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Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Summary of Financial ComCenter Merger, A Right Solution!!!
SUMMARY RIGHT SOLUTION
"In doing some research and reviewing the presentation on the town web site, I believe I have an equitable solution."
The consolidation of the Androscoggin Sheriff’s Office (ASO) and Lisbon ComCenter to form Androscoggin County Consolidated ComCenter (A4C) is definitely the right thing to do. However, the presentation Chief Brooks is going to present is a total disaster for the taxpayers of Lisbon.
Chief Brooks wants the taxpayers of Lisbon to assume all the financial responsibility for the A4C. Slide 19 sums it all up “in this scenario the Lisbon Town Council (Lisbon Taxpayers), will be the final budget authority for the Lisbon ComCenter operation.” The means the taxpayers of Lisbon will have to fund the ComCenter for the duration of the ComCenter.
The ComCenter is performing a County function dispatching police, fire and medical throughout the County from Lisbon. This is a County project and should be funded entirely by the County utilizing the Androscoggin County Budget Committee.
The equipment owned by Lisbon should be transferred to the County for a credit to be applied over the next three years to fund Lisbon’s portion of the cost.
The town of Lisbon could charge the County for rent on the space utilized in the town office building.
Nowhere in Chief Brook’s presentation does he explain where the current equipment and maintenance is accounted for in the Lisbon town budget. Chief Brook admits to hiding costs associated with the ComCenter in other lines in our current town budget, see Slide 3.
Lisbon taxpayer’s should not have to pay for Chief Brook’s to expand his empire. This is a County function and should be totally placed under the County. Keeping this in the county saves the taxpayers of Lisbon in excess of $500,000 dollars. This is the true cost of the current ComCenter and not the $229,354.00 stated by Chief Brooks. His figure does not include the cost of the equipment and maintenance. Look at Slide 4 & 5 no equipment or maintenance. Slide 6 does include everything in the total cost of the ASO ComCenter.
The reason it makes sense to move the ASO to Lisbon is because you cannot merge a larger entity into a small entity. The only problem is who will maintain the funding? County function should be the county and not Lisbon. Common Sense!!!!
The solution is to forming the Androscoggin County Consolidated Communication Center (A4C) utilizing the $375,000+ proposed in the Androscoggin County budget for 2012. This funding should be sufficient to defray all cost of the consolidation, see Slide 13.
This council may not listen to me, but the people of Lisbon Do!
Oh and by the way Chief Brooks, Jennifer & Todd says Hi!!!
Larry A. Fillmore
Concerned Citizens
Monday, October 31, 2011
News of Interest from JohnU78: Sheriff: Time For Citizens To Arm Themselves
News of Interest from JohnU78: Sheriff: Time For Citizens To Arm Themselves: Spartanburg County Sheriff Chuck Wright is well known for his candid style of speaking and at a press conference this is known for speaking ...
Sunday, October 30, 2011
A storm is coming
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Saturday, October 29, 2011
Friday, October 28, 2011
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Androscoggin County is trying to decide where to move its dispatch center. There
appear to be three options.
Move the dispatch to Lisbon.
Move the dispatch to Auburn/Lewiston.
Keep the dispatch where it is.
Before Lisbon taxpayers agree to hosting the dispatch center there are a few
questions that need to be answered.
Will this change effect taxes in Lisbon? If so how?
Who will be in charge of this new dispatch center?
Who will pay for any building or equipment additions?
What is the known down side? Any liabilities?
What formula will be used for deciding how much other municipalities will
reimburse us for this service.
We need to educate ourselves on the benefits/liability’s of this possible move.
Please take our poll and voice your opinion.
appear to be three options.
Move the dispatch to Lisbon.
Move the dispatch to Auburn/Lewiston.
Keep the dispatch where it is.
Before Lisbon taxpayers agree to hosting the dispatch center there are a few
questions that need to be answered.
Will this change effect taxes in Lisbon? If so how?
Who will be in charge of this new dispatch center?
Who will pay for any building or equipment additions?
What is the known down side? Any liabilities?
What formula will be used for deciding how much other municipalities will
reimburse us for this service.
We need to educate ourselves on the benefits/liability’s of this possible move.
Please take our poll and voice your opinion.
What are they covering up?
Over $7000 dollars to prevent FOAA requests, does that even make any sense?
By: Peter Reuter
The Lisbon Reporter
Lisbon residents, you have to be smarter then to believe what your Town Manager Stephen G. Eldridge is trying to convince you of. Does this even pass the “Strait Face Test”?
If this TRULY is the case then the Town Attorney, Roger Therriault, has to be the most ruthless lawyer in the land. Not only has he been the representative for Lisbon’s legal battles for too long, but he also has been a key player in the dynamics of the improprieties of Town Official’s conduct.
