The Dude is In

Farewell Chief Reimondo, Welcome Chief Cox!

Thu, 02 May 2013 12:36:00 -0400

Here’s to a happy retirement for us both!

What fresh hell is this?

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 10:54:00 -0400

Photo: East Hampton-Portland Patch Blingee: Jeffery Lebowski

You heard right, Ms. Parker. Exhibiting behavior more commonly associated with Bell’s palsy, after months of silence, East Hampton Council Chairwoman Emeritus Melissa Engel — having discharged shoutypants Attorney Ken Barber — has retained the honorable lawfirm of Lobo and Associates (YES THAT IS THEIR NAME, FOR REALS) and is filing suit in federal court against Reimondo, Kelly and the Town of East Hampton, alleging violations of first amendment rights, malicious prosecution and severe emotional distress!

Your Dude has been more or less enjoying semi-retirement. Oh sure, Anger Bear, Babs and Curious George were kicking up a ruckus over Reimondo’s 90 day hire (ZOMG, ABROGATION! MALFEASANCE! BURN HIM!) though in this actually quite well done and circumspect article Jeff Mill lays out all the deets, including the tidbit that apparently East Hampton’s Democrats have avowed to remove Town Manager Maniscalco should they ever regain control of the Town Council. Yes, you heard that right.

So what’s the takeaway here? My guess: since birther-queen-dentist-lawyer-real estate agent Orly Taitz remains unavailable, Engel has been likely casting around for someone with the right combination of credentials and total lack of common sense to file suit on her behalf in federal court.

Hot tip for the guys at Lobo and Associates: I hope to heaven you are not taking this case on a contingency, lest you end up on the hook for penalties as well as all the defendant’s legal fees. You might even get in trouble with the state bar, as federal judges tend not to take kindly to frivolous filings.

Still, there’s a part of me that would love nothing more that the hear the tortuously convoluted legal argument wherein it is explained how precisely Engel’s first amendment rights were violated. Please tell me, Messrs. Lobo, when ever during her tenure did Councilor Engel lack access to a platform to promulgate her years long crusade against Reimondo, not to mention sanity and prudent governance in general? Most of us who experience reality normally recall it being the over way around: Engel is, in fact, frequently on record as seeking to stifle opposition in town meetings with the imposition of entirely arbitrary rules such as time limits and threats of removal. The documented evidence of this in meeting minutes alone is enough to keep your interns busy for a month.

Then there’s the matter of Reimondo’s settlement with Engel and the town. Please tell me, Los Lobos, that you have read that agreement, particularly the part where then-defendant Engel agreed to hold harmless, et cetera, et cetera. Might want to give that a look.

It is just like Bukowski said: Hatred is the only thing that truly lasts. See you around the inter tubes, friends.

TM responds intelligently; haters working hard to keep things nasty.

Tue, 12 Feb 2013 11:14:00 -0500

By now this letter from Babs and Curious George has made the full rounds. The sauce is weak, and the letter does, of course, take entirely too long to get to its point:

That is where the planned process ended. After trying unsuccessfully to have a special Town Council meeting, the Town Manager released a letter to us saying that he had made the decision to rehire Chief Reimondo. This meeting was cancelled due to improper notice. As the news spread throughout our community, we realized that the process that the 7 members of the council had agreed upon was violated.

Our community needs to respond and continue to guide us back to making decisions that are right for you. This is not right!!

And we know this is true because of the punctuation used in the concluding paragraph. Double exclamation point = extra-truthiness!

The haters, particularly EOTT (likely our friend Rita, a long-time superhater ne plus ultra of the Chatham Party) have been burning up the comments over on Patch, but unlike the bad old freewheeling days on the Middletown Press, the same 2 or 3 are bouncing around in their own echo chamber.

Meanwhile, Maniscalco puts out this perfectly cogent response as Jeff Mill puts in all in context in this article over at the MP. Doubtful it will mollify those now inexplicably calling for Maniscalco’s resignation, (seriously folks, do you really want to trot down that road?) but better that he get out in front of it and invite his critics to address things with him directly. Oh, I’m sure one or two might venture in to rail and wail, but it tends to mute the frothier of the Candide keyboard commandos.

Never mind.

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 20:49:00 -0500

Never mind the long tradition of anonymity in political speech that goes back to before the founding of this nation. Never mind that some of the greatest authors ever to put pen to page wrote under pseudonyms. Ted Hintz, John Tuttle, Sheila Barton Engel and their friends want you all to know — for the umpteenth time — that writing under any sort of assumed name totally invalidates your opinion. Yes, even if your opinion is supported by a preponderance of evidence, or is shared by the overwhelming majority of governmental oversight bodies dealing with local municipalities. In their gospel, if you write under an assumed name, your opinion is utterly without merit, no matter how sensible your views.

