| Author | Message | ||
     kathleen Citizen Username: Symbolic Post Number: 86 Registered: 3-2005 |
bookgal, The very first I heard of who was running for the BOE this year (other than Mila and Mark) was through a friend of Fred's who was providing assurances, from Fred, that there was a "west side slate" and that's a verbatim quote. That doesn't mean that's the campaign you participated in. That was the campaign that was presented to me and it was from someone who has been working in Fred's political campaigns since Fred ran the first time. They were saying it as a positive. I'm not going to refrain from repeating what I've been told, anymore than Joan or Sbenois does. It happened and I don't see why everybody can't hear the same things I do. But surely it's a plus for Vic De Luca that people with you and Wendy's point of view openly support him. Johnny, They've openly campaigned for BOE candidates. And Fred openly campaigned for Bob Little, who is an office neighbor of Ian Grodman's in Manhattan. In fact, I wasn't here for the entire BOE race, but I would have thought Fred did openly campaign for all the canddiates who appeared on the 3-person slate. | ||
| BGS Citizen Username: Bgs Post Number: 13 Registered: 10-2003 |
In my opionion a "verbatim quote" is one that I have heard with my own ears from the person saying the words....I learned a long time ago that "he said she said" always gets twisted.... Can't believe that I am weighing in on this board...but I needed to today with this latest posting above... | ||
| kathleen Citizen Username: Symbolic Post Number: 87 Registered: 3-2005 |
Regarding the police promotions and the negotiations with the PBA, people seem to be having amenesai what union negotiations are actually like. The rank and file were waiting to get promotions that couldn't go through because their union (the PBA) and the town (not De Luca, the TOWN) couldn't agree on a procedural matter regarding how promotions passed through the system. If the PBA had been willing to compromise, the promotions would have gone through in a flash. I'm not saying they should have compromised if they didn't feel it was right. All I'm saying is that it takes 2 to tango. Don't all of you remember when Michelle Meade was the big villain of this story? The PBA reps would talk to her and then come out here and go ballistic. It's like with the teacher's union in town. How many times has SOMEA gone ballistic about how they were dissed and abused and they're morale is destroyed, and how they agitate to get rid of the principal and the Super? Who did the teacher's union endorse in the last election? The two high school students? What do you think happened when the rank and file went to the PBA reps and said: "So why haven't things been resolved already?" Who do you think the PBA blamed for the delay? Themselves? Vic DeLuca was trying in good faith to resolve the issue, and never came screaming onto MOL to diss the PBA. But in the middle of a political campaign, they sandbagged him in public meeting and tried to frame him with false charges. I'm sure it is nicer to talk to Ken Fred or Ian outside the adversarial nature of a contract negotiation than it is to talk to ANYBODY inside one. Union reps get dug in and villify their opposition. With the possible exception of Bobk, this town has never failed to credit the local police force fully for the reduction in the crime rate and having what I believe is the lowert crime rate in Essex County. That includes both the native born cops and the cops born elsewhere (who surely make up the the largest part of the force). And I believe Vic got Federal money under a Clinton program to add at least or more cops to our force. Nobody -- and I mean nobody, including anybody on the TC -- wanted to hold up promotions for the rank and file. It's just not true. So the PBA endorsed Fred and Ian. Who did the teacher's union endorse in the last BOE election? The two high school students? | ||
| BGS Citizen Username: Bgs Post Number: 15 Registered: 10-2003 |
Actually, I am pretty sure that the teacher's union endorsed Andrea Wren-Hardin. | ||
| kathleen Citizen Username: Symbolic Post Number: 88 Registered: 3-2005 |
crabby, Who loses elections in Newark? Which group of Democrats has lost elections in Newark for the past 15 years? The people who are on the side of Sharpe James or the people who fight Sharpe James corrupt political machine? | ||
| bookgal Citizen Username: Bookgal Post Number: 638 Registered: 7-2001 |
Kathleen, as I am officially listed in Andrea's campaign filing as her campaign manager I can assure you that there was no involvement from Mr. Profeta in this campaign. Did some of his current supporters also work on Andrea's campaign? I am sure they did. Did some of Vic's supporters work on Andrea's campaign? Yes, again. I trust you will accept the "assurances" of the official campaign manager. jsm | ||
| crabby Citizen Username: Crabbyappleton Post Number: 66 Registered: 1-2004 |
