A (Failed) Call for Civility from Rev. Emrich in 2010‏

Please see (below) current Christian Civic League of Maine Executive Director Carroll L. Conley, Jr.'s article from January, 2010 lauding Rev. Robert K. (Bob) Emrich for Bob's civility.  Conley, Jr. and Emrich were both on the Board of Directors of the Christian Civic League of Maine at this time, and Conley, Jr. was also the Bangor Baptist Church's school guidance counselor at that time, too.

 

Conley, Jr. became Executive Director in July, 2010, while Emrich went on to become Chariman of the League's Board of Directors in 2011.

 

Then, please note (also below) the good reverend Emrich's uninitiated e-mail to me just some five weeks after Conley, Jr. heaped praise upon Emrich for his "civility."  Emrich was a State Representative candidate at this time (March, 2010), and he went on to lose in the GOP primary just three months later to a pro-gay marriage Catholic attorney, Ken Fredette.  

 

This kind of incivility by Emrich toward me (twofistedmanofgod@mail.com, I was the League's Administrator at the time, in 2010) must have been big news to Conley, Jr. who "never heard or read of anything [Emrich] has said that was a personal attack" (from Conley, Jr.'s column), although I do not seem to recall Conley, Jr. mentioning his disappointment to me with Emrich about these remarks at the time...

 

Mike Hein

Augusta, Maine

A Call to Civility

by Carroll L. Conley, Jr., Saint John's Valley Weekly

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:Y6oJraRQ7EsJ:www.svweekly.com/joom1511/index.php%3Foption%3Dcom_phocadownload%26view%3Dcategory%26download%3D31:the-svweekly-january-28-2010%26id%3D2:recent-editions%26Itemid%3D5%26start%3D40+&cd=10&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

January 28, 2010

 

Bob Emrich’s recent announcement that he is seeking the Republican nomination for the District 25 seat in the House of Representatives has elicited expected positive and negative responses.

 

As Emrich puts it, "I’m not surprised by the negative comments; I just hope that the negativity does not become the focus of this campaign."

 

As an observer of Bob Emrich’s civic efforts during the same-sex marriage issue, I find the personal attacks upon his character both unfounded and counterproductive. When it comes to public discourse in regard to an issue with which both sides hold such deep, passionate convictions, it is all the more critical that personal attacks be absent from the process. And for the record, I find too much of the rhetoric coming from conservative Christian voices to be counterproductive as well. More importantly, I find some of the inflammatory language to be totally inconsistent with the principles of Biblical Christianity.

 

Bob Emrich may say things with which his opponents totally disagree, but I’ve never heard or read of anything he has said that was a personal attack. As a matter of fact, his decision to establish Maine’s Jeremiah Project was to distance himself (and other like-minded conservative evangelicals) from Christian individuals and groups whose conduct was vulnerable to the public perception of hatred. Due to his commitment to oppose gay marriage in a respectful, humane manner, Bob Emrich was (and still is) being hammered by folks on the left and the right who would say anything to advance their agenda or cause.

 

With all this negativity, I asked Bob why anyone would subject themselves to the slander, obscene and threatening phone calls, things being thrown at his home, and even being intentionally blocked in a parking lot?

 

"I truly believe we all need to serve the public good. If I have the opportunity and ability to have a positive influence upon my community, then I have a responsibility to do so. I know there are going to be controversies and disagreements within the process, but I hope that we can agree to disagree in a civil manner," responded Emrich.

 

It is interesting to note that, just recently, Pastor Emrich wasc ontacted by the Maine Civil Liberties Union in regard to legislation dealing with solitary confinement. He accepted their petition to join them in investigating the matter of prisoners’ fair and just treatment.

 

"As much as I may vehemently disagree with the ACLU on many issues, as a Christian I am concerned about those that are incarcerated being treated humanely. We may differ on what is or is not humane, but conservatives must participate in such matters. For too many years, our lack of participation has made us appear to be uncaring."

 

The very fact that the MCLU would reach out to Bob Emrich and assume that he would engage in this process demonstrates his viability as a candidate and a public servant. As much as his far left and far right opponents may desire to define him as an ideologue by personal attack, I believe the constituents of District 25 will stand with him above the fray of such pettiness and the politics of personal destruction.

 

Carroll Conley currently serves as Director of Advancement at Bangor Christian Schools.

 

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Bob Emrich <bemrich@midmaine.com>
Date: Tue, Mar 2, 2010 at 6:22 PM
Subject: FW: Temporary Victory in Maine (Transgendered Guidelines)
To: twofistedmanofgod@gmail.com

Cowardly, divisive, false, and slanderous are only a few of the words that come to mind when I read your email.

You have every reason to be ashamed. Even apart from your cowardly attacks against me, you are dishonoring the organization you pretend to serve and even worse you dishonor my Lord. 

From: Mike Hein
Sent: Tuesday, March 02, 2010 10:39 AM
To: Mike Hein
Subject: Temporary Victory in Maine (Transgendered Guidelines)

Monday afternoon's public meeting of the Maine Human Rights Commission regarding the proposed transgendered schoolchildren guidelines resulted in a minor, and possibly only temporary, victory for decency and morality.  The five Commissioners voted 4 - 1 to put off voting on accepting or rejecting the guidelines proposal until after public hearing(s) are held on the matter.  There was no date yet set for the hearing(s), but it could be as late as May.  The one vote opposed to this decision came from a Commissioner who wanted to vote on the proposal yesterday, and vote to reject the proposed guidelines!

