts people out of their cars, and pumps resident’s cellars in the dead of night. These taxpayer dollars go to purchasing fire fighting equipment, turnout gear, apparatus and maintenance, fuel for the apparatus, heating oil for the building, etc...

 2) There is also the Middlebury Volunteer Fire Department Inc.  This is the “club side” of the private organization that raises its own money.  This is the organization that puts Thanksgiving dinners on the tables of less fortunate residents, donates to the food bank, sponsors Little League, sponsor’s the Halloween party for the entire Town, gives scholarships to high school seniors, and outfits the Firehouse with essential non-fire fighting equipment such as all equipment for the kitchen, and most all furniture in the building. None of the funds that come into the MVFD Inc. are derived from taxes.

Under the MVFD Inc. is also the Fire Department Ambulance Fund. This part of the organization uses a billing company to bill those who require the ambulance.  All funds collected through billing go towards maintaining the ambulance, purchasing supplies and equipment, and paying $80,000 each year to Campion Ambulance for Advanced Life Support services.  Any funds that are left over at the end of the year go towards a fund for purchasing a new ambulance. The MVFD Inc. has a new ambulance on order that will save taxpayers around $190,000.

These are two distinctive organizations. Mr. DeAngelis and Mr. Buckley are attempting to blur the lines between these two organizations. Mr. DeAngelis is entitles to see all information on finances that relate to the Town-side of the MVFD, or in other words, the fire fighting side. These are the funds that the Department derives from taxes.  He is not entitled to see financial records from the “club side”, or the part of MVFD Inc., the side that does not receive funds from taxes.

The MVFD Inc. Treasurer does not handle taxpayer funds at all. The MVFD Treasure handles the books of the MVFD Inc.,  or the “club side.”  Since Mr. DeAngelis is not entitled to information from the “club side,” the Treasurer’s appearance at any FOI hearing is irrelevant.

The sentence that Paul Perrotti is pushing men in front of him is ridiculous.  Its a vain attempt of Mr. DeAngelis to create an artificial smoke screen of chaos that does not exist. 

“Police, Fire and Public works financial matters must be 

centralized.

The way things work in this town financially and fiscally is absurd. The 

fire dept operates with no real supervision financially.”

Wrong, again!  The taxpayer funded sides of the Police, Fire Department and Public Works all come under the direction and oversight of the Board of Selectman.  That is why we have this board; to oversee these various departments.  

Former First Selectman Ed St. John attempted to pawn off his elected responsibilities, when he appointed his now defunct, and politically motivated fire commission.  The commission only proved to be a new unnecessary layer of bureaucracy, and a threat to not only firefighter safety, but the safety of the entire community.

So where is the oversight? How are bills paid?  When the Fire Department receives a bill, the Fire Chief authorizes that the bill get paid.  The bill is then sent to Town Hall to the Finance Department.  The amount of the bill is then deducted from the proper line item account from the budget, and a check is cut. The check is them forwarded to the Fire Department liaison who will verify whether or not the bill and payment is legitimate.  Once approved by the liaison, the check is then signed by all three Selectmen. The MVFD Inc. Treasurer is not involved in this process at any point.

There is not a lot to oversee when it comes to the Fire Department budget.  Over the last two years the Department’s budget has been reduced by almost 14%. These are cuts made by the Chief and Officers.  The FD budget is about half that of the Library.  The current budget for the Department is $209,000. When you take into account that maintenance costs, fuel costs and other associated costs go up every year, the Department should be commended for doing their part to keep taxes down.  After all, paying only $209,000 per year for a Volunteer fire department is a bargain.  A paid department would cost millions.

 “On top of that, two of the three Selectmen are firemen which further blunts an honest appraisal of where the money goes.”

That argument is just silly.  Mr. DeAngelis has obviously forgotten that Mr. St. John was and is a member of the Fire Department, and was so for his entire time in office.  It also must have slipped his mind that Tom Proulx, was a Selectman for over twenty years, and has been a member of the Fire Department for over 50 years.  This is a disingenuous argument.  The taxpayer side of the Department is clearly spelled out in the budget - line by line.  Read the budget.  That’s where the money goes.

 “On Oct. 16, the Treasurer of the Fire Dept. must respond to a 

subpoena to explain various financial dealing of the firehouse. There 

should be no need to do this as all financial matters regarding the 

firehouse should be handled by the Chief Financial Officer of the town, 

not a treasurer of a private fire dept. Case law in Ct clearly shows that a 

fire dept is a town agency.”

Mr. DeAngelis makes it sound like his entire FOI fiasco is some sort of Federal Indictment of the MVFD Inc. Treasurer, and alludes that there must be some sort of wrongdoing. As already stated, the MVFD Inc. Treasurer does not handle any taxpayer funds, he handles the club side of the organization.  He is bonded, and the MVFD spends its own funds each year to have its own books privately audited. 

Therefore the MVFD Inc. Treasurer’s appearance at any FOI hearing would not only be a waste of everyone's time, but totally irrelevant.  

The notion that taxpayers should pay the Middlebury CFO to handle the books of a private organization that raises its own funds is ridiculous.  Perhaps Mr. DeAngelis also believes that the Town’s CFO should also handle the books of the Cub Scouts as well.

“Once Gormley is removed from office the town needs to move forward by ending personal vendettas and improving town services.”

Mr. DeAngelis speaks about personal vendettas.  Mr. DeAngelis appears to be acting as   chief spokesman for the individual who has the largest personal vendetta in Town. 

When Mr. St. John left office and Tom Gormley took over there was a huge sigh of relief felt throughout this community. Mr. Gormley and Mr. Desmarais disbanded the fire commission which was the hallmark of Mr. St. John’s personal vendetta against the MVFD. Mr. Gormley’s open door policy gave residents a chance to closely interact with their First Selectman.  Tom Gormley is a refreshing and much overdue change to this community.

