Middlebury Tax Alliance?????

             Middlebury Tax Alliance aims for Zero ( 0 ) tax increase.

The Middlebury Tax Alliance met Wed. night to consolidate its position and to elect a Spokesperson.

Paul Barbarik was elected Spokesperson. 

The position of and the upcoming actions of the Alliance will be announced soon by Mr. Barbarik.

Where does the Middlebury Tax Alliance meet?  Is it an exclusive club?  How can you join?  With the price of heating oil, gasoline, and higher bills at the supermarket, I am sure there are many of us who would like to help out, and join.

We saw an earlier posting that the Alliance was going to be public. Is it public or exclusive?

Litigating Around The Law

We don’t WANT to subpoena the Fire Dept.’s Chief, Treasurer, Secretary and Benevolent Fund Director but the taxpayers of this town want full disclosure…

The taxpayers of this town DEMAND to know what is being done with their money. If there are legitimate funds in the Fire Dept. that can be LEGALLY excluded from public view then so be it. 

However our attorney will subpoena the above individuals and the information that belongs to the public WILL be get to us in spite of  the shouting, swearing , threatening and other boorish behavior exhibited by 

some.

The Benevolent fund, Ambulance Replacement Fund, and EMS/Rescue Bequest are not Taxpayer Money.  None of the money in these accounts came from TAXES.  The Fire Department Budget that includes fuel, maintenance, and all the costs in maintaining the apparatus does come from Taxpayer money.  All Taxpayer funded money is handled by Town Hall and is listed in the Town Budget.  That is where Mr. DeAngelis should be going.  Unless Mr. DeAngelis has forgotten, all of this has been explained to him by the MVFD lawyer and the Rep from the FOI Commission.

Who is demanding this information anyway? We don’t see the masses lined up outside the Fire Department carrying torches. Is it just Mr. DeAngelis?  We don’t think Mr. DeAngelis really cares in reality.  Who does care, is Mr. St. John, as illustrated at the last FOI hearing when Mr. DeAngelis was reported to have sat quietly, while Mr. St. John ranted and raved in front of the MVFD attorney demanding that he be given access to MVFD Inc. information.  It is Ed St. John who just can’t leave the MVFD alone.  

Who will be funding your attorney?  Our guess, it’s not Mr. DeAngelis.  He has his own problems with Straw Pond.  Those are real problems. Over-development in Middlebury is a serious problem, that needs to be checked. Energy should be generated in that direction, not trying to help Mr. St. John settle the score with the MVFD.  Who created those Straw Pond problems for you Mr. DeAngelis?  Perhaps the one you carpooled with to the FOI hearing?  

The MVFD has been told by their attorney that they are following FOI law to the letter.

The MVFD has been told by the representative from the FOI Commission that they are following the law. So what is the problem?  The problem is and has always been Mr. St. John.  His behavior at the FOI hearing illustrates is crusade against the MVFD continues to this day.  Why does he wonder why his picture was taken off the wall at Fire Headquarters? 

Was Ed St. John The Jimmy Carter Of Middlebury?

When Jimmy Carter took office in January of 1977 the Nation’s defense budget was already weakened.  In his first month in office he cut the defense budget by $6 billion.  He then canceled the B-1 bomber, deferred development of the neutron bomb, and made overtures to scrap the Trident submarine. The end-result was a seriously weakened National Defense. It took Ronald Reagan, elected in 1980, to rebuild our military to such a state that it caused the collapse of the Soviet Union.

It appears that Mr. St. John’s legacy at the MVFD is what Jimmy Carter’s was to our nation’s defense.  Our fire apparatus are aging.  The Town now has four pieces of apparatus that are over the age of 20 years, and despite being warned of this pending condition since 2002, Mr. St. John did nothing to rectify the situation.  

In fact he did the exact opposite by imposing his politically-motivated Fire Commission, outsourcing communications to Northwest C-Med, stonewalling the High Band radio upgrade, piling up legal costs for both the MVFD and the Town with an unrealistic “Ambulance Contract” that threatened the very existence of this life-saving service. In addition, ask the Police Department if they feel confident and safe with the radio system he built for them.

In a survey conducted by Firehouse.com on April 18th, 2005 from a pool of 6827 fire department respondents, only 6% of the responding fire departments have a first out piece over 20 years old.  Only 1% of the responding fire departments have a first-out piece older than 20 years. 

Engine 3 is Middlebury’s first-out engine.  It is 20 years old this year.  If Engine 3 breaks down, Engine 4 will be used in its place.  Engine 4 is 21 years old and is totally under powered.  The other pumper is a 1981 American LaFrance Engine 2.  Rescue 1 was built in 1978.

