Is Erica Berg and the Former Capone Administration Kidding Us or What?

If you really want to know the entire truth about what happened down on the beach that summer day in July 2009 you have to know that it didn’t start that day, it started back in 2006. The whole concept of Beach Parking started as a campaign idea to wedge open the Republican strong hold in the 2^nd District. At the time Democrats were losing 2 to 1 in every election in the district and April Capone and her gang figured that if the won the district it would be the biggest prize in the election for Mayor. It was a good strategy because it worked.

I had warned Mayor Joe Maturo and Art DeSorbo on several occasions to watch out because April was unlike any other opponent they faced. She had a knack of getting under your skin and to push it to the next level.  As Chairman of the Subcommittee for Beach Parking, April openly challenged me when I asked her to produce “the hundreds” of letters she received regarding residents complaining. I had to use threats of court orders and finally when I received the “6 or 7 letters”, all from the same person, I knew that we were dealing with a deceptive person. My political instinct kicked in and I wanted to call a press conference to call her out on what she was doing but I was told by the Administration. “Danny come on she’s a nobody, please don’t make a big stink about her, ignore it.” No one would listen.

Then the infamous Candlelight by the Sea debate came and when I folded to political pressure I knew my time serving was done. I made a big mistake supporting that cause for what I was told was going to be for the betterment of the Town. If I could take back one vote it would be that. In November 2007 the unthinkable happened Joe Maturo was defeated and the 2^nd District Republicans were swept out of office. April Capone Almon had done the unthinkable and we all knew that life at the beach would never be the same as well as the Town.

When I did not run for re-election Officer Mike Sorbo stepped in my place to run. Unfortunately, he was not successful in retaining the seat but after the debacle of the Candlelight, I don’t any Republican would have won. The summer of 2008 we received our first parking passes with our tax bill and were told to place them on our cars. There was no plan, there was no discussion and as usual with anything that came out of the Capone Administration it was a disaster from day one. People who didn’t have the pass were given tickets and then they began to park on the streets near the beach. Our Community Police Officer was converted from Patrol of the Beach to writing parking tickets in the Beach Parking Lot. It was a big waste of time and a waste of resources, all for an idea that was just plain stupid from the inception.  In its first year the beach parking pass did not cause any major problems until the Splash Park was constructed.

In July 2009, word got out that East Haven had built a Splash Pad and it became a popular destination for the entire Greater New Haven Area. We had hardly any infrastructure to handle what we already had and adding the Splash Pad in addition to the Little League and Beach was just not a good idea. Do you think April knows she screwed up?  You bet. Do you think she was getting pressure from the residents about the horrid parking situation at the beach? You bet. So what better way for someone to cover up their mistake but to BULLY her position and straighten out Officer Mike because he was writing tickets and towing cars? She assumed he was doing it for political reasons.  As I always say only guilty people do the things they do!  Now I can understand the Mayor going because she was getting pressure but she should have called the Chief instead.  But why would Erica Berg even go near the place? Her job was to receive calls and type emails in the Mayor’s Office not to enforce policy or the law. Erica Berg had no business being there and instead of suing the Town of East Haven she should sue April Capone for putting her in that position to begin with. April Capone’s pure lack of judgment placed Berg in this position along with her verbal tirade of Officer Sorbo. So who started it? It looks to me as Officer Sorbo was dealing with cars blocking the parking lot entrance and a potentially dangerous situation where cars were attempting to drive through the play-scape area to exit the area. Who’s responsible? April Capone and Erica Berg. Neither of them had a right under the law to interfere with a lawful order of a police officer.

I find it ironic that in this case the Department of Justice hasn’t weighed in on it yet. But because  Sgt. John Miller is involved,  I wonder how the DOJ feels about the lack of following the chain of command from the Mayor’s Office? After all the DOJ said that Sgt. Miller skipped the chain of command and that was one of the reasons why he was indicted and called a “bully with a badge”   In the organizational chart of the Town of East Haven the Chief of Police reports directly to the Mayor. The Police Officers in the Town report directly to the Chief and the Supervisory staff of the Department. NOT THE MAYOR.  So did the Mayor April misuse her authority to POLITICALLY BULLY and INTIMIDATE a politically defeated candidate, Officer Sorbo? Did the Mayor use her position to usurp the Chief and give direction to unlawfully return vehicles that were legally towed? Why did she do that? Were these political friends? Where, oh where, is the Department of Justice in this case? Two wrongs don’t make it right and as I reported in my previous blogs I believe there was Political Profiling happening in East Haven. Isn’t that a crime? Should April Capone be indicted for being a Political Bully? Where is the Special Grand Jury Investigation?

Regardless Erica Berg and April Capone got exactly what was coming to them. When a Police Officer tells you to stop, you stop regardless. When a Police Officer tells you to disperse you disperse. If you don’t like the actions of the Police Officer you file a complaint, not make a public disturbance. April Capone and Erica Berg were lucky I wasn’t the officer on duty. Officer Mike Sorbo showed considerable restraint by not arresting them on the spot, I would have cuffed and stuffed them right there and then. The bottom line is this is more of the same circus atmosphere that April Capone and the rest of the Democrats want to play. These people are very sick to put this town through this and for what the title of Mayor and the Power of being the party boss? Both sides better wake up soon because before you know it the Town of East Haven will be placed in receivership and it’s both parties fault.

As for Ms. Berg’s claim of being fearful of coming to East Haven or not being able to go to a bar without having a fight. It takes two to tango Ms. Berg. A fight won’t ensue if you’re not looking for one and maybe at the age of 34 it’s time to grow up and be held to account for your actions and stop hanging out in bars. You made the decision to go to the beach. You made the decision to participate with interfering with an officer and just in case you forget the charges were only dropped after Mayor Capone had to apologize for her actions. Apologizing is admission that you’ve done wrong. Here are some words to live by, taught by Officer Mike to the 5^th Graders of East Haven. “Guilt by Association” and “Consequences” Think about it before you yourself drag yourself down the slippery slope of eternal embarrassment.