As I often say, here’s the thing: almost 2 and a half years ago I sat in a high school auditorium with a few hundred or so concerned citizens of East Hampton and witnessed impassioned, reasoned pleas from a broad majority of residents regarding the attempts of the 2010 Council to get rid of Matt Reimondo for reasons that, in the years since, have stubbornly refused to materialize. I was left with the stunning, indelible impression not only of the utter tone deafness of elected Councilors to their own constituents, but of their unveiled contempt for the same. I found it sickening. In that moment, I vowed to act, and this this blog was born.

With the relative saneness of recent months it has been easy to forget how thick and fast the excrement was flowing back then; during the TC6 tenure it seemed that every day brought a new, fresh hell. From the moment they tried to fire Reimondo, town governance was effectively ground to a halt, and in the end several local political careers and reputations were forever trashed. Hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars lost in the vacuum of settlements and legal fees. But somehow, in the haters’ narrative it was all the fault of the Chatham Party and bloggers such as yours truly.

Flattering, to say the least, but like so many things promulgated by the East Hampton Candide Posse, totally fictional. To this day Beth Shephard’s CHRO case against the town remains unresolved, and not one person can satisfactory answer: if Jeff O’Keefe was in fact so utterly innocent, why did he resign? The FOIC and State’s Attorney clearly came down on the side of reality, and the TC6, less Barbara Moore, paid the price, with stunning losses both in the Ordinance 109 referendum and the council election a year later.

Today, with a new Town Manager seated, it seemed better days were ahead. But the moment he made a decision — a perfectly sensible, rational , legal decision well within his own authority that did not sit well with Reimondo’s enemies — suddenly all hell breaks loose and its 2010 again, except this time it is Ted Hintz and a half dozen or so of the East Hampton Candide membership desperately looking to gin up the specter of malfeasance where none exists. The press at large is, of course, nonplussed and has to rightfully trot out the entire narrative; this is once again parsed as “bias” rather than objective reality.

So what’s this really about?

My take: a sad, desperate attempt to retake even the smallest shred of ground the TC6 and their supporters long since rightfully lost. Matt Reimondo is all but done with East Hampton; at this point it is merely a question of when. Maniscalco decides to resolve the difficulty of filling the interim Chief position by effectively postponing Reimondo’s retirement by 90 days, and the haters literally go apeshit, hoping we won’t remember how their antics cost the town the last time. Ted Hintz attempts to co-opt the methodology of TBOT’s wildly successful 2010 grass roots campaign, failing to realize it is all but impossible to rally people to your cause when you have neither sanity, prudence or common sense on your side.

It’s like in that movie “200 Cigarettes” where the unpopular girl throws the New Year’s Party and no one shows up. Except Ted is the girl.

FOIA Warrior Ted Hintz Calls EH Candide Pep Rally, Pretty Much No One Cares

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 13:50:00 -0500

Sorry, I’m late to the party, but OMG you guys, Ted Hintz and a smattering of Tissa’s pals are JUST SO MAD because Matt Reimondo will be around for another 90 days. FROWNYFACE EMOTICON!

Obviously this is cause to IMPEACH the new Town Manager!!!!!

I would say more, but do I need to?

Congratulations State Representative Ziobron!

Wed, 07 Nov 2012 09:45:00 -0500

Results:

Melissa H. Ziobron (R) 5,902 (55%)

Christopher Goff (D) 4,846 (45%)

Happy to see meddling from the usual suspects did not affect the outcome. Were there in fact any write-ins for Devine?

In any event, a 10 point margin is quite respectable and a remarkable turn for an area that has not elected a Republican in a very long time.

Enjoy your victory MZ. You worked hard for this and earned every vote. I’m confident you will do a great job in Hartford.

Coverage:

Middletown Press
Patch
Update, 3pm: Patch article with numbers broken down by town.

Melissa continues to conduct a civics class: part two.

Tue, 06 Nov 2012 09:10:00 -0500

Melissa continues to conduct a civics class: part two.

Click above see to MZ take both Goff (and the show’s host)...

Mon, 05 Nov 2012 15:36:00 -0500

Click above see to MZ take both Goff (and the show’s host) to school on “Get Wrong with Josh Pitiful”

Will post part two when it becomes available.

Josh, by the way: someone from a public access show in the 1980s called me and says they still haven’t been paid for the work on your title block.

"Positive" Goff campaign finally decides to tepidly sling a little mud, forgets to check somewhat important thing!