All it took was for about two dozen concerned citizens to turn out to the public meeting (where they were not allowed to speak by the Commission) and for several of them to stand up and yell at the Commission about their opposition to this and to then walk out of the public meeting.  There was a lot of media there.  Print accounts of the story are at:
www.kjonline.com/news/sex-orientation-bias-guidelines-await-feedback_2010-03-01.html
www.bangordailynews.com/detail/138022.html
www.sunjournal.com/node/806519
www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=126662

Television news/video of the story are at:
www.myfoxmaine.com/dpp/news/20100302-hearing-held-on-transgendered-students
www.wmtw.com/education/22709245/detail.html

The most disturbing development surrounding the issue, however, came from the Maine Jeremiah Project's Bob Emrich, who sent an e-mail alert to his group of supporters on Saturday, ahead of the meeting, encouraging Maine's Christians to not attend the public meeting.  His e-mail alert text can be read at http://politics.mainechristianblogs.com/2010/02/27/maine-jeremiah-project-message-february-27-2010-2/ 

Bob seems completely off the reservation here, essentially telling Christians to sit-this-one-out and to shut-up-and-stay-home.  I can only speculate that his bizarre stance was due to one or both of the following:

a) Bob was a co-leader of the gay marriage repeal effort last year with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland, Maine.  He worked very closely with Maine's Bishop Malone and the Diocese, the same Bishop Malone and Diocese who supported the homosexual rights law in 2005 which this whole transgendered issue arises from (that 2005 law included both "gender identity" and "gender expression" protections).  Since Bob probably anticipates working again with the Catholics later this year on the homosexual marriage issue again (EqualityMaine is vowing to submit homosexual marriage legislation again late this year), Bob had good reason not to go against the Roman Catholic Chancery on this transgendered issue now.  The Diocese has been completely silent on the transgendered schoolchildren proposed guidelines issue. 

and/or

b) Bob is running for State Representative as a Republican in Maine House District 25 (an open seat this year in a Republican district, due to term limits), and his recently announced Republican primary opponent is none other than Ken Fredette, who sits on the Maine Human Rights Commission, who is deciding the transgendered schoolchildren proposed guidelines issue.  Fredette (despite being a pro-gay marriage Catholic) stole the show yesterday during the public meeting (see the video news accounts), taking the strongest stand against the proposed guidelines, saying this was a legislative issue that the Commission should not be handling.  Fredette was the Commissioner who voted to kill the guidelines yesterday.  Bob would have reason for not wanting a lot of people to show up and see his GOP primary opponent shine in the spotlight as a hero for morality and decency.

It was beyond disappointing to see Bob Emrich act so publicly in such a politically calculating and shortsighted way.  He even (without naming us) criticized the League as "sound[ing a} careless alarm" by encouraging people to attend the meeting.  It's amazing to see this "FRC Watchman on the Wall" and, more importantly, ordained Baptist minister of the Word of God tell Maine Christians to shut up and stay home on such an important matter.  Sad and pathetic.

Mike Hein

Apply This Locally,News Media Corruption Pressure From Above, Pressure From Below

Lisbon,

The elites have committed a great deal of time, money, and study to
figuring out how to manipulate the masses.

And they have gotten darn good at it.

Pressure from above and pressure from below is a technique they fall
back on frequently, and many of us keep falling for it...

Pressure from above,
pressure from below

Using the opposition to get your way

 

How it works...

The Hegelian Dialectic is a philosophical approach that in principle explains how human beings progress toward a better and more egalitarian condition but in practice provides the power elite with a strategy for controlling society.

Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (August 27, 1770 – November 14, 1831) was among the most consequential philosophers of the Age of Enlightenment. His was heavily influenced by Plato, whose social ideal was rule by an elite composed of philosopher-kings. Though Hegel may not have intended to provide a Platonic methodology for the modern-day control of the many by the few, that is how his insights have been used.

The Platonic influence on Hegel was reinforced by the age in which he worked. Hegel accepted that "enlightened" human beings are responsible for their own destiny, and that culture and history are a product of human development, which in turn is driven by reason. Hegel subscribed to the Rousseauian notion that humans are a blank slate, a tabula rasa. In fact, Hegel was a big fan of the French, including the authoritarian leader Napoleon and the French Revolution itself, a bloodbath he described as the realization of more perfect freedom.

Today most behavioral scientists see human beings not as purely rational or perfectly elastic but as complex creatures, many of whose behaviors are instinctual or biologically programmed. This has not hindered the practical application of Hegel's conceptual tools, however, which have been used as an effective methodology of control for at least the past century.

It is necessary to examine the dialectic in a little more detail to understand this. Hegel postulated that each stage of human advance – and the course of history itself – was driven by an argument (thesis), a counterargument (anti-thesis) and finally a synthesis of the two into a more advanced argument, at which point the process restarted. For Hegel, the dialectic could explain everything – art, culture, history, even nature.

From our more modern vantage point, Hegel's dialectic may not seem so persuasive as an explanation of all things – and in fact, it probably is not. But for the elite of his day, and for the monetary elite today, the Hegelian dialectic provides tools for the manipulation of society.

To move the public from point A to point B, one need only find a spokesperson for a certain argument and position him or her as an authority. That person represents Goalpost One. Another spokesperson is positioned on the other side of the argument, to represent Goalpost Two.