Case in point, he was in the Executive Chambers during the Town Council meeting of February 17, 2009 when Police Chief David T. Brooks expounded about Janice Comber, Todd Comber, Roger Cote, The Lisbon Concerned Citizens, and The Lisbon Reporter. Not only was ALL of it a LIE and a SHOW but it was entirely based on hearsay evidence presented to him by Debra Danuski. It had no merit and we can prove that her credibility is CRAP. We have a very nicely composed letter from one of her children explaining in detail just what she did when she was in the NAVY. Basically, she abandoned her own children and lied to the NAVY about her living arrangements. But she in turn becomes such a kiss-ass and back stabber that she ran to Brooks with information that was overheard at a Lisbon School Board private retreat for their officials.
So as you can see this is getting more and more involved as the time passes. Let’s back up to the current problem at hand. The Town Manager. Remember who was on the Town Council that unanimously brought this “heathen” into the community? Norma Wells, Charlie Smith, Dale Crafts, Mike Bowie, Fern LaRochelle, Janet Henry, and Gina Mason. Thirteen applicants applied for the job. Remember Police Chief David T. Brooks was the interim Town Manager at the time. As John Jenkins, a great candidate, stated to many that he was not even interviewed for the position. No, because Stephen G. Eldridge had been basically fired on a technicality from Rumford and was working for Lewiston at the time all the while sucking up to the Maine Municipal Association who basically turned him into their “golden boy” all for the likes of Lisbon. What a great match-up, right? WRONG.
So elections roll around in November of 2008, and Roger Cote upsets incumbent Charlie Smith by the largest margin (votes) ever recorded in Lisbon’s history. And ‘Evil Eldridge’ touts in his latest monthly garbage report about how he welcomes and takes around each newly elected Town Councilor. Ask Roger Cote what he got for an introduction? ZILCH.
No he got a verbal display of complete arrogance and stupidity by Lisbon’s Police Chief David T. Brooks. And then he was sent in front of the Town’s Ethics Panel for conduct unbecoming a public official. The Ethics Panel concluded that if anything was conducted in that fashion that it was done BEFORE he became an ELECTED Official of the Town of Lisbon. And whom do you think was one of the biggest mouth pieces at the microphone that evening of February 17, 2009 coming out to support Brooks and his LIES? The one that is running for Roger Cote’s Town Council position, Lisa Ward.
Would you all like to see another viewing air of that meeting right here on The Lisbon Reporter? It can happen very easily. Isn’t this modern technology great or what?
Now here’s a little tidbit of history concerning “The Lisbon Concerned Citizens” that is very important. This group was formed by a bunch of citizens that meet to discuss ways to improve and get out the information to the residents that was not being presented by the Town Officials, nor were letters written to the Sun Journal getting published. SO this blog, The Lisbon Reporter was launched on July 8, 2008. At our second meeting, Todd Comber asked Lori Pomelow, who was there with her husband David, if she would take notes for the group. Which she did. And those notes just so happened to end up in the hands of Police Chief David T. Brooks for his presentation that he read verbatim many times during his more then two hour audition for Hollywood, as Councilor Cote told him.
See a connection yet with the issues of Scottsdale Avenue?
So residents it is up to you to get out and help make changes if you are not satisfied with the current management.
It seems to me that $7000 for attorney fees as stated by ‘Evil Eldridge’ for Mr. Larry Fillmore’s FOAA requests is quite a bit excessive.
Could it be that there are some other litigating circumstances that the ‘Putz Eldridge’ is not disclosing to YOU, the taxpayer’s of his salary like he should? He is using Mr. Fillmore as the ‘scapegoat’ when in fact there might be pending grievances filed by some of the Town’s working Unions?
Wake UP People!
Androscoggin County undecided on dispatching
I would like to know who will be in charge if the center is relocated to Lisbon?
Also what will the bottom line be for Lisbon Taxes?
Androscoggin County undecided on dispatching | Sun Journal
Also what will the bottom line be for Lisbon Taxes?
Androscoggin County undecided on dispatching | Sun Journal
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Hide and Seek
What are the Town Officials trying to hide
Over the last few months Lisbon’s Management has cost Lisbon taxpayers over $7,000 dollars in unnecessary legal fees and potentially much more when the final verdict is in.
There have been at least two FOAA lawsuits brought against Lisbon for not producing public information upon request. These lawsuits have so far been decided in favor of the plaintiff. In other words The Superior Court Judge has ordered Lisbon to produce the information.
Mr. Eldridge recently complained in his Sept. Managerial Report that the town has spent thousands in court costs and insinuated that its the fault of the person submitting the FOAA requests. What the Manager doesn’t tell you is that he is the one refusing to abide with the law and turn over the requested documents thus making it necessary to take the town to court.
Mr Eldridge can’t have it both ways. He can’t complain about court costs when he is the one necessitating the court actions. If he complied with the FOAA laws there would be no cost to the town. This is further acknowledged by the Superior Court Judge’s rulings which to date are 100% in favor of the plaintiff and against the Town.
I feel the real question here is what is the town trying to hide by refusing these legal requests for public records? Has the town or some of its officials done something illegal or embarrassing that they don’t want the people to know about? Have they broken laws or entered into questionable loan transactions and are afraid of legal repercussions?
I submit that Mr. Eldridge and the others responsible for this avoidable court cost be held accountable and reimburse the town for this unnecessary expense.
