CHAIRMAN MAKES A MOCKERY OF PUBLIC MEETINGS

Lisbon Town Council Chairman Fern LaRochelle

 Lisbon Town Manager Stephen Eldridge

CHAIRMAN MAKES A MOCKERY OF PUBLIC MEETINGS

Chairman Fern LaRochelle, with the aid of Town Manager Stephen Eldridge has made a mockery of Public meetings and continues to violate Maine law.  At Tuesday night’s council/workshop was a prime example of how very low Chairman LaRochelle has sunk. 

To begin with, Chairman LaRochelle did not start the meeting until 1910 hours.  After role call, the council voted to go into Executive Session for two 1 MRSA Statue 405 (6) (A) Personnel Matter s. One being for an Exit Interview by the Economy Community Development Director, Scott Benson and the second was for Personnel Status.  Executive Sessions are used to protect individuals as stated in 1 MRSA Statue 405 (6) (A) 1 “An Executive Session may be held only if public discussion could be reasonably expected to cause damage to the individual’s reputation or the individual’s right to privacy would be violated;”.   It is a very long stretch of the imagination as to how an Exit Interview could possibly fall under the criteria of Executive Session.  However, this is exactly what happened last night.  The Public was not allowed to hear what Scott Benson had to say or to say goodbye to him.  Chairman LaRochelle and the Town Manager Eldridge barred the public from sharing in this exit interview.

Who knows what “Personnel Statue” means to these people?

Next, the council went into a Workshop in which the Town Manager passed out to the council a handout with the latest changes on the municipal budget.  Members of the audience were not allowed to see this handout.  Apparently, the contents of this document were classified as National Security.  I cannot understand if Maine law, Title 1 MRSA Statue 401 paragraph 1 “The Legislature finds and declares that public proceedings exist to aid in the conduct of the people’s business.  It is the intent of the Legislature that their actions be taken openly and that the records of their actions be open to public inspection and their deliberations be conducted openly.  …”   and this council totally ignores the law.  If members of the Audience take the time to attend these meetings/workshops, it is only right they be provided a copy of the handouts in order to follow along with the discussions going on.   Keeping public information from the people is a clear violation of the above cited Maine law.

I believe it has to do with a wage increase for town employees.  If you notice, at all budget discussions there has been no mention of the TIF Payments or wage increases this year for town employees.  I do not believe there is any reason to raise our taxes this year.  The council made no attempt to cut spending to cover the shortfall of the school; instead they are going to blame the school for the tax increase.  The Chief of Police will upgrade two cars, along with the new motor they put into one, the Communication Center will get additional personnel, if not done already, and more equipment.  The TIF Payment was over budgeted by $100,000 tax dollars last year and there is no reason to think they will not do so this year.  Trust me; there is no real reason to raise taxes this year.

The next item on the agenda was the Economic Community Development Director’s proposed job description.  Once again, members of the audience were not provided copies of this job description.

Ever since LaRochelle Properties, LLC was exposed for owing back taxes, Chairman LaRochelle has silenced the people from addressing concerns at council meetings except for agenda items.  It is like he got caught with his hand in the cookie jar and is retaliating against those who identified the problem.  It is like he is trying to shoot the messenger instead of taking care of the problem and moving on.  By the way, LaRochelle Properties, LLC did not pay interest or penalties of the back taxes owed.  However, other taxpayers are being forced to pay both interest and penalties on back taxes they owe.  At the last council meeting, the Finance Director briefed the council on 37 properties that owed back taxes through 2011.  She also identified one taxpayer who owed more interest and penalties than the actual taxes.  Chairman LaRochelle apparently feels he does not have to pay interest and penalties.

Chairman LaRochelle and town manager Eldridge are sick and tired of town documents being posted on blogs sites.  However, Lori Pomelow declared the information being posted on these sites were false so I began posting the town documents to prove how accurate the information real is.  Chairman LaRochelle does not like the negative and sometimes embarrassing situation published and Town Manager Eldridge does not like to have his incompetency published for the world to see.  So in order to prevent anymore town documents being published the town is no longer responding to Freedom of Access Act (FOAA)’s.  I have three FOAA’s dating back to April 18, 2013 which the town has not provided the information.  One is for a description of a line of accounting, one is for a listing of collateral use to secure three loans and the final one is for a copy of a letter Chief Brooks read during a council meeting.   This information will further show mismanagement by the town manager and the lack of supervision by the council.  The town has five working days to deny this request and in every case they have not complied with Maine law.  This is why the town had to pay $10,000 tax dollars in legal fees the last time and the judge ruled in my favor and the town provided the information approved by the judge.  We are headed that way again so do not blame me.

Children retaliate or try and blame someone else when caught; just as Chairman LaRochelle and Town Manager Eldridge are doing now.  These two do not want the people of Lisbon to know how much mismanagement is really going on in Lisbon.  By silencing Mrs. Fitzgerald and I from exposing these situations during council meetings; they are hoping the people of Lisbon do not find out what really goes on in this town.

These actions taken by Chairman LaRochelle are clear violations of Maine law on Public meetings/workshops and the citizens are the one who suffer.  They are not hurting Dot or me; we will continue to expose the mismanagement.

Larry Fillmore