Argument A and B can then be used to manipulate a given social discussion. If one wishes, for instance, to promote Idea C, one merely needs to promote the arguments of Goalpost One (that tend to promote Idea C) more effectively than the arguments of Goalpost Two. This forces a slippage of Goalpost Two's position. Thus both Goalpost One and Goalpost Two advance downfield toward Idea C. Eventually, Goalpost Two occupies Goalpost One's original position. The "anti-C" argument now occupies the pro-C position. In this manner whole social conversations are shifted from, say, a debate over market freedom vs. socialism to a debate about the degree of socialism that is desirable.

The Hegelian dialectic is a powerful technique for influencing the conversations of cultures and nations, especially if one already controls (owns) much of the important media in which the arguments take place. One can then, as the monetary elite characteristically do, emphasize one argument at the expense of the other, effectively shifting the positions of Goalposts One and Two.

read original: http://thedailybell.com/619/Hegelian-Dialectic

Town Council Agenda for 12/6/2011

TOWN COUNCIL MEETING
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2011
LISBON TOWN OFFICE
7:00 P.M.
1. CALL TO ORDER & PLEDGE TO FLAG
Inauguration of Elected Officials:
Council, School Committee, Budget Advisory Board, and Water Commissioner
Election of Council Chairman & Vice Chairman
Passing of the Gavel
5 Minute Recess
2. ROLL CALL
___Councilor Bickford
___ Councilor Bowie
___ Councilor Larochelle
___ Councilor Lunt
___Councilor Mason
___ Councilor Pomelow
___ Councilor Ward
Town Clerk reading of meeting rules
3. PUBLIC HEARING
A. Victualer’s License for Nicholas Benoit d/b/a Benoit’s Orchard
4. AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION
5. CONSENT AGENDA
2011-213 ORDER −
A. Victualer’s License for Nicholas Benoit d/b/a Benoit’s Orchard
B. Minutes of November 1, 2011
C. Minutes of November 15, 2011
D. Minutes of November 22, 2011
6. COUNCIL ORDERS, RESOLUTIONS, & ORDINANCES
2011-214 ORDER −
Zoning Maps (First Reading)
2011-215 ORDER −
2010 Mobile Home Foreclosure Waiver
7. OTHER BUSINESS
A. Audit Presentation
B. Ethics Panel Summary of Findings & Recommendations
C. Town Manager’s Report
8. APPOINTMENTS
2011-216 ORDER −
E911 Addressing Officer
9. COUNCILOR COMMUNICATIONS
10. EXECUTIVE SESSION
2011-217 ORDER −
1 MRSA § 405 (6) (D) Labor negotiations
11. ADJOURNMENT
2011-218 ORDER −
To Adjourn

Lisbon's Ethics Panel Problem in 300 words or less,,

Lisbon's Ethics Panel Problem in 300 words or less

There has been a lot of confusion surrounding the in depth articles about Councilor Bowie’s conflict of interest and the Ethics Panel’s findings. The following few words are an attempt to boil it all down into a easily digestible summary of some of the relevant facts.

   1.    Councilor Bowie’s wife being an employee of Police  Department creates many perceived and/or actual conflicts of interest  one of which is documented by a previous Ethics Panel finding.    (Fact)

   2.    The Lisbon Ethics Panel is not addressing the true conflicts created by the relationship between Mr. and Mrs. Bowie and the Police Department. 

   3.    The  Ethics Panel is guiding the investigation to keep it away from the true conflicts. They are requiring the public to word the complaints in some unspecified form only known by the panel.  I believe (opinion) the panel knows what the problem is but doesn’t want to hear the complaint because they will have to render an uncomfortable decision that will anger the powers that be in Lisbon Government. 

   4.    The Town Council and Ethics Panel are attempting to insulate the Council from ethics scrutiny. I doubt  this was ever the intent of the framers of our Ethics Panel.

   5.    The Ethics Panel refuses to investigate this obvious conflict on their own. There is nothing written in the charter that prohibits them from initiating the investigation.

The  recent finding of the Ethics Panel is really just A Red Herring used to divert attention away for the most egregious conflicts.

The only way to fix  this  “Good Old Boys Network” is to  install new ethically minded people to the council next November.

Respectfully
Joe Hill
LisbonMaine.net

The Perfect Couple....

Too clever not to pass along
The perfect Man and Woman CLICK HERE

WHITE-WASH The Lisbon Ethics Panel Decision

The Ethics Panel rendered a decision pertaining to Councilor Bowie and a possible conflict of interest.  This decision was based on the assumption the Town Council and those involved with the County Consolidation Communication Center project were fully aware of Mrs. Bowie’s participation in the Lisbon Communication Center.  Also, the fact this project is at an exploratory and conceptual level.

Councilor Bowie should never have been placed in this position in the first place because it is in direct violation of the Ethics Panels prior decision in January 7, 2009.  If everyone on the Town Council had full knowledge pertaining to Mrs. Bowie’s duties in the communication center, why would the council appoint Councilor Bowie to participate in this project in direct violation of the 2009 ruling?  Also, if the consolidation on communication centers does not remain under the jurisdiction of the Lisbon Police Department, Mrs. Bowie’s job description would have to be redone and her salary adjusted.  This is an industry standard practice.  So it is imperative to Mrs. Bowie's salary, the communication center remains under the jurisdiction of Lisbon Police Department.

