Fire Starter read with great interest the latest diatribe from Johnson City resident and dissolutionist, John Sullivan. We have addressed Mr. Sullivan's prior diatribes and really have no interest in revisiting these issues. He really offers nothing new in this latest screed.
To read Mr. Sullivan's column, you would have the impression that he is clean as the driven snow. You would never suspect that his wife is an Endicott school teacher who "feeds at the public trough" to borrow Mr. Sullivan's lexicon. You would never know that he receives a Veteran's credit on his property taxes based upon his military service for a home which is in his wife's name only. And you would never know that perhaps his interest in "secession" of a portion of JC could be at least in part fueled not by his sense of civic duty but rather his frustrated attempts to launch a development project.
What was most interesting in this latest piece was his indignation regarding the union's lawyer calling Mayor Dennis Hannon a liar. Recently, the Press & Sun Bulletin ran an article regarding Hannon's "investigation" of former Fire Marshal Dempsey. In that article, the Union's lawyer, Gene Faughnan said that Hannon's assertions regarding the destruction of documents was untrue. Faughnan said: "He's saying that things were improperly not where they're supposed to be. I'm saying that's patently false. He's lying,". In it's online edition, the Press provided copies of documents that were allegedly "missing". A review of those documents reveals that at least four of the incidents referenced by Hannon were expunged from the records of the fire fighters by agreement with the Village. If he lied about this aspect of his report, what else did he lie about?
Suillivan is upset with Hannon being called a liar. He says "the language used by Johnson City Fire Department union lawyer Gene Faughnan in reference to our elected officials is highly offensive on its own".
But did Hannon lie??
Sullivan says "calling our mayor a "liar" in print (without being established in court) also tarnishes the excellent reputation of his law firm".
But did Hannon lie??
He goes on to suggest "maybe the general partner of HH&K should communicate with Mayor Dennis Hannon about the veracity of Faughnan's allegations."
But did Hannon lie??
No where in Mr. Sullivan's latest screed does he try to defend Hannon's falsehood. Maybe he already knows there is no defense. And to the likes of John Sullivan, it really does not matter whether Hannon lied so long as it advances his dream of dissolution.
And this sort of situational ethics is exactly why Hannon, Sullivan and their ilk are so dangerous.
No comments:
Post a Comment