Dr. Jekyll And Mr. DeAngelis

“Does the Middlebury Police force have two different standards for 

arresting people?

Two local women were arrested for "stealing" two crummy lawn signs

BASED ON AN ALLEGATION OF A POLICE DEPT EMPLOYEE. However 

when a woman alleged that she was harassed and screamed at by a man 

who's political views are more in line with the first selectman, the man, to our 

knowledge he was not arrested.”

After reading the posting yesterday by “Time Machine” I could not help but wonder if Mr. DeAngelis even writes his website anymore.  Does he have a ghost writer filling in for him now? 

When Mr. DeAngelis wrote back in 2005, his tone and demeanor were so completely different. His main attack was on Ed St. John, Jim Smith, Elaine Strobel, and the entire RTC.  What the heck happened? At what point did he drink the proverbial St. John kool-aid?  

Now Mr. DeAngelis is targeting our great Police Department and is questioning whether they operate with some sort of double-standard.  I think its the same standard.  They arrest people who break the law and don’t arrest people who don’t.  It’s as simple as that.  They also can see through lies and distortions, and measure the credibility of witnesses.

If you were to believe Mr. DeAngelis you would think that Middlebury is a town in chaos, spinning out of control from a corrupt BOS (except Elaine), BOF, Police Department, and of course Fire Department.  In the same breath he champions the causes of the past administration who appears to have caused many of the problems Middlebury faces today. He also seems to ignore what he said about these same people in 2005. (Read “Time Machine’s” postings.)

Credibility of the PD and the MVFD is in question, but who is questioning the credibility of the person who admitted lying about his education, who appears to have cost the Town almost a million dollars, and now wants to return to his position? Why is that?

Mr. DeAngelis also believes that the Middlebury Volunteer Fire Department is somehow duping the Town into purchasing a new Pumper.  This was something Mr. St. John and Mrs. Strobel should have accomplished back in 2003, but chose politics ahead of public and firefighter safety.  

Mr. DeAngelis characterizes the fire apparatus purchase as some sort of toy for a juvenile firefighters.  A shiny engine to delight a selfish group who cares little about the taxpayers.  

Contrary to what Mr. DeAngelis may believe, the MVFD cares a great deal about the residents in this community, and proves that on a daily basis. It has been stated here many times.  The engine is for the community, not for the firefighters. The very existence of the Fire Department is for the community.

Kurt Vonnegut put it the best when he said, “I can think of no more stirring symbol of man's humanity to man than a fire engine.”

"Time Machine" Shares Some Old OMP Posts From 2005

Here's a page from ourmoneypit, August 3rd, 2005. Sorry, I can't reproduce the crazy colors and font sizes. Three years ago he went after St. John. Read on


"St. John/Strobel '05" has $18,907.00 in its treasury. The money was contributed by:

a. Developers, law firms, special interest groups in general,
b. Town officials and chairmen appointed by the selectman to town committees,
c. private citizens, family members, themselves.

We will begin listing each developer, law firm, special interest group, town official, etc. that contributed to Mr. St. John. This information is in the form of a public document in the Town Clerks office. You can get your own copy from the Town Clerk. You can get the financial statements concerning the Republican and Democratic Town Committees and the information of Campaign 2005 there as well.HERE

More Contributions ...HERE

Remember...land use decisions , by law, must be made by land use committees...so what is this?...HERE

There are 54 acres of land in Middlebury that in 1986 sold for
$350,000.These same 54 acres of land were sold in February, 1993 for $1.5 million dollars. In May of 1995, 10 of these acres were sold... HERE

More from ourmoneypit in 2005

We've all heard the rumors about Ed.
That Ed St. John used to sign official town documents using the title "Doctor" i.e,. "Ph.D". If he wants to sue Bob Berger because of some little didly thing why isn't he suing all those who don't believe his Ph.d bit? Did he obtain a legitimate Ph.d from an
accredited university of higher learning by the year 1975? Or DID HE LIE? He has been asked many times, by many people to produce his "degree". He remains silent. Why?
Can you trust a man who lies about his credentials? Would you hire
such a person.?...HERE

and HERE
and HERE

WHAT KIND OF PEOPLE, FOR LOVE
OF MONEY OR POSITION SUPPORT A
MAN LIKE ED ST. JOHN, KNOWING
WHAT HE IS? WHERE IS THEIR
SHAME?

