To put you completely
in the proper mindset for the following opinion piece, I would like you all to watch
(control/click) the following very short (30 second) “YouTube” video of
comedian and political satirist Lewis Black.
When you read this Newsletter, please put his tone and passion in my
words to get its true feeling.
(Warning:
This video contains adult mature language, and may be offensive to some
individuals. Lewis Black and censorship
just don’t work as well!)
Back to local
politics! I try to stay abreast of
issues involving my hometown, Middletown.
I was born, raised, schooled, worked, and lived in this town for my
entire life. I’ve been around local
politics most of my life - worked for several mayoral and Common Council
candidates and their campaigns over the last 45 years. So I know the nature of the beast. Most of the politicians who have been elected
Mayors of Middletown had the best interest of our town at heart. Only one (1) Mayor has put himself ahead of
this town and the people who live here, and that is current Mayor Daniel Drew.
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| Graphic by Middletown Insider, from our files back when Mayor Drew took $800,000 from the pension fund & Councilmembers including Hope Kasper objected. We thought it fitting for this blog piece. |
How Drew publically
portrays himself is not the same as “behind closed door Dan”. The real Dan Drew wants to be a career politician. He is mean spirited, vindictive, and
arrogant! I have seen it myself when I
worked for the City as a manager and a Union representative. He is so vindictive, that town employees and
some local politicians in his own Party are scared to have their own opinion
(not Hope Kasper). If they don’t march
to his drum, they will be privately attacked, threatened and worse! Ask Hope Kasper!
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| Little Dan Dan & Big Dannel. Don't blame Mr. Milardo for these tasteless graphics. All Middletown Insider stock photos! |
(My voice is getting
louder now) Mayor Drew announces to
anyone who will listen that he has made Middletown better! (Yelling now!) He hasn’t done squat other than raise taxes, screw
up City departments, go to school to further his own education on the taxpayers’
dime, and start a new State wide group called “CT Conference of Democratic Mayors”,
which of course he is the chairman of (again taxpayer’s dime?).
Dan Drew can
proclaim all that he has done for Middletown, but the financial ledger doesn’t
lie! There is no increase of
productivity, efficiency or savings to the taxpayers! Why are employees who work in City
departments posting comments that facilities in town have never looked
so bad!? Yet, he will state on local
television they look better than ever! Where
is the information from the Finance Department to prove there was a savings
when City departments where consolidated?
Where is the financial report from the Finance Department which proves
the wonderful street light purchase saves the taxpayer the money he said it
would? It’s a scam Dan perpetuates so he
can brainwash the public to believe if it were not for him, Middletown would be
another Detroit!
(no disrespect to Detroit)
(no disrespect to Detroit)
Look! A guy (Dan Drew) with a “stone face” can try
to make sense of a program called
“I Did Your Mother”, (taxpayer funded) on national television, will attempt to try and sell you anything! You don’t believe me? Watch this video from the “Bill O’Reilly Show” featuring Dan Drew’s commentary.
“I Did Your Mother”, (taxpayer funded) on national television, will attempt to try and sell you anything! You don’t believe me? Watch this video from the “Bill O’Reilly Show” featuring Dan Drew’s commentary.
Next subject! Why are there still managerial vacancies in
the Recreation Department, Public Works Department, and the Information &
Technology (IT) Department?
For the past three (3)
years, the Recreation Department has a long tenured female as the “acting
director”. Mayor Drew refuses to appoint
her permanently! Why? Don’t completely know why, but it could be
that she has no connection to Hartford. Or,
maybe he just doesn’t like her? Oh, by
the way – she is qualified. I’m not the
one saying she is qualified, the City’s Human Resource Department declared her
qualified.
The Deputy Director
of Public Works retired several months ago, but the vacancy still exists. The Mayor doesn’t feel it is even necessary
to appoint an “acting” person to fill the void.
