HOW DO WE MOVE LISBON FORWARD?

How much chance do we have of moving Lisbon forward when the town is being manipulated by Chief David T. Brooks?  Chief Brooks stood up before the Town Council and misspoke or provided misinformation.  If you doubt this, review the Town Council meeting posted on the town web site.

Chief Brooks has been involved with this project for several months now.  He has been working closely with Sheriff Samson since the beginning.  This is yet another item where Chief Brooks misspoke.  From the very first, Chief Brooks has been trying to sabotage the project because he did not want to lose half of his command.

During his presentation, Chief Brooks stated that the members of the Androscoggin County Dispatch came to Lisbon to review how the Lisbon Communication Center was setup.  According to Chief Brooks, they mirrored the hardware and software.  So why would it be so hard to consolidate the hardware and software?  Another factor is that record management could not be compatible and yet they are the same software?  Chief Brooks went on and on about how this project could not be good for the community and yet Lisbon Communication Center and Androscoggin County Dispatch have identical hardware and software.  I did not say this; Chief Brooks did!!!!

There is a common sense test that can answer the reality of this situation.

Which situation provides the fastest and most efficiency method of dispatching?

A.      Emergency Calls (911) come to Androscoggin County Dispatch (PSAP) and Androscoggin County Dispatch dispatch the Lisbon’s First Responders.

B.      Emergency Calls (911) come to Androscoggin County Dispatch (PSAP) and Androscoggin County Dispatch relay the information to the Lisbon Communication Center to dispatch Lisbon’s First Responders.

As anyone can see, Option A is the fastest and most efficient method of dispatching.  Chairman Pesce and Councilor Garrison estimated that the cost saving to the taxpayers would be approximately $190,000 tax dollars for the town.  The Town Manager estimated a saving to taxpayers to be approximately $164,000 plus.  These figures are based on the numbers provided by the County.  Speeding up how fast First Responder get to an emergency can only save lives and this is also a good thing for Lisbon Residents.  This is a win, win situation for the town.

Chief Brooks has misspoke or provided misinformation for the sole purpose of stopping this project.  The Town Council voted to stop this project.  That certainly exposed who the Town Council takes their guidance from.  The Town Manager is working very hard for the taxpayers and Chief Brooks and the Town Council stabled her and the community in the back.  It is time Chief Brooks and Chairman Pesce go; so the community can move forward.

Here is a project that will save lives and reduce taxes and Chief Brooks and the Town Council killed it.  $190,000 is more than 1/3 of a mil rate; why is this not a good thing?

Larry Fillmore