Ed says he doesn't get involved in land committee decisions.

The truth is that he signed this agreement in 2003. This agreement calls for
the development at Straw Pond (the one he claimed he was not involved with)...HERE
The truth is, in the example of Straw Pond, long before an application went to the
planning and zoning Bd. the town attorney agreed to a proposal to "develop the property jointly" HERE

If the town attorney made an "agreement" as stated in the minutes of the 2003 Planning and Zoning meeting then..HERE

Straw Pond Developers are mainly mall owners, little residential experience...HERE

Straw Pond Senior Housing a phoney development...HERE

Town Employee mocks taxpayer...St. John doesn't want to get
involved...HERE

CHAIRMAN OF POLICE COMMISSION OUSTED...HERE

Campaign 2005 has a new approach to
Middlebury politics. Some of our main
issues are:

Moratorium...HERE
Taxes...HERE
Budget...HERE
Cultural activities and Education...HERE

St. John/Stroble

"Vote for us, 22 years was not enough time to accomplish anything"...
The website for St.John/Stroble practically shouts this out loud.
Reading their website is a good indication of why this administration is
stuck in first gear. For example Ed actually states: HERE

The following list of St. John/Strobel "accomplishments" is listed on
their site as such :

* our town is fiscally sound..HERE
* our schools provide a secure educational environment for our
children HERE
* our seniors are provided with attractive affordable housing and a
center for recreational and educational enrichment HERE
* our police and fire departments are highly trained and well-equipped
HERE
* our pristine parks and Greenway provide recreation for all ages HERE
* sewer and water lines have been expanded into many neighborhoods,
eliminating the need for septic and wells HERE
* our public works department provides efficient services 24 hours a
day HERE


Complete list of ST. John/Strobel contributors ding-ding-ding$$$$$$$

Freedom Of Speech For The Few

“On August 27, Paul Perrotti assured Gormley that the MVFD could get the 

budget approved. Pretty brave of Perrotti to jump in on the fourth budget try 

when the odds of it passing were probably 9/10. Sort of like when the Soviet 

Union declared war on Japan after the Americans dropped the atomic bomb.

 Perrotti didn't do so well pushing for Brennan to win the nomination or in 

pushing for Brennan to win the election or in trying to stop Gormley from 

getting elected  or in pushing to get his boys elected to the Republican town 

committee or in stopping the FOI from kicking his ass.. Pretty interesting talk 

for a non-political 501 C3. At the most Perrotti brings about 50 votes, counting 

his family.”

Paul Perrotti does not speak for the voters within the MVFD and has never said he speaks for these voters. Nor did Chief Perrotti ever tell Tom Gormley that the MVFD would get the budget approved.  That is just another flat-out lie.

Mr. Perrotti, the resident of Middlebury has the same rights as any citizen to support any candidate or cause he chooses.  These are the same rights as Mr. DeAngelis enjoys, yet, Mr. DeAngelis seeks to silence anyone who opposes him.

Mr. DeAngelis and his alleged sign-stealing allies believe that freedom of speech is only reserved for themselves. Stealing signs is justified, and something that should not be condemned, if the message the signs deliver is in opposition to Mr. St. Johns political aspirations. 

One thing that Mr. DeAngelis does not understand, and Mr. St. John does, is that if the MVFD did get on the same page and vote all the same way, it would result in a rather large voting block.

It will be only a matter of time before Mr. St. John realizes that Mr. DeAngelis poses more of a liability than a benefit.  When that happens, watch the pendulum swing.

Wrong About Lawyers And About Mulch

“The Fire Chief, a guy who spends 20 grand on a lawyer wants to SAVE the town money by taking away a job from a Public Works Employee.

Paulie P. will spread his own mulch around his own building with his own equipment. The Teamsters have filed a grievance. Good for them. Get the union busting ego maniac.”

