#1 2011-02-01 23:33:53
Election 2011 draws nigh, and methinks it is time for a refresher course in the shenanigans and chicanery of the Hypocrite Elite over the past few years, so that voters will be sure not to vote for anyone who supported the old guard.
In no particular order, a list of the Hypocrite Elite's Greatest Blunders:
1) Multiple open meeting law violations - including 14 while hiring the latest TA.
2) Someone say TA? Oh that's right, the prior BOS hired and fired so many of them that the MASS DOR stated that throwing too many TA's under the bus was a main cause of Wareham's financial woes.
3) Spent thousands of tax dollars on a witch hunt to find out who's blogging on this website. (Estimates range between $60,000 - $100,000. We were told this audit would reveal unspeakable tales of online shopping, online gambling, pornography, and all kinds of vile power elite schemes. In the end, it revealed a few naughty photos. Passing out a memo to all employees saying "Don't look at naughty photos at work" would have been cheaper and just as effective.
4) Fired the town planner. Let the town languish without one for several years. Finally hired one - but hired only "half a planner" - sharing the town planner with Rochester. Predictably, that isn't working out as the Wareham Courier recently reported that he told Rochester he'd like to come to work for Rochester full time. As the East Wareham business continues to dry up, it's hard not to think about how it would have been nice to have a town planner all of this time.
5) Chased out two CEDA Directors. The recent CEDA Director was liked and respected by both sides of the political aisle, but was chased out due to negativity and backseat driving. It's been over 6 months at least and no replacement has been hired. As the East Wareham business scene continues to dry up...oh, you know the rest.
6) Made it their mission in life to do everything they can to destroy the Wareham Free Library - heaping a neverending stream of lies and abuse on it and those who have supported it.
7) Pretty much worked their way through their "hit list" - either fired, chased out, or drove out every town department head. Left important town positions sit vacant for years, the duties of those positions either not being carried out or assigned to a neverending stream of "actings" and "interims." Turned out to be so hard to work with that they have managed to drive out many of the replacements too.
8) Decimated the municipal maintenance department from 40 workers to 5. If you ever drive through the main road in Onset and narrowly escape one of the potholes that you could drive a truck into, you'll wonder why you bother to pay your property taxes.
9) Have cost the town thousands upon thousands in legal fees for lawsuits.
10) Constant lack of respect for citizens at selectmen's meetings - one citizen was even called an "idiot" and when he asked for an apology, he was called an idiot again.
Last edited by GuyIncognito (2011-02-01 23:39:04)
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#2 2011-02-01 23:35:02
More to come, I can't list all of the Hypocrite Elite's screw-ups in one sitting without getting carpal tunnel syndrome. Feel free to add your own. All I know is for the sake of the town, the side of Democracy must prevail again in 2011 as it did in 2010.
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#3 2011-02-02 00:33:56
Outrage may have disappated into resigned defeat but the indictment hasn't changed much over the years.
What is notworthy is not a single candidate for office has acknowledged these problems and vowed to address them.
Unless you count the three liars this site supported in the last election.
Wareham, Massachusetts - Sunday, 24 May 2009
For those just joining us: Wareham's five selectmen have waged a relentless campaign of race, class and legal war of distraction, demonizing and dismantling the town's workforce, ruling by fear of reprisal, gagging all dissent, misappropriating funds at every turn, and squandering untold fortunes on lawyers.
They are unemployed, personally and morally bankrupt incompetents whose agenda begins and ends with their own enrichment at town expense.
Auto-edited on 2020-08-11 to update URLs
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#4 2011-02-02 14:31:49
Back for another round of telling it like it is when it comes to the Hypocrite Elite. Here are some more examples of their nefarious hanky panky:
11) Came very close to causing the Wareham Gatemen to move out of town with all kinds of unfair negativity.
12) Did not set up a citizen search committee for the TA (or the other TA they hired before they canned him) - in most towns, getting citizen input for this position is standard procedure.
