If you hit the link above (the blog title), you'll see an article from the Mukwonago Chief regarding the fire department. The article is OK, but the comments are infuriating to me. Below is my response.
Ironically, today is my brother Johnny’s birthday. He would have been 45 today. When he was 37 yrs old he died in a house fire because of slow/unconcerned response from his local fire department. The danger of a lack of a cohesive and responsive department is real. Our department has been gutted. I’m confident that with new leadership it’ll rebuild, but right now we’re in a shambles. Anyway, in response to the comments after the article, I had this to say:
In response to criticisms of me and others in the above comments, I must say that the commenter has completed ignored any points that I have made in the past. I have simply stated that I disagree with splitting the joint fire department because it will 1) harm our community by creating a divide when we should be finding ways to work together, and 2) it’s going to cost us a TON of money. These opinions are well documented on my blog: afterthewakeup.blogspot.com
I told you so….
1) If you can’t see the harm that has been caused by the rift in our community, then you are not paying attention. Since this is a matter of opinion and the town board and some others just doesn’t care, then I’ll leave this issue alone.
2) On the matter of money, this HAS cost us LOTS of money. The easiest way to see this is that in order to not raise our taxes, the town board has dipped into our cash reserves to the tune of about $190,000 which will result in cash reserves much less than is recommended for a community our size. If you want to get into more detailed analysis, look at this: It was estimated that the joint department had a value (equity) of about $2.4million. Roughly 85% of that should belong to us in the town, or about $2million of it. In the dissolution of the department we received about $1million in equipment and about $500,000 in cash from Big Bend. So we LOST $500,000 in equity! ($2m - $1m - $0.5m = $0.5m) This is simple math. Never mind the $70,000 +/- in legal and consulting fees we’ve spent.
Please don’t let the facts get in the way of your comments though. Continue to attack anyone that doesn’t agree with the board or who might bring up valid reasons why we shouldn’t be going down this road.
Oh, almost forgot, on the matter of the $150,000 the fire board has been “sitting on,” the commenter has once again not let the truth get in the way of the comments. Most of that $150,000 is money that is invested in interest bearing accounts and came from donations from citizens for specific purposes. You know, someone died and left $30,000 to the department for, say, a training tower. Should we just now grab this money to spend against their wishes? Legally we CAN; but rightfully we CANNOT. If someone in my family left money to the department for a specific purpose and it was grabbed by the town board to cover the cost of this fiasco, I would have a real problem with that.
But once again, let’s not let facts and what is right get in the way of what we want.
I’m really tired of this BS! We have about six or eight fools destroying our community.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
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Mike,
ReplyDeleteThey are so willing to name everyone else, let's name the people who are unwilling to be named that are involved in all of this and continue to spread their garbage throughout the community. To the people who read this blog and others contact these people and ask why.
1. Supervisor Bill Craig
2. Supervisor Tom Bird
3. Supervisor Kurt Barikmo
4. Former Supervisor Joe Reilly
5. Former Village Trustee Dave Craig
6. Fire Commission President Terri Long
7. Former Fire Board Member Ellen Cole
8. Fire Board Member John Maney
9. Fire Board Member Sue Fischer
These are the people who have been destroying the Fire Department. Their extreme attitudes and views have gotten us where we are today.
I sure hope you take out papers on December 1, 2010. We need you Mike to run for Office. You have common sense.
If you look at this whole situation. The Town Board back in 2009 made big issue with the fact that the Village President in Big Bend had a meeting with Mukwonago Leaders and Chairman Michalek about consolidating fire services and saving us tax payers money. That was and still is the best thing for communities to do and the Village President had the right idea to save money.
The Vernon Town Board and all the above people need to be remined that the tax money is not theirs. It belongs to the people and not these people who spend it like they own it....
And no matter what Tom Bird wants to think.. His "Bidding Strategy" was his attempt at committing "Bidding FRAUD".... Which in my opinion is misconduct in public office...
I sure hope all of you who said you were going to run do... You are the hope... You are the future. And I thank you for all you have done.....
Please add a few more names to your list who think they are doing "community service":
ReplyDelete1. Fire Board President Ed Moline who just happens to live between Joe Reilly and the infamous Vernon Supervisor Bird.
2. Fire Board member Tom Tomasik who is another cronie of the current Vernon Town Board members.
3. Fire Board member Dr. Sean Halpin who just happens to have a chiropractic office by the Vernon Citzen's Bank and lives by Joe Reilly, Ed Moline and Tom Bird.
Please ask these people why they continue to associate themselves with the current Vernon Town Board members. Please ask them why they are not listening to the will of over 1,000 people who voted to keep this present Fire Department together. Please ask yourself, why do they keep putting all their friends and cronies on all their committees????
The current Vernon Town Board members will be gone in April - I'm sure these people listed above will feel like fools when that happens.
Mike,
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about your loss. I know understand that it is painful for you to watch these self servers do their non service(s).