The Fire Department was talking about creating a replacement plan with Ed St. John since 2002.  Mr. St. John did nothing.  The Fire Department Officers met with Ed St. John in 2003 to discuss replacement of Engine 2, Engine 4, and Rescue 1.  At that time Mr. St. John wanted to create a “Global” replacement plan.  Yet he never did.  In the Spring of 2006 the Fire Department presented a “White Paper” to the Board of Selectman recommending a plan of action for apparatus replacement.  Elaine Strobel and Ed St. John ignored the white paper and voted to form a Fire Commission.  The Fire Commission did nothing to secure the Town a new pumper during their tenure. The voters rejected the Fire Commission in the Charter vote in November of 2007.

The Town’s population is growing exponentially, and Board of Finance member Mike McCormack wants to cut the MVFD fleet of apparatus and weaken it even more than Mr. St. John has done. Perhaps serving on the Public Works Commission has jaded his thinking away from public safety. The Town needs to concentrate on replacing the red trucks, not the green ones.

Is Tom Gormley the Ronald Reagan of Middlebury?  He understands that we can no longer stick our heads in the sand and hope that the apparatus problem goes away, or pass it off to a politically-motivated Fire Commission to create further delay.   Tom did not create these problems.  He has inherited them from his predecessor. Don’t ask Tom Gormley why Middlebury Fire apparatus is so old. Ask Mr. St. John. Last piece of fire apparatus replaced - 2000.

Mr. St John Wants Answers

Why is former First Selectman Ed St. John adding to the never-ending flood of FOIs targeted at Town Hall, the Police and MVFD. According to sources at Town Hall, the cost to the Town for Mr. DeAngelis's FOIs has been in excess of $20,000. Mr. St. John is a member of the Fire Department.  If he wants to see the minutes, he knows where they are.

But what answers is he looking for?  Perhaps the names of those who made and seconded the motion to have his picture taken off the wall at the MVFD.  More names to add to his ever-growing enemies list?  Or is he looking for some way to link the vote to Chief Paul Perrotti, who has no vote under Robert's Rules? *

In his hatred for the Perrotti family he has squandered his legacy at the MVFD. What he does not see, is a whole new generation of Middlebury Volunteer Firefighters whom he has never even met. These new members have a genuine distain for this man and view Mr. St. John as a past and current threat to the MVFD. 

Will he find that there was only one dissenting vote?  What a waste of a legacy. When will Mr. St. John and his side-kick Mr. DeAngelis realize that the MVFD is one a Middlebury's most precious assets?  The constant and never-ending attacks are only a reflection of the character of the attackers.  In the wake of the attackers symphony of dissidence, the MVFD marches on, without drums, without fanfare, protecting the lives and property of the residents of Middlebury 24 hours a day. That is a legacy that we can all live with.

*Tiebreaker can be made by the chairman.

Mike McCormack Gets It Wrong About Middlebury Dispatch - Gets it Right About Taxes

“We have a communication department that cost the town more than $200 per 

911 call when the average for a regionalized service is less than $30. Regionalization would save the town more than $300,000 per year, but our first selectman will not consider it.”

Michael J. McCormack

Statistics are like bikinis. What they reveal is suggestive, but what they conceal is vital.*  What is vital here is that the argument is flawed.  It would be quite the price tag for Middlebury Taxpayers, if in-fact, all they were paying for was $200.00 per 911 call.  The problem with the argument is that Middlebury Communications does far more than just answer 911 calls.  

It handles all police dispatch, and anyone with a scanner will tell you that the vast majority of police calls in this town are NOT of a 911 nature. The Middlebury Communications Center also handles Public Works, Buildings and Grounds, Public Health, the Building Department and Animal Control.  Before former First Selectman, Mr. St John, outsourced the Fire and EMS dispatch to Northwest C-Med, our communication center handled these calls as well. The Middlebury Dispatch is the hub of this community. One of the greatest benefits of living in Middlebury is the quality of our Police Department.  They are second-to-none. The Department would not benefit from outsourcing communications, and the Middlebury residents would suffer because of it.

Regionalizing Communications could be an absolute disaster for this town, and a threat to public safety.  This would be especially true in a time of a natural disaster such as a hurricane or tornado. A regional dispatch center could be immediately overloaded and a total communication collapse could be very possible.  Nothing illustrates the importance of local dispatch,  more than the work they did on February 11, 2008, during the Hydrogen Tanker Truck leak on I-84. 

This is one of the main reasons why communications for Fire and EMS eventually has to come back to Middlebury.  But,  it will have to be done right.  There is no quick fix, but a community working together for the genuine benefit of the residents will ultimately come up with the correct solution.  Outsourcing is not the solution.

