King John the Misogynist

“When a man gives his opinion, he's a man. When a woman gives her opinion, she's a bitch.” ― Bette Davis

Apparently King John the Clueless is feeling left out.  While his philosophical twin in Johnson City is getting all of the attention, John Bertoni is drowning in anonymity in Endicott.  Surely he can be as petty as Dennins Hannon.  Surely there must be employees he can harass to prove to all he is as small as Dennis Hannon.  Surely the man who "owns the Village of Endicott" can put in a couple of hours at the village and find someone to lord his power over.

Surely he can. In December, King John the Diminutive found his target.  Kathy Utter, Director of the Endicott Visitor Center for nearly a decade, was summarily dismissed.  During her tenure, Ms Utter transformed the center from a dreary and under utilized facility into a first class museum of Endicott history.  at the same time, she made the Center a revenue source by tirelessly seeking bookings and events for the events room.

There was no reason given for the termination.  Bertoni may have had personal disagreements with the director.  Utter placed the Visitor Center first and was unwilling to dish out favors to Bertoni's cronies.  However some suspect that the decision arises out of Bertoni's inability to deal with a strong female in a leadership position.  Bertoni's misogynistic attitudes have long been known by those having even the most limited dealings with King John.  And with this move, there are no women department heads in Endicott.  (Watch out Cheryl, You are next!)

The Fire Starter has learned that Bertoni has designs on the position previously held Ms Utter.  As part of Bertoni's "friends and family" plan, don't be surprised if a relative or close friend ends up taking over the position. And don' be surprised if the Visitor Center falls into disrepair and disuse.  To Ms Utter, the Center was a labor of love.  To Bertoni, it is just another favor to dole out.

Since Ms. Utter's dismissal, many individuals who loaned items for display have demanded they be returned.  Many lifelong Endicott residents, knowing of Bertoni's incompetence and corruption, collected their historical items for fear of Bertoni's next move.  In the end, Bertoni has taken one of the better run departments in the Village and  wrecked it to satisfy his personal animus and corrupt designs.

At a recent Board meeting, Village resident and former trustee Alberta Fiori-Gazda stood to speak in Utter's defense. Her comment is printed below, unedited.

The termination of Kathy Utter, Director of the Endicott Visitor Center was a result of continued harassment by the Bertoni Administration. Mayor Bertoni micro-managed Mrs. Utter in her role as Director of the facility for years and despite urging by the Board of Trustees and the public, the Mayor never allowed Mrs. Utter to speak to the Board to answer the Mayor’s complaints. She was given no reason for her dismissal. This demonstrates a true lack of executive leadership ability.


During the last nine years, Kathy Utter has exemplified the unique qualities and dedication it takes to successfully operate the Visitor Center and Community Meeting Hall: coordinating and training volunteers, scheduling events, developing changing historical exhibits, cataloging donations, establishing a gift shop, maintaining the facility, interacting with community organizations, residents, businesses, developing programs for school students, working with NYS agencies and organizing fundraising events…to name a few of her responsibilities. We are proud of the Visitor Center and grateful to her for her hard work. Thanks to her efforts, the Visitor Center and Community Meeting Hall is the most notable “showplace” in Endicott.

We object to the decision by the Mayor to fire Mrs. Utter and deplore the way it was handled. One, who has served the Village with dedication and distinction for nine years, in a supervisory position, deserves better. Our question to the members of the Board of Trustees is, “why was there no vote taken by the Board?” We must conclude in the absence of such a vote, that the entire Board of Trustees agrees with the Mayor’s decision.


In 2002, Mrs. Utter’s appointment was approved by a vote of the Board of Trustees and Mayor Colella. Under Village law the Mayor has the responsibility “to appoint all department heads and non-elected officers and employees, subject to the approval of the Board of Trustees.” (Village Law Section 4-400 (1) (c)). Additionally, VIL. LAW § 4-412 : NY Code - Section 4-412: The Board of Trustees. The first line of the section reads: “a. In addition to any other powers conferred upon villages”… giving the Village Board of Trustees broad power and responsibility for managing the affairs of the Village. Where is the Village’s code of ethics?

Therefore, since the Board of Trustees hired Mrs. Utter in 2002, it is only proper and lawful that the Board of Trustees discuss this issue and publicly bring it to a vote.

Well said Alberta! 

King John should know that many will be watching his next moves.  The replacement director will come under significant scrutiny.  And we will be monitoring the decline in bookings and the overall decline of the center.  And we will hold you accountable.

Hannon Still Missing...But Collecting Salary

"I dote on his very absence." - William Shakespeare

Dennis Hannon is still missing.  He has not been seen in Johnson City for several months.  He is reportedly still drawing his Village funded paycheck and taxpayer funded state pension.  But he is not currently residing in New York State.  He has not performed the work of Village Mayor in four to five months yet is happily collecting his pay check.  This may have many names but it clearly is theft.

