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Showing posts with label Town Attorney. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Town Attorney. Show all posts

Monday, July 27, 2015

TRANSPARENCY OR TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES?



In a previous article, I wrote that I was sure that there would be technical difficulties with the video of Tuesday’s Town Council meeting.  As I stated previously, Chairman Pesce and the rest of them should be ashamed for the character assassination of Superintendent Richard Green by Mr. Karass, the Finance Director.


But what is even more despicable is how the other Councilors, Town Manager and Town Attorney sat there and made no attempt to stop this clear violation of the Council Working Rules.  I was, of the understanding, that the town is paying the Town Manager and Town Attorney a great deal of money to advise the Council.  Character assassination of anyone is totally disrespectful and to utilize it to justify the Council furthering their vendetta of the School Department shows how low these Councilors really are.  When, I make that statement I do not include Councilor Garrison or Lunt.


The video of this act and the fact that there were TWO Executive Sessions did not play on Friday night.  And I do not know if the people at home will ever see how phony some members of the local government are.  The taxpayers are paying hard earned money and deserve better treatment.


Whenever the Council does not want the people to see what, did or did not take place at a Town Council meeting, there are always technical difficulties with the video.  This has happened numerous times and always when there is a controversy. 

 Isn’t that strange!??!


I guess that the question “transparency or technical difficulties” has now been answered.  The town of Lisbon is slowly going back to the Eldridge era where so many issues were hidden behind closed doors from the people.



Larry Fillmore

"There is nothing more terrifying than ignorance in action."  Goethe  --- engraved on a plaque at the Naval War College

Monday, March 9, 2015

When Shadows From The Past Reappear, Has Injustice Occurred?



SHADOWS FROM THE PAST COME TO HAUNT TOWN COUNCIL

Back on September 20, 2011, the Town Council at that time voted 6-0 to place on the November 8, 2011 the question of whether or not the people wanted to vote on the Municipal Budget every year.  The following is taken directly from the minutes of this meeting:



Town Council Meeting Minutes Page 10 September 20, 2011

Latest Revision as of 10/4/2011 9:32:58 AM



VOTE (2011-178) Councilor Bowie, seconded by Councilor Bickford moved to adopt the following Order Advisory Referendum:



 WHEREAS, the Town Council of the Town of Lisbon, pursuant to Section 8.21 (b) of the Charter of the Town of Lisbon, has the general authority to submit proposals to the voters of the Town to be acted upon on a referendum basis; and



WHEREAS, THERE IS A DESIRE ON THE PART OF Council to determine whether or not the voters of the Town of Lisbon wish to consider, at a subsequent referendum vote, a Charter change which would require referendum vote approval by the voters of the Town’s Municipal Budget.



NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDERED by the Town Council of the Town of Lisbon that an advisory referendum be submitted to the voters of the Town of Lisbon at the municipal election scheduled for Tuesday, November 8, 2011, the advisory referendum to read as follows:



 Do the voters of the Town of Lisbon wish to vote on an amendment to the Town Charter that, if enacted, would require voter approval at a referendum election for each annual Municipal Budget?



Order passed – Vote 6-0-1. (Abstained: Cote)



As you can see this is not just a normal conversation but it is written in legal terms in order to keep it legal.  It was written by the former Town Attorney, Roger Therriault.  The way I read the highlighted section (in red), if the voters approved the Advisory Referendum Question, the Town Council would then prepare a Charter Change which would require a referendum vote approval by the voters on the Town’s Municipal Budget.  The people spoke loud and clear with a vote of 2025 to 514 in favor of voting on the Municipal Budget.



The previous Councils have never honored or taken any action to allow the people to vote on the Municipal Budget.  What previous Councils have done is everything in their power to prevent this from happening.  This current Council needs to take immediate action to correct the injustice done to our citizens and put this on the June ballot.



Councilor Bickford answered a question from the audience at the last Council meeting; stating the Advisory Referendum Question was NOT binding.  However, the minutes of the Town Council meeting of September 20, 2011 say differently.  The previous Town Council made it a legal and binding action by having the Town Attorney prepare the action for the question to be placed in the minutes in such language makes it binding.



