Old High School and Maturo's Bag of Tricks

So in the same election that returned Joe Maturo back to Town Hall the people of this Town also voted to keep the Old High School in the hands of the Town and out of the hands of private developers. The Maturo Administration thinks that your vote is non-binding therefore it doesn't count. I wonder how Joe Maturo would feel if we felt his election was non-binding and decided to put in someone else? Well we know he would be pissing and moaning and holding his breath just like he did when the Town Committee Republicans voted for John Finkle by a 2 to 1 margin. He used back door tactics to disrupt the process of the will of the Republicans of the Town of East Haven and he's doing it again by ignoring the will of the people and pushing his Administration's idea to a developer to place senior housing at the Old High School. Their argument is that the cost to rehab the facility would be too much money and that maybe the case but the underlying problem with this whole idea is not the cost factors but whom is involved and whom will be the benefactors?

Back in 2007 while I served on the East Haven Town Council this same Administration attempted to do a similar move buy trying to sell the property to a "select" few bidders at a cost of less than $500,000 when the property alone is worth so much more. I recall being very upset because I too began to understand that this Administration's ethics and integrity is severely lacking. Thankfully the Town Council would not fall for the underhanded tactic and flatly rejected the idea. That night, unlike the current events, the public was involved in the process. So now you can understand why Mr. DeSorbo is trying to keep these meetings under wraps and low key.

Please read the New Haven Register Article about the Old High School

http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2012/07/23/news/metro/doc500de4739693f019754148.txt?viewmode=fullstory

The New Haven Register article says that Maturo knows nothing about these meetings. You just cannot believe that Mayor Joe Maturo knows nothing about these meetings. This denial comes from the same man who has a computer database of all registered voters in the Town and knows exactly who contributed to his campaign, placed lawn signs and voted for him and awards those contributors and supporters with key positions on Boards and Commissions and possible future contracts for development. Makes one think, doesn't it? Joe Maturo is a micromanager and there is nothing that goes on in this Town without his direct knowledge. Don't believe me? Make an appointment to see the Mayor 203-468-3204 see how he acts and see if he touches that keyboard.
So lets think for one minute that Mr. DeSorbo is correct that the cost factors are too much to rehab this complex. Where are his facts and figures? Where is the proof of what he is talking about and what about the arrogance of this Administration to ignore the 71% of the voters who said THEY DON'T WANT SENIOR HOUSING at this location!

The bottom line is there are two major issues with this location that need to be resolved before the thought of any Senior Housing is placed there.

1. Will a developer pay 100% of the cost to have a new pool built at the New High School?
2. Will a developer pay 100% of the cost to replace the gymnasium that is used for the children of this Town?

I would suspect the reason why the voters of this Town voted to keep this facility in the hands of the Town is they know like I know that no developer would agree to 1 or 2 or both and that the mixed use of this facility is only going to cause problems. In addition, a few years back I proposed an idea to seek government assistance just like Torrington, West Hartford and other Connecticut Towns did to convert the old  high school building to a Government Center with full use and access to the public. The Old High School would provide ample space to move every government office into one building and could create some very interesting and creative ideas to sell existing Town properties and terminate rental leases that we currently have. That idea must be to complex for this Administration to expound on and it's obvious that they could care less that some of that same 71% of the East Haven voters think the same way I do.

You the voter should take a ride around Town and visit three Town owned offices that are not in compliance with the American Disabilities Act and have our Town Administrators sitting in conditions that lack privacy and professionalism.

1) East Haven Fire Department
2) East Haven Building Department
3) East Haven Public Works

Once you see these locations you can see why the idea of having the Old High School as a Government Center would be a good idea.

Maturo Needs to Slow Down on DOJ Consent Decree

It is very understandable that the Maturo Administration wants to try to get to a consent decree to try to avoid a lawsuit by the United States Department of Justice but with the DOJ's recent track record of no significant convictions and publically humiliating its purpose I don't understand what is all the rush? I mean this group couldn't even bring home a conviction on Roger Clemens and we all know that he perjured himself in front of Congress. <Don’t get upset Yankee Fans I’m one of you.>

We've told our Police that we will stand by them and despite what public opinion; Gene Ruocco or Paul Hongo says these Police Officers deserve their day in court which is not scheduled till the winter of 2013. So what is the rush? Any agreement with the DOJ can sell these men down the river and its awful that politics once again is raising it’s ugly head in East Haven.