13) Lawsuit brought by Accountant Bliss. The town ended up settling with Accountant Bliss for a large amount.
14) Lawsuit brought by Lt. Bliss. Has cost the town a lot in legal fees and has gone on for a long time. Most believe his firing was improper and unjust.
15) Former Selectman Cronie (tossed out of office last year and looking for a rematch this year) caught referring to town employees as "rats." Led to an open meeting law violation.
16) Wareham Police Union and School Committee both took votes of no-confidence in the prior BOS.
17) Former selectman and hero of the Hypocrite Elite owed $181,000 in back taxes. When questioned about it by a Standard Times Reporter, called the reporter colorful names like "Asshole, Punk, and Hitman." That side still claims it is a bastion of mature and responsible debate with a straight face.
18). Swift's Beach Fiasco - Cost the town a pretty penny and the land is still under lock and key. An environmental study showing that the land is in lousy condition was kept under wraps according to one newspaper report.
19). Town employees haven't received raises in years. Where do our tax dollars go?
20). Hired a building inspector that doesn't have a license to inspect buildings. Response when called on it was that he doesn't inspect buildings, he just oversees others who inspect buildings. No, this isn't a joke, just your town government at work.
Last edited by GuyIncognito (2011-02-02 14:36:31)
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#5 2011-02-02 16:59:45
21) Hired a lawyer who had been previously suspended by the bar to be the library director. They already knew about it and hired him anyway, allowed him to come to Wareham from NY and give a speech before the selectmen. Rescinded the offer only after this site exposed it. Luckily, he didn't sue the town, but since he was up front about the suspension, was offered a job, then had it rescinded, he certainly could have.
22) Fired John McAulliffe after midnight when few citizens were still watching the meeting. He made the mistake of not kissing enough Hypocrite Elite butt. Result was $35,000 to get him to leave without suing. He was barely one year into a three year contract when they canned him.
23) Allowed false accusations of racism against at least three police officers I can think of during public selectmen's meetings, even though town employees are required by law to be notified in advance to be given the opportunity to attend and defend themselves whenever their character is called into question.
24) Attempted to interfere with a community meeting with race baiting - made up false claims that Cape Verdeans would not be allowed to enter the meeting when it was never once, not one time, ever stated that they would not be allowed to attend.
25) Have treated Walter Cruz with disrespect and accused him of having no integrity. I hope his supporters remember this in this year's election. The Move Wareham Backward Crew never came to his defense.
26) Appointed a hand picked Charter Review Committee that made it clear from the very beginning that they were going to try to push through a plan to switch Wareham over to a Mayoralty instead of doing what they were supposed to do and review the charter. The plan was soundly defeated at Spring Town meeting. Further efforts to make unwanted changes to town government were rejected at Fall Town Meeting. Anyone who believes that town meeting is a better form of government than a Mayoralty is called evil and against democracy.
27) Legal issues for the town with the State Division of the Labor Relations. As the Standard Times wrote in 2009:
Standard Times wrote:
WAREHAM — The state Division of Labor Relations has filed formal charges against town officials alleging they retaliated against mid-level managers for attempting to join a union in 2008.
The complaint alleges the selectmen and town administrator unlawfully targeted former town accountant Robert Bliss and building inspector Theodore Misiaszek, firing Bliss and suspending Misiaszek, who had been involved in union organizing activities.
It also charges that the Board of Selectmen cut the pay of the department heads by 6.5 percent in September 2008 in retaliation for the union activities, even after interim Town Administrator John Sanguinet proposed another way to save money without cutting salaries.
A comment at the Sept. 2, 2008, selectmen's meeting by Selectman Brenda Eckstrom was cited as evidence that the salary cut was in reprisal. Eckstrom, says the complaint, made a comment in public "about department heads earning $85,000 to $95,000 salaries and 'jumping into a union to try to protect themselves.'"
28) Cronie tells a citizen "Sue the town, that'll take care of it." Denied it a week later even though comment was made on tape.
