Here’s The Scoop…#1…Commission Meeting 10/14/08…What Is He So Afraid Of?…
October 15, 2008 by Barbara
WOW….. HE WAS FLAILING…FIGHTING…AND DEFLECTING….
Tonight was really the night McIntee went all out to show how scared he is…but of what?..
It’s got to be hard to keep all those balls up in the air……juggling to keep them from dropping….THUD!….
Asking substantive questions of VFD Fire Chief Perkins…was certainly not antagonistic unless you are concerned he might not provide his answers…the McIntee way….HMMM…..
With the resignations of two highly qualified members…and the questionable circumstance for their departures……it is the duty of those on the dais to get to the bottom of it…….
Several of Chief Perkin’s responses…gave reason to explore further ….when asked about who is training the VFD for beach patrol duty…he responded he is…that he has 25 years experience …on ATVs and had 17 men fully trained…he represented that when “the fire department is called they are allowed to go in the water”…following up later with the fact that he has no lifeguard experience…”was not planning to get any.”..and his credentials for being the trainer came from “several lessons from Scot”….
He responded to questions on the resignations of Chief Pointu and Scot Fowler…in a manner that may or may not jive with what many have heard behind the scenes in “glossed over” terms……saying the Battalion Chief left for “personal reasons”..and Fowler “just couldn’t do it anymore”…and gave no reason…later responding to the Vice Mayor that Fowler “would be happy to return”… don’t bet on it…we are told…
The Vice Mayor was wearing 2 hats big time tonight…even when he was called on it…by the Mayor and Comm. Dodd….his “they can’t touch me” bravado just could not be contained …is the ethics committee going to receive a copy of tonight’s performance?…
He spent the evening throwing out “jabs” at his fellow commissioners…calling them antagonists…telling Dodd to not point his finger at him…playing investigator…the 3rd “hat”…and leading the “witnesses” …the VFD…the Beach Patrol…the Commissioner and the Mayor…AMR….all in order to deflect from the real reason…the “elephant in the room”…of why so many are calling for an oversight committee…HIM…and the behavior he displayed for all to see this very evening!….
Many think he must be running the show…he must be the de-facto Chief…Official Trainer…and everything in-between…giving credence to all those not still contained in his ever shrinking inner group when they say…”here we go again.”..or “How could we have been so blind”…(the latter includes this writer.)…one resident in the hall tonight commented he had not been there in 8 months…it hasn’t changed…and who keeps electing this guy?…speaking of the Vice Mayor…YIKES!…
No one is concerned about AMR…McIntee knows that…so “pulling” them into the mix…makes the questioner pause…and gives him a shot a delaying the inevitable…a look inside the inner workings of the new VFD…by anyone not easily bullied…set up or threatened…with a “glossed over” story to keep any possible dirt under wraps…
McIntee attempted to push the buttons of Comm. Dodd…for not bringing this up at the contract…no reason at that time…. because at the time of the contract…no one knew that resignations had taken place in such numbers…and the chain of command might not be what it was represented to be…by him….and those not wanting to feel his wrath…
For the Manager to be surprised by the questioning…to state such questions put the department heads on the spot…were out of line….made it clear that an independent oversight committee should be in place…and not solely left to her…
Chief Perkins started out well in giving the Mayor an update about the transition…saying the “first week… tested to our limits”….”nine calls…like this fire department has never been tested ….excellent…perfect”…
When asked by Comm. Dodd about the fire trucks following AMR…he replied they would continue doing it for 30 days….then added…a caveat…that they will probably drop it …if voted on by the members….later “lead” by the Vice Mayor he said that following the ambulances provided training for the VFD and helped them learn the streets…
It was brought to light they have gone on 44 calls in 14 days…unfortunately it was not asked by the Commission if they received the $25 per call rate …for following a 911 medical emergency call for all VFD on the trucks…and what that amount was…with how many responding…which continuing at this pace….could rack up the VFD costs…
Later when the Oversight Committee was addressed again…he was still acting like someone that feared it could pass…with the knowledge that Clottey…Dodd..and the Mayor…were on board…..he attacked the Mayor…saying she was against the VFD…voting against them 7 times…and ” hesitating 56 seconds” before she voted for them 2 weeks ago….he hurled “mud” at her by way of bringing up $3000 dollars in BSO union campaign donations…and he required assurances that “no member of this committee could have any connections to those unions”…
He turned his attention to Dodd…prefacing it by saying he did not bring this up before…running for election…he then went back to AMR..brought Lt. Liddle forward….lumping his department in with the VFD….leading Liddle to recount a beach rescue by AMR ….taking up time…deflect…deflect…deflect…
Like Al Jolson…doing “Mammy”…..he then went into his finale….
The Vice Mayor….announced he had put on his VFD hat…looked up into the camera for the audience at home…and said…..”the VFD foundation…of this town….”going after the VFD”….”WOE IS YOU”…..
Back for an encore….McIntee went on the warpath aiming at this writer…saying my name…( so much for the rules)…..calling me a “Liar”… accusing me of “harassing the VFD”…saying they did not need to respond to my request for public information…
Unfortunately…for him….when he “CUT TO THE CHASE”……”opened Pandora’s Box”….. …..insisting the above actions would be the appropriate reason for the VFD not respond to public information requests……….it was torpedoed by the Town Attorney…. causing his detractors to laugh out loud…OOPS!…
For the record…I did not lie…or harass the VFD…deflect…deflect…deflect….
Below is a copy of my correspondence to VFD Fire Chief Perkins….not McIntee…who I assumed was a member at large…therefor not privy to my request…HMMM…
My first request…and response info…posted under the VFD category…
the second response from Chief Perkins…request to Chief Perkins……
Hi Barbara
As soon as I can get all the answers I will e mail the answers,sorry for the delay
Chief Perkins
From: Barbara Cole [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Friday, September 19, 2008 10:23 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: 2nd Request
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Chief Perkins;
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Since this email I have inquired about a response from Chief Perkins two time after seeing him in person…he replied politely both times it was coming..he was busy and I responded thank you…
Is this time period in-line with the Town Attorney when responding to the the question of required response time…..seems not to be….especially with the acknowledgment earlier the Chief gave the Commission…that an Administrator was in place taking over Chief Pointu’s duties…
A Final Note:…after the meeting…I approached Chief Perkins and asked if I would no longer be receiving the request due to the Vice Mayor’s outburst…he was polite and replied he had to check with the Town Attorney because some of what I requested was not public information…I responded I would appreciate receiving what was public information……he assured me I would…
We shall see….
BCbythesea…it is abundantly clear…an Oversight Committee must be put in place…for no one would would fight … flail…and deflect so hard…if there was nothing there…in my humble opinion….
more to come….