Could it be that the DOJ has just gone from an institution to serve and protect to an organization that is corrupt and is in shake down mode? Forget politics for a minute. What happened in Arizona with Fast and Furious should make us all think for a minute about the DOJ, Eric Holder and now President Obama. What do they have to hide? 

The DOJ has ignored the Black Panther voting right scandal in Philadelphia and it has gone to war with Arizona Governor Jan Brewer because it cannot set a Federal Policy on illegal immigration and somehow that has become all of our problem. Why the inconsistency?

With the DOJ's track record and an increasingly prospect of an Obama loss in November I'm not saying not to talk but lets not sign anything with the DOJ until after the election. It is very likely that with a Romney win most of the current cases will be reviewed and could possibly be thrown out including the United States vs. East Haven Police.

Give John Miller, Dave Cari, Jason Zullo and Dennis Spaudling a fighting chance! Settling now could affect their cases before they even start.

Gene Ruocco, East Haven DTC Leader and His Shallow Excuses

It's taken me sometime to figure the right words to describe how I feel about what has gone on with Mr. Ruocco and his threatening comments back in December 2011. Mr. Ruocco obviously has some very serious issues. First, for not feeling any remorse for what he has done. Secondly, acceptance of accountability for his actions. Lastly, for not only embarrassing himself but his family, his fellow Democrats and the residents of the Town of East Haven.

I find it incredulous that Mr. Ruocco would find the audacity to actually justify his actions because I wrote articles that he found personally offensive. He actually came up to me at one of the Board of Police Commissioners meetings and tried to intimidate me by stating that what I write is liable and slander. I challenge anyone to find one thing I report as liable or slanderous. I report the truth and the facts and because they do not favor Mr. Ruocco or the people he tries to defend, he finds it offensive. What Mr. Ruocco fails to realize or accept is that I also do the same thing to the Republicans when they step out of line. The last resignation I called for was for Mayor Maturo, a Republican.

What is more comical is his efforts to explain himself. Little ole me, affectionately known to Gene as "Danny Boy" is what drove him to "his breaking point" to put me in my place. Just who does Gene Ruocco think he is? Is he that smug and arrogant to believe he himself is the moral authority for us in East Haven? Then Mr. Ruocco goes on accusing me of a desperate attempt to damage his political and personal reputation within the East Haven Community and making a big thing over a foolish thing. The only thing Mr. Ruocco got right in that whole statement was that it was a foolish thing, the damage to him politically and personally is all self-inflicted just ask around Town Mr. Ruocco.

Mr. Ruocco in his defense also seems to single me out that he would never resign his leadership role because of a person like me. You see, Mr. Ruocco and others find people like me very dangerous to their survival in the political world. Because of the great world of blogging the traditional ways of politics have been exposed for what they are and Mr. Ruocco and others can't handle the truth and the facts. Their ways of burying the truth and twisting arms are exposed and people then find out who their leaders really are. In an ironic twist Mr. Ruocco, an ill advised user of the internet thought he could hide behind surnames, fictitious names and spew his hate and disdain for those who opposed his view. Oh how he probably wishes he never did what he did but to continue to try to justify his actions just shows he's nothing more than a scurvy little spider in the whole vast configuration! How's that for a movie quote Mr. Ruocco? it's from "It's A Wonderful Life" an American Classic of the honest, humble man who inspires to care about people instead of his own personal agenda.

In closing, this sad but enlightening chapter on Mr. Ruocco should be a lesson for all that when you continue to trounce on peoples will and their rights it will come back to bite you. Mr. Ruocco will have to spend the rest of his days here in East Haven as "Josy or Mr. Wales" and it's a rightful characterization of him because he tried to use his power, his influence and his muscle to control yours and my will. I am certainly not perfect nor do I ever claim to be but when I do wrong I will stand by it and admit it and when I am wrong I don't act like a punk and thumb my nose at everyone else and tell them it's their fault. Mr. Ruocco should do the right thing and resign from public service, period and then seek the necessary counseling to help him cope with whatever is disturbing his soul.