Councilor Bowie, as an appointed representative of the Town of Lisbon, has a direct impact on influencing County Commissioners and fellow Town Councilors. Their decisions will have a direct effect on Mrs. Bowie’s salary.  Yes, this project is in an exploratory and conceptual state but his actions will effect the final decision of this project.  By stating there is no conflict of interest at this time, the Ethics Panel has enabled Councilor Bowie to influence the County Commissioners decision on the Consolidation of Communication Centers.  It is their decision which will determine Mrs. Bowie’s future compensation.

Councilor Bowie should have been replaced as the representative of the Town of Lisbon on this project once Mrs. Bowie was hired as the Administrative Assistant because her daily duties involve the Lisbon Communication Center and constitutes a direct conflict of interest to the County Consolidation Communication Center project.

The Ethics Panel findings are rendered on the assumption both the County audience and the Town Council has full knowledge of Mrs. Bowie’s involvement with the Lisbon Communications Center and the fact the Consolidation Communication Center project is in an exploratory and conceptual state.  First, we all know what “assume” does; it makes an ass out of u and me.  Second, because this project is in an exploratory and conceptual state does not means Councilor Bowie’s impact will not have a dramatic impact on his wife’s salary in the future.  Waiting to lock the barn door, after the horse has run away, is too late; so is waiting until the County Commissioners make their final decision which will be influenced by Councilor Bowie, too late.

Larry Fillmore
Concerned Citizen


 

Town of Lisbon

Ethics Panel

Summary of Findings and Recommendations

Date of Meeting: November 28, 2011

Ethics Panel Attendance: David Bowie, Ross Cunningham, Michelle Swatsworth-Turmelle

Referral Subject: Possible Conflict of Interest by Councilor Michael Bowie

Referral: Citizen Petition circulated by Larry Fillmore

“Request the Ethic Panel investigate the possibility Councilor Bowie has been participating in discussions pertaining to the consolidation of the three communications center in Androscoggin without revealing his wife’s involvement in the Lisbon Communication Center. This, I believe, is conflict of interest and malfeasance of office.”

Sources of Information/Evidence

1. Report of Ethics Panel: January 7, 2009 [submitted by Larry Fillmore]

“The fact that a Councilor’s spouse is an employee of the town does present a conflict of interest regarding the spouse’s salary. Councilor Bowie has abstained in the past, when the salary line was voted on. The Panel’s recommendation supports this action as appropriate.”

2. Town Council minutes: December 7, 2010 [submitted by Larry Fillmore]

Councilor Bowie voted on the question of holding a hearing on his recall election.

Councilor Bowie abstained on the vote to set the Special Recall Election date.

Note: This evidence is not germane to the question before the Ethics Panel.

3. Town Council Workshop: September 27, 2011 [submitted by Larry Fillmore]

Discussion involving proposals for consolidation of county communications centers:

1. Councilor Bowie said we should stick with the smaller communities and not be in favor of doing this. We will still have administration out front to handle the walk-ins and dispatch Public Works. If this was done on a weighted basis the smaller communities might be willing to accept this, so they don’t think they are paying for everything that Lewiston and Auburn need.
2. Councilor Bowie said for this [referring to consolidation with Lewiston/Auburn 911] to happen it would take a legislative change. Police are free, but Fire and EMS are being billed directly to the municipality and is not included in the county taxes.
3. Councilor Bowie pointed out that this option [referring to dispatching costs for the Town of Poland] would cost Poland $153,075.

4. Job Description—Administrative Assistant to the Chief of Police [submitted by Larry Fillmore]

Examples of Work:

1. Perform dispatching service for departments (Police, Fire, & EMS) when needed.
2. Oral board exam team member in hiring process of new dispatch personnel.
3. Field Training Officer for dispatch personnel in communications operation, computer system, terminal operation and other functions as necessary.
4. Ensures the Lisbon Police Department dispatchers are familiar with the need for:

1. Quality control
2. Accuracy, completeness and timeliness of all teletype entries
3. Message security
4. Compliance with logging requirements.

5. Schedule users for Terminal Operator Certification/Recertification.

5. Interview with Councilor Bowie

a) Councilor Bowie was appointed to represent Lisbon during earlier discussions involving consolidation of county communications centers. He has reported back to the Council on those discussions.

b) Councilor Bowie serves as Lisbon’s representative to the county budget committee.

c) Councilor Bowie did not formally declare his wife’s involvement with the Lisbon communications center but believes the majority of those at county meetings are aware of her involvement, since she worked as a county dispatcher before coming to work in Lisbon.

d) Councilor Bowie’s comments at county meetings and at Lisbon Council meetings have related to the comparative costs to Lisbon and other county towns under the various proposals being considered.