I thought you were just a community minded tax conscious good citizen. But it's clear that you also have 1st hand knowledge of how thing's can go bad without proper planning.
We should all say a prayer for blessing's of safety until this gets straightened out.
Someone said "It like watching a car crash in slow motion" and that seems to cover it.
I thought That Reilly Bird and Michalek were a group of anti-business anti-motorcycle and anti-fireworks paranoid and dishonest no goods. But now I see that we need to ad Craig to the list and some additional titles like anti-Big Bend = anti-neighbor and worst of all anti-safety.
The good news is April is right around the corner.
Did anyone notice that the editorial by Jerome Washicheck from Big Bend in the Mukwonago Chief this week is the same as the Blog that has been put on the JS online site by Teri Long and others.
ReplyDeleteI was told that Mr. Washicheck was put up by someone from the Town of Vernon. More than likely, John Maney, Bill Craig or Tom Bird. These people have no class and are a bunch of sneeky snakes. All I can say to all the people who are going to run this year, WATCH YOUR BACKS...
Nomination papers can be taken out starting Wednesday... Good Luck!!!
I spoke to Jerome Washicheck a.k.a. Red about his opinion piece. Did he right it? No. It was given to him by an unnamed Vernon "resident". This is typical of the gutless, behind the curtain individuals that presently run the Town of Vernon! Anonymous letters stuffed in mail boxes, anonymous attacks made online. Digging for dirt on CCAP. Calling employers and the County D.A. to get people in
ReplyDeletetrouble for using work computers to send out E-mails. Placing video taken at Town Board meetings on You Tube, anonymously of course. Calling a colossal screw up first a clerical error then a “Bidding Strategy”.
Now they use Red, who I consider a friend of mine, to put their Gospel of half truths about Big Bend into the Chief. I don't blame people for being afraid to speak out against these vindictive S.O.B.s! They will stop at absolutely nothing to advance their misguided agenda!!
Does anyone know who Jill21 is on jsonline? I can't wait until April. I am very scared for next years fire coverage. Yes I saw the letter and it looked like the same old record from the axis of evil.
ReplyDeleteBig Bend Village Board Meeting 12-2-10
ReplyDeletePresident Soneberg and the Village Trustee's have pledged to leave all politic's aside and give mutual aid to any rescue and or fire calls from the Town of Vernon
Has Joe Reilly's train left the track? Yes, I think it has. He wants Rodell Singert censured for conduct unbecoming an elected official. Seriously he might have a point. In Joe Reilly's world elected officials have to be condescending, arrogant S.O.B.s who ignore the people that they represent. I think Joe should not be allowed to attend a Town Board meetings because of conduct unbecoming a human being. Joe face it, you got your tail kicked by someone who you say isn't fully informed. That should tell you something. In my opinion Mr. Singert keeping a line of communication with the Village of Big Bend is exactly what an elected official SHOULD be doing. Keep your head up Mr. Singert, April isn't to far off!
ReplyDeleteIt isn't a requirement by law to have citizens comments so will Farmer Fred grow a spine and shut that crazy Irishman down?
ReplyDeleteI beleive the way "The irishman" is behaving at the Board meetings, he should be escorted out of the Twon Boaed meetings by a Sheriff . I know we often had a County Sheriff attend the Board meetings. I haven't seen any of them at the meetings lately. You know he would not stand for it if someone was treating him, as he and the board is treating,Mr. Singert.
ReplyDeleteMaybe there should be one there at the next Board meeting.
Business owners in the Town of Vernon should be aware that there is a joint meeting between the Town Board and Planning Commission regarding a zoning ordinance. Here is a link;
ReplyDeletehttp://www.townofvernon.org/Plan%20commission/120810%20TB-PC.pdf
You may need to copy and paste.
I am not sure if this is the chapter 144 revisions that have been in the works for the last 2 years or not.
Business owners should be aware of this, it may not be good.
Also can someone tell Reilly to go away and stay away? Whats up with that nut?
Freds Legacy Ignore town of vernons residents, alienate businesses in the community, throw away a 50 year old partnership with Big Bend. Change is coming, Rodell hang in there!
ReplyDeleteCan I as a citizen write up an agenda request that puts the Irishman on the agenda? Requesting that he not be able to participate in town meetings? Honestly there has to be something that we can do to stop this man. This is ridiculous. He is wasting time and attacking a supervisor that doesn't agree with him. Hopefully Chairman Mihalek will not put this on the adgenda.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations...Vernon residents we are now the proud owners of a brand new $425,000.000 dollar fire engine. Add in another $100,000.00 or so to equip that unit and we're all set. So when Craig said it would only cost $10,000.00 to split up the Dept. he must have forgot to add in a couple of zeros. Must have been one of those pesky clerical errors again!
ReplyDeleteWell there you have it, with the right consultants, people that know when not to listen to their consultants, a perfect bidding strategy and a half a million dollars and you have 5 people that got their way, four of which are on the board the other was in the past. These guys are rapist, they wanted something the town said no again and again.
ReplyDelete