kathleen he's a loser looking for political traction somewhere and he can't get it or keep it. He can't take a hint. THe people of Maplewood voted against him last time. Seems to me Fred Profeta grew up here, he went to school here, his kids went to school here, his roots are here. He's got traction and a track record of contributing to this community since he was class president in high school. Vic is not this town's kind of guy. | ||
| kathleen Citizen Username: Symbolic Post Number: 90 Registered: 3-2005 |
jsm, I appreciate where you're coming from. What I related actually was said, and was said by a person with a long history of sharing Fred's politics and being quite open about it. The problem is Fred's credibility and agenda. Not yours or mine. Or even the person Fred spoke to. Do you know who SOMEA endorsed in the last election? crabby, Fred Profeta lost his first election. Why didn't he take the hint? Sure, we all know Fred invented Maplewood. And Al Gore invented the internet. If Fred is "this town's kind of guy," why did 1600 Maplewood citizens in town take the trouble to sign a petition to stop Fred from closing a children's dance center? Why did Fred have to spend $1,000 of our tax money to take a poll to get the hint? Likewise, why did hundreds of Maplewood citizens have to show up several weeks in a row to stop Fred from closing their neighborhood library before Fred got the hint? And then he still doesn't get it! I believe the biggest departmental whack in the budget this year was to the library. If he's so in tune with his hometown, why did the town's longtime volunteer First Aid Squad have to show up en masse at Town Hall to say they were blindsided by an attempt to disband it and they didn't trust the Mayor to keep a promise to protect the Squad and made him vote publicly and early in the evening in front of their eyes to protect the squad? If he's been contributing to all the people for so long, how come he was entertaining ending health services in town that provide poor people his age with blood pressure monitoring? Who needs to get the hint here? Leading Maplewood isn't an entitlement of birth. Vic, who came here to raise his family, and is attracted to its diversity, seems very much like the people I know who have just as big a stake in this town's future as Fred. They're raising their kids here. As for traction, I think Vic is leaving Fred in the dust on the issues: Vic is a for a Shared Services Summit with five surrounding towns, not just South Orange. He's for real property tax REDUCTION for everybody in Maplewood. Everything that looks better about Springfield Ave. that you can actually see with your eyes is due to a lot of steady leadership from Vic. | ||
| ffof Citizen Username: Ffof Post Number: 3748 Registered: 5-2001  |
kathleen- back to boe comments...fyi, not only is Ian Grodman a Seth BOyden parent, he vocally supported O'Leary, Miller and Jasey! I think he and his wife were listed in the ad in the paper as supporters. Also, "Vic, who came here to raise his family..." He has kids? What schools are they in? Did he/she/they graduate from CHS? | ||
| Just The Aunt Supporter Username: Auntof13 Post Number: 1170 Registered: 1-2004  |
BGS The teacher's union endorsed the two 'high school' students. Funny because they were for doing away with levels, and at least one had said they were in the bottom levela. | ||
| ffof Citizen Username: Ffof Post Number: 3749 Registered: 5-2001 |
Also... I believe Democrat Lydia Lacey, Profeta/Grodman supporter, wrote a letter to the N/R supporting Brian O'Leary and she had a lawn sign for Miller/Jasey. I must have missed the letter Kathleen wrote. Anyone believe that kathleen'll "do anything it takes" to support DeLuca? Where's her lawn sign? Maybe there's not enough credibility with her neighbors. I have been blown over by all the hot air in here. | ||
| jem Citizen Username: Jem Post Number: 1281 Registered: 5-2001 |
A few posts back you mentioned that you thought that Ian and his wife were listed in that News-Record ad as supporters of Miller and Jasey, but that's not the case - the ad's still up on their web sites, and I just checked. If Ian was actually a supporter of theirs, and there's no evidence that suggests to me that he was, he was very quiet about it. | ||
| kathleen Citizen Username: Symbolic Post Number: 91 Registered: 3-2005 |
bookgal, During dinner I become concerned that my remarks to you were too spare to convey what I meant to say with my reply. Based on your posts, it turns out that while I still have no reason to believe the person whom I quoted is ever less than honest, I still should have known from past experience to doubt the substance of what he was reporting before making that remark to David. So sorry to David (and Andrea) and thanks to you, bookgal, for hashing it out. | ||
| bookgal Citizen Username: Bookgal Post Number: 640 Registered: 7-2001 |
Nicely done, Kathleen. Thank you. | ||
| ffof Citizen Username: Ffof Post Number: 3751 Registered: 5-2001 |
jem- Okay. I couldn't remember if he was listed or not, but I do know that he attended lots of OLeary coffees. I don't think he was quiet about it at all, perhaps you weren't listening. | ||