East Haven Republicans Still Don't Do As Maturo Wants

It seems somethings are starting to change with East Haven Republicans and Joe Maturo. We all know that Joe Maturo wanted and Rich Anania at the helm of the Republican Town Council and he got his wish with some crafty arm twisting but this time around Maturo's hand picked Republican Town Chairman candidate Paul Carbo was defeated by Ben Mazzucco. This time around the right candidate prevailed, under Mazzucco you will not see a Joe Maturo "Yes Man". Paul Carbo, a nice fellow, should never have been allowed to take helm as the party Chairman after he, Anania and Maturo caused the spilt of the Republican Party this past summer by going third line, eventually bullying their way to the Republican nomination. Ben is fiercely independent and will do what is right for the East Haven Republican Party, not Joe Maturo. When he was asked by Joe to join him on third line, Ben said no and stayed true to the East Haven Republican Party. That shows class and character, something the East Haven Republicans need after the rough start Maturo put East Haven through in his first 100 days. 

Could it be that some Republicans are starting to see what "this so called Republican" already knew, that Joe Maturo with too much power is just too much for East Haven and the Republicans? I had to laugh with the comments that came from Mr. Desorbo the last RTC meeting where I was the subject of his public conversation because I called for Maturo's resignation. The word is dissent Mr. Desorbo, which means I have a different opinion. It's the 21st century, we have several communication methods and as you and Joe learned when you say something it can go viral, the days of backroom conversations are done and gone and despite what you think many people disagree with you and don't forget many of those are more than willing to speak with me.

On the Maturo matter, it's not the content of what he said, it is how he handled himself unprofessionally in a time when we needed the right thing to be said. Maturo still just doesn't get that though, but I think by Mazzucco prevailing, some of the RTC members are starting to wake up and that is a good thing! I think Maturo knows it and I'm sure many RTC members are saying to themselves that Maturo in 2013 must not happen. The Republicans need to start looking to the next candidate now so we never have the possibility of the return of Joe Maturo, but then again maybe Maturo and Carbo can go third line again. Oh what a political system we have here in East Haven you just can't make this stuff up!

Is Maturo Serious About Being East Haven's Mayor?

It is very seldom that I ever agree with East Haven Democratic Town Chairman Gene Ruocco but he is 100% correct that Joe Maturo belongs right here in East Haven not in Florida. The Town of East Haven has several crises’ ongoing, many caused by Gene Ruocco’s very own people on the Board of Police Commissioners, Board of Finance and various other boards. The thing that concerns me most is that it seems that Joe Maturo just doesn’t get it. So let me try and help by injecting some business reality, some practical common sense and intelligence.

Joe, are you there? Are you listening? You and your Administration are under constant watch, not just by your opponents but possibly by the United States Government. Do you really think after your infamous comment it is wise that you even think about leaving Town on a personal vacation? Today your department heads are handing in their financial budgets for 2012-13 after you promised a 17% tax roll back in property taxes. You just had a march calling for your resignation after you told the Republican Town Committee that the real purpose of the march was to bring unity to the Latinos. You have the media just chomping at the bit to catch you doing the slightest thing wrong and the Town of East Haven is the subject of a newspaper article almost every single day.

Now after being a leader in business for the past 20 years myself I can say what Joe Maturo is experiencing is a crisis. In a crisis the leader does not walk away from the post especially since 50% of the crisis has been self-inflicted. You stay at your post, you work your tail off to fix the problems or you walk away admitting that it got the best of you and it’s time for someone else to take over. Joe, are you there? Are you listening? Call me what you want,   (the last East Haven Republican Town Committee meeting I was referred to as a “so called Republican” ) for calling for Joe Maturo’s resignation but I call it as I see it and what I see is what I hope many are seeing, a man at the helm who just doesn’t get it. To answer the question about my affiliation, I am a proud Republican but I am not a Joe Maturo Republican, whatever that really is.