29) Attempted to take away the "strong chief" status of the police chief at town meeting. Town meeting voters rejected the plan, making it clear they did not trust the previous BOS with too much power over the police department.
30) All but one member of the previous Finance Committee resigns during a town meeting several years ago citing a lack of cooperation from the prior BOS. Several members of the Finance Committee that were picked by that BOS to replace that finance committee have had trouble working with the previous BOS as well.
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#6 2011-02-02 18:53:27
GuyInc. Bravo....an exemplary job of listing (some of) the shenanigans of the former BoS..it's remnants..and their adherents...including a few of April's candidates.. Print it out...and pass 'em around to the class...
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#7 2011-02-02 19:49:55
Thank you DD, you sound like a keen political observer yourself. Let us continue on our journey down memory lane as we recall some of the Hypocrite Elite's Greatest Hits:
31) Incompetence re the water pollution control facility and betterments. You may remember this quote from the Massachusetts Department of Revenue:
MASS DOR wrote:
The water pollution control facility enterprise fund is intended to account for all direct, indirect and capital costs associated with the sewerage treatment operation. The selectmen should then set user fees at an appropriate level to recover those costs and to generate a reasonable surplus, which would remain available for use only for enterprise purposes. However, it is clear from historical data that the enterprise fund operates with a structural deficit. Over the preceding three fiscal years, the facility has relied on over $1,263,880 in retained earnings to support ongoing operations as reported to DOR, the bulk of which has been generated from betterment assessments paid in full rather than over the apportioned period. This use of retained earnings is lawful, but not prudent.
I always felt our tax dollars have been flushed down the sewer the past few years! That quote proves it!
32) A refresher on what the DOR said about how so many TAs getting canned hurt Wareham:
DOR wrote:
Second, as a result of continued turnover in the town administrator’s position, continuity of leadership and management has been missing. It appears that this circumstance has caused the selectmen and the finance committee to extend, perhaps by necessity, their involvement in municipal government beyond traditional roles.
DOR wrote:
Open town meeting and a five-member board of selectmen govern Wareham. Appointed by the selectmen, a town administrator manages day-to-day operations. It is our opinion that one of the greatest impediments to success in Wareham has been the turnover in the town administrator’s position. Since 2000, seven individuals have held the position. The lack of continuity in the administrator’s position has been particularly detrimental because of the authority attributed to the position and its intended impact on the operation of government. When the position is vacant, the absence of consistent leadership makes resolving issues more difficult. It also creates a management vacuum causing lines of responsibility for day-to-day operations to blur.
33) Remember the DOR also said that Wareham being without a Town Accountant for 6 months caused problems for the town as well:
DOR wrote:
Contributing to the lack of consistent financial management leadership was the six-month vacancy in the town accountant’s position. From January 2009 to July 2009, only basic accounting activities were completed. During this period, the town employed the services of Financial Advisory Associates (FAA) to perform essential day-to-day activities, but no real policy or analytical support was available.
34) Despite Hypocrite Elite claims, it was actually the Hypocrite Elite that caused the cancellation of the Summer Police Patrols. For many years, Wareham used the hotel/motel tax to fund Summer Police Officers. This practice was fully approved by the state under the argument that tourism leads to more people coming to Summer communities, which in turn, leads to a greater need for more police officers during the summer. The Hypocrite Elite felt they knew better and took the hotel/motel tax to fund the Community Events. I don't mean to disparage that committee, but I think tax dollars are better spent on things like more police than on fun. Fun is great, but leave fun events to the various civic groups.
35) A lot of money must have been saved over the years with so many department head positions being left unfilled for years at a time. To date, I don't think we've received an adequate explanation of how that money was spent. All I know is that the town has suffered from so many important managerial positions being left vacant, unfilled, or filled on a temporary or interim basis.
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#8 2011-02-02 20:41:03
Thank you GUYIN....