| L'Angelo Misterioso Citizen Username: Misterioso Post Number: 231 Registered: 10-2003  |
Yes, Ffof, Vic has a stepson - who graduated from Columbia High School. Check out Vic's bio on his website - http://www.vicdeluca.com. | ||
| crabby Citizen Username: Crabbyappleton Post Number: 67 Registered: 1-2004 |
call me a Crabby Patty, but kathleen, since you don't see the difference, Fred may have not gotten elected as a challenger the first time around, but the people of Maplewood voted Vic out of office. | ||
| Joseph Guglielmo Citizen Username: Plt_guglielmo Post Number: 1 Registered: 11-2004 |
Hello, my name is Joseph Guglielmo, I am a 15 year veteran of the Maplewood Police Department. I have been an active member of the Maplewood PBA for as long as I have served the community. I think that it is my responsibility to participate in any organization that is going to represent me both within the department, as well as within the community. Over the years I have refrained from posting on MOL for far too many reasons to list. I hope I have not made a mistake by posting now, but some of what I am reading seems to have some negative overtones directed towards the Police Union, an organization that has accomplished so much for the Department and the Community. As a past PBA President, Vice President and a couple of other things I can’t remember, I feel it is important to make the MOL readers aware of what the PBA in your town has accomplished over the years. Unfortunately the accomplishments, donations and causes that we have taken on are far too long to list. I will however make this offer, Please feel free to come and see me at the end of my tour, at the Police Station any morning, Thursday through Sunday at 0900 hours (bring coffee). I will be glad to sit with you and make you aware of just how important the PBA has been to the community (just not this Thursday as I am going to see Star Wars). I think anyone who hears the truth and not second hand hearsay will be impressed. I would also like to make the MOL posters aware of how and why the local has chosen to endorse Mr. Profeta and Mr. Grodman. How we came about our endorsements; The Maplewood PBA, based on prior experiences, tends not to make political endorsements. When we recognize someone who we think will help the local we are very careful to have them come to a meeting of our full membership. We spend a substantial amount of time allowing the membership to ask any questions that they feel are appropriate. The questioning is not only confined to police related issues, but some members who still live in town take this opportunity to question them on other topics affecting the community. The particular meeting at which we choose to endorse the candidates lasted approximately two hours and unlike some have suggested in prior posts, the membership, not the leadership, voted overwhelmingly to endorse Mr. Profeta and Mr. Grodman. Why I believe we made our endorsements; Most important to me was the fact that with the current Township Committee, the PBA was able to establish an avenue of communications. In the past the PBA, as well as the internal problems of the Police Department, had been ignored. This committee made a genuine effort to listen to us. I am happy to say that we were able to accomplish several things after both sides invested much time and energy. These things possibly could have been accomplished under Mr. Deluca when he was Mayor, had he chosen to sit and talk with us, but he did not, Mr. Profeta and Mr. Grodman did. I was also very impressed with the debates that we had with Mr. Profeta, Mr. Grodmen and also Mr. Petis. During many of the meeting that the PBA had with them, they often disagreed with us (and each other), which was fine because we always knew where they stood on issues. This allowed us to work up front with the committee and our membership and to make the compromises that were needed to reach our goals. This was a far cry from the “we’ll look into it” or “we’ll monitor the situation” answers we often received from former Mayor Deluca. There is still much that needs to be done to make the Maplewood Police Department the organization that we all want it to be. The PBA believes that based on the records of all the persons running, Mr. Profeta and Mr. Grodman are the best qualified to help accomplish this. | ||
| ffof Citizen Username: Ffof Post Number: 3757 Registered: 5-2001 |
Thank you officer.  | ||
| mem Citizen Username: Mem Post Number: 4820 Registered: 5-2001  |
Officer Guglielmo, Thank you for your years of service and thank you for an honest, intelligent post. It is an embarrassment and a shame that the relationship between our police department and the previous TC degenerated to such awfulness, but thanks to Fred, Ian and Ken we are back on track. We are all so grateful for Fred and team, they are showing unprecedented leadership here in Maplewood, and thank you and the PBA for endorsing them. Cheers and best wishes. |