6. Interview with Police Chief David Brooks

a) Consolidation of county communication centers has been under discussion for approximately ten years and has involved three different study groups. No recommendations have yet been accepted or implemented by the County.

b) The current committee is chaired by Chief Brooks and recommends a consolidation of dispatching for county towns in Lisbon, separate from the Lewiston-Auburn center. This recommendation is supported by the town managers and administrators.

c) Mrs. Bowie covers regular calls at the communications center, if the dispatcher is tied up with duties because of an ongoing emergency such as an accident. Mrs. Bowie is not paid any extra stipend for this type of coverage and does not receive overtime pay for such. The time she spends on oral boards for dispatcher candidates is within her regular workday, and no additional stipend is paid.

d) If there is a consolidation of centers there is no change anticipated in Mrs. Bowie’s workload or compensation. If Lisbon’s dispatching is moved out of Lisbon, Mrs. Bowie would no longer be a member of oral boards.

e) The budget for dispatching has been formally separated from regular police services in order to track actual costs. This was done to clarify discussions of consolidation.

f) There have been no discussions yet of how a consolidated system located in Lisbon would be administered on a day-to-day basis.

g) The current study committee would like to see a decision reached by January, 2013.

h) Any changes in job descriptions would be made administratively. Any changes in compensation would have to be set by Council action.

i) The presentation given by Chief Brooks to the County meeting was the same as the one presented to the Lisbon Town Council on November 1. Councilor Bowie was present and spoke at both meetings.

Finding of the Ethics Panel: Councilor Bowie’s participation in discussions about the possible consolidation of communication centers within Androscoggin does not constitute a conflict of interest. If a plan for consolidation is accepted at some future date, and if there are subsequent discussions that impact Mrs. Bowie’s compensation or benefits, then a conflict of interest would exist and Councilor Bowie would be required to abstain from discussion and voting.

Reasoning in support of Finding:

Concerning Councilor Bowie’s participation in discussions of communication center consolidation:

a. Although Mrs. Bowie’s job (Administrative Assistant to Chief of Police) does involve some duties in connection with the Lisbon Communications Center, those duties are part of her regular work day. In particular, she covers for dispatching only when regular dispatchers are tied up with an emergency dispatching event. She receives no extra compensation for this work.

b. Mrs. Bowie’s compensation is not determined by the number of dispatchers or the number of calls handled by the communications center.

c. The current discussion about consolidation of some or all county communications centers is at an exploratory and conceptual level. If any conceptual plan is approved, a plan of administration must be developed. Additionally, if any compensation levels within the Lisbon Police Department are recommended for adjustment (up or down) as the result of a consolidation, such adjustments require action by the Town Council.

d. The current discussion of consolidation is similar in nature to the existing policy governing Councilor Bowie’s participation in discussion of the police budget. He is allowed to participate in discussion and vote in sections of the budget other than those that determine Mrs. Bowie’s compensation. He may also vote on the total police budget once the salary budget lines have been set. A decision on consolidation does not set compensation levels for any personnel.

Concerning allegations of concealment:

a. Councilor Bowie has for several years abstained from voting on the police department salaries budget because of Mrs. Bowie’s employment in that department. Members of the Council (for whom any concealment would be critical) are aware of the relationship.

b. Many of the discussion participants at the county level are also aware of the relationship since Councilor Bowie has served on the County Budget Committee and Mrs. Bowie worked as a county dispatcher before coming to work at Lisbon PD.

c. Lisbon is a small community in which a high percentage of citizens know a high percentage of their fellow townspeople. [see Recommendations below]

Recommendations:

Since there is no finding of conflict of interest, no formal action by the Town Council is required. We do offer the following recommendations to improve clarity and transparency in the conduct of town business:

a. Citizens attending a Town Council meeting and citizens watching televised videos of meetings may not be aware that Councilor Bowie’s wife is a town employee. Even those who are aware may not know of her work responsibilities related to the communications center. Since this has been a controversial issue, we recommend that Councilor Bowie (or the Council Chairman) make a general statement of this relationship prior to future public discussions involving the communications center. We believe that this additional transparency would serve all parties well.

b. When any councilor has a conflict of interest, that councilor should not participate in the discussion or the vote on the matter in question. During the discussion and vote the councilor should leave his/her council seat and sit in the audience (where he/she may speak as a member of the audience). This is the standard policy for abstention and is especially important so that citizens viewing a televised meeting at a later date are fully aware that the councilor is abstaining.

Respectfully Submitted,

David Bowie

Chairman, Lisbon Ethics Panel

Lisbons Ethics Panel’s Duty

Does Lisbon Maine’s Ethics Panel have a hidden policy of ignoring blatant ethics violations when they involve the Lisbon Town Council?

Is there some written regulation that bars the panel from rooting out problems?

I have searched the Town Charter for sections that apply to the panel and can find no such regulation.

What possible reason then would the panel have for ignoring the obvious violation involving Councilor Bowie and his wife? Is there some unstated agreement between the Ethics Panel and the Lisbon Council?

What is the purpose of any Ethics Panel if not to bring possible ethics violations to light. Do we have an Ethics Panel for appearance sake only.

These are all valid  questions that we must ask ourselves and attempt to answer.

It may be time for us to seek outside intervention to help with this problem. Einstein said you cant solve a problem with the same thinking that created the problem.

We need an Ethics Panel with teeth to oversee our governmental  actions. We don't need one that  protects the 1%  in charge from scrutiny and stands as a roadblock to correcting unethical behavior.

Joe Hill

LisbonMaine.net

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Comments from Local Citizens on Ethics Panel article

  Intended Purpose of the Ethics Panel

The purpose and intent of Chapter 12 of our charter is to protect the integrity of Lisbon  Government against actual or reasonably perceived conflicts of interest without creating unnecessary barriers to public service. 

I'm sure the founders of our charter never intended sec. 12-4 (d) (Referral) to be used as a roadblock to eliminating unethical behavior. Nowhere in Chapter 12 does it say the Ethics Panel can only hear referrals. By its very nature it should searching government for potential problems and advising the council on its findings.