It is time; this Town Council acknowledges the wishes of the people and honors the majority of voters in accordance with the September 20, 2011 minutes.  The Charter needs to be changed immediately and placed on the June ballot so the people have the right to vote on the Municipal Budget.



Let’s see if the current Town Council has the integrity to admit an injustice has been done to the people and take action to correct it immediately.



Larry Fillmore 

Sunday, March 1, 2015

Lisbon’s Financial Fiasco Follies





 Chief David T. Brooks


By Peter Reuter, Special to The Lisbon Reporter

Once again the time has arrived when we find ourselves in  undoubtedly the most reverent of seasons, Budget Season.  Every taxpayer already has a license to pursue the prey of choice, ie. Municipal department.  Taxes are levied on the people’s property, personal & estate, which afford the community to carry on with normal business as usual actions.  



But what happens when no one is ‘minding the fort’ and looking out for the best interests of the community, its people?  When the past management establishment elected and hired to do so were inflicted with a very contagious social and economical disease called GREED.  You get exactly what Lisbon is experiencing right now.   

Monies from the Federal and State levels have all but disappeared that were flowing into each municipality like spring thaw after a hearty winter of snow.  Those dollars, in most cases, were desperately counted on to balance the often over budgeted municipal balance sheets.  Now towns are struggling to manage with the same services they were afforded in past years. Change must occur to correct the deficit created by not making sound economic choices.



Through lack of financial fortitude Lisbon has had to dip into the Undesignated Fund account to make up the difference for a multiple of past years. Leaving it depleted to less than a favorable level.  Lately departments have had to make significant cuts to their operational budgets and employee rosters in order to keep the financial responsibility in somewhat of an order.  For that, infrastructural suffrage have occurred.  Roads, bridges, equipment and other items have not be improved or expanded as needed.



When you look hard into the Municipal Budget of Lisbon at all the departments that have had to make cuts, one department stands out like a black and blue eye where no cuts have been made.  In fact it has been increased each and every year.  But in order to ascertain that fact you just about need to have a PHD in forensic auditing. All because the TRUE and ACCURATE accounting of the POLICE DEPARTMENT has been spread out and hidden, on purpose to confuse the people.  This has permeated and promulgated the budget each year with significant protection of your duly elected officials.



It is REFRESHING to hear that the new Town Manager has recognized this and is in the process of correcting.  Once the taxpayers learn of the TRUE EXPENSE of the Police Department, then perhaps we all can hope for a change.  Maybe Lisbon could be a more affordable community for the retired residents and appeal to people to move in to make it their home.

Lisbon Town Manager, Mrs. Diane Barnes has made significant progress in the administration process and expenditures side of things. Namely digressing from one of the 'Good Ole Boys Club' members, the previous Town Attorney.  With the challenges that she is facing we all need to lend her support at meetings or whenever we see her.  Her intentions are honorable and admirable. Something Lisbon has been lacking in recent years.



The residents have spoken loud and clear when presented with the opportunity to improve things.  A couple of examples would be the vote on the addition to the High School Gymnasium, Track, and not purchasing Worumbo Mill. And let us not forget the opportunity to vote on the School Budget each year.



Isn’t it about time we have more of say on the Municipal side of the Budget?

Sunday, July 20, 2014

Lisbon, Maine FOAA Costs and Fee Waiver problems, suggested solutions‏

July 20, 2014



Dear Readers:



After reading the posts by Mr. Fillmore and other residents of Lisbon about the Town Attorney’s “legal opinion” about who qualifies for a fee waiver for Maine FOAA requests, I posted a statement that the Town Attorney does not understand 1) recent developments in information law, and 2) the town attorney does not understand the search and copying capacity of computers or he would realize the costs the town calculates for searching and retrieving and making electronic copies of the requested information are outlandish. 