You have contributed more than you know. People have short memories. Your details of incompetence and unlawful activities are a reminder how important elections are....especially the next one.
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#9 2011-02-02 21:50:26
within an hour of this post bobo posted his twisted version of what happended. lies!!! i thought you didnt read the blogs anymore? somebody sent you this as well??
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#10 2011-02-02 22:29:53
GuyIncognito, Thank you so much for writing this. You have simply pointed out the facts. How true that many people have not only forgotten but some may not have even known a lot of what you have reminded us of!
With all due respect I would like to clarify something. I believe it was Slager and not the former BOS who claimed that Bob Brady's meeting was racism. He "suggested" that Brady woudn't allow Cape Verdeans into the meeting who didn't share the same viewpoint. I believe that is important as it shows he (Slager) was the one that was race baiting. Ofcourse this is the same guy who claims I have trolled his site every single day. (I have not "trolled" his site "every singe day" since I "joined" his website and he knows this) But who are we to let the facts get in the way?
I would like to add one more thing to your long list: I believe a current member of the BOS also made disparaging remarks at a selectman meeting (accidently into the mike) about a citizen. Do we really want people like that running our town?
The amazing part of your posts is that they are all factual. The former BOS had 14 open meeting violations in just one hiring process. That can not be disputed. We want peope to follow the rules. The rules are put there for a reason. Why have rules if we are not going to follow them all the time?
I know there are many more and I hope that the voters of this community will read this list and remember it when voting in April!
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#11 2011-02-03 07:51:42
I would be happy to share this information with any and all who have questions regarding the upcoming election..despite the perception that we are an apathetic Town when it comes to elections, I encounter many who are seeking reasons to vote, or not to, for certain candidiates..
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#12 2011-02-03 08:14:49
Hello Bloggers,
People have short attention spans and so I feel it is important to remind the voters just how bad the past few years have been so they are sure not to vote in anyone who supported the stupidity.
I've been trying to create a quick list of short bullet points - a highlight reel to jog people's memories. Rather than delve into who did what, I have generally attributed these shenanigans to that crowd that I like to refer to as the "Hypocrite Elite." I think once people read the things that happened, it will jog their memories and they will remember which Hypocrite Elitist did what.
It has come to my attention that a babbling idiot and non-resident has been trying to counter every point and has been failing miserably. For the points that he does address, his arguments are badly spelled and don't pass the smell test. Other points he can't think of any nonsense to write in response, so he just ignores them completely.
This clown, who shall remain nameless, is a failure - such a lousy failure in fact that in just a few years, he nosedived into the ground a print version of a paper that an eccentric old cat lady managed to keep afloat for over 10 years prior to his arrival. He failed when a newspaper company gave him a shot to run a paper in Wareham. He failed when he tried to run a paper in the Tri-Town area. And now he has failed to continue printing a print version. He wears failure like a stinky cologne.
In short, such a failure is irrelevant, so I don't plan to get into a tit for tat with him on this site, but rather, just think of him as the annoying insect buzzing away in the background that he is.
However, just to clear up something - if you look above, I didn't attribute the lie told about Cape Verdeans not being allowed to enter the community meeting to the selectmen or to "town officials" as this out of town idiot claimed. I attributed it to "The Hypocrite Elite."
His claim that town officials weren't involved is not entirely true though - Curly, according to reports on this site, e-mailed the graphic that appeared in the rag around town and encouraged people to protest.
Anyway, from here on, I will try my best to ignore the blatherings of this paperless clown. I will just keep pointing out the issues from here to election day. If he feels he needs to trip over himself to defend his masters on his website, then so be it. The people will see the truth.
I may have to mention the rag and its idiotic proprietor on occasion because I do feel that two of the candidates' support for the rag shows, in my opinion, that they should not be elected. I also may mention the rag or its idiotic proprietor on occasions when I think of a joke that is too hilarious not to share. Other than that, I'll try my best not to get into a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent.