Wrong again. The MVFD has not spent 20 grand.  Mr. DeAngelis seems a bit mixed up.  It was actually Mr. DeAngelis that cost taxpayers more than 20 grand for his frivolous FOIs.  

The bulk of the money the MVFD has spend on legal council has been for the benefit of protecting the interests of Middlebury residents, from the actions of Mr. St. John.

It started in early January 2007 when Mr. St. John’s office questioned whether or not the  MVFD’s ambulance and the members that rode on it were insured by the Town.  He already knew the answer, but tried to challenge the MVFD about the matter, a move that threatened the PSA of the organization.  The MVFD paid a lawyer from non-taxpayer funds to reach a legal decision about the challenge. 

The next attack came later that year when Mr. St. John and his team of lawyers attempted to write up an ambulance contract that would have basically taken over the funds for the ambulance billing service.  

Right now, all funds that are used from this billing service go into maintaining the ambulance.  Mr. St. John wanted the Town to seize the money, so it could be put in the general fund.  That would have been the end of the ambulance. When the MVFD refused to sign the contract, Mr. St. John’s lawyers told the MVFD to “Batten down the hatches.”  The very same lawyer that was threatening your Fire Department was being paid from your tax dollars.

When Mr. Gormley was elected, he threw Mr. St. John’s ridicules contract out the window and began work to draft a new more realistic contract with the Town. The new contract would protect the interests of both the Town and the MVFD.  The MVFD has had to spend more non taxpayer money on that endeavor.

The last legal cost is from Mr. DeAngelis, with his never-ending FOI attacks, that have also cost the MVFD money.  Are the attacks really coming from Mr. DeAngelis, or is Mr. St. John continuing his crusade against the organization and using Mr. DeAngelis as his attack dog?

All this money wasted to feed the vendetta of Mr. St. John.  That was money that could have gone to the food bank, to the Little League, given away as scholarships, etc...  

As far as the mulch and taking money away from a Public Works employee... that is just bull.  As stated on numerous occasions, the Fire Chief and MVFD take a great deal of pride in their organization, and that extents to the grounds of the firehouse as well. Every year before Open House they spread mulch around the plantings making the grounds look terrific.  This year was no exception.

With a reduction of work force in Town, there is more than enough work to go around.  The dump had to be closed last summer so that workers could keep up with the grass cutting alone.

The Town has bigger problems facing it, than worrying about who is spreading mulch. It has no impact on anyone’s job. The only ones who seem to be upset by the mulch is the Union Stewart, Mr. St. John and Mr. DeAngelis, because Danny Norton, Tom Gormley, and Bob Desmarais all approved the work to be done by the MVFD.  Time for the critics of Tom Gormley and Bob Desmarais to grow up.  

The Special Few Firefighters Getting Rich Off Your Tax Dollars

“Did somebody say the Middlebury VOLUNTEER Fire Dept. Just you

wait as we start the processing of all the money that runs from the department 

to pants pockets for SOME individuals. Not ALL FIREMEN, JUST SOME

SPECIAL FEW FIREMEN.”

You don’t have to wait for Mr. DeAngelis’s big scoop here.  The information about MVFD Incentive pay and Fire Pay has been published on the MVFD website since March 18, 2008.  Go to http://www.middleburyfire.org to see the listings. But, that did not stop Mr. DeAngelis who traveled to the Firehouse this week with one of the alleged political sign thieves in-tow, to examine the fire pay records.

Every year there is a reduction of men and women across the USA that are willing to volunteer their time for either the fire service or for EMS. People are busy with their jobs and families and time to volunteer for other organizations becomes almost non existent. 

On top of that the demands on Volunteers in a post-911 world are higher than ever before.  The average EMT course is around 160 class room hours.  Firefighter I courses in Connecticut has recently jumped from a 160 hour course to over 200 hours.  All to be a volunteer.  On top of that, there is yearly OSHA training, NIMS training, meetings, live burns and Department drills that members must attend.  That is a lot to ask.

Many towns have created incentive, fire pay, tax deductions and/or pension programs in order to attract volunteers to their ranks.  The goal is to get volunteers through the door, train them, and get as many years as they can from them before they either burnout, lose interest, or just get sick and tired of hearing how bad they are, on Mr. Deangelis’s website.