Reading the town attorney’s “legal opinion” makes me wonder how an attorney can bill the town for any professional legal services for his “opinion” that is without facts and without cites (verifiable references) to the relevant governing laws of Maine and the United States.  The residents of Maine need to know what facts and laws the town attorney uses to support his “legal opinion,” if any. By failing to provide any objective measures, based on research methods recognized and accepted by the Maine and Federal courts to support his “legal opinion”, the residents of Maine are forced to accept that Aristotelian logic and argument is alive and well in Maine, and forced to pay good money for “legal opinions” that are not just in error but cross over into the realms of incompetent counsel and simple fraud.  Sham “Legal opinions”  are a harmful insult to the people who pay for such shoddy work and an insult to all those attorneys who burn the midnight oil, if necessary, to gather appropriate support for their advice to corporate and local government’s managers.



So, rather than just harangue the poor attorney into taking some remedial law courses, or hiring a researcher to do the required work for a true legal opinion that shows he earned his fees, I'm going to write about my recent experience with the Honorable Eric Wright, Esq., Staff Attorney, Bureau of Consumer Credit Protection, Department of Professional and Financial Regulation, State of Maine, along with relevant documents attached as PDFs. In fact, Mr. Wright showed excellent legal skills in a timely manner in dealing with an aberrant debt collection agency that made almost as many errors as did Lisbon’s town attorney.  Mr. Wright is clearly qualified to be awarded an official, true replica of the Maine Dove. 




So, should you experience any problems with a fact- and legal-challenged debt collection agency, you will have a good idea of who to contact in Maine and D.C., and what a solid legal opinion should at least look like and what it should accomplish.



First, I received a bill for supposed money due on a medical exam taken years ago.  The bill was from a debt collection agency different from the one that tried to collect money years ago for the same false claim.  I immediately replied to them and wrote the Maine Attorney General to let them know what was happening.  . I figured the Attorney General would have a database of companies that were not getting their facts straight.  There is no such database but the Office of the Maine Attorney General responded quickly telling me that they had forwarded my complaint to the Bureau of Consumer Credit Protection. Within a day of that letter, I received a phone call from Mr. Wright, who had read my complaint and needed more details.  



I felt odd answering questions from someone who worked for a State of Maine Bureau that was unknown to me.  As Mr. Wright asked me questions, good pithy questions, I realized the specific answers he would craft into a fact-based, law-defined position to sculpt the best approach to resolving my problem.  After the phone call ended, I figured he had gone through the motions and i’d not hear from him again.   



I was wrong.  Within a few days, Mr. Wright sent me a soild legal opinion of the State on my position that not only referenced Maine statutes but how those statute applied to this case.  Mr. Wright’s letter was the nicest “cease and desist” letter I’ve ever read.   Responding to Mr. Wright’s letter, the debt collection agency sent me a letter withdrawing from their claim, .  A few days later, Mr. Wright sent another letter that clarified his original legal opinion and even identified how we needed to tweak the present laws to improve them. 



In the meantime, I felt so ignorant of what was going on, I started googling.  The feds do have a database, rather extensive, about financial complaints that includes debt collections.    I downloaded the entire CFPB database and searched to see if my errant debt collector had complaints filed.  They had a few.



On a googling roll, I searched to see if there were court cases against the debt collector.  There was.  A fat juicy class-action suit.    I contacted the attorney for the case and asked to join.  It looks good and even though the debt collector is going to leave me alone, they need to be held accountable for their actions so they don’t cause more harms to people who are vulnerable.  The problem of errant debt collectors has grown to the point where ProPublica (an investigative reporting group) is conducting a special study and wants you to contact them if debt collectors are giving you grief.



So, please know that you have an incredible number of different methods to protect yourself and your finances in our system of justice.  Be aware that legal innumeracy is a recognized weakness in some lawyers , but Maine has an excellent law that allows you to obtain financing for lawsuits, so you don’t have to hire someone like the Lisbon Town Attorney.



Know for sure that I am not an attorney, and I have doubts about some  of those who claim they are, but have lost their common sense. I hope my experiences help you as you work for access to information you’ve already paid for, to better understand your government and discover how to increase efficiencies.