Taxpayers shouldn’t have to pay for this failed cover up attempt.
Joe Hill
lisbonmaine.net
Lisbons Creative Accounting
Lisbon's Creative Accounting System
I have been perusing the “Managers Budget Presentation Fy12" posted on the town
web site, and have come across some very interesting FACTS .
web site, and have come across some very interesting FACTS .
The Municipal Budget Breakdown Chart:
52.54% of the municipal budget is "Wages and Benefits"
Wages and Benefits Chart:
Public Safety has 40% of the towns employees.
If these two numbers are true ,and if the average Police Officer is paid as much
as the average Public Works Worker, then Public Safety wages and benefits alone
would be over 30% of our total municipal budget or well over 2 Million Dollars.
as the average Public Works Worker, then Public Safety wages and benefits alone
would be over 30% of our total municipal budget or well over 2 Million Dollars.
(This begs the question what is the true total cost of Public Safety?)
How can this be if the Public Safety Chart states Public Safety as a whole is only 21.4%
of the municipal budget?
of the municipal budget?
The answer lies in our creative (manipulative) accounting system. A large portion of
the employee cost is transferred to the General Government Accounts in order to
deceive (my opinion) the taxpayer into thinking he is spending far less for specific
departments.
the employee cost is transferred to the General Government Accounts in order to
deceive (my opinion) the taxpayer into thinking he is spending far less for specific
departments.
This type of accounting would tend to diminish the cost of departments with the
most employees.
most employees.
Although you might think the only real importance to an accounting system is to keep
track of income and expenses, there are actually other factors that require a solid
accounting system. The taxpayers, Department Heads and Councilors rely on data
from the accounting system to make sound financial decisions.
track of income and expenses, there are actually other factors that require a solid
accounting system. The taxpayers, Department Heads and Councilors rely on data
from the accounting system to make sound financial decisions.
We need to make our municipal accounting system as transparent and as easy to
understand as possible .The public has a right to know where their tax dollars are
really going.
What are your thoughts?
understand as possible .The public has a right to know where their tax dollars are
really going.
What are your thoughts?
by Joe Hill
How Creative Accounting Hurts YOU
Through creative accounting Lisbon Town Gov.
misleads the public into thinking that we pay
about the same for police protection as other
communities our size. This is far from the truth.
If you check the mil rate adjusted for 100%
valuation you will find that we pay 20 to 30%
more in taxes than other towns with a population
of 7 to 12 thousand residents. Of the other
communities listed in the previous posts
mil rate list, only Lewiston and Auburn have a
a higher adjusted rate...
If there is any doubt that our town taxes are
excessive just google Topshams town web site and
compare their budget with ours. The major difference
is in the cost of the Police Department. The money
they save on the Pd enables them to have a mil rate
over two percentage points lower when adjusted for
comparison. .
What does this mean to the average homeowner?
If you have a home valued at 200,000 dollars you
will pay over $400 dollars more if it is in Lisbon.
And to add insult to injury our Town Counselors
have taken way your right to complain about this
robbery at meetings.
Barney & Doc
ELDRIDGE EXPOSES HIMSELF PART 1
In the latest town Managerial Report, Town Manager Stephen (Evil) Eldridge exposed the methods he has been utilizing to keep the Town Council and the taxpayer's supporting his and his co-conspirators (Bowie and Brooks) agenda. I want you to know what he wrote in his article it is completely true up until a point and this is what he does to further their agenda. I have tried and tried to explain this to the Town Council but Bowie has them wrapped around his finger. Only Councilor Cote has seen through this smoke screen.
As Eldridge mentions in the article the town has been bombarded with “Freedom of Access Act (FOAA)” by one person and that person is I. I am not a mushroom, kept in the dark and feed crap. The town is supposed to be transparent which means the taxpayers have a right to know what these people are doing with our tax dollars. If you remember correctly, I was not involved until they raised our taxes two years ago. Since then, I have been trying to find out why the town is spending so much and why we cannot reduce your taxes by reducing spending. The town clerk and finance director have been extremely helpful in pursuit of the truth, however, when it comes to Chief Brooks and the retirement/rehire policy I was stopped. Also when I started to look into the Economic Community Development Department’s outstanding loans I was stopped. This made me very curious so I filed two law suits against the town, which were combined into one, to find out what the town does not want me to know. The town was ordered by the judge to provide me the information requested on the retirement/rehire and a large portion of the outstanding loans. It has been a struggle to get this information out of this supposedly transparent government.
There are only two pieces of information missing and that is the “Date of last payment” and the “Amount”. The reason this it is so important is because the past history of the ECD with the $32,500 misappropriations, the illegal $150,000 dollar loan which has been paid back, and finally a current $200,000 dollar loan which is in question. According to the article, my pursuit has cost the taxpayer over $7,000 dollars which is probably very true. What he failed to tell you, this expense was created by the town attorney and Eldridge and not by me. You see every time the judge issues dates for the attorney’s to have their briefs to her, Roger Therriault has failed to comply causing yet another court appearance. Roger Therriault is and has been the problem since the beginning by providing bad information to the town. This was clearly demonstrated by the judge proving me the information in the retirement/rehire suit and all but two parts of the second suit. Keep in mind, neither Roger Therriault or Stephen Eldridge pay taxes in this town so they could care less about how much it cost. The town attorney has been utilizing this delaying tactic for years while he rapes the citizens of Lisbon with legal fees.
