Pay Attention Lisbon Taxpayer's

The following article can be substantiated by Facts. We have been reviewing and compiling data pertaining to the frivolous spending and management practices in Our community for quite some time now. It is sickening to think that there has been a complete total disregard for You, the taxpayer, for several issues in this Community. As it has been stated on Public Record previously, the Town Council Members, before recent elections, "should all hang their heads in shame" for allowing and supporting this type of rampant, flagrant, and dishonorable actions as leaders of this community.

Come on people get involved.

Can't we Help Our Selves?

Can we Help out Jennifer with her burden?

We think we should. After all didn't she help get things moving here? Wasn't she more professional with regards to her approach in dealing with local businesses?

What would you do if this was Your Business being run this way?
How long would you let it go before taking action?

Do you want it to continue? Did you like the last budget process? Did you like the omitted information, double tax billings, tax increases, MTM issues?

Wake up. Be informed and be mindful that it will happen again, If you do nothing.

Here is the article in it's entirety. Thanks Jennifer for all that you did for us in Lisbon.
It is up to this community to take action on their own cause we know that their are several "officials" that are operating with a hidden agenda.

This article has been released with permission from the www.rumfordreporter.com .

Eldridge Spends Money Foolishly in Lisbon, Too

Posted: 10 Dec 2008 02:16 AM CST

Now that the hearings are over, I thought it was due time that the public knew what happened in Lisbon, Maine when I was the Economic Developer.

I found some unethical and illegal usage of State loan funds in the amount of $183,000 dollars. And, that was only after researching the current loans. I was working on researching the loans of the past as well. The ones that were bankrupt or the business just stopped paying, etc. And guess what? Nobody even thanked me. Instead, I got accused of leaking the information to the community, threatened, intimidated, and basically forced to leave my position because the very people who I reported the fraud to may have been the very people involved in it.

In the meantime, Steve Eldridge, our old Town Manager, was hired as the Lisbon Town Manager for $80,000 a year plus $400 a month in travel expenses. I guess he was the lowest bidder according to my sources. Yup, so he had no problem helping the powers that be get rid of me so he could once again hook up his buddy, Rosie Bradley, with a fat paycheck. Yup, folks, he helped get her hired as the RVGC Executive Director after screwing Joe DeRouche out of the job when he started to become ill. And, he helped get rid of me so he could give his buddy the job in Lisbon. And, you know what he did? He gave her an $18,000 dollar raise. Yup, I made $42,000 with a Master's Degree and she is making $60,000 with a Liberal Arts Associate's degree. How about them apples?

So, of course because I was a whistleblower in an organization that covered its tracks very well, I felt forced to resign before getting fired. And, for those of you who know what it feels like to just know that your boss is getting ready to fire you, you know what I'm talking about. The paper trail thing starts, they can't look you in the eye, they find fault with everything you do even though you didn't do anything wrong, and they extend your probationary period for three months. Yup, I saw it coming so I resigned due to the fact that I was working in a hostile work environment.

I applied for unemployment benefits because they refused to give me my vacation pay and my health benefit reimbursement, which was owed to me. Therefore, I had to do something until I got a new job. After explaining what happened, the unemployment benefits division, without hesitation, gave me the benefits. But, of course Eldridge appealed the decision.

So, here comes Hearing #1. They stacked the decks and showed up with the Chief of Police, the interim Town Manager, Eldridge, who wasn't even working there at the time of my employment but was making decisions before he officially started, and their Town Attorney. Yup, a stupid little hearing to fight me from getting unemployment benefits after they screwed me out of what was rightfully mine to begin with. Can you imagine how much money they spent that day? Think about it: Eldridge's salary ($80,000), the Chief of Police's salary ($72,000), and the Town Attorney at $150/hour. And, we went at it for about five hours. Nevermind, the time they must have spent together preparing and getting all their stories straight.

Unfortunately, I couldn't prove that they were harassing me because the Chief of Police "did not recall" anything I asked him about and they so cleverly extended the probationary periods of two other people around the same time so it wouldn't look like I was the only one that got my probation extended for firing purposes. They fired two people shortly after I left; two people who stood their ground and didn't put up with their crap. These guys are good but they have a Town Attorney paid for by the taxpayer to help them work the system. It's brilliant!

Then came hearing #2 because of course I appealed the unemployment insurance division's decision. Of course, I had a job by this time so it was only about the money I used in between jobs. And, this time I got an attorney. We knew that we wouldn't win so we used the situation to our advantage. We confronted them about their behavior, the fact that they never thanked me, about the funds that were stolen, the hate e-mail from Pachebo@aol.com (which ties back to Lisbon), and many, many other unethical things that occurred. But, of course, once again, I lost my case which was not surprising. All I cared about was the fact that these folks lied under oath which is against the law and I wanted the good people of Lisbon to know the truth.

Guess what Lisbon? The tapes will blow your mind. They lied about Dale Crafts, they lied about Mark Stevens, they lied about the fact that they knew Janet Henry leaked the information about the fraud to the Times Record, they didn't deny the fraud that was not reported initially, and they admitted that the entire Town Council was not privy to all of the information at hand. They also admitted that they do not feel that the community needs to know what is going on and that the Teen Center was something that I should not have talked to Mark Stevens about or to the community about. They told me I was naive and I should have gone directly to the Town Council with that information so they could sell it behind your back without any public outcry.

In the second hearing, the Lisbon Town Attorney made it abundantly clear that if they lost the unemployment hearing that they would take it to Superior Court. Of course they would, it's not their money, it's your money, the taxpayer's money. How convenient? They spent thousands and thousands of dollars fighting a $2,300 claim that helped me pay for the overly priced oil last winter, my mortgage, and my groceries. Why? Was it because I was a key witness in a case that would possibly implicate some of the powers that be in Lisbon? Were they tampering with a witness to run me off so that I wouldn't testify? Were they trying to hurt me financially so that I would be so overwhelmed with financial loss that I would be too occupied with that and not be able to focus on the case? It makes one wonder, doesn't it?

I lost the second hearing, too. And, I couldn't be more relieved. Thank God I don't have to deal with these unethical public officials any longer. I feel great. And, the unemployment officers informed me that if I cannot afford to pay the money back then I can apply for a waiver. Did you know that you could do that? If I don't get the waiver approved, well then I guess I'll have to pay them $1/month until it is paid off. Atleast I'm trying. It was a no interest loan.

As for the attorney's fees, that is money well spent and I will gladly pay for that bill for the good of the Lisbon community. It was worth getting all of the dirty politics under oath and on tape. And, just recently I forwarded them to the Attorney General's office who is investigating the entire situation. I think they will find them very interesting. I may not have been able to prove it to the unemployment compensation division but it sure does support my contentions that they were trying to tamper with a key witness in a case that they blew to begin with. Did you notice the lead investigator in this case for the Town of Lisbon quit? Yup, Detective Gagnon is gone!

I protected them initially because I wanted to save my job but when Eldridge rolled on into the scene, it changed the whole dynamic. And, because they just wouldn't leave well enough alone and let me move on with my life, now they are dealing with a much larger issue: instead of $32,500, it's $183,000 in fraud and unethical usage of funds. It was a tough position to be in. I hope I never find myself in that position again because the very people who you are supposed to report the discrepancies to may be the very people who are involved or atleast aware. Scary.

(Note: Eldridge was hired at $80,000.00/year, but we have learned that he is getting paid $82,500.00/year plus expenses.)