Where is Hannon??

Heroes are not known by the loftiness of their carriage; the greatest braggarts are generally the merest cowards”  - Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Fire Starter recently noticed that mayor Dennis “Megaphone” Hannon has been quieter than usual. In the past, Hannon reveled in his ability to throw mud at his foes and perceived foes. Hannon never missed an opportunity to make an unsubstantiated accusation or paint the cloud of suspicion over otherwise innocent residents and employees. However, as of late, Hannon has receded into the background amid various controversies arising within the Village. When it comes to the misfeasance or malfeasance of Hannon and his cronies Hannon has had little to say publicly.

When the Press & Sun Bulletin revealed that the Village had a large expenditure for a fire hydrants through a “no bid” sweetheart deal, Hannon promised to “get to the bottom of it”. It was unclear why the sleazy backroom deal was made. However, what was clear is that in the end, the Village of Johnson City spent in excess of $100,000.00 on enough fire hydrants to last it for the next 5 to 10 years. Something was clearly wrong with this deal. Yet Hannon has been uncharacteristically silent since his initial comments.

Then there is the reckless behavior of Dennis Hannon’s golden boy, Joint Fire Administrator, Hrustich. Both the Johnson City and Endicott Fire Departments took votes of no confidence in which Hrustich’s dishonesty and reckless disregard for safety were featured. More recently, it has come to light that Hrustich’s reckless ways have not abated. His reckless driving while responding to a fire call and endangering the welfare of his own children has been highlighted here in recent weeks. Again, strangely, Hannon has been silent.

Fire Starter has recently learned that Hrustich placed Johnson City firefighters in danger at the funeral of a well–liked local official. Hrustich had agreed to deploy a flag from an aerial ladder in honor of this public servant.  Unfortunately, this required a fire fighter to be in the aerial bucket.  Completely disregarding safety, Hrustich ordered Johnson City Firefighters to deploy an aerial ladder while the fire truck was parked on the side of a hill.  The direction needlessly placed Johnson City Firefighters and a Johnson City aerial truck in great danger of “rolling over”.  This maneuver is contrary to factory recommendations and contrary to good common sense.  However, we have yet to hear any comment from Mayor Hannon.

And then there is the matter of the Sewage Treatment Plant. Both as a Trustee and as Mayor, Hannon is up to his ears in… well you know. He and his cronies, Monica Silas and Rick Balles ignored repeated warnings regarding the impending failure of the retaining walls at the Sewage Treatment Plant. In evidence going back as far as 2008, Village Board members were warned of the serious problem at the Sewage Treatment Plant. Rather than deal with this important matter, Hannon and his friends were pursuing personal vendettas and proving to everyone who’s in charge. However, when the “sh*t hit the van”, so to speak, Hannon gave a resounding “no comment”.

In the midst of these various crises and scandals one would expect that a true leader would be spending his time gathering facts and seeking solutions. However, Fire Starter has learned that instead, Hannon has gone on an extended vacation to his 1000 Islands retreat. Now that is leadership!

Mayor Hannon should know that he can run but he cannot hide. The issues he ran from will be there when he returns and the Fire Starter will be there to hold him responsible. His retreat from scandal will not result in the scandals dying. Fire Starter is committed to continuing to reveal Hannon for the incompetent coward he is.

None of this should come as any surprise to those who have watched Hannon bully his way through life. Our mothers always told us that underneath it all, bully’s are cowards. Is there any doubt about Hannon?