The proof is in the pudding. The town was forced to provide all of the information I requested, with the exception of the two pieces still in dispute, because according to the law, I was entitled to it. This is why I have asked the judge to have the town pay my legal fees. I am asking for nothing more than what it has cost me to retrieve information I was always entitled too.
This should have never come to this if the Town Council had done their job and told Eldridge to provide the information, unless they have something to hide. This situation was created by two factors: (1) I had the guts to challenge the town; (2) the town is hiding something. What is it they do not want us to know?
This is the method of operation for Eldridge and Therriault. Eldridge never presents all the facts; instead only presents the facts to further his agenda and Therriault utilizes delaying tactics to rape the citizen for legal fees. We need to thank the town manager for finally putting it in writing so the people and hopefully the council can see what he and Therriault are doing to this town.
Stay tuned for Part Two.
Larry Fillmore
Concerned Citizens
In the latest town Managerial Report, Town Manager Stephen (Evil) Eldridge exposed the methods he has been utilizing to keep the Town Council and the taxpayer's supporting his and his co-conspirators (Bowie and Brooks) agenda. I want you to know what he wrote in his article it is completely true up until a point and this is what he does to further their agenda. I have tried and tried to explain this to the Town Council but Bowie has them wrapped around his finger. Only Councilor Cote has seen through this smoke screen.
As Eldridge mentions in the article the town has been bombarded with “Freedom of Access Act (FOAA)” by one person and that person is I. I am not a mushroom, kept in the dark and feed crap. The town is supposed to be transparent which means the taxpayers have a right to know what these people are doing with our tax dollars. If you remember correctly, I was not involved until they raised our taxes two years ago. Since then, I have been trying to find out why the town is spending so much and why we cannot reduce your taxes by reducing spending. The town clerk and finance director have been extremely helpful in pursuit of the truth, however, when it comes to Chief Brooks and the retirement/rehire policy I was stopped. Also when I started to look into the Economic Community Development Department’s outstanding loans I was stopped. This made me very curious so I filed two law suits against the town, which were combined into one, to find out what the town does not want me to know. The town was ordered by the judge to provide me the information requested on the retirement/rehire and a large portion of the outstanding loans. It has been a struggle to get this information out of this supposedly transparent government.
There are only two pieces of information missing and that is the “Date of last payment” and the “Amount”. The reason this it is so important is because the past history of the ECD with the $32,500 misappropriations, the illegal $150,000 dollar loan which has been paid back, and finally a current $200,000 dollar loan which is in question. According to the article, my pursuit has cost the taxpayer over $7,000 dollars which is probably very true. What he failed to tell you, this expense was created by the town attorney and Eldridge and not by me. You see every time the judge issues dates for the attorney’s to have their briefs to her, Roger Therriault has failed to comply causing yet another court appearance. Roger Therriault is and has been the problem since the beginning by providing bad information to the town. This was clearly demonstrated by the judge proving me the information in the retirement/rehire suit and all but two parts of the second suit. Keep in mind, neither Roger Therriault or Stephen Eldridge pay taxes in this town so they could care less about how much it cost. The town attorney has been utilizing this delaying tactic for years while he rapes the citizens of Lisbon with legal fees.
The proof is in the pudding. The town was forced to provide all of the information I requested, with the exception of the two pieces still in dispute, because according to the law, I was entitled to it. This is why I have asked the judge to have the town pay my legal fees. I am asking for nothing more than what it has cost me to retrieve information I was always entitled too.
This should have never come to this if the Town Council had done their job and told Eldridge to provide the information, unless they have something to hide. This situation was created by two factors: (1) I had the guts to challenge the town; (2) the town is hiding something. What is it they do not want us to know?
This is the method of operation for Eldridge and Therriault. Eldridge never presents all the facts; instead only presents the facts to further his agenda and Therriault utilizes delaying tactics to rape the citizen for legal fees. We need to thank the town manager for finally putting it in writing so the people and hopefully the council can see what he and Therriault are doing to this town.
Stay tuned for Part Two.
Larry Fillmore
Concerned Citizens
Part 2
ELDRIDGE EXPOSED HIMSELF PART 2
This is the second part of the “Eldridge Exposed Himself Part 1”. I have outlined to you the deception and deceit Eldridge utilizes to manipulate the Town Council and to fool the people. In his managerial report, he criticizes the people for expressing their feelings on blogs. He believes the name calling is inappropriate and as he has stated “juvenile”. I am guilty of this and my take on this is if the shoe fits, shut up and wear it, cry baby. The terms utilized by myself and other reporters on the Lisbon News and the Lisbon Reporter are accurate. This problem is the people we criticize know it is a true reflection of what they have done to this town and they deserve every bit of it and more because they are destroying the town of Lisbon.