Sat, 03 Nov 2012 10:35:00 -0400

SO! Some brave soul over at Goff Campaign Headquarters decided it was time to try dip their toes in the water of Lake Nastytown:

This little nugget attempts to make an inference against MZ that totally flies in the face of reality.

Anyone who knows Melissa knows that when she grabs on to a cause or an issue, she digs in long and hard and is the last one ever to give up. The only possible events this cheap shot could be meant to reference are MZ’s service on the East Haddam BoE and the MIddle School Conversion Committee. So let’s unpack this and set the record straight:

The East Haddam Middle School conversion project is a political landmine that has been sitting undetonated for the last couple of years. In point of fact, the MSCC completed their work and received the finished design for the project from Silver Petrucelli and submitted their recommendation to the Board of Selectmen, at which point their work was done. Any action (or lack of action) after that point has nothing to do with the actions of the MSCC members.
MZ did resign from the East Haddam Board of Education, but did so for a very specific and important ethical reason. I realize such nuance might be beyond the ken of some of our favorite old-timey East Hampton politicos, so I’ll explain: after consulting with BoE counsel, Melissa Ziobron resigned from the East Haddam Board of Education specifically to avoid conflict of interest in order that she could organize the Save Our School PAC. This in order to force the 4-8 Middle School building project to a successful second referendum so that the new Middle School could be built.

Oh, and while we’re throwing around inferences about things uncompleted, I guess when making this accusation against his opponent he forgot to check his own East Hampton property tax bills:

Post-hurricane, pre-election

Thu, 01 Nov 2012 13:10:00 -0400

Again, seriously? At least this time East Hampton fared a little better than the surrounding towns. Jeff Butler’s replacement, William Quinlan, seems a bit more on the ball than his predecessor. East Hampton is down to 7% and East Haddam is at 33% which is much better than last time during Irene/Snowmageddeon 2011. Hope everyone came through safe and sound and it won’t be too long before we all have electricity back. The shoreline took the worst of it.

As noted in the previous post, the Ziobron/Goff Debate came out pretty much as expected. Ziobron comported herself with obvious energy and intelligence on a broad range of issues. Not widely reported was some last minute meddling on behalf of William Devine from everyone’s least favorite former East Hampton Town Council Chairperson:

But according to sources, Devine declined a proffered invitation from Patch, citing unavailability due to work. Which more or less makes for a giant “WTF?!” Why even bother asking if you’re just going to turn it down? EHRTC, if you are looking for credibility, this is not the way to go about it. Just saying.

In the aftermath, Ziobron has picked up a couple of key endorsements. This from the Chatham Party:

Members of the Chatham Party voted to support Melissa Ziobron, a Republican from East Haddam, based on her qualifications, experience and openness to engage with the Chatham Party, which holds majority on the East Hampton Town Council. Additionally, members expressed that Ziobron has been consistent in her message throughout the campaign by setting realistic goals about the economy, community and the environment that she can address as a freshman State Representative. Further still, members believe that Ziobron is better suited than her opponent for the office and will be more responsive to her constituents throughout the district.

And this morning, in the Norwich Bulletin:

In terms of pure energy, Ziobron wins. Although we found a number of issues where we disagreed with her, the energy and dedication she has demonstrated was far more appealing and impressive. We have no doubt that her commitment to serving the best interests of all citizens is sincere and serious.

Goff is equally dedicated by his years of service to the community. However, in our conversation with him we found that his knowledge of issues beyond that of local concerns not as well developed. As such on important issues of education, tax reform, state spending, and others, his responses were vague and priorities contingent on further study and review.

A closer reading of Goff’s recent record would be far less flattering, of course, but little reason at this point to drag out what many local voters already know so well.

Debate Coverage

Fri, 26 Oct 2012 07:05:00 -0400

Jim Salemi, Middletown Press
Eileen MacNamara, Patch:

Goff said some people might view him through the lens of his years on the Town Council in East Hampton, a governing body that has seen its share of controversies in recent years. “The decisions that I made 100 percent were based on information and facts.”

More later.

Goff Campaign Donor William Devine might want his $5 back

Tue, 23 Oct 2012 09:00:00 -0400

Brenda Sullivan, HTNP:

Bill Devine, who served on the East Hampton Town Council during one of the most tumultuous periods in town politics said today (Oct. 22) that he has completed the necessary paperwork to be a write-in candidate for state representative for the 34th District this November.

Republican Devine failed to gain his party’s nomination this year. Instead, the party chose Melissa Ziobron of East Haddam.