Dwight Hines


Saturday, July 19, 2014

Why Submitting FOAA Requests Have Been Necessary In Lisbon!

WHAT IS THE UNDERLYING PROBLEM?

 When I filed to have my Freedom of Access Act (FOAA) fees waived, I knew that this request would be denied; not because it wasn’t right but because it would  set a precedent.  The reaction from the Councilors was what I was really interested in seeing.  The majority of the Councilors were seriously concerned about the problem but did not want to set a precedent and I do not blame them.  Had I been in their shoes, I too would have voted to deny the waiver.

Even today, I doubt that anyone understands what really created this situation.  You see, Maine law states that the people have a valid right to submit, as many Freedom of Access Acts (FOAA) as necessary, to understand how the government is spending our tax dollars; whether it is local, state or federal.  The term used is “Transparency in Government”.  The Town Attorney, Roger Therriault, stated in his legal opinion, “…the imposition of costs is the only control that the Town has where request for voluminous and require significant staff time and effort.” 

This legal opinion is false and undermines the law.  The correct and proper way to control Freedom of Access Acts (FOAA) is for government to ensure that all the facts are presented to the people.  This is called transparency.  There would never be a need for anyone to submit a FOAA if all the facts were presented.  The only need for a FOAA is to fill in missing information or as Mrs. Barry stated any of the 5 “W” is missing.  The five “W” are:

    Who’s involved and what are their responsibilities?
    What’s going too happened?
    When is it going to happen?
    Where is it going to take place?
    Why is it going to take place?
    How much is it going to cost each party involved?

As you can see, I added a “How” because the taxpayers need to know how much the project is going to cost them.

During Ryan Leighton’s presentation, he only provided a one page memorandum.  The council was told this was a UNITIL project but there was no UNITIL proposal and no representative to brief it.  When I submitted a FOAA to answer the above cited questions, I was told there were over 200 pages pertaining to this project.

My father use to tell me “The spoken word is like the wind, everywhere, but the written word is here to stay.”  This to me is solid advice.

TOTAL TRANSPARENCY IN GOVERNMENT ELIMINATES THE NEED FOR FOAA’S, NOT COST!!!!!!!


Larry Fillmore

Re: Weaving the Web of Deceit - Significantly, Precedential, and Tangentially‏‏

Ms. Barry makes good points about high charges for information from the Town of Lisbon.   I think she is correct in her interpretation of the inadequacies of the "legal memoranda" prepared by the town attorney.  It would be wise to file a formal complaint about the inadequacies with the Maine Bar because the attorney is taking money for his inadequately researched opinion that inflicts real harms on the people of Lisbon and others.  (It would not take more than few minutes, if the attorney is computer literate, which he obviously is not and that is one ground for a complaint -- give opinion that is in error  - the charges for obtaining the information are arbitrary and capricious and can not be supported by reality).

The Reporters' Committee for a Free Press, and many other professional groups have litigated who is and is not press, and the attorney is in error on this opinion as well.  He needs to read Maine history of posting of information on trees, etc., and how those acts are protected.  The attorney is required to exercise some diligence in creating an opinion and the town needs to request a refund for this shoddy legal work by Lisbon's attorney.

Note below that petitions are being circulated now in other jurisdictions over excessive fees.

The court's excessive new search fees hamper public records access and the burden falls disproportionately on the poor.

So I've signed a petition to the court and Leah T. Wilson, Executive Officer, and I encourage you to do same.

Click here:
http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/ask-the-alameda-county?source=s.em.mt&r_by=844410

Dwight Hines
IndyMedia

P.S.  Is the Lisbon town attorney advocating that we allow local or state governments determine who is press and who is not?  Well, they do that in many countries and not many people want to live in those places. Besides, any power held by the town attorney's opinion of who is press is derived totally from the power granted to the people.

Friday, July 18, 2014

Weaving the Web of Deceit - Significantly, Precedential, and Tangentially‏

Beginning in May 2014, a concerned citizen who keeps us informed through the new media of a Web Site called Lisbon Reporter, attended a scheduled town meeting in which a Memorandum was read by the Town Manager Olmstead, requesting public funding for the Unitil and BHA project, without any supporting documentation on the 5 "W's".