Last edited by GuyIncognito (2011-02-03 08:18:21)
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#13 2011-02-03 08:35:29
GuyIncognito wrote:
However, just to clear up something - if you look above, I didn't attribute the lie told about Cape Verdeans not being allowed to enter the community meeting to the selectmen or to "town officials" as this out of town idiot claimed. I attributed it to "The Hypocrite Elite."
His claim that town officials weren't involved is not entirely true though - Curly, according to reports on this site, e-mailed the graphic that appeared in the rag around town and encouraged people to protest.
Curly wrote:
S-T: Wareham Democrats to elect convention delegates
February 03, 2011 12:00 AM
WAREHAM — Registered Democrats in Wareham will hold their annual caucus at 9:45 a.m. Saturday at the Wareham Free Library to elect 11 delegates and three alternates to the 2011 Massachusetts Democratic Convention.
Anyone at least 18 and registered as a Massachusetts Democrat as of Dec. 31, 2010, can attend the caucus and run for a delegate position.
For more information, contact John Donahue, chairman of the Wareham Democratic Town Committee, at (508) 295-1544.
Last edited by billw (2011-02-03 08:38:10)
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#14 2011-02-03 09:54:25
The reports on this site were 100% accurate, the then Town Moderator did indeed mass e-mail the "Cape Verdeans for free speech" ad that appeared in the Rag..from all appearances, the people it was sent to were DTC members as well as CV Festival Committee members..to say it backfired would be an understatement, as he was trounced in his re-election bid..
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#15 2011-02-03 13:01:42
copied from brenda's "im not a whore" letter to the editor
And for the rest of you: Stop looking at a vile website that five people post on and eight people read!
your right brenduh stop reading slager's site. best advice you can give
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#16 2011-02-03 13:04:51
i cant help relating brenduh's im not a whore letter to nixon's im not a crook speech
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#17 2011-02-03 13:30:50
GuyIncognito, I stand corrected. I completely forgot about that mass email. Everyone please accept my apologies.
I think it is very important to realize that the town did not get in this shape in just a short time. It has taken some dire mismanagement to get to this level. Everyone likes to yell from the roof tops about how Wareham is great. How could any new resident feel that way with the obvious lack of forward progress? It seems that our past and present leaders are too busy arguing like a bunch of school age children to get anything accomplished. I keep hearing that we need to put aside personal issues and move forward. I have not seen anyone doing that.
We need leaders that are willing to work together even if that means not always agreeing. Working through the BS to get to the point of fixing the problem. Even working together to be proactive so some problems can be avoided.
As for the annoying, buzzing insect, I would agree. It appears that any intelligent person can see through the thinly veiled distortions that quite frankly only make this list even more relevent. With April right around the corner it is even more imperitive that we remind everyone of the blatent lack of leadership and common sense purported by the Hypocrite Elite.
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#18 2011-02-03 13:52:24
Take it away, Searay!
Y'all have start asking serious questions of this April's misbegotten candidates.
Auto-edited on 2020-08-11 to update URLs
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#19 2011-02-03 17:04:15
bruce savenue parked in handicapped spots al over town , he played the race card in attacking his oppenets ,he was arrested for driving without a drivers licence, he did not yeild to an ambulance and cut them off,and the worst offense he said he was an employee of the town of wareham on his car loan when he was not and his car was repposed, oh my i remember more he did not pay his house taxes and put the house in his wifes name, he owes the federal gov . a hell of a lot of taxes, he flunked his bar exam,he has temper issues crumpled a kids kite ,stuck a plastic fork in a kids hand ,his pizza buisness went bankrupt ,and yes there is the swifts beach deal, the changing of the street in front of his house to suit him, followed a pregnant women home to yell at her for alleglly cutting him off in traffic. there is a hell of a lot more but i will stop for now.
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#20 2011-02-03 17:12:39
the rumor mill had brenda saying the town was her employer and listed on her loan applicationthat she was a town employee which she was not and she defaulted on her loan ,she called someone at citzens particapation an idiot, she talks down to all who come before the board . she got lt bliss fired on trumped charges.