Recently when our Ethics Panel used the charter to hide from its duties it became obvious that we have a much more serious problem than a simple conflict.We have a systemic problem. Our very system is being used to hinder the elimination of conflicts.

Hopefully this is due to ignorance of the actual intended purpose of the Ethics Panel. Possibly the members of the Panel are unaware that they have an obligation to the town to expose conflicts when ever and where ever they find them.

There comes a time in every ones life, usually in their fourth or fifth decade, when they have to decide if they will stand up and make the morally right decision regardless of the social consequences or hang their head and slink off into obscurity. I believe that time has come for Lisbon's Ethics Panel. 

I hope the panel makes the right decision.


Respectfully
Joe Hill
LisbonMaine.net

 Here are some responses sent in anonymously.

 12/02/11 12:45 PM

 "If ya lay with dogs ya get flees. The ethics panel   has become what they were made to fight."

Ken
 

12/01/11  9:09 PM

Response to Joe Hill‏ To The Editor:

Joe Hill hit the nail right on the head when he identified Lisbon as having a systemic problem.  This is a small town which means everyone knows and/or is related to everyone else.  The fact Mrs. Bowie is the wife of Councilor Bowie, will always be a problem because the town council has to vote on issues for the Police Department.  Chief Brooks will always be able to control the vote of the town council as long as Mrs. Bowie works for him.  It does not matter if the issue directly or indirectly affects Mrs. Bowie personally; she will always reap the benefits.  Look at the current police budget; it is the largest expense in the town because Chief Brooks has control of the town council.  Councilor Bowie cannot vote on his wife’s salary but can vote on any other issues before the council.  Holding Mrs. Bowie’s employment is a great motivation for Councilor Bowie to influence fellow councilors to approve anything Chief Brooks wants whether the taxpayers can afford it or not.  Why did Chief Brooks recruit Councilor Bowie to support the County Consolidating the Communication Center under Chief Brooks’ jurisdiction? 

12/01/11   11:00 AM

 To the Editor,

Well said.

The Ethical Panel was unethical. 

1) David Bowie created a conflict of interest due to his relationship  with Mike Bowie.
2) He should NOT have met privately with Bowie and Chief Brooks; any meetings and discussions and questions should have been with the entire panel present.
3) The Ethics Panel did not do their homework, investigate and get all the facts.
4) David and the panel focused on Denise's job as Administrative Assistant to the Chief of Police when he/they should have focused on the the reason for the hearing: the comm. center, whether it comes to Lisbon or not. 

The committees are tainted and biased. 

Mike Bowie should have informed and reminded committees, each and every time they met of his relationship with a member of the Lisbon Police Department and her involvement even if on a part-time basis with the 911, dispatch.

 "right or wrong, that is my opinion"

This Is The Video Obama And The Liberals In D.C. Don't Want You To See!‏

"LAND OF THE FREEBIES, HOME OF THE BRAVE"

 Let's make this short and sweet...liberal politicians and big government apologists do not want you to see the information in our new video. Government has been fostering a "cradle to the grave" entitlement society for decades and now we are at the tipping point.

In our estimation, this may be one of the most important videos we have, or perhaps, will ever make. If there is any video to forward to your family and friends...THIS IT IT!!!

 Recently, we have all heard on the news that 47% of all Americans do not pay federal income taxes. But as a nation do we really understand what that is doing to current and future generations? More and more people are becoming dependent on government and the shocking part is our very own Congress may be doing it…by design!

The information and data in this video is sure to infuriate. You may need to watch this video twice in order to fully understand the depth and scope of the problem. Also, we believe this video answers the question “How did America get to this point?” by analyzing the percentage of non-payers of federal income taxes from Ronald Reagan to the Barack Obama. One may argue that over the past few decades our elected officials have slowly and methodically enslaved this nation by engineering the electorate by making them more dependent on government.

In our estimation this video is one of the most important videos we have, or perhaps will ever, make. If there is any video to forward to your friends and family…THIS IS IT!! 
Please SHARE this video with your friends on Facebook Share

 www.governmentgonewild.org

Links to data references used in the video:
http://health.newamerica.net/blogposts/2011/number_of_the_day_41_of_births_covered_by_medicaid-54510
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d05564t.pdf
http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2011/10/05/nearly-half-of-households-receive-some-government-benefit/
http://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/snap.htm
http://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/outreach/grants.htm
http://www.oregon.gov/DHS/news/2011news/2011-0928.pdf?ga=t
http://www.taxfoundation.org/files/tw-winter2010.pdf
http://www.taxfoundation.org/news/show/25962.html
http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/UploadedPDF/412106_federal_income_tax.pdf
http://taxpolicycenter.org/numbers/displayatab.cfm?Docid=2677&DocTypeID=1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_and_territories_by_population

Give the 2012 Moxie Festival a theme‏

 

Catch the Spirit of Moxie and enter the 2012 Festival theme contest.

30^th Anniversary Year!

Give the 2012 Moxie Festival a theme

December 1, 2011.  The Moxie Festival Committee is pleased to announce the opening of the 2012 Moxie Festival theme contest.  The Moxie Festival, held in Lisbon Falls on July 13-15, will celebrate its 30^th year in 2012. 

Entries can be emailed to debwagner@gwi.net or mailed to Debra Wagner, Moxie Festival Committee, 23 Center Street, Lisbon Falls, ME  04252 until January 31, 2012.  Theme entries become the property of the Moxie Festival Committee.