One of the advantages of a local communication center is that our dispatchers are familiar with the residents who live in town and the roads they live on.   When the 911 call goes out, it is our Police Department who are the “First Responders,” and by working closely with our dispatch center during time-critical events could make the difference between life and death.  If you are having a heart attack, it will be the Police who may ultimately save your life, and not the MVFD. Response time is on their side.  If you have ever needed our police, you will know that they are at your door almost immediately. This is almost unheard of in any other community, and it is one of the services that makes Middlebury a great town to live in.  We don’t want to give that up. With the community growing at such a rate, it is imperative that dispatch remains local.

I believe the taxpayers in Town appreciate Mr. McCormack’s aversion to the currently presented budget. Anyone who values keeping more of their hard-earned pay will certainly be voting against it. We as taxpayers can no longer afford such increases. 

However, heaping all the Town’s woes on the current leadership, who has only been at the Town Hall for barely five months is nothing more than a smokescreen of what is really happening.

It would be more productive if Mr. McCormack, who is wearing both hats of the Board of Finance and Public Works Commission, show some leadership himself, and find ways to cut the Public Works budget and other bloated areas in Town.  The current administration inherited the current problems from the past administration. The some $900,000 in funds reported to be owed to the Town from the “Win/Win” deal could certainly have gone far in alleviating  some of the burden now being heaped upon our taxpayers.

The current administration is attempting to clean up what they inherited, but raising taxes is not the way to endear themselves to this community.  With the high cost of heating fuel, gasoline, and now food, taxpayers are fed up with parting with their hard-earned money.  The Selectmen need to take a proactive, and aggressive approach against this budget and work with the BOF. Government cannot continue to grow, whether it be federal or local and expect the taxpayers to pick-up-the-tab.

* Quote by Aaron Levinstein

MVFD Response To Pat DeAngelis Letter To The Editor

In his May 12, 2008 letter to the editor published in the Republican/American, Pat DeAngelis appears to be resurrecting an old propaganda ploy straight out of the forties. "If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.” Nothing illustrates this more than Mr. DeAngelis’s continuous and ever-inflating claims that the MVFD is sitting on top of and hoarding close to a million dollars.

This is factually inaccurate as addressed months ago in Chief Perrotti’s letter to the editor published by the Republican/American. Click here to read. In spite of the truth, Mr. DeAngelis is relentless with his inaccurate $800,000 mantra, hoping that Middlebury residents will eventually come to believe it. The plain truth is that Mr. DeAngelis assertions are just not true. Mr. DeAngelis should reread the above link.

Another nonfactual stink-bomb Mr. DeAngelis enjoys hurling at our Middlebury Volunteers, is the claim that the Fire Department Ambulance is making a cool $150,000 profit each year.

All money collected from ambulance billing goes directly back to the ambulance service. All equipment, supplies, and maintenance are paid for by ambulance billing funds. In addition this fund saves taxpayers annually over $80,000 in Advance Life Support (ALS) fees, a tab that is traditionally picked up by the taxpayers. The only direct taxpayer contribution to the ambulance is to pay for fuel, insurance, and the firehouse in which it is stored; as the Town does for all other Fire Department apparatus.

What is left with the “surplus” funds at the end of the year? It all goes into an “Ambulance Replacement Fund.” In fact, the MVFD has recently ordered a new ambulance to replace the 17 year old FD12. The price tag, approximately $170,000. This is $170,000 that will NOT come out of our taxpayers pockets.

If Mr. DeAngelis is so concerned about Middlebury finances perhaps he should consider reinbursing the Town for his frivolous FOI requests that have cost the Middlebury Taxpayer in excess of $20,000.

Hypothetical Situations

This is just a hypothetical situation:

          Let's say a man gets a "stipend" ( a stipend is defined as "money")

of close to $ 8000.00 a year. Then let's say that the same man gets $ 12.00 

EVERY time he goes on a "fire " call. A fire "call" could be as reported in 

the Middlebury-Bee something as simple as four houses reporting smoke 

alarms that went off. As stated here before Middlebury gets a structure fire 

once every 16 months. Anyway, let's just say the same guy that gets the 

stipend gets $5,000.00 from this pot. Then let's say there is what is called 

an "incentive" fund whereby higher "ranking" guys with "more" 

experience get the lion's share of that fund even if they get a "stipend" 

and fire pay.  And it goes on and on.

          Our question is: Isn't a volunteer someone that gives up his/her 

time for no money?  We're sure a lot of the volunteer firemen fit this 

category, but does the "Chief" or does the Middlebury Fire Dept Inc. pay 

him for his "work"? Does he get paid more than $ 15,000.00 a year, 

counting the free car and free gas?