If you do not believe me, let me prove it to you. In the last year alone, the assessment dbase has been removed from the town web site; the people have lost the right to speak out on agenda items after the sponsors have explained it to the council and prior to the council voting on agenda items; there is no transparency in the town government; the bid process was removed from the town web site; we are not provided the agenda and documents for workshops; the minutes of the town council meeting leave off critical questions and answers because they do not favor the management of the town; they have misappropriated Economic Community Development funds and cannot find the money or who to blame; and they are forever hiding vital facts from the town council and the citizens of Lisbon. Can you imagine for one minute, the Chief of Police cannot conduct a thorough enough of an investigation to get a conviction on $32,500 being misappropriated?
Eldridge states there is only a small group of people which share our concerns in the town but he had better think again. There are a few of us that are not intimidated by Brooks and Bowie and point out the facts. My writings on the Lisbon News and the Lisbon Reporter was perpetrated by Councilor Pomelow taking away the citizens right to speak out on agenda items prior to a vote. This was directed by Bowie as a way to censor the people from knowing what is truly going on with these agenda items. Requiring citizens to address agenda items before the item has been fully explained clearly demonstrates the ignorance of Pomelow and the rest of the council who voted for the changes to the council working rules. The blogs Eldridge refers to in his article are the result and the only place concerned citizens have to express their feelings.
I have always provided the readers of the Lisbon News and the Lisbon Reporter with cold hard facts and only facts. I have always and will always provide all the facts and will not spin the facts to support my side of an agenda. I have asked the council on numerous occasions to make sure they have all the facts and not just the ones presented to them by Eldridge before making a decision. This has never happened because Eldridge always covers it up and never before puts it on paper. This managerial report clearly outlines the tactics Eldridge has been using to manipulate the people and the town council.
If you want to know the truth on any issue, read about it in the Lisbon News and the Lisbon Reporter because what you get out of the town council and the town manager is only what they want you to know. There is no transparency in Lisbon and never will be until the town is rid of Brooks, Bowie and Eldridge. Eldridge’s own admission in his managerial report, demonstrates how expertly he spins the facts and the truth. I do not blame the town council for the deceit and deception in the town of Lisbon but I do blame them for not being able to see through the crap Eldridge has been feeding them for the past few years.
Thank you very much Evil Eldridge for publishing the managerial report and allowing me to expose how you spin the facts for your own agenda.
I believe I have provided the citizens and the town council with irrefutable evidence of the lengths Eldridge goes to, to keep the town council and the citizens of Lisbon in the dark by feeding them crap.
Larry Fillmore
Concerned Citizen
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Breaking Economics: Greenspan: European Union Is Doomed To Fail
Breaking Economics: Greenspan: European Union Is Doomed To Fail: Alan Greenspan said in a CNBC interview that the European Union will break apart because of the great divide between northern and southe...
Thought of the Day
- When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty
Thomas Jefferson
t
Thomas Jefferson
t
Stockton Homeowner Wants Police To Fix Trashed House « CBS Sacramento
Police involved should be made by the court to to fix this home on their own time with their own money.
« CBS Sacramento
« CBS Sacramento
Monday, October 24, 2011
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Friday, October 21, 2011
Hospitals require employee, volunteer flu shots | Sun Journal
Hospitals require employee, volunteer flu shots
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Lone Star Watchdog: Can Occupy Wall Street Lead to Bank Holiday to Ave...
Lone Star Watchdog: Can Occupy Wall Street Lead to Bank Holiday to Ave...: When we see the NYPD arrest people for entering a bank for just closing out their accounts. We know they are getting despera...
Lone Star Watchdog: Occupy America is A Sign of the Empire Crumbling a...
Lone Star Watchdog: Occupy America is A Sign of the Empire Crumbling a...: One of the things that makes American great that we can look back in history is that injustices will be corrected. We put th...
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
State questions on the Nov. 8th election
Questions to be voted on:
1. Do you want to reject the section of chapter 399 of the Public Laws of 2011 that require new voters to register to vote at least two business days prior to an election?
2. Do you want to allow a slot machine facility at a harness racing track in Biddeford or another community within 25 miles of Scarborough Downs, subject to local approval and at a harness racing track in Washington County with part of the profits from these facilities going to support specific state and local programs.
3. Do you want to allow a casino with table games and slot machines in Lewiston with part of the profits going to support specific state and local programs?
4. do you favor amending the Constitution of Maine to change the years of redistricting the Maine legislature, congressional districts and county commissioner districts after 2013 from 2023 and every tenth year thereafter to 2021 and every 10th year thereafter?
1. Do you want to reject the section of chapter 399 of the Public Laws of 2011 that require new voters to register to vote at least two business days prior to an election?
2. Do you want to allow a slot machine facility at a harness racing track in Biddeford or another community within 25 miles of Scarborough Downs, subject to local approval and at a harness racing track in Washington County with part of the profits from these facilities going to support specific state and local programs.
3. Do you want to allow a casino with table games and slot machines in Lewiston with part of the profits going to support specific state and local programs?