Now, as we all know, our own local version of Homer Stokes belongs to “a certain organization.” And isn’t it curious how, after months of silence, no public expression of interest after losing the nomination and the clear impression that the standard-bearer for the East Hampton Good Ol’ Boys/Republicrat clan is not doing so well against a very well organized moderate Republican, suddenly William Devine, East Hampton’s most retiring jeweler, has decided to stage a write-in campaign?

Your Dude’s prediction? Devine will garner a number of votes equal to or less than the membership of East Hampton Candid. Oh and yes, Devine did really donate to the Goff campaign.

It's on, apparently.

Mon, 22 Oct 2012 09:14:00 -0400

Not really news, but:

Ziobron/Goff debate will be taking place this Thursday, October 25 at 7pm at Nathan Hale Ray High School. The event is being hosted by our local Patch. Might be interesting.

Patch event announcement, with requests for questions. Comment thread is doing well.
Event Facebook page
Ziobron Facebook page
Goff Facebook page

Of note:

Seems as if an inordinate number of Ziobron campaign signs have been subject to theft and vandalism. More than 20 at last count.

Savvy readers of this blog will recall similar experiences from last year when Chatham Party signs were targeted.

Is this the act of mischievous, ill-behaved children or East Hampton DTC/RTC ‘Republicrat’ business-as-usual?

Sadly, I’m not sure there is a difference.

Candidate Forum Coverage

Fri, 12 Oct 2012 15:04:45 -0400

Wendy VIncent, East Hampton-Portland Patch:

Though Chris Goff, the Democrat running in the 34th House District, refused to take part in a debate last night in East Hampton, his opponent, Republican Melissa Ziobron, showed up and took questions from the public.

More here and with a letter of response from MZ here.

34th District Candidate Chris Goff will not be taking your questions!

Sat, 06 Oct 2012 10:56:00 -0400

Yes. The Chatham Party, who has no candidate of their own running for this seat (but has been obviously supportive of Ms. Ziobron), was thoughtful enough to organize a candidate forum event for this coming October 11th at Sears Park. And — zomg — guess who declined their invitation?

That’s right, Mr. “I am hearing what is being said“ Chris Goff. The same man whom, when nominated, was decried by Red McKinney as a squeaky-clean, goody two-shoes selfless public servant with “no baggage.”

Excuse me. Just threw up a little in my mouth.

Lest you haters out there start screaming about conspiracies: the format of the forum was determined to be fair. Candidates were offered 3 pre-approved questions and opportunities for closing statements. The Goff campaign citied an unwillingness to appear at a “partisan event” as their official excuse. It certainly could’t be because of a schedule conflict: a check of his official campaign calendar show absolutely no events between now and the election. None.

Ziobron will still be appearing.

If Chris’ absence bothers you, be sure and let him know how you are feeling on his Facebook page and on the event page. My guess is the following sums up Chris’ feelings about appearing before concerned East Hampton voters:

Has it really been 2 years?

Sun, 23 Sep 2012 16:34:00 -0400

Well, not precisely. The official anniversary is this Friday. Nonetheless:

And somehow I find it fitting that after all this time things have become so pleasantly quiet. Oh, I am certain the haters are out there, lurking and seething as The Chatham Party majority pretty much delivers and accomplishes what they set out to do.

By all accounts the new Town Manager has done an excellent job of settling into his duties while managing to deal parsimoniously with issues that in times past would have assuredly been blown out of proportion. The only thing of real import lately was the sudden and inexplicable resignation of members of the Fire Commission, but with Campground Apparatchik Mike B. no longer ginning folks up with his coverage on Patch, the commentary has shifted over almost entirely to either the presidential race or whose cat is the cutest.

And that’s totally fine with me.

Of course, there is one lingering issue: the curious candidacy of Christopher Goff. Chris has finally decided to start campaigning, and predictably he’s trotting out the typical empty electioneering rhetoric. His website curiously invites us to “Ask Chris”, but of course I don’t expect inquiries that might be unflattering — especially anything that might reference his disastrous final term on the EHTC — to be answered publicly. Certainly were I to “Ask Chris” a few questions I am sure he would never respond. But I’ll offer a few here. Perhaps some intrepid soul might bring these to his attention:

As an East Hampton Councilor, do you agree with the assessment of the state authorities that it was inappropriate and illegal for you and your other EH Councilors to discuss personnel issues regarding Police Chief Matt Reimondo without his being present (as required by law)?
Would you agree that it seems illogical that former Town Manager Jeffery O’Keefe, who you supported, maintained his innocence regarding his motivation in the attempted firing of Chief Reimodo and charges of sexual harassment from town employees, yet ultimately resigned in disgrace and left the state to avoid prosecution?
Do you think it was a wise use of taxpayer resources to force changes to Ordinance 109 to referendum when it was clearly opposed by the majority of town residents?
Do you think it was good stewardship of taxpayer dollars to award a $170,000 severance package to a Town Manager who clearly should have been either placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation, or fired for cause?
Finally, considering how you and your fellow Councilors willfully defied your constituents and essentially drove town governance to a halt over petty grievances in your final term as Councilor, can you give me any reason whatsoever as to why any intelligent resident of this district should consider you worthy of their trust, much less their vote?