Thus, in return for their service two types of pay were offered to the MVFD members.  This is nothing new.  The fire pay has been around for years.  Regular members get paid $6.00 per call.  Officers get a little more. This is an incentive for members to show up to calls.  Its paid out twice a year; in the summer and at Christmas.

In addition, several years ago there was discussion of providing a pension plan to give something back to members for their years of service.  The system proved to be too expensive.  On top of that, requiring members to wait until they were 65 years old to collect this pension hardly was a way to attract young firefighters.  

Consequently, an Incentive Pay plan was established.  It was based on a “Point System” in which the firefighters who did the most work, would receive a greater share of the funds in the Incentive account. The more you do, the more you get.  If you don’t do anything, you get nothing.

Mr. DeAngelis talks about the “special few firemen” who are filling their pockets with your hard-earned tax dollars.  The truth of the matter is that these same special few firemen are the same firemen that are saving this Town a tax increase of 2 to 3 million dollars a year. That is what it would cost to have a paid Department.  The very people Mr. DeAngelis likes to attack, are the one’s that have their finger in the dike to prevent a paid FD from coming to Middlebury.  You lose that “special group” watch your taxes go up when the Town is forced to hire paid firefighters.

No one at the MVFD is getting rich.  In fact, most members lose money in lost wages and time when they respond. 

No Room At Town Meetings For Free Speech

“Woman harassed  at meeting, police report filed.   Those of us in the neighborhood could not help but notice two 

policemen talking to a woman in front of her house on Thursday morning. 

OMP found out later that the woman was filing a police report regarding 

being harassed by a large, loud man at a Middlebury Finance Board 

meeting. The man was allegedly screaming at the woman and making the 

woman very frightened and insecure about her safety.

The man was found guilty of disturbing the peace in almost the very 

same circumstances not long ago at another public meeting. Gormley 

needs to get the town back to where it is safe to go to a meeting without 

loud crude individuals screaming at people.”

Wrong again. Witnesses at the scene reported that there was absolutely no screaming, and that the woman never appeared frightened about her safety.  In fact, such an incident would have surely seized the attention of two police officers who were standing only a few feet away.

Mr, DeAngelis believes that speaking to one at a Town Meeting is harassment, yet attacking and insulting the BOS, BOF, Fire Department and Police Department on a daily basis is not. 

It seems that the woman in question has a difficult time with free speech.  Turns out that she was the very same woman that allegedly violated the free speech rights of a Middlebury resident when she allegedly stole a sign off his lawn and was arrested for doing so. Political signs are protected speech according to the Supreme Court. However, some individuals believe that these freedoms are only reserved for themselves.

Fire Apparatus Heats Up BOF Meeting

“Fire Chief and Ed Asslin, Finance Bd member engage in screaming match 

as an example to young people.

Speaking of a total lack of class the Fire Chief and a Finance Board 

member were screaming at each other prior to the Finance Bd meeting. A 

Selectman was so upset that the police were called even though another

Selectman and the Chairman of the Finance Bd sat there and did nothing 

as  Perrotti and another fireman screamed at Asslin..

         Good God has this town degenerated to where loud,  thug like 

behavior has become the norm? What is even more unbelievable is that 

the Finance Board then appropriates large sums of money to someone 

who behaves in this fashion.  Are the Finance Board members that weak 

that they are intimidated by a loud mouth?

         Go figure.”

Let’s get your fact straight first. Prior to the start of the Finance Meeting the other night, where apparatus replacement was to be discussed, the MVFD brought with them to the meeting, Engine 2, Engine 3, and Truck 1.  This little action seemed to upset Mr. Asslin, thinking that the MVFD was somehow staging some sort of stunt.  

The truth of the matter was that it was no stunt. BOF Chairman John Dayton had requested the apparatus be brought to the meeting so that the board and all others in attendance could see the apparatus that was in question.  

A heated discussion ensued between Mr. Asslin and the Chief until Mr. Asslin was told by Mr. Dayton that it was no stunt at all.  Like the gentleman that he is, Mr. Asslin apologized in front of everyone to Chief Perrotti, and like the gentleman the Chief is, reciprocated the apology to Mr. Asslin telling him he was sorry he raised his voice.  