Under the Maine FOA law, requests were initiated involving requests for the 5 W's, resulting in an administrative ruling of costs that are prohibitive to those of us on fixed incomes.

Appears that is the intent of the imposition of these high costs, to squash and control the public's access to governmental activities involving the Public Purse and obligations to private companies operations.  These penalties are not in keeping with the spirit and the intent of our Representative Republic, of the public being informed with accurate and COMPLETE information.


The nub of the problem is the Town Council's advisors.  The legal advisor and his cabal, are of the opinion that these requests are extra burdensome for the municipal employees, and are silent on the taxpayer exposures to these seat of the pants proposals written on Memorandum, without any supporting attachments to support the request.


The town's legal advisor and cabal from MMA and other unnamed sourced areas of policy making regarding local government FOA requests,  may be unaware of the new media sources available and now being used by members of the public and town council member's themselves.


According to the Maine Freedom of Information Coalition and the Maine Press Association's By Laws there are 5 members of the official press community.  These are regular, associate, affiliate, individual, and student members.  Further they are categorized as freelance writers, editors, authors, columnists, photographers and yes the dreaded BLOGGERs, (the list continues.....)


So in order to not to impair my choice of filing a violation of ethics of a member of the Maine State Bar association, who willing and knowingly consorted with other fellow attorneys to render opinions that our Founding Fathers found so obnoxious that they rebelled against the crown, it is for clarity that I submit the above so that the one venue of obtaining my news is not impinged by an attorney who clings to the past, and refuses to step into the future to protect the citizens and their government from onerous decisions prejudicial to the general welfare.


In Liberty
Debbie A. Barry
Lisbon Falls Maine

Saturday, July 12, 2014

Lisbon And TRANSPARENCY IN GOVERNMENT



TRANSPARENCY IN GOVERNMENT

What does “transparency in government” really mean?  For me it is the right of the people to know what the government is doing and how their taxes are being spent.  Normally, this information is provided by those in charge during Public meetings, which are videoed and retransmitted through the local television stations.  The important aspect is the local government making an attempt to keep the people informed.



However, there are incidences where the local government falls short on providing ALL the information as in the case of the Unitil Proposal to run a natural gas line to 4 Campus Avenue.  On May 20, 2014, the Interim Town Manager provided a memorandum from the Town Engineer, Mr. Leighton on a proposal to use tax dollars to accomplish the Unitil project.  The only document presented was a memorandum from Mr. Leighton.  There were no maps, no distances, no written agreements between Unitil, Brunswick Housing Authority (BHA) and no exact amount the taxpayers were going to have to pay.  However, the Interim Town Manager did state that Public Works personnel would be responsible for the trenching.  The proposal was tabled until Mr. Leighton could be present and additional information could be provided.



At a Special Town Council meeting on May 27, 2014, Mr. Leighton provided the same memorandum but did provide a map to the council but not the people.  During his presentation he did cite the distance of the project.  However, there were no agreements for Unitil or the BHA and there was no actual cost provided.  Mr. Leighton also stated that Public Works personnel would NOT be doing the trenching.



Under Maine Law an individual has a right to submit a Freedom of Access Act (FOAA) to obtain information necessary for transparency.  This is the option I use to obtain further information on various subjects.  This information is then passed on to the citizens of Lisbon through The Lisbon Reporter and Lisbonmaine.net.  These are webs sites dedicated to providing residents of Lisbon with more information about what is going on in the community and how their tax dollars are being spent.  This is to provide more transparency in our local government.  However, Town Attorney Roger Therriault, in a legal opinion on June 10, 2014 states and I quote …”First, neither the Lisbon Reporter nor Lisbonmaine.net are traditional journalistic type enterprises.  They are merely blogs and the degree to which they contribute significantly to public understanding of government activities is problematical at best.”… These web sites are problematic to local government because they provide the facts and not just the ones the local government want the people to know.  How do you feel about that?