Why? You’ll have to ask Dan. There is a qualified employee within the City
who has applied for the position. Why no
appointment yet? This is an important
position for this department as it requires an engineering degree, which is not
a requirement for the Director of the department. Someone must be able to recognize if road
work, drainage work, parks and facility work is being performed by contractors
per engineering and/or architectural design specifications.
Then there is the IT
Department. Dan places an internal
department employee in the “acting” capacity as Director for over a year now, without
appointing him and backfilling his position.
Everyone knows in today’s work environment, you cannot do without a
properly staffed and operating IT Department.
Why no appointment? Once again –
ask Dan!
Mayor Dan has supported
and acknowledged these personnel are qualified for the position as he appoints
them into these “acting” positions. You
would not place a person in the “acting” position if he/she is not qualified to
do so, per Personnel Rules. You can read
the United Public Service Employees Union (UPSEU) contract language below, (previously
The Teamsters Union).
Furthermore, if
someone in UPSEU (all three (3) of these jobs) is qualified for the vacant
position, once the positions are posted for testing, the clock starts
ticking. Mayor Dan Drew must
appoint said person to the vacancy in a permanent capacity.
The UPSEU/Teamster contract language is as follows:
ARTICLE XXIV
VACANCY POSTINGS
Before filling any vacancy or newly created position
in the bargaining unit, the City shall conduct a combined departmental/Citywide
posting of the said position for a period often (10) working days and shall
send a copy of such posting to the Union. Qualification examinations for
internal bargaining unit applicants for the position shall be administered
within fifteen (15) days after the closing date of the posting unless unusual
circumstances, including but not limited to acts of God, budget or financial
circumstances or sickness prevent otherwise. The said position will be filled
within fifteen (15) days thereafter provided the applicant(s) has(ve) met all
of the necessary qualifications for the said position. If there are no qualified members
of the bargaining unit for the said position, the City shall post the position as open-competitive.
of the bargaining unit for the said position, the City shall post the position as open-competitive.
The shaded area means
“qualified members” are hired before anyone else. This
language was agreed upon during the last labor contract negotiations which
Mayor Daniel T. Drew was involved in, as was I as a Union Representative. In the past, Mayor Drew has adhered to this
language. I’m not sure what has changed?
My theory for Drew
not making appointments is so he can claim he has reduced the workforce, when
in reality it is to keep positions vacant to show an insignificant financial
reduction. This is a detriment to the operation of these departments, but also
for the taxpayer because of the trickle down affect regarding the City’s
response and actions to citizen issues.
SO! BETWEEN DAN DREW
COSTING THE CITY TAXPAYERS MONEY WITH HIS FAILED DEPARTMENT REORGANIZATION, THE
PURCHASE OF STREET LIGHTS, THREE (3) OUT OF FOUR (4) YEAR OF TAX HIKES UNDER
HIS REGIME, THE LAWSUIT SETTLEMENTS HE DOESN’T WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE OR DISCLOSE,
AND HIS REFUSAL TO MAKE APPOINTMENTS IN KEY DEPARTMENT POSITIONS; IT JUST
PROVES THAT HE IS NOT A VERY GOOD MAYOR/MANAGER! (By the way, I was just screaming!)
Stewart offered a soliloquy on what was his central job as host — finding doubletalk in the public arena and exposing it for the world to see, although he used a stronger term for it. He urged viewers to be vigilant in watching for it themselves.
“If you smell something, say something,” he said.
Middletown voters need to “say something” on Election Day and say goodbye to Dan Drew!
Stay strong. Stay involved. Stay together. Seek the truth.
DISCLAIMER: The opinions and views expressed in this
newsletter reflect the opinion and view of the author, and should not be
construed as fact or advice. The author
is a life long Middletown resident and taxpayer, and is sharing his opinions as
such. The opinions and commentary do not
reflect the views of any political party, organization, or citizen group. This newsletter reflects opinions and
commentary which the author wishes to share with his friends.