Win a deluxe Moxie-filled basket as well as an invitation to join the VIPs on Saturday, July 14 at the 2012 Moxie Parade review stand. 

Past Festival themes include:  Moxie, It’s Maine in a Bottle (2011); Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Moxie; Moxie – Maine-ia; Shaping Up With Moxie; Medieval Moxie; Groovin’ With Moxie –The Bittersweet 70’s; Moxie & ME ‘The Way Life Should Be’; Moxie Gras; Moxie On Broadway; Moxie Goes Silver-25th Anniversary; Make Moxie Mine In 2009

According to Lisbon Public Safety Officials, over 50,000 people attend the three-day Moxie Festival.  The Town of Lisbon has approximately 9,300 residents.

Since 1982, The Moxie Festival in Lisbon, Maine has been held on the second weekend in July.  The Festival now includes a three day Pow Wow; Friday night fireworks; a Saturday parade, Family Fun Fair, and 5K race; and on Sunday, the Chief Worumbo Androscoggin River Race.  Moxie was designated Maine’s official soft drink on May 20, 2005.

Keep checking the Moxie Festival website:  www.MoxieFestival.com for the latest information.

Kitty Korner Under New Management

COME ONE COME ALL

KITTY KORNER IS UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT

WELCOME THE BISSON FAMILY

TO LISBON

NEW KITTY KORNER’S HOURS

7:30 AM – 8:00 PM
 (207) 353-4104

 

Lisbon HS Project UNIFY Project‏

Students from Lisbon High School
Prepare for Inclusive Schools Week Dec. 5-9, 2011

Members of the Lisbon High School Project UNIFY prepare for the district-wide project of the Inclusive Schools Week at Lisbon High School.  Pictured (l-r) Sarah Craig, Olivia Bulgin, Haley Donovan, Al Collins, Richie Thuotte, & Carlos Laurelez preparing for Inclusive Schools Week at Lisbon High School.

Lisbon - Project UNIFY students have been busy preparing for Inclusive Schools Week at Lisbon High School.  Posters have been made and activities are planned for the entire student body. National Inclusive Schools Week celebrates including students with disabilities in our nation's schools and learning communities.  Our school knows that each of our students is unique, special and one of a kind.  Lisbon High School tries to make sure that every student in our school feels welcome and is learning. The public is invited to join us next week when our school learns about a variety of disabilities, what inclusion is all about and join together to celebrate our school in accepting everyone.

Lisbon Maine's Ethics Panel

Intended Purpose of the Ethics Panel

The purpose and intent of Chapter 12 of our charter is to protect the integrity of Lisbon  Government against actual or reasonably perceived conflicts of interest without creating unnecessary barriers to public service. 

I'm sure the founders of our charter never intended sec. 12-4 (d) (Referral) to be used as a roadblock to eliminating unethical behavior. Nowhere in Chapter 12 does it say the Ethics Panel can only hear referrals. By its very nature it should be searching government for potential problems and advising the council on its findings.

Recently when our Ethics Panel used the charter to hide from its duties it became obvious that we have a much more serious problem than a simple conflict.We have a systemic problem. Our very system is being used to hinder the elimination of conflicts.

Hopefully this is due to ignorance of the actual intended purpose of the Ethics Panel. Possibly the members of the Panel are unaware that they have an obligation to the town to expose conflicts when ever and where ever they find them.

There comes a time in everyone's life, usually in their fourth or fifth decade, when they have to decide if they will stand up and make the morally right decision regardless of the social consequences or hang their head and slink off into obscurity. I believe that time has come for Lisbon's Ethics Panel. 

I hope the panel makes the right decision.


Respectfully
Joe Hill
LisbonMaine.net

Free Kantele Christmas Concert

A’chording to Kantele.  Back row, left to right:  Lorraine Piirainen (West Paris), Lin Gordon (Freeport), Chris Frazier (Lisbon Falls), Deborah Crump (West Paris), Barbara Honkala (Bethel), Sally Riman (Harrison).  Front row:  Janet Gardner (Otisfield), Martha Wilson (Lovell), Kathy Cummings (South Paris), Irene Rochwarg (Yarmouth)

A’chording to Kantele to perform a free Christmas concert on Sat., Dec. 10 at St. Matthew’s, Lisbon

November 30, 2011.  Step out of your Christmas music box this holiday season and bring the family to hear the hauntingly beautiful sound of the Finnish Lap harp.  The ten-member A’chording to Kantele will perform a Christmas concert on Saturday, December 10 at 6 pm at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church on the Hill off Route 196 in Lisbon. 

This free concert includes complementary coffee and desserts.

“St. Matthew’s is offering Mid-Coast Maine an opportunity to celebrate Christ’s birth with Finnish and traditional carols,” said the Rev. W. Beau Wagner, Rector.

The kantele is a traditional Finnish lap-harp with a 2000-year history rooted in the folklore of the “Kalevala,” the national epic of Finland.  Finns consider it an important symbol of their culture and it is played in their schools, universities and concert halls.

The audience will hear six different types of kanteles:  10, 11, 15 stringed ones along with 11 +4 strings, 15 + 4 strings, and 38 string concert kanteles. 

To Chris Frazier, Lisbon Falls resident, 5^th grade teacher and one of the founding members of the group, the kantele’s sound is “just a wonder.” She first heard its sound 11 years ago when a fellow teacher played at a staff meeting and then offered to teach the instrument to anyone who wanted to learn.

