| Author | Message | ||
     mayhewdrive Citizen Username: Mayhewdrive Post Number: 182 Registered: 5-2001 |
Brian, I hope you & your campaign will print out & distribute Mr. Matthew's post as a prime example of the antagonistic attitude towards residents in the current regime within Village Hall. Consistently, residents who have questioned the actions of elected and appointed officials have been villified and mocked publicly. They did it to Leslie Pogany, they did it to Patrick Joyce and now they are doing it to Shelly Stile. While I may not always agree with the tone or tactics of Shelly, I do know that she has a heart of gold & simply wants to see PROGRESS in our disgraceful downtown. Her and her group have many knowledgeable members who can bring alot to the table. Instead, Mr. Matthews and several Trustees have tried to lock them out of the process. Funny how they did the same thing to Patrick Joyce with regard to the Quarry, but they never seemed to have an issue with Bill Calabrese being involved in Closed Sessions UNTIL Patrick was elected. So, Mr. Matthews...you made a claim here publicly which insinuated that Mr. O'Leary's campaign is not being honest & truthful. Since you made the claim in public, how about you be specific here in public? | ||
| mayhewdrive Citizen Username: Mayhewdrive Post Number: 183 Registered: 5-2001 |
Oh one more thing....Mr. Matthews, while you are commenting on campaigns, would you like to share with us what you thought of the campaign 2 years ago by Theroux & Steglitz which consisted of stick figures and cartoon dogs completely mocking the opposing candidates? There was quite a bit of discussion here back then. I don't recall you expressing any concern about honesty & truthfulness then. | ||
| Brian O'Leary Citizen Username: Brianoleary Post Number: 1161 Registered: 3-2002 |
Ed, thanks for your offer. I will give a call this week to talk. In conversations with our campaign group, I've made it clear that I hold myself responsible for the nature and content of the campaign. Mayhewdrive makes a good point, in that you've used MOL to express concern, best that it be laid out and answered here. That doesn't preclude talking, which is always a good thing. | ||
| Edwin R. Matthews Citizen Username: Edwinrmatthews Post Number: 3 Registered: 3-2003 |
MayhewDrive: Unlike you I have never criticized anyone hiding behind a screen name. What you fail to see or understand is that there is nothing wrong with criticizing decisions made when it is done so with a factual basis. Ms. Stile does not have a factual basis for many of the things she says and indeed often says things she knows not to be accurate. I have seen you do the same thing but have let it go many times because it is clear that you do not and will not act in a civil manner towards any one who disagrees with you. My post simply pointed out that in fact Ms. Stile has said and posted a number of inaccurate things. There is nothing wrong with that. I have not called her names simply because I disagreed with her as you did the Planning Board members. I have expressed a concern about the upcoming election. I made no allegation. I made no claim. I expressed a "fear". I choose not to get involved in the political campaign and for that reason will not discuss my "fear" in this forum. I have offered to meet with Brian O'Leary to discuss the issue with him. He is free to meet with me or not. You have asked my view of the campaign of two years ago and specifically the stick men and spot the dog. I have not been obsessed with them for the last two years as you have. Without the benefit of reviewing them my reaction as I recall it was that they were an attempt to treat a serious topic with some humor. I was bothered by the reaction of some and that led me to consider that perhaps I was a bit too insensitive. When I compared it to what had occurred in other campaigns Quite frankly it did not seem so bad. It is clear that the majotity of voters of South Orange were not offended by it because they voted for the candidates who distributed the literature. In the end I believe the literature mocked the positions taken by tne candidates and not the candidates themselves. In any case the campaign literature pales when compared with the gutless personal attacks you have engaged in using this forum starting with "scary Mary" who happens to be the mother of two children. And your accusations that certain public officials have taken payoffs. The fact is you have no shame and you do not even have the intestinal fortitude to sign your own name when you make your false accusations. | ||
| mayhewdrive Citizen Username: Mayhewdrive Post Number: 184 Registered: 5-2001 |
Ed, In your tirade, I seemed to miss your reason that Bill Calabrese was not excluded from Closed Session meetings on the Quarry until AFTER Patrick Joyce was elected. I also suggest you go back & review the "humorous" campaign trash from 2 years ago & you will see how hurtful and nasty it really was. Not to mention it was as far from honest & truthful as it possibly could be. It really is unfortunate that based on your words, you have no respect for the taxpayers of this town and you simply try to put people down for disagreeing with you. It really is time for a change in the way things are done in South Orange. | ||
| Edwin R. Matthews Citizen Username: Edwinrmatthews Post Number: 4 Registered: 3-2003 |