As for improving Town services? The Town already enjoys an excellent Police Department, Fire Department and Public works.  I don’t know how anyone could improve on these organizations, especially when Mr. DeAngelis is demanding more spending cuts to the very organizations he seeks to improve.

Brown Bagging It With Tom

BY MATTHEW O’ROURKE
 REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN
  MIDDLEBURY — The budget has finally passed, but it won’t be long before town offi­cials start to hash out next year’s spending proposal.
  Residents rejected the town’s first three proposals before fi­nally accepting a $9.9 million budget for 2008-09 Tuesday. That figure is 3.16 percent less than last year’s budget.
  First Selectman Thomas Gormley said he was pleased with Tuesday’s turnout of 1,789 voters, but said he wants to begin an outreach campaign to better understand the pulse of the town. One idea is to start brown bag lunch sessions either weekly or monthly to speak with voters face-to-face about their concerns.
  “I’ve had an open-door policy from day one,” Gormley said. “People are free to send e-mails or to call me. I reply to every single e-mail and will continue to do so. We had about 700 people each time who voted no, and despite the 200 people who pushed the budget over, I want to hear from the others.”
  He said he hopes by next year that the town will have increased commercial tax rev­enues, and that a proposed zone change along Route 188 by North Benson Road will be approved to bring in more businesses.
  He added the town is down­sizing the size of the Public Works Department, and plans to sell off more equipment after the department completes work on Mary I. Johnson Park on Maple Drive.
  Board of Finance Chairman Jonathan B. Dayton said it is difficult to predict the situation the town may be in next year, but noted the finance board plans to look at different health care and employee benefit plans for savings.
  “We don’t want to deplete the services already available to employees, but we have to look at every possible way to try to save money,” he said Wednesday.
  Officials aren’t finished with this year’s spending package. Residents have yet to approve the town’s special funds, which include $1.2 million for the Water Pollution Control Authority and $216,888 for other improvements.

End of article.

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One of the hallmarks of Tom Gormley’s administration is his open-door policy he created on day one. Unlike the pass administration, Tom Gormley is extremely accessible. His willingness to sit down with residents just one day after his budget passes, illustrates his commitment to this community. His positive approach to problem-solving and his willingness to meet with taxpayers whether they agree with him or not is extremely healthy for this community.

Brown bag lunch sessions would be a great opportunity for Mr. Gormley’s critics to offer genuine ideas as to how to ease the tax burden for our residents. Mr. DeAngelis may want to consider grabbing a grinder at Chubbas and sitting down with Tom. I’ll even buy.  Its time to get together as a community.

Recovering the $948,000 from the Washington drive deal, downsizing PW, and encouraging businesses to come to Town will all favorably impact the bottom line next budget season. However, unless Middlebury takes a hard look at the Region 15 budget, all of the those potential Town-side savings will come to equilibrium, by unchecked increases in the Region.

No one will dispute that our children receive a first-class education from Region 15.  They do an excellent job. But, like in any organization there is waste, redundant or unnecessary programs and services, as well as top-heavy administrative costs.  There is no reason why these elements cannot be examined.  This is the time to do it, before the next budget is drafted.

Project Houses Worth $350,000 Each

“We have a copy of the affordable housing grant for 600Waterbury-type

project houses that Gormley is submitting.”

Mr. DeAngelis appears to be distorting the facts, again.  Sources have indicated that the meeting is to consider an application for a grant to study the feasibility of relocating the displaced families in the Triangle Blvd. section to a different location in Town.  One area that may be considered is the Washington Dr. area. Another area that would be considered would be Straw Pond.

Obviously, the Washington Dr. area would be more advantageous, because it would allow Middlebury to recoup some of the $948,000 that may be lost from Mr. St. John’s subcontracting deal.  

These “project houses” would be worth approximately $350,000 each.  Not exactly what would be considered “project housing.” How many houses? Not 600.  Approximately 71 families need to be relocated. These will not be new families.  These are families that are already paying taxes and are now living in the crash zone of Oxford Airport. 

Relocating these families to Washington Dr. would help alleviate two problems.  What is the matter with studying the possibilities? Obviously, if it is not feasible, the project will not go forward. 

Budget Passes - Official Results

 Continued from Page One
 signs placed across town last week stating “Vote yes for the budget” and to “Preserve Middlebury.”
  An arrest warrant is pending for two individuals who stole some of the signs off

residents’ yards over the weekend.  The last budget proposal was rejected in August, 767-581, and the two previous proposals failed by 3-to-1 margins — 1,052 to 393 in May and 682-289 in May. The new budget is 3.16 percent lower than last year’s figure, with cuts made to town employee benefits as officials anticipate some employees tak­ing a “buyout” offer and going into the town’s retirement program. Town officials also made cuts to maintenance budget for the Public Works and Fire departments.
  One resident, Jodi Wasserstein, who voted in favor of the proposal, said she felt town officials had made significant cuts to the budget and was bothered by the reduction in hours of operation at the library on Crest Road.
  “I think there is a minimum threshold you have to maintain,” Wasserstein said. “You can’t just keep cutting and cutting. You need services.”
  Under the new budget, the tax rate will rise from 21.9 mills to 23.21 mills.  A resident with a home assessed at $210,000 will pay $4,874, $275 more than last year, or a 5.98 percent increase. A mill is equal to $1 for every $1,000 of a property’s taxable value.
  Town officials removed the town’s special funds, which include $1.2 million for the Water Pollution Control Authority and $216,888 for other improvements across town, from the budget after the first referendum and plan to schedule a separate town meeting to approve those funds.