Just wondering.

Jeff Mill joins in

Mon, 20 Aug 2012 10:11:00 -0400

Howdy Jeff, it has been a while!

An investigation into a complaint by former Town Council Chairwoman Melissa H. Engel found flaws in an investigation of Engel by a senior police sergeant and concluded Police Chief Matthew A. Reimondo had failed to adequately supervise the investigation.

However, the investigation by attorney Michael C. Harrington concluded Engel’s rights were not violated.

Of particular interest is the statement attached to the article from Reimondo’s attorney Leon Rosenblatt:

Reasonable people making reasonable decisions (again)

Wed, 15 Aug 2012 14:52:00 -0400

Mike B., in full detail, over at Patch: (h/t commenter Resident)

In a letter dated Aug. 13 to town council members, Maniscalco said that after taking significant time to look into the many facets of the Harrington investigation and other information surrounding the events in this important matter, disciplinary action is not warranted given the findings of the report.

Engel is still suing the town, of course. Or at least has not backed off her announcement of intent to sue. Because that would be reasonable. And we can’t have that!

Melissa Engel: "Herewith sirs, I shall seek redress for thine grave offenses to me."

Wed, 01 Aug 2012 08:58:00 -0400

Everyone’s least favorite former Town Council Chairwoman and Lawyer Retirement Fund Contributor is — to no one’s surprise — back at it today, with every word carefully recorded by Mike B., Her Majesty’s loyal and dutiful Scribe of Markham:

Melissa Engel, through her attorney Ken Barber, has informed the town by way of a letter dated July 30, that she intends to bring a lawsuit against the town and certain employees.

“The lawsuit will spring from certain acts and omissions of Town employees in investigating a complaint to the police department concerning Ms. Engel’s activities that were ruled on by the Connecticut State Election Enforcement Commission in March 2012,” the letter states.

Funny how Mike B. always gets those PDFs up online before everyone else. That kid is sure as hell one ace of a reporter! (Except when dealing with sensitive news stories about fatalities — but thats for another time.) Someone oughta get him a job at the Courant or somethin’! … Oh, wait.

Your Dude’s take: notwithstanding the perhaps-not-illegal-but-ethically-questionable situation created when an elected member of the BOE is retained as counsel by a plaintiff suing the same legal entity he serves, I see two outcomes:

A quick, cheap settlement equal to or less than the cost of the town’s defense. This in the vain hope that Tissa might have the wisdom (DON”T BE RIDICULOSE!) to realize such an offer might be the best deal since that price reduction on pump outs from the honeydipper driver over at the campground.
A histrionic, protracted and absurd legal drama clogged up with attempts to, yet again, depose imagined anti-O’Keefe-Engel-McKInney conspirators. A proceeding that will ultimately get laughed out of court, very likely end in public humiliation for Tissa and her pals and put her on the hook for the town’s legal costs.

Never mind the fact that this all is, as Col. Sherman T. Potter would say, ”fully and entirely a boatload of horse hockey!” Tissa was, as a matter of public record, caught on several occasions doing a lot of ethically questionable — and in some cases outright illegal things — was duly investigated, got in trouble for a few and was lucky enough to get off the hook for others.

But, true to narcissistic form, rather than count her lucky stars for dodging the bullet and retreating to private life, she keeps coming back to remind us that she: a) likes to squander taxpayer resources and funds, b) is indeed a most litigious person, c) really, really, really hates Matt Reimondo, and most of all d) desperately, desperately craves attention, no matter how unflattering. Ain’t she sweet?

Get ready for a new round of ”WAIT UNTIL THE TRUTH REALLY COMES OUT OMGWTFBBQ!!!!” commentary, kiddos.

There was indeed no "there" there after all!

Thu, 19 Jul 2012 14:38:00 -0400

Mike B. on Patch, reporting on the results of the investigation into whether or not former Council Chairwoman Melissa Engel was “targeted” by Reimondo:

The report, by Attorney Michael C. Harrington, found no evidence that the Code of Ethics or the police department’s policy regarding Conduct Unbecoming of an Officer were violated.