I guess I missed the tirade. Bill Calabrese was excluded from trustee meetings when the quarry was discussed long before Patrick Joyce was elected. I have not reviewed the minutes for the last six years. If the minutes show he was in attendance on an occasion or two where there was some discussion of the quarry it was wrong. If that wrong was committed it should not be compounded by committing another. A diligent effort has been made over the years to insure that elected Officials do no participate when they have conflicts. Patrick Joyce and those who supported him were warned long before he was elected that he had a conflict on the quarry. Let me see if I understand you. You are the one who calls an elected official scarry Mary and attacks her constantly accusing her of taking a bribe, who has accused another elected official of taking a payoff and who has called the Planning Board Members cowards and gutless but because I simply point out the lack of accuracy in statements made by you and one other person it is I and not you who has no respect for people. I get it. Is it only you and people who you agree with who can be inaccurate and untruthful and not be held accountable for their transgressons? | ||
| jrf Citizen Username: Jrf Post Number: 318 Registered: 5-2001  |
Mr. Matthews, Your posts are a clear example of why we are voting out the current trustees. How stupid do you think we are? What are you driving these days? | ||
| mayhewdrive Citizen Username: Mayhewdrive Post Number: 185 Registered: 5-2001 |
 Ed says "I'm all about truth and honesty" | ||
| mayhewdrive Citizen Username: Mayhewdrive Post Number: 186 Registered: 5-2001 |
 Ed says "Patrick and Shelly are BAD" | ||
| mayhewdrive Citizen Username: Mayhewdrive Post Number: 187 Registered: 5-2001 |
 Ed says "Poor Mary is an innocent victim" | ||
| mayhewdrive Citizen Username: Mayhewdrive Post Number: 188 Registered: 5-2001 |
 Yada Yada Yada...it's about saving his job! Spot has a PHd in Common Sense & he knows that a Village Employee should not attack taxpayers for expressing freedom of speech. Spot knows that an election is coming up and Ed is afraid he might lose his job. Spot also know that Ed likes cartoons and has a great sense of humor and probably realizes that this is satire. | ||
| Brian O'Leary Citizen Username: Brianoleary Post Number: 1162 Registered: 3-2002 |
Folks, let's take a few steps back from the keyboards... The cartoons are an unfortunate echo of something Liz and I spoke out against at the end of the last campaign. Let's put this to bed now (on all sides) and focus on what will help the village in the next four years. Open South Orange is committed to inclusion, action and accountability. I've agreed here to meet with Ed, talk about any issues he might have, and respond publicly. Until we have that conversation, or additional information is posted here, it makes sense to wait. I think that the arts center, the pace of redevelopment and the degree to which the current administration governs openly and with input from the full community are all legitimate campaign issues, and I look forward to talking about them over the next several weeks. We have several ideas on how we plan to improve on what is now being done, and we will explain them in terms that are positive, not personal. | ||
| Shelley Stile Citizen Username: Sstile Post Number: 12 Registered: 12-2002 |
Geez...I stay away for a few days and all hell breaks lose! I feel as if I have been left out of all the fun and games! On a more serious note, it seems as if our Village Attorney has taken his role as the protector of the fiefdom too seriously! While defending poor Scary Mary on one hand and admonishing folks for taking potshots at Ms Theroux...out of the other side of his mouth he calls me a liar, an antagonist, a whiner, and intimates much more. That is sheer hypocrisy! From the onset of SOAR's campaign to find out exactly what was going on with SOPAC, Mr Matthews has been highly defensive and extremely antagonistic towards myself and SOAR in general. It is the usual, shoot the messenger attitiude. If one speaks out in public with an opinion or an issue that does not meet with the Trustee's agenda, that person is villified. It happens all the time and there is a long list of Village residents who will attest to that. Wouldn't it be great if the Village looked at the concerned and dedicated residents and utilized their energy and committment to help fix things instead of always being on the defensive? Do your homework Ed... 1) I worked with Main Street as a member of the Board of Directors and the Chairperson of the Economic Development Committe for 3 years. During that time I worked directly, on a daily basis, with the Mayor, the Trustees, Village employees and the Village Administrator. John Gross and I served on a PArking Task Force and worked for nearly a year doing a survey of the town's parking problems and came up with many recommendations to alleviate those problems. Unfortunately, as usually happens in this town, hard work and good ideas go the wayside when they hit governemnt. Although the TRustees endorsed our ideas, the PArking Authority did not make any moves and as a result, the 75 additional parking spaces we came with still do not exist! 