4. do you favor amending the Constitution of Maine to change the years of redistricting the Maine legislature, congressional districts and county commissioner districts after 2013 from 2023 and every tenth year thereafter to 2021 and every 10th year thereafter?
Lone Star Watchdog: Occupy America is A Sign of the Empire Crumbling a...
Lone Star Watchdog: Occupy America is A Sign of the Empire Crumbling a...: One of the things that makes American great that we can look back in history is that injustices will be corrected. We put th...
H.S. Field Hockey: No. 3 Greyhounds oust No. 6 Flyers | Sun Journal
H.S. Field Hockey: No. 3 Greyhounds oust No. 6 Flyers
Girls' Soccer Notebook: New Tourney Outlook For Lisbon | Sun Journal
Girls' Soccer Notebook: New Tourney Outlook For Lisbon
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Lisbon's New Business Directory
Lisbon has a new Business Directory on the town wed site. If you have a business in Lisbon or are searching for a local business you may want to check this site. http://mygovhelp.info/lisboneme/_cs/supporthome.aspx?sSessionID
Monday, October 17, 2011
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Saturday, October 15, 2011
A Council Of Puppets
A COUNCIL OF PUPPETS
I truly am embarrassed to acknowledge several members of the Town Council. These individuals are too stupid to know when they are being played by Councilor Bowie. Let’s take for instances Councilor Mason. During a workshop discussion of the Western Maine Transportation, Lisbon Connection, she asked "What do the buses look like?" This individual is representing this community and the senior citizen in it and has no clue what the buses look like. Marvelous, just plain marvelous! Look at the town council meetings and the input Mason provides. It is either about Moxie Day or some upcoming event in the town. Mason is the "Social Director" for the council. She never has any worthwhile input for the council on real issues.
Next, let’s take a look at Councilor Pomelow. I personally do not believe she has ever had a single thought of her own. If Bowie did not conduct a pre-meeting before the town council meetings she would be lost for words. I believe it was Bowie who ordered Pomelow to rewrite the Council Working Rules to silence the residents from speaking on agenda items during the discussion of each item. She wrote it and screwed it up so bad Evil Eldridge had to take it over after approximately four months. It still is not right but what else would you expect from Eldridge.
Councilor LaRochelle is making money hand and fist off the town so he does whatever he is told to do. Let’s see now; he has purchased several town properties for a song; he has the towing contract and he does repairs on town vehicles. Why is the world would he want to jeopardize all of this? Think of the income he would lose.
Councilor Bowie manipulates the council to ensure the police have anything Brooks needs in order to keep his wife employed. He is the senior councilor and instead of providing honest guidance he leads these other councilors for his own agenda. He sits in the back ground and plays stupid when in fact he is pulling the strings all the time. If you do not believe this look at the meeting and discussion on the reevaluation contract for the town. Pomelow and LaRochelle stated they would like more information on the process and when, and only when it looked like the issue was going to be tabled, Bowie stepped in to save the day by making a motion to vote on the issue. Both Pomelow and LaRochelle voted with Bowie to award the contract to VanTuinen. Bowie pulls the strings and they jump into action.
The latest rendition of this very corrupt council is forcing residents to pay for the handouts for workshops. Have you ever been to a Public Meeting where you were not handed documents in order for you to follow along? These documents enable you to understand the discussions even if you cannot say anything during the briefing. I have to pay $13.00 for a copy of the handouts for the last two workshops because "the council" according to Chairman Lunt did not want to provide the handouts to residents who attend these workshops. Keep in mind, I requested at the last town council meeting these documents be posted to the town web site just like the town does for actual council meetings. That way, the town would not have to waste paper on the residents. The residents could printout whatever they wanted.
These are the four councilors who always vote together and are solely responsible for the condition the town is in right now. We cannot get rid of them on a recall so the next time they come up for reelection vote them out! Let’s break up Bowie and the puppets.Larry Fillmore
Concerned Citizen
Friday, October 14, 2011
An Accident Waiting to Happen
CITIZEN’S PUT AT RISK
On the ballot in June 2011, there was a bond issue to repair the bridge and road on Fisher Road. The bond passed and the money was appropriated to repair both the road and the bridge. This bridge was in such poor shape the town was concerned with the state closing the road. However, they were not concerned enough to take any action to protect or post warning signs for vehicles traveling on this road. Today, I traveled on the Fisher Road to see for myself the improvements on the bridge and road and was shocked to learn nothing had been done. I am including three pictures of the condition of the bridge and road today.
It is the primary responsibility of Evil Eldridge and his golden boy, Ryan Leighton, to put in motion the task of repairing the bridge and road. Once again, these two individuals have neglected the residents of Lisbon by failing to post warning signs or getting the bridge and road repaired. This lack of concerned for the residents of Lisbon and other individuals who utilize the Fisher Road is distressing. God forbid the bridge goes out or falls down and causes injuries to anyone.
