FAMILY CIRCUS OR DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILY ? ? ? ? ?

The only reason Steve Eldridge was hired as Town of Lisbon Town Manager was because Chief of Police David Brooks knew he could lead him around like a trained dog.

Eldridge was kicked out as Rumford's town manager. He ran Rumford into the ground, needed a job, and brought along his lady friend giving her a job.

                                IT WAS PERFECT ! ! ! ! ! ! !

 

The Town of Lisbon was a fairly thriving community.

Situated between two picturesque sites, the Androscoggin and Sabattus Rivers, on heavily traveled Route 196, midway to Lewiston/Auburn to the west and Topsham/Brunswick to the east.

 

New businesses were springing up; The Dingley Press, Floor Systems, The Furniture Superstore, Quality Car Care, all bringing jobs to Lisbon.

New Lisbon Credit Union and Post Office buildings on Route 196, all nicely landscaped, were nice additions.

 

Main Street Lisbon Falls was fairly bustling with activity.

 

Village Street in Lisbon Village, while needing a good

face-lift, the businesses, including Graziano's, were doing pretty good. There were no empty store-fronts.

 

Speed forward to 2012.

 

Two Down Town Revitalization's later:

Main Street Lisbon Falls is looking more and more run-down.

Business is declining.

Village Street Lisbon Village is looking more and more like a Mid-Western ghost town.

The former Worumbo Mill, some buildings burned down in 1987, not like Phoenix, has not risen from the ashes.

 

The former Masonite Fiberboard buildings on Route 196, on the banks of the Mighty Androscoggin River, and Lisbon's Gateway from the East, is or has been stripped of all personal property and the buildings are about to be demolished.

 

Our streets are in deplorable condition.

 

And what are our Town Fathers doing about it????? 

What is the Town Council doing about it??????? 

 

Ignoring the obvious ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 

 

 Eldridge hired someone not qualified, as Community Development Director  with a nice pay raise.

Every business started with town seed money and  TIF's have gone under, leaving taxpayers holding the proverbial bag.

 

When that person left for another job, he hired  another incompetent as a replacement.

 

 He  hired a friend, writing the bid in such a way that

no other firm could bid, to revalue the town at an inflated price.

 

We have a Town council that does not dare to vote before looking to Eldridge or Mike Bowie as to how they should vote.

 

We have a Planning Board, aka Larry, Curly and Moe and The Three Stooges, with the Codes Enforcement Officer as the fall guy. Trying to change the Comprehensive Plan to do illegal spot zoning.

 

They know not what they are doing, but are only doing Eldridge's bidding.

 

Codes Enforcement Officer does not dare to cite illegal businesses, or illegal junkyards for fear of losing his job.

He does not dare to burp or fart unless  Eldridge approves it first.

 

Many town department heads are overpaid and have bloated budgets.

(Apologies to the ones who do care and do not inflate their budgets).

 

The Town of Lisbon is falling into decay under Town Manager Eldridge and his puppets.

Real estate taxes have gone through the roof and are going even higher.

 

Why should Eldridge, Town Engineer Ryan Leighton and Fire Chief Sean Galipeau care? They approve improvements to town buildings that do not need improvements while ignoring buildings that do need to be improved, at inflated costs.

 

They do not live In Lisbon. They do not pay real estate taxes to Lisbon. Galipeau and Leighton do not even have to own a vehicle, pay excise tax and vehicle insurance. They have free use of  town owned vehicles 24/7.

All expenses paid  by Lisbon taxpayers ! ! ! ! ! ! !

 

Do you want  Lisbon  to continue to stagnate???  

Or do you want a vibrant and healthy business community? 

 

To accomplish that we need new leadership ! ! ! ! !

It cannot happen without you ! ! ! ! ! ! ! the voters ! ! ! !

 

Embarrassed

 

A Lisbon Concerned Citizen