“The sound was unlike anything I'd ever heard. It seemed to move right into me.  I was totally captivated,” said Chris who instantly signed up for lessons.

When Chris first played her large 36-string kantele the day it arrived from Finland, her fingers hurt “so-o-o badly. But I was determined to get the beautiful sounds out of that instrument that I knew were in there,” she said.  “I simply could not get past that kantele on the dining room table without stopping to try it again. It was as though something in me needed to reach in and coax it out. Now I play a concert kantele and can feel its enchantment as strongly as the first day I heard its sound.”

The group began in November 2000 when a group of 30 people met in the basement of a local Lutheran Church to learn how to play Ode to Joy on the kantele.  The kantele players became a performing group known as The Maine Kanteles.  A'chording to Kantele is part of The Maine Kanteles.

Their sacred music includes such familiar tunes as Amazing Grace and Simple Gifts.  However, they also perform Finnish pieces such as Konevitsankirkonkellot which means churchbells of the Konevitsa monastery (an Eastern Orthodox church).

St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, founded in 1906, brings together contemporary worship with ancient ritual, Bible-based preaching, expressions of the Holy Spirit, and loving service to others.

Americans could be stripped of their rights and sent to Guantanamo Bay‏

Lisbon,
 
Not only did the Senate pass a bill allowing for the indefinite
detention of Americans, violating every tenet of a 'free' society
and denying Americans their constitutionally protected right to due
process...
 
The Senate REFUSED to pass an amendment to that bill which would
have prevented the indefinite detention of American citizens.
 
And more, some members Congress have come out and said the the
language of the bill was written to be DELIBERATELY DECEPTIVE to
the American people to allow for the denial of their due process...

 Americans could be stripped of their rights
and sent to Guantanamo Bay

 

Indefinite detention for Americans

Appearing on Napolitano’s Fox Business show, Paul said it perplexed him “how anyone could vote to send an American citizen who’s been accused of a crime to a detention center in a foreign land without due process”.

Paul has offered an amendment to the NDAA bill that would completely strip Section 1031 from the legislation, although it’s unlikely to pass following yesterday’s rejection of Senator Mark Udall’s weaker amendment that would have merely provided more oversight.

The Senator said that he had spoken with other Republicans who had pointed out the numerous instances where the Constitution specifically mentions the right to a speedy trial, habeas corpus and legal due process, all of which would be completely eviscerated with the passage of the ‘indefinite detention’ provision of the National Defense Authorization Act.

Republican supporters of the bill are citing Supreme Court cases to justify the provision that don’t even validate their argument. As Napolitano pointed out, even a saboteur for the Nazis during World War II was allowed to have a trial because he was an American citizen and had innate rights that could not be stripped away.

Napolitano also makes the point that this is merely an act of codifying into law what previous Presidents violated the Constitution to do anyway, specifically under the “parallel legal system” initiated under the Bush administration, “In which terrorism suspects — U.S. citizens and noncitizens alike — may be investigated, jailed, interrogated, tried and punished without legal protections guaranteed by the ordinary system,” as the Washington Post reported in December 2002.

read more: http://www.infowars.com/rand-paul-americans-could-be-sent-to-gitmo-under-indefinite-detention-bill/

ICYMI: Cato Institute, FOX News Analyst Highlights Government Gone Wild Video

Bureaucrats Gone Wild

Daniel J. Mitchell of the Cato Institute weighed in today on Government Gone Wild’s most recent video, calling it one of the best videos on bureaucratic spending—in fact, second only to his own video.
“This is the second-best video I’ve ever seen on the bloated and overpaid government workforce,” notes Mitchell, a Senior Fellow at Cato Institute, Washington’s premier free-market think tank. “I especially like how he understands that the problem is the size of government and I also admire his recognition that Republicans often are just as bad as Democrats.”
Florida-based Government Gone Wild, a non-partisan movement aimed at educating citizens about the national debt and out-of-control government spending, produced the video, entitled “Special Interests…Exposed!”  Government Gone Wild has exploded onto the grassroots Conservative scene, garnering millions of hits online and a recent feature on the Drudge Report.
“This video highlights an alarming trend: the era of enormous government and entrenched government workers,” explained Blaise Ingoglia, founder of Government Gone Wild.  “The numbers speak for themselves, and here is a perfect example: As Americans have struggled to pay the bills under the current recession, the Transportation Department has gone from one employee making over $170,000 a year to 1,690 employees making that amount. Why do we need that many astronomical bureaucratic salaries?”

Other highlights of the video include:

·         The Department of Defense had 1,868employees making over $150,000 a year when the recession started. Today, that number is 10,100 employees.
·         Since this recession started, the number of federal employees making more than $100,000 a year has doubled...in less than two years.
·         The average total compensation for a private sector employee in 2009 was $61,000.00, compared with $123,000.00 for a federal employee.
·         With approximately 21,300,000 government employees in this country, that means that about 16% of this nation’s voting electorate works for government.

“If you count spouses or other family members, that means at least32%of the voting electorate will be likely to come out and vote against candidates who propose cutting government spending,” concluded Ingoglia. “That is a big block of people—and the hidden danger of big government.”

Sincerely,

Blaise Ingoglia, Founder
Government Gone Wild!

Bureaucrats Gone Wild