2)My public statemeents are NEVER laced with falsehoods. I resent that. The most astonishing statement that Mr Matthews makes is when he states that," despite the fact that you have not seen and reviewed the current plans you keep insisiting there are problems'. Is this for real? We have spent the last 2 months attempting to procure the plans and other relevant information on SOPAC only to be refused by guess who? Mr Matthews and Mr. Gross. We finally got a chance to see the drawings last week and all of our suspicions have been reinforced by Bill Dahn, local architect and firm owner, who by the way is in the midst of renovating the Count BAsie Theater in Red Bank. 3)You claim I refuse to name consultants...but you refuse to release their reports? Why? If the recommendations and advice that the consultant's have given to SOPAC have been heeded, exactly what do you have to hide? Huh? 4)Your independent firm recently hired did not even pick up on the code misreading of the Arts Center...the misread was picked up by Bill Dahn! Their interpretation of the cost savings over that issue are nowhere near Mr Dahn's (Mr Dahn feels that we could save up to $750,000 and the new consultants feel only $100,000) and given the fact that Mr Dahn found the mistake in the first place, I place my bets with his appraisal. Mr Dahn has even offered to cost out the entire project atb his own expense to see what the Arts Center is really worth in terms of its' construction...if everything is just dandy with SOPAC, he should be allowed to do a review. 5)I did not decline to meet last week to go over plans...I was not asked to attend! It was left to Bill Dahn as he is a professional architect and I am not. Unlike others, I rely on professional advice when I do not have the experience ina given area, 6)Mr MAtthews claims that SOAR has not offerd any constructive comments as to what could be done differently. What? Anything and everything that SOAR has pointed out has been denied and any suggestions as to revisiting and reviewing cetain issues have been ignored or refused. We cannot even get public records released let alone have our suggestions heard! How ludicrous. 7)Mr Matthews' highly personal attack is yet another example of the arrogance and disrespect displayed for the residents of this town that only want to make South Orange a better place to live while protecting our investments in the community. To attack volunteers who literally risk their sanity in dealing with Village Hall in attempting to be a part of the redevelopment process is a crime. Shame on you. Without a public watchdog group, we would never know why the redevelopment of South Orange is such a disaster. Without SOAR we would still be paying over $60,000 a year to Chris HArdwyck to work 10 hours a week as a redevelopment attorney. Without SOAR, we would never even know that there are serious problems at SOPAC that the powers that be do not want to admit to. Without SOAR, a great deal of information about this town's redevelopment plans would remain in the closed sessions of the present administration. Without SOAR, the Village would what it wants, when it wants and how it wants because to quote a leading official, " we know what's best for South Orange". What nonsense. In protecting the people you work for, I fear that you have done the reverse Mr Matthews. I imagine most of them grimacing after reading your diatribe. I know for a fact that PAtrick Joyce and Alan Rosen are extremely upset by the actions to block any dissmenation of information. Even they, as elected officials, cannot get to the truth! Even Mark Rosner has stated that we should be able to see the records we have requested. For all of the above reasons and more, I am committed to seeing change in the Village government. I personally want to see new leadership in this town. I believe there are term limits for a good reason...and it appears that term limits on attorneys is even a better idea still! | ||
| lamppost Citizen Username: Lamppost Post Number: 18 Registered: 8-2001 |
Shelley Stiles is right on the money with all she said, EXCEPT Chris Hartwyck earned far more than his base salary of $60,000. He also had billable hours and it is estimated he received approx. $250,000. | ||
| Shelley Stile Citizen Username: Sstile Post Number: 13 Registered: 12-2002 |
Thank you Lampost but how can you confirm the $250,000 pricetag on Chris HArdwyck? That's a very intersting number. | ||
| mrosner Citizen Username: Mrosner Post Number: 202 Registered: 4-2002 |
Chris Hartwyk was under contract to work 20 hours a week at an an annual rate of $60,000 dating back to 2000. Each year he received a 4% increase making his pay at the time of his resignation around $65,000 a year. He did not receive any other money from the village. If he had billable hours they were not billed to S. Orange. Mr. Hartwyk resigned because he received another job offer. When he was originally hired it was not expected to be a permanent position. Prior to his being hired the village was spending in excess of $60,000 a year to an outside attorney. By the way, the pay comes to about $60.00 an hour. | ||
| mayhewdrive Citizen Username: Mayhewdrive Post Number: 192 Registered: 5-2001 |
Welcome back, Mark. I hope you had a nice vacation. See how much fun you missed.  | ||
| mrosner Citizen Username: Mrosner Post Number: 203 Registered: 4-2002 |
Thanks, vacation was too short. I think we need to have word limits and post limits on MOL. | ||
| Brian O'Leary Citizen Username: Brianoleary Post Number: 1164 Registered: 3-2002 |
I think that would take me out of MOL contention, then | ||
| johnny Citizen Username: Johnny Post Number: 608 Registered: 5-2001 |
Mr. O'Leary, Would there be any conflict in interests if you were Village President and on the Board of Education? |
