Professional or Impostor‏ or Professional Impostor

PROFESSIONAL OR IMPOSTOR

Since my return to Lisbon in 2007, I have been involved with the town politics.  I began trying to find out why the taxes in Lisbon were on the rise.  Mrs. Fitzgerald and I requested a forensic audit of the Economic Community Development Department since $32,500 was misappropriated from this department so easily and even after a thorough investigation supervised by Chief Brooks; absolutely no one was prosecuted or convicted and the money was never recovered.  This is almost like doing a felony stop for a bank robbery with the wrong person.  Wonderful job!!!  

Lisbon Chief of Police David T. Brooks

 

Barney Fife

I was convinced more funds have been misappropriated from the Economic Community Development Department so I began submitting Freedom of Access Acts (FOAA) requesting information.  I started with the Revolving Loan Fund.  The town refused to provide the information I had requested and I ended up suing the town in Superior Court.  I was convinced the town was trying to hide something and sure enough the court awarded me the majority of the information I had requested.  I received the Active Revolving Loan Program Portfolio as of July 1, 2011. 

 

 Lisbon Town Manager Stephen G. Eldridge

A review of the listing revealed two outstanding loans which were still on the list but were to have been paid off in March 2008 and May 2008.  This means our Chief Administrative Officer (Eldridge)  had four years to clean up the Revolving Loan Fund and based on these two loans had done nothing to rectify the situation.  Four years of misappropriating town funds is a long time since this was what he was hired for and he had repeatedly told the council and the people, that he had instituted protocols to correct the misappropriations of town funds.  Also, there was a third outstanding loan which was due to be paid off in September 2011.  This loan still has not been paid off as of the latest updated Active Revolving Loan Program Portfolio.

This brings up another interesting point.  I submitted a FOAA to get a copy of the updated Active Revolving Loan Program Portfolio since we are now in a new fiscal year and these three loans should have been paid off by now.  The town again denied me by information claiming I was asking for additional information I was not entitled to.  This is how the Chief Administrative Officer responds to citizens requesting information when he knows the information will show he is not doing his job.  I had to resubmit the FOAA and word it so a second grader could understand that I was only asking for information the court had said I was entitled too.  I brought this to the town council and the town manager insisted there was no change from the last one he had provided.  However, the very next day I received a copy of the Active Revolving Loan Program Portfolio with a notation that one of the other active loans had been paid in full as of October 2011.  The means the town manager lied to both the town council and the citizens of Lisbon once again.

On this list are two businesses which are no longer in existence.  The problem here is they have been out of business for at least a year and the town has taken no action to recover the funds which amount to $60,000 of town funds.  The collateral for these loans are probably gone by now.  I am sure the town manager is working on these discrepancies now but the question is – “What has he been doing for the past four years?”   He is just now doing his job because I have brought these issues to light. 

Every time the town manager’s secretary goes on vacation, there is no one qualified or trained to take her place.  A prime example and this has happened several times; there are no agenda documentations posted to the town web site for the people to review what is going to be discussed at either a meeting or workshop of the town council.  Apparently, the Chief Administrative Officer has never heard of cross-training employees to cover for each other in one’s absence.   

There is never any documentation for items under “Other Business”.  Why can't the people have the information on the Assessor’s Tax Rate; Finance Director’s Report and most of all the Town Manager’s Report?  Please do not tell me the town manager has no clue what he is going to brief the council and people on.   The citizens of Lisbon have a right to know what is going to be discussed during the meetings and workshops.

Now here is your test question to see if you were paying attention:

  “Are these people I mentioned Professionals or Impostors?  

Remember in 2011, the taxpayers paid the town manager $91,401 and Chief Brooks $69,231 according to the Annual Town Report. Plus Benefits.

You make the call!!!!!!

Larry Fillmore
Concerned Citizen



(All photos pleasantly provided by: Councilor Cote)