Does the Town of Lisbon have to wait until the incompetence of Eldridge or Leighton causes a fatality before this Town Council takes action to remove these two individuals? The next question is where is the money taxpayers appropriated for this project and why has nothing been down. I understood the money to repair the bridge was appropriated last year and the bond added more money to include the repair of the road. In any case, the funding has been there since June and the bridge is deteriorating rapidly as indicated by the pictures below.
Citizens of Lisbon stop hiding in the corner and come out and voice your concerns at the next Town Council meeting, Tuesday, October 18, 2011, 7:00 PM at the Town Office.
Larry Fillmore
Concerned Citizens
November 8th Ballot Questions
Question 8 (NO)
On November 8th the residents of Lisbon will be asked to vote on 8 changes to the Lisbon Charter and also give guidance to the council by answering one advisory question.
On November 8th the residents of Lisbon will be asked to vote on 8 changes to the Lisbon Charter and also give guidance to the council by answering one advisory question.
Of these changes question 8 dealing with revising the recall procedures for removing a councilor is by far the most important and potentially the most devastating change proposed by the council.
In my opinion, the existing recall barrier that requires
voter turnout to be 30 percent of the turnout of the last presidential or gubernatorial election is almost mathematically impossible to hurdle. Making it even more difficult for the public to remove an undesirable councilor is not the answer. This will only make councilors less
responsive to the wishes of their constituents.
responsive to the wishes of their constituents.
If the Council really wants to improve the recall procedure, they should remove the existing 30 percent barrier and abide by the wishes of the majority vote.
If we pass question 8 we will in effect be ending our own ability to remove an unsuitable councilor.
I will be voting “NO” on all 8 questions and approving only the advisory question. I want to keep control in the hands of the people.
Respectfully
F.E. Stacey
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Vote on charter changes
BEWARE CHARTER CHANGES
Question 1 – The charter today allows the town to legally steal your property and what this question is asking if you want them to legally steal your personal property as well.
Question 2 – The change is trying to clarify the time limits are tolled during court review. The court system is such there cannot be any time limits because the court determines when and where they review cases. The town is trying to kill petitions and force residents to start over again.
Question 3 – This is my all-time favorite. This question promotes cronyism. This gives the power to the town manager (Evil Eldridge) to hire or promotes anyone of the good old boys. This also makes it legal for him to hire less qualified individuals over highly qualified individuals. You know like hiring Ryan Leighton who is not a licensed professional engineer with the state of Maine or Chief Sean Galipeau who does not have a Bachelor’s degree as required by most Fire Chief’s in Maine. In both cases the town hired them with the condition they get their respective education and neither one has done so. Do we really want to give the town manager the power to hire less than qualified individuals? My answer is no I want to stop the "Good Old Boys" game.
Question 4 – This question is as dumb as they are because the State of Maine required town assessors’ be certified by the state so why do we need to add it to the charter?
Question 5 – The Town Council appoints a Board of Assessment Review Board but in its absence the council can perform the tasks. Why even appoint a Board of Assessment Review Board in the first place? Bowie and Eldridge want the power to take over this function. The purpose of an independent body was to ensure we have no conflict of interest and residents receive a fair assessment review. Now they want to take this away. Control and power is what they are asking the residents to relinquish.
Question 6 – This is a very interesting question. Actually it should read "How in the world or under what circumstances would a capital expenditure be allowed to lapse?" If the citizens took the time to approve the monies for a project or capital gain how is it possible to have that funds lapse. The only reason for a capital expenditure to lapse is if management is not doing their job or misappropriation of funds. I cannot believe Bowie and Eldridge think the residents are that stupid.
Question 7 – I do not know about you but I am not an accountant genius. I cannot tell you what this says but I can tell you this, if Bowie and Eldridge are involved it cannot be good for the town of Lisbon. Look at the other seven questions and then ask yourself "with their track record can this be good of me?" My answer is no way.
Question 8 – This is another of my very favorite. This question deals with the recall procedure. Bowie and Eldridge are asking the residents to add additional hurdles to remove a councilor. This is entirely useless to begin with because there is no way possible to recall a councilor now; adding more requirements makes no sense. There is no way to recall a councilor in the town of Lisbon because there is no way to get 30% of voters who voted in the last gubernatorial elections to come out in vote in a regular election yet a special election. This is the safe guard built into the charters to save councilors just like it did with Bowie. The majority of voters voted to remove Bowie at the Special Election but there were not 30% of the voters required so Bowie remains councilor even through the majority of voters who voted wanted him removed.
As you can see, these Charter Changes are meant to provide the town council and town manager with additional power and control over the citizen of the town of Lisbon. This is not a good thing and when you go to the polls on November 8th vote NO on all these questions.
American's Journey: Victor Bout, arms dealer, about to be judged by bi...
American's Journey: Victor Bout, arms dealer, about to be judged by bi...: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Viktor_Bout_Extradited_to_US.jpg Victor Bout is about to go to trial. If you haven't heard of him - ...
Harpswell removes restriction on public comments | Sun Journal
Lisbon Council Take Notice: Censorship of
opposing views doesn't work.
Harpswell removes restriction on public comments -
opposing views doesn't work.