                                Roger Therriault Esq. Lisbon Town Attorney










( click on the following link to read mentioned statutes)



I was not happy with the lack of information about this Unitil project so I submitted a Freedom of Access Act (FOAA) on May 30, 2014.  I have submitted hundreds of request over several years and always paid of the information provided but on June 2, 2014, I received an email from the Town Clerk stating and I quote “So far, Mr. Leighton informs me that he has so far approximately 100 copies of emails and potentially there could be well over 200 pages when he is finished.  That’s 200 pages at 50 cents a copy or approximately $100 or more and will take may be another hour to complete.  So far we have a little over 45 minutes into this.  He estimates this could total approximately 2 hours at $15 an hour over the first free hour.” This means in order to get the information it will cost me approximately $130.00 dollars.  Remember, this started out as a one page memorandum and has now blossomed into over 200 pages; isn’t that amazing what happens when you ask for transparency. This is a far cry from the one page memorandum submitted to the Council.



According to Roger Therrauilt’s legal opinion of June 10, 2014, he advises the town that this waiver will set a precedent.  Mr. Therriault also goes on to say and I quote “Obviously the Town wants to be in a position of having at least a minimum amount of control over its responses to FOA requests and, frankly, the imposition of costs is the only control that the Town has where requests are voluminous and require significant staff and effort.”  This is a practicing attorney advising the town to undermine Maine law.  Every citizen in the state of Maine has a legal right to submit as many Freedom of Access Acts (FOAA) as needed in order to receive transparency in government.



On Tuesday at the Town Council meeting, the Council will review my request for waiving my fee on the FOAA which I submitted on June 4, 2014 in accordance with Maine law Title 1, Chapter 13, Sub Charter 1 Statute 408 paragraph 6(b) which states “The agency or official considers the release of the public record requested to be in the public interest because doing so is likely to contribute significantly to public understanding of operations or activities of government and is not primarily in the commercial interest of the requester.”  I write for both the Lisbon Reporter and the Lisbonmaine.net with the sole purpose of providing transparency of government in Lisbon. 

 Total transparency in government eliminates the need for FOAA's.



Larry Fillmore

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

BUDGET CHALLENGE‏

In this morning's Sun Journal, Tuesday April 15, the Auburn City Council is calling for $million$ in cuts to the city budget.


I challenge the town of Lisbon's Town Council and Finance Committee to do the same.


Ways to cut:


Town Engineer:

MDOT is asking for  a $5,500 Trail Match

plus a $20,000 Trail Match.


Those $$$$'s should have been built into the $1,200,000,

One Million Two Hundred Thousand, dollars,plus Lisbon's

matching funds of $320,000, for a grand total of $1,520,000.

ONE MILLION FIVE HUNDRED TWENTY THOUSAND DOLLARS.

                         Savings $$25,500.


Savings could be realized if we had a Town Engineer that was actually a licensed Engineer.

Savings $$$ ?????.


Town Attorney:

Hire an attorney from Lisbon, Lewiston or Auburn instead of one who travels from Bath, some twenty plus miles each way @$150.00 per hour.

                       

Police/Public Safety:

The Police Department receives Forfeiture money that could be used to pay for assault rifles, document imaging, mobile radios.
The list goes on, But asks the taxpayers to pay for these items.
In a budget of $1.000,000, One Million $$$$$, the Town Council and Finance Committee should be able to find significant savings.


Redevelopment Department:

About 2 years ago former Town Manager hired a Town Planner to the tune of $20,000 per year, to develop a Route 196 Master Plan and Sign Standards, and to assist the Planning Board.

The Route 196 Master Plan and Sign Standards is almost

completed, just needs to be accepted by the Town Council.


Why continue to pay $20,000 for a Town Planner when we

have a highly qualified Codes Officer in Dennis Douglass?

The Planning Board has new direction, thanks to Town Planner, Amanda Bunker, and  we are paying over $55,000 a year for a Redevelopment Director, who also heads up the Moxie Festival.


This is a Duplication of Services. 

A savings of $20,000 or $55,000.


The town Council has asked the School Department to cut their budget.