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#21 2011-02-03 17:21:39
back to bruce he had the town buy a computor on its disc for him and refused to pay for over a year till the preasure was put on him
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#22 2011-02-03 17:44:20
I'm not a drunken whore
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#23 2011-02-03 18:21:09
jayne had municapal maintenance go on private property the spinney library and deface the spinney library sign with paint.
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#24 2011-02-03 18:23:39
richard nixon said he is not a crook.
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#25 2011-02-03 18:28:02
please do not forget:
1. Characterizing those at Town Meeting who voted differently from the Bren-duh as "assholes"; and
2. Telling any & all who did not care for her demeanor and/or approach at the BoS to "get out of your job, get out of Wareham!!!!!!"
Read her missive in the e-RAG. (that e, as in error, is a common feature of the BoBo's bleatings). she just can not help herself. Is it me she attacks as a "hermit"? I'll admit to being a little homebound since retiring....but a hermit?
Of course, it is all of us, in her mind, that are the bad guys. But, it is OK for her and her ilk to be nattering nabobs of negativism, as Spiro Agnew put it 40 +/- years ago. It never seems to occur to them, the True Believers, that THEY are the ones who set the discourse on a negative path over many, many years. So their answer, so to speak, is for their opposition (that would be you & me) to simply shut up; thus 'solving' the problem. I ain't buyin' it. Are you?
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#26 2011-02-03 19:42:04
I thought it was funny that a big part of her letter was her complaining about how hard fourth grade math is. Kinda tells us all we need to know about why Wareham is in the state it is in.
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#27 2011-02-03 19:43:27
Susan wrote:
Nice CliffsNotes to the epic disaster years. We can add the dates and additional items. Would someone be able to combine the posts, create the list as a Word document and post the link so folks could print out the list and share it? That would be immensely useful, many times over.
The Hypocrite Elite Chronicles
Last edited by DDPTRO (2011-02-04 23:48:22)
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#28 2011-02-04 23:08:51
And time for more Hypocrite Elite Chronicles!
38) This quote from an ex moderator and husband of a current lame duck selectman:
Curly wrote:
By: John_Donahue on 1/16/11
Robert, could you help us help you by giving us a notion of what it would take to finance your operation? For the sake of discussion, how many contributions of $50 or $100 or $250 or $500 or $1,000 would it take to make your operation successful?
No further explanation necessary. That quote is pretty self-explanatory. Moving on...
39) The Gag Order - Anyone remember this? A few years back, the prior BOS laid down a gag order preventing all town employees from speaking directly to the press, saying instead that only the Town Administrator could speak to the press. And these people call themselves defenders of free speech.
40) According to reports on this site, the prior BOS ordered Municipal Maintenance to trespass onto the Spinney property and deface a sign with white paint, "whiting out" words they didn't like. Janey admitted to this in a court deposition. A police report was also filed. Talk about pettyness...to worry about a sign.
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#29 2011-02-05 07:29:01
so robert slager is takeing money from the likes of the donahues and his ilk, thats why i beleave his teaching at the senior center is moning laundering to finance his newspaper and is an organ the donahue machine and move wareham backward,
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#30 2011-03-06 22:42:13
What do Mike Schneider, Ellen Begley and John Cronan consider good leadership? Go to the top..and read. All this and they're Slager supporter's through and through. A vote for Schneider and Begley is (in essence) a vote for Slager..now, how dumb would that be?? Pretty fricken dumb!
Don't vote for Bobo's slate of candidates. Say Nay to Schneider, Begley & Cronan.
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#31 2011-03-23 19:07:55
With Election 2011 approaching, it's important to remind everyone of the Hypocrite Elite Chronicles. What other transgressions of the Hypocrite Elite can we mention?
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#32 2012-02-02 21:35:06
Bump
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#33 2012-02-24 23:45:35
bump
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