Joe Maturo must get serious and buckle down and work his butt off to deliver on the promises of fixing the many problems in this Town. Taking off to Florida which he did for over 10 weeks in his last term sends the wrong message to the taxpayers of the Town of East Haven. Joe Maturo needs to learn about TRUE ACCOUNTABILITY and not a couple of feel good pictures and sound bites. He defeated April Capone which was definitely a good thing in many ways but it was him and his lack of work ethic that allowed her star rise in the first place. Like the Bruce Springsteen song, “Trapped” it says a lot about the people of East Haven that just can’t win with either side. When will the people of East Haven finally get what we deserve and have a decent honest government that works for us and not them? The only thing that is acceptable with Joe Maturo in Florida is if he stays there and sends us notice that he’s not coming home.

As George Steinbrenner would say...."Lead, Follow or Get the Hell Out of the Way.:"

A Little Justice Served But Not Enough For All The Damage Done By The East Haven Board of Police Commissioners

Last night during the first meeting of the newly appointed East Haven Board of Police Commissioners everyone was wondering what the post Fred Brow and James Krebs era would be like under the new Chairman Joseph Civitello and surprisingly it went off without any controversy. However, what I was surprised about is the appointment of Carl Perez as the Vice Chairman of the Board after all of the allegations were floating around Town about his pending arrest for threatening a minor at East Haven High School.  

Mr. Perez serves as the East Haven High School In-School suspension officer and has come under fire for threatening a 14 year-old child while serving in a position overseeing our men and women who uphold the law. Mr. Perez is also a retired Connecticut Corrections Officer and has dealt with many prisoners who have been held for violent crimes and maybe even murderers. Therefore, it comes as a very big disappointment that person with his background would put the Town of East Haven back in the negative spotlight by his own conduct in addition to potential legal action. There is no doubt by Mr. Perez’s alleged actions as a Town Employee and his service on the very board that is supposed to uphold the law should resign immediately from the East Haven Board of Police Commission.

If Mr. Perez resigns from his position it would allow Mayor Joseph Maturo to fill the spot with a person, either Democrat or Republican, that would give Maturo the majority and control of the Board. Although I do not support Mayor Joseph Maturo, I know that replacing Perez would completely end the disastrous term of Fred Brow and James Krebs as well as the policies of the Capone Administration that declared war on the East Haven Police Department.

Lastly, with this Perez situation I wonder what the Department of Justice thinks of this latest turn of events?  After-all the Department of Justice made it very clear that intimidation and violence would not be tolerated after they swooped in and made the arrest of our four Police Officers. The DOJ said they had to take action because those officers were in a position to continue to harass and intimidate the very population they served. Well one might think the same of Mr. Perez. Maybe the Department of Justice should begin to investigate Mr. Perez and his interactions of the student population at East Haven High School. How many students are involved? Are there any civil rights violations? Are there any acts of intimidation, maybe even racial profiling too? After-all, who other than the DOJ should investigate Mr. Perez and his actions? Of course I say this all with tongue and cheek and in all seriousness how could the Department of Justice take anyone of these self-righteous clowns that served under Fred Brow and James Krebs seriously? How could they even think they are a credible source of information or even reliable witnesses when certain members have questions of their own character? Each one of them served knowing that the public did not support what they were doing. Fred Brow publicly denied he called the Department of Justice, when the States Attorney’s Office said there was no case against Officer Cari and this blog proved he lied by showing you the truth with the actual documents. It was discovered that James Krebs failed to pay property taxes to the Town of East Haven for years on vehicles he owns and he held a seat on a board that was supposed to uphold the law. Now the latest disgrace to hit this board and one that actually ended up in an arrest! Is Perez going to blame Police Union intimidation, The East Haven Vine or whomever for this being reported? Don’t be surprised if he does but it will never hide the fact that Mr. Perez or any of his former board members can ever paralyze the truth!

Mr. Perez should do the right thing for the Town of East Haven and resign his position and let a little justice be served along with some sweet karma.

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.