The Library Department is already bare bones but is willing to cut hours of service, a savings of only pennies compared to the police department! ! ! !


Other savings ?? Readers, taxpayers?
          A Challenge ! ! ! ! ! !



Dot Fitzgerald

A Lisbon Concerned Citizen



TOWN REPORTS ARE OUT! ! ! !

And yes, my name is under unpaid taxes,

both real estate and personal property.

The real estate taxes have been paid.

I am struggling as are many others.

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Common Cents Wasted On Not So Common Sense!

                                     SIMPLE ECONOMICS




   Lisbon Town Attorney Roger Therriault



The Town Attorney, Roger Therriault’s office is in Bath, Maine which is in Sagadahoc County.  Lisbon is located in Androscoggin County and the majority of our legal business is conducted in Lewiston/Auburn.  This means that Mr. Therriault has to travel from Bath to Lewiston /Auburn through Cumberland County to perform his duties for Lisbon.  This is approximately 26 miles which takes about 40 minutes one way.

I understand that Mr. Therriault is paid at least $150.00 per hour.  The clock starts ticking the minute Mr. Therriault gets into his car.  So before he conducts any legal work, he has cost the taxpayers of Lisbon approximately $150.00 each way which means $300.00 tax dollars are spent on travel alone for every action taken.

It is no wonder that the town is over in legal fees every year.  The majority of our legal fees are pure travel. 


Why is it that the town of Lisbon does not hire an attorney who has offices in Lewiston /Auburn and eliminate this travel time? 

Mr. Therriault has been the town for years; so when you do the math it tells us all how many tax dollars have been wasted on travel.  Is it so difficult to figure out how to save tax dollars?  I think this one is pretty obvious!

Come on Councilors and do what is right here and replace Mr. Therriault with someone local instead of two counties away.  This will save the taxpayers of Lisbon a great deal of tax dollars.  Currently, year to date the town has spent $39,841.50.  The town only approved $40,000.00 last year and that was an increase of $6,000.00 from the previous years.  These figures are off the current proposed budget as of March 14, 2014 and I am sure it does not include the legal fees for the Human Rights Complaint or the additional fees concerning the civil legal case on the $32,500.00 which the trial is scheduled for May 12, 2014.

Stop wasting our tax dollars on travel and hire a town attorney from Lewiston /Auburn.

Larry Fillmore

Recap Town Council Meeting - April 1st, 2014

                        RECAP TOWN COUNCIL MEETING – APRIL 1ST

Last night’s town council meeting was very different to say the least.  There were approximately 40-50 residents there.  Approximately 15-20 individuals spoke out in Audience Participation on numerous issues but the majority talked about the school bond issues.

Under Council Order, Resolutions and Ordinances – The town has a new street called Tranquil Lane and it is located the Huston Park subdivision.  This was necessary because of an oversight in the E911 plan.  Also, the Council set the voting hours and locations which are the same as always. 

Next the Council approved $80,000.00 of the 2015 budget to be used with the insurance check of $48,000.00 for the purchase of a new plow truck to replace the plow truck that burned.

This was followed by three bond issues the Council approved to go to a Public Hearing on April 15, 2015 at the Lisbon Community School (LCS) at 07:00 PM.  The bonds were for:

    New Public Works Garage                 $1,100,000.00
    New Gymnasium                                  5,700,000.00
    New Track                                                500,000.00

Under Other Business - There was a briefing on the progress of the Finance Committee.  The town attorney discussed the roles and responsibilities of the Town Manger and the Council.  It was very interesting and ensured the Interim Town Manager that he has all the power as outlined in our Charter.  Finally the Council had a short discussion on the Council Working Rules.  At the end there were no changes recommended.

It was a great meeting for everyone.  The Chair allowed comments all during the meeting and let everyone speak.  This was very refreshing.  Even with all the comments throughout the meeting it was over before 09:00 PM.

The reporter for the Sun Journal left at approximately 08:20 PM.


Larry Fillmore

Friday, January 24, 2014

Hang On Lisbon YOUR Time Is Next! Chief Brooks Is Planning His TakeOver Once Again, Perhaps!?!