Harpswell removes restriction on public comments -
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
10 major stories ignored by mainstream media
In an age of blogs, tweets, hacks and piles of beans spilled by WikiLeaks, the notion of media censorship may seem dated.
But the rundown of stories Project Censored calls attention to this year serves as a reminder that mainstream media outlets favoring the superficial over the substantive don’t give us all the information we need.
Since 1976, Project Censored has endeavored to spotlight important news articles that didn’t find their way into mainstream headlines. Originating with a classroom assignment at Sonoma
more here---
But the rundown of stories Project Censored calls attention to this year serves as a reminder that mainstream media outlets favoring the superficial over the substantive don’t give us all the information we need.
Since 1976, Project Censored has endeavored to spotlight important news articles that didn’t find their way into mainstream headlines. Originating with a classroom assignment at Sonoma
more here---
Inmates taking firemens jobs
Isnt this against the law.....
http://www.wlsam.com/Article.asp?id=2306265&spid=
http://www.wlsam.com/Article.asp?id=2306265&spid=
Monday, October 10, 2011
Citizen in Falmouth trying to cleanup local government
Lisbon isnt the only town with local government problems.
http://www.theforecaster.net/content/n-falmouth-town-reacts-doyle-chief-tolan-072111
http://www.theforecaster.net/content/n-falmouth-town-reacts-doyle-chief-tolan-072111
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Lisbon's Web Site
LISBON WEB SITE
In the town of Lisbon, the web site is maintained by the Town Engineer, Ryan Leighton and the responsibility of keeping it current is the Chief Administrative Officer, Stephen (Evil) Eldridge. The web site has a great deal of value and is already configured to provide citizen with valuable information. One such function would be to post the Bids/RFP’s. This is when items go out for bid and it is supposed to inform the public when the bids will be opened. The opening of the bids in public is to ensure the process in on the up and up. It is also required by Purchase Policy of the town.
The last bid which went out approximately three weeks ago and was never posted on the town web site. What else was not posted was the time and place the sealed bids would be open publicly. I have no idea why we would create a web site (which cost the taxpayer money) and then not utilize it for what it was intended. My only explanation is once again the management of the town (Eldridge) does not want people to know what is going on in this town. Remember there is no transparency of government in Lisbon.
Take for instance the Agenda for Town Council meeting and workshops. The people of Lisbon had to beg the Town Council to post the agenda on Friday with the supporting documents so the residents had time to research these items in order to speak intelligently during the Audience Participation of the meeting. This is working out very very well but the workshop agenda is never posted and there is no supporting documentation. I asked for this at the last council meeting. This is not rocket science but management wants to keep the people in the dark. "No transparency in Lisbon" is the motto of Evil Eldridge, Bowie and the puppets.
At what point should the people put a stop to this injustice. We need to change the management of this town. Get rid of Eldridge and in 2012 get rid of Bowie and the puppets. It is not too soon to make our wishes known.
Larry Fillmore
Concerned Citizen
Saturday, October 8, 2011
What Banks and lenders know about you from social media
Many Americans may be unaware that their social media conversations and posts are providing banks and lenders with a treasure trove of information. In fact, a growing number of banks and lenders are currently building a data repository – collecting, storing and analyzing data – in the hopes that one day it could help them determine your potential credit risk and also tailor marketing directly to you.
http://news.yahoo.com/banks-lenders-know-social-media-093048662.html%3B_ylt%3DAkfbhp0H5zqUKWxSGkk3kM2s0NUE%3B_ylu%3DX3oDMTRhbjFwbDVvBG1pdANTZWN0aW9uTGlzdCBGUCBUZWNobm9sb2d5BHBrZwM0YTllMzhkMS1lNjAzLTMwZmItOTVjYS1mNDZjNWI1M2VhMGQEcG9zAzQEc2VjA01lZGlhU2VjdGl
http://news.yahoo.com/banks-lenders-know-social-media-093048662.html%3B_ylt%3DAkfbhp0H5zqUKWxSGkk3kM2s0NUE%3B_ylu%3DX3oDMTRhbjFwbDVvBG1pdANTZWN0aW9uTGlzdCBGUCBUZWNobm9sb2d5BHBrZwM0YTllMzhkMS1lNjAzLTMwZmItOTVjYS1mNDZjNWI1M2VhMGQEcG9zAzQEc2VjA01lZGlhU2VjdGl
Friday, October 7, 2011
Last nights Council Meeting
Tuesdays Council Meeting was a sad night for Lisbon.
After decades of public service to the town of Lisbon Fay Brown informed the Council she could no longer work with the current town administration. Her resignation, from the Green Thumb Gang, was colorfully submitted in the form of a beautiful plant perfectly manicured to resemble the infamous single digit salute.
A number of councilors acknowledged and thanked her for her years of dedicated service to Lisbon. Faye also received a resounding round of applause from the audience.
Lisbon cannot afford to alienate her hardworking volunteers.I feel an investigation needs to be done to find and correct the problems that lead to the loss of one of Lisbons long time volunteers.
Thank You Faye for all the beauty you have brought to the
median strips and gardens of Lisbon.
F.E, Stacey
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