          How exactly is he a "volunteer"?

Even with FOI in hand Mr. DeAngelis can’t get it right.  He knows the MVFD has posted this information on their website, and the rest he has FOIed from the Town. Yet it is not sensational enough for him, so he is forced to create a “Hypothetical Situation.”  If the truth does not work, then maybe a hypothetical situation may.

The truth is, that the Chief receives a stipend of about $500.00 per month before taxes.  That is less than the Fire Marshall and the Animal Control officer. That comes to less than $6000.00 per year, not $8000.00.  Someone with an FOI in hand should have known that. But accuracy has never been the hallmark of Mr. DeAngelis’s Money Pit site.  

Mr. DeAngelis also claims that his ‘hypothetical” Chief makes $12.00 per call.  Again he was notified by the FOI representative that all Fire Pay records are posted on the MVFD website.   The actual number is $10.00 per call for the Chief, and $6.00 per called for regular members.  I believe the last time I checked, Woodbury was paying all volunteers $10.00 per call.  Middlebury just pays the Chief that.  More incorrect and misleading statements from Pat DeAngelis.

In a post 9-11 world where the responsibilities of Fire Chiefs have increased exponentially, this is a small price to pay for someone who is on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year. What’s next?  

“Anyway, let's just say the same guy that gets the stipend gets $5,000.00 from this pot. “

Open your eyes Mr. DeAngelis, you know where the information is.  It’s actually $2150.00, not $5000.00. The reason he receives that amount of money is because he makes over 70% of the fire calls. Only 6 members in a 65 member organization even make over 50% of the calls. The men and women in the MVFD are like everyone else.  They are busy with jobs and family, and we appreciate any time they can afford to volunteer. However making over 70% of the calls is truly extraordinary, and therefore is why the Chief’s fire pay is what it is.

Then let's say there is what is called an "incentive" fund whereby higher"ranking" guys with "more" experience get the lion's share of that fund even if they get a "stipend" and fire pay.  And it goes on and on.

Wrong again.  The incentive pay is based on performance and years of service and has nothing to do with rank.  The more calls and other events you go to, the more of the chunk of the pie you get.  If you don’t make enough calls you get nothing. Plain and simple. Fair and honest. The people who get paid the most out of this fund have put in more time throughout the year than the rest.  Nothing complicated about it.

If Mr. DeAngelis is going to cost the taxpayers thousands of dollars in FOI requests, I think it is only reasonable that he gets that facts contained in these requests correct.  The problem is that the actual truth is not sensational enough for Mr. DeAngelis, so he needs to make up “hypothetical situations” in order to try to fool his readers into thinking it is actually the truth. 

Who Is John Cookson?????

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

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

Picking The Taxpayer's Pockets

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

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

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

Engine 2 - 1981

Rescue 1 - 1979

Engine 4 - 1987

Engine 3 - 1988

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

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

Why Not Volunteer?

Middlebury's Special Interest Groups

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

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

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

are not organized.”

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

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

MVFD - Saves lives - Protects property.

Police - Keep the peace.  Serve and protect.

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

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

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

A Message From MVFD Firefighter Steve Wuest

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

          

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

          

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

          

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

          

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

          

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

 

Steve Wuest

Middlebury

DeAngelis Continues To Attack Mr. Beldon

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

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

The Ambulance

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

AMBULANCE WHEN ITS CHEAPER TO OUT SOURCE?”

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

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

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

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

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

No Room For Change In Middlebury?

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

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

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

the caucus.”

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

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

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

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

Gormley Slate VS DeAngelis Slate?????

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Muckrakers Of Middlebury

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

public interest by uncovering GRAFT."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

DeAngelis Costs Taxpayers More Money

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

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

The White Avenue Emergency Access Road Distortion

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

the FIRE DEPT ,”

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

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

A Message From James Redway

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

contribution of the $15,000 .  SAID REDWAY.

   In other words you nosy taxpayers: give your money 

to Redway and company and shut-up because other 

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

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

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

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

"DOES ANYBODY WANT THIS GUY  ON THE 

REPUBLICAN TOWN COMMITTEE? HAS HE NO 

SHAME?"

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

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

Another Back Room Deal

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

Our Lives, Our Fortunes, Our Sacred Honor.

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

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

A Message From Ray Kasidas

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

Firefighters Should Not Be Allowed To Vote

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

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

Back Room Deals...

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

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

open free election/primary will be held in town.

NO MORE WATERBURY BACK ROOM BRENNAN DEALS"

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

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

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

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

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