Arrests Of Political Enemies And Members Of The Media

Source: Infowars.com
Emergency: Obama Launches Purge
View Video HERE.

Alex is right on this – officials will trump up charges to silence people. The City of Biddeford, Maine is ahead in the game! If you’re not a “resident” of Biddeford you can’t use public access….no better plan than to steal your home to keep you away from the use of public access tv!
 
The Maine Forum – First Amendment Case, click here.

BIDDEFORD, I’LL SEE YOU IN COURT! Click here.

Related: Behind the Black Robes: Failed Justice, Author Barbara C. Johnson, click here.

Will Your Councilors Do The Right Thing Or Shall It Be "Corrupt ~ Collusion" Business As Usual ?

You just might want to get involved by attending Tues. Nights Special Town Council Meeting.  For the second week in a Row since your illustrious, Corrupt Chief of Police, David T. Brooks has been involved there is no Agenda for US to POST, however, because of mysterious computer glitches, and your Interim Town Manager becoming incapacitated, your COUNCILORS are forced once again to make a very Important Decision that does in fact have consequences  to you taxpayers.  
Feel Left Out Yet?  Quit Your Bitchin, succumb to the "Mafia~Mentality" and PAY YOUR TAXES!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh you want to see the AGENDA, go to the Town Website. No Longer Do They Share With US Since Chief Brooks and Attrny. Therriault are INVOLVED.  

Simply Amazing How Deep 'The Culture of Corruption' Reaches In Lisbon.

Mike Huston, Please with OUR sincerest of Wishes, Get Well Soon.

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Should We ALL Question the Competency of Lisbon's Town Attorney Roger Therriault, Esquire?

                   IS THE TOWN ATTORNEY COMPETENT???

 


 Lisbon Town Attorney Roger Therriaut


First let me provide background on a deplorable situation which has cost the town an outrageous amount of money in legal fees!  

In the spring of 2011, I submitted to the town two Freedom of Access Act (FOAA) requesting information.  Both were denied by the town, so I hired a lawyer and sued the town in court.  The town Attorney, Roger Therriault, delayed the proceedings twice but on the third attempt I demanded a speedy trial and Superior Court Judge Mary Gay Kennedy finally put it on the record.  In the end, I won both court cases; however, my victory cost the town over $10,000.00 in legal fees.  Mrs. Pomelow blamed me for the excessive legal fees but it was Mr. Therriault who kept delaying the trial.  This is how he makes his money.

Now, on January 3, 2014, I submitted another Freedom of Access Act (FOAA) requesting the following information:  Respectfully request a copy of the letter dated November 25, 2013 submitted by the Town Attorney concerning the proposed Administrative Consent Agreement (ACA) between the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Town of Lisbon.  I am looking for the letter Mr. Therriault submitted to Maine DEP dated November 25, 2013 pertaining to the Administrative Consent Agreement (ACA) between Maine DEP and the Town.

The response I received came from the Town Clerk:  Dear Mr. Fillmore, The Consent Agreement proposed by the Department of Environmental Protection has not been finalized.  As such, we believe that it falls under the exception to the definition of public records in 1 M.R.S.A. §402(3)(A) and (B)Until a final Consent Agreement has been agreed to and executed by the parties, the draft represents settlement negotiations which remain confidential and which also are privileged against discovery.

However, because we now have a professional Interim Town Manager, who appears to want to restore transparency in local government, I received the following letter from Mr. Michael Huston.





 


In the second paragraph, it clearly states that according to the Assistant Attorney General, I am entitled to what I asked for again.  This is the third time, the Town Attorney was wrong and in my book, three strikes and you are out.  In my opinion, Roger Therriault, has no clue what the law is when it comes to Freedom of Access Act (FOAA) requests.  This fact has hurt the town in the past and will continue to hurt the town in the future.  Mr. Therriault has been with the town for a very long time and I personally believe the town deserves better legal advice.

I think we should be shopping for a new Town Attorney.

Larry Fillmore