Elaine Strobel, again showing little leadership, decided to call the Police Department hoping that in some way the event could end up in the paper or on Mr. DeAngelis’s website. Its not the truth that is important, its the agenda and to create chaos. Go figure.

The Town has not degenerated, but rather is slowly coming back together from the damage caused by the previous administration.  The realization that Middlebury now is faced with the prospect of replacing a fleet of fire apparatus because of passed inaction, is bound to make tempers flair..

"Taxpayer" Comments On Middlebury Development

Those houses on Washington Drive will all be four bedroom houses. No age restrictions, folks. You're looking at another Brookside.

Let's use the Brookside math to show you what this will cost. Each house will have two school age children. Each kid costs $13,000 per year. The house is taxed at $7,000 per year.

Ka-ching!

Let's do it slowly so the moneypit crowd can follow along. Two kids times $13,000 equals $26,000 per year. Subtract the $7,000 in property taxes and you get - are you ready for this - $19,000 per house drag on Middlebury!

They could build 100 houses there. Maybe more. No age restrictions!

Let's multiply it out folks. 100 houses times $19,000 drag per house equals - hold your wallet - $1.9 million dollars per year.

So folks. You have your Brookside. Now you have your Long Meadow Farms.

Oh wait. The Ginsburg Development. a/k/a Ridgewood Golf Course. Hundreds of condos. No age restrictions. Same math.

And you want to bring Ed St. John back? The man who brought you all of this?

How is Ed gonna balance the budget with all those kids coming in? How is anybody gonna keep things reasonable with that big bubble?

Of course! Kelli Bollard, the financial expert, will find a way. That's why she's helping to get rid of that stupid Gormley. The stupid guy with his stupid forensic audit and his stupid commercial development plans.

Kool-Ade anyone? Better stock up!

A Message From "Man On The Street"

My math says that the mil rate could have been kept flat if we had that $950,000 to use. You know, the $950,000 that Ed St. John spent without authorization to help the developers. The $950,000 that Keli Bollard never mentions at the Board of Finance meetings. The $950,000 that Deangelis never headlines on his web site.

Yep, our taxes could have been flat this year, but you didn't read it on ourmoneypit. You heard it here and you heard the truth.

A Big Thank You For Chief Perrotti

“Town owes big "Thank You" to Paul Perrotti"

Even though the IRS may ultimately negatively critique Paul's actions , 

Paul was helpful in getting the Charter turned down. This was a blessing 

in disguise as if it had passed Tom Gormley would be in office for FOR 

FOUR YEARS INSTEAD OF JUST ONE MORE.  If that had happened the 

town would have resembled Hiroshima after the war more than the small 

CT town it currently sometimes is...so to speak.”

Thats right Mr. DeAngelis, the Town does owe Paul Perrotti a big thank you, but not for just playing a role in getting the Charter turned down.  The people in Town could see that Mr. St. John’s action towards the MVFD were destructive for this community. Mr. St. John’s fire commission was a disaster. The voters agreed and Mr. St. John’s permanent fire commission went down in flames.

Unfortunately, the good things that were included in the Charter were also defeated as well.  Whose to blame?  Mr. St. John and Elaine Strobel, who refused to separate the permanent fire commission question from the vote, even though the BOF was given a petition of almost 200 signatures of residents, requesting that the board separate the question. The request was denied. Mrs. Strobel was quoted by Voices saying that, “Splitting up the ballot would be too complicated.” They put arrogance in front of good judgement.  For more information -  Click here.

The Town owes Paul Perrotti a big thank you for all he does.  Unlike Mr. DeAngelis who wallows in negativity and unproductive hate for the benefit of his hero Mr. St. John, Paul Perrotti actually does something productive in this community on a daily basis. He has helped a great many people, including you Mr. DeAngelis.  He does not wear is good-deeds on his sleeve, but rather moves on to his next challenge with enthusiasm and energy. 

Making over 70% of the fire calls, Paul Perrotti is the hardest working Fire Chief who ever held the position. If you have ever needed the MVFD for anything, you know what Paul Perrotti and the rest of the Department, does for this community.

With decades of experience and a list of certifications a mile long under his belt, Paul Perrotti shined last February during the hydrogen tank truck leak in Middlebury. The 14 hour ordeal was one of the biggest hazmat incidents the State has ever seen. Paul Perrotti was Incident Commander and handled the event with the highest degree of professionalism, the hallmark of the Middlebury Volunteer Fire Department. The Connecticut State Police even sent a letter to the Department citing their high degree of professionalism in the way the Department conducted itself during that long cold day on I-84.  When everyone else was running away, the MVFD and its Chief were moving in, attempting to mitigate the situation.  

That also included First Selectman Tom Gormley who immediately arrived at Fire HQ to speak to residents who had been evacuated and to ensure that all of their needs were being attended to, by the Department.  He then was escorted up to I-84 where he stood on the pavement in the freezing cold with the rest of the firefighters until late into the afternoon when the incident was under control.  For more about the incident - Click here.  

Thats the kind of First Selectman I want.  One who works with the MVFD, instead of trying to tear it down.

As far as Mr. DeAngelis’s Hiroshima analogy, I think he has the timing a little off.  The bomb has already dropped, and its Tom Gormley and Bob Desmarais who are cleaning up the mess left by the last administration.

Time To Shoot The Trial Balloon Down

We, as a town, wasted 12 grand on an audit that...

According to Town Hall,  Mr. DeAngelis has wasted over $20,000 of taxpayer money on his frivolous FOIs.   Mr. St John wasted $9,000 on a consultant to find out whether or not he should replace a 27 year old pumper and a 30 year old rescue truck.  Mr. St. John wasted thousands of dollars of taxpayer money trying to takeover the MVFD ambulance billing.  This would have destroyed the ambulance as we know it in Town. Mr. St. John tried to block the antenna replacement at Town Hall that could of jeopardized the radio grant and could have resulted in a loss of almost $300,000.00.

Mr. St. John, according to the audit appeared to be acting independently from the Town.  His actions have cost the Taxpayers $946,000. Thats almost a million dollars out of our pockets, and he has the audacity to call it a witch hunt? When is he going to pay this money back to the Taxpayers? I want my money back!

That was $12,000 well spent. It was conducted by an outside independent group, and it will show what really happened and who is really responsible.

Now he wants to return? Mr. St. John’s little trial balloon he launched today needs to be shot down to reality.  The very man who created the problems that Tom Gormley and Bob Desmarais are trying to repair, wants to come back and cause more damage?

Mr. St. John wore out his welcome years ago.  It is not his Town.  He is not an ordained king, nor is he entitled to ever sit in the chair again.  He should have done what he said he would do back in 2007 and ridden off into the sunset. 

More Distortions Coming

“After spending thousands and thousands of dollars on lawyers Perrotti and his gang now are willing to hand over what they should have handed over a year 

ago.

  At least PERROTTI , through the lawyer we all pay for, says they are

willing to turn over  Fire Dept financial information that they should have 

turned over a year ago. We personally don't believe a thing Perrotti says, 

but we'll wait and see.”

Mr. DeAngelis is once again distorting the facts. He will only be receiving what he is legally entitled to see, and nothing more.

Rumor has it he will be meeting at the Firehouse this week with the MVFD Treasurer.  From the beginning the MVFD has contended that the information Mr. DeAngelis is entitled to see is available at Town Hall. I believe the only information he will be receiving from the MVFD Treasurer is MVFD Incentive pay records.  Since these funds are derived from taxpayer money, Mr. DeAngelis is entitled to see these records.

This will be redundant information that Mr. DeAngelis has already received. A detailed payout list not only of the Incentive pay, but also the Fire pay, has been posted at the MVFD website since March 18, 2008.  There was a complete listing of members names and the amount they were paid.  I guess this was not enough, and apparently he will be shown the checks themselves.

The MVFD has been clear from the beginning regarding what Mr. DeAngelis was and was not entitle by law to see.  That has not changed.  It is expected that when he does not get information that he is not entitled to see, he will once again insinuate that Chief Perrotti is lying.

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.