Despite Hannon's absence, his presence is still felt.  Many spineless lawmakers cower at the thought that Hannon may someday return.  On Tuesday, the Village Board voted to appeal the Rauschmeier case to the court of appeals.  In so doing, they continue to commit village resources to the petty vindictive prosecution of a absentee mayor.  They also allow the back pay bill to mount.  Only one Board member, Bruce King, saw the folly of continuing down this road.  King argued that they would be better off getting work for the money they will owe this fire fighter.  The others just fell in line behind the absent tyrant.

In the meantime, other Village business continues to stack up.  The Joint Sewage Board is fielding bids for demolition of the damaged portions of the sewage treatment plant.  Bids ran from $200,000 to over $800,000.  Where will this money come from? And what is Hannon doing to plan for it?

The tab for Hannon's bargain with the police union will also be coming due in several months. What is Hannon doing to plan for this?  Will there be borrowing?  Will the Village need to exceed the tax cap?

And what about the sweetheart intermunicipal agreements for Joint Fire Administrator Hrustich and Police Chief Zikuski.  Will the village board hold Hannon to account for this?  Will they vote to rescind these sweetheart deals and send these two clowns packing back to their municipalities of origin?

The Village seems frozen in place while Hannon  extends his absence week by week.  It is time for the board to force Hannon to return or resign.  And if he returns, most of the board members will need to find their spines and remember that they do not work for Dennis Hannon, they work for the residents of Johnson City.  And if they forget this, the voters will remind them on election day.

In the meantime, if anyone wishes to visit Mayor Hannon at his "southern village hall", we have a photograph of his Ocala, Florida home.

Drop in anythime!  I am sure he will be as glad to see you!

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Editor's Note: Fire Starter has repeatedly tried to reach Mayor Hannon at his home on North Broad Street only to find his phone disconnected.  Does this sound like someone who is interested in the future of the Village?

Village Loses in Court

A winner rebukes and forgives; a loser is too timid to rebuke and too petty to forgive. - Sydney J. Harris

The Fire Starter has been extremely critical of Mayor Dennis Hannon's management style in general.  His "my way or the highway" approach has cost village taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars with little or no tangible benefit.  This has been further exacerbated by his petty and vindictive use of his "powers" as mayor.  Most recently, we have criticized his absenteeism in the face of serious issues facing the village.  His absence has also created something of the crisis for the Fire Starter.  Without his childish and petty antics, what do we have to write about?

Well fortunately, we have been saved, for now, by the Rauschmeier case.  It appears that Hannon has banked some of his lunacy and it seems clear that his mismanagement will reverberate for years after he finally leaves.

Last week, an appeals court reversed his decision to terminate a village fire fighter.  The village fire fighter was terminated for engaging in a sexual act in the privacy of his home.  According to the court decision posted here, the village sought Rauschmeier's termination but failed to offer any evidence in support of their position.  The case went before a hearing officer who ultimately ruled that there was no evidence that Rauschmeier intended to be seen and therefore, Hannon's termination was baseless.  The court ordered reinstatement with back pay and benefits for almost three years!

The court, in overturning Hannon's decision found that his decision was not based on "substantial evidence".  It defined "substantial evidence" as the "relevant proof that a reasonable mind may accept as adequate to support a conclusion".  The court, by implication held that Hannon lacked a reasonable mind.  Anyone who has observed his antics over the past few years could have attested to this.  But now we have a court reaching the same conclusion.

The take away is that once again the village has spent tens of thousands of dollars on a fools errand.  They will now owe this fire fighter hundreds of thousands of dollars in back pay and benefits.  And all of this was done to further Hannon's senseless battle with the fire department.  What did the village get?  More legal bills and an employee who will be paid three years of wages for a time frame he was not allowed to work.

We lamented Hannon's extended absence from the village as irresponsible and a dereliction of duty.  On second thought, maybe Hannon should take a couple more weeks off and then come back and quit.

Where in the World is...Dennis Hannon

"It is neglect of timely repair that makes rebuilding necessary" - Richard Whatley

The Fire Starter commented recently regarding Dennis Hannon's decision to stay as Johnson City's Mayor.  It was our conclusion that Hannon is a coward who was looking for cover to slink away into the night.  When the appeals court decision was handed down on the lay off case, he suddenly had improved health and family situation.  Just as conveniently, should matters turn against him again, he will claim "health and family matters" have worsened.  It is really transparent and pathetic.

However, some recent developments have Fire Starter questioning what is really happening. Since November of last year, Hannon has been notably missing from the Village.  He has spent an inordinate amount of time in Florida.  He has missed multiple village board meetings.  The only "official" duties he seems to carry out are the issuance of press releases criticizing the fire fighter's union. 

Fire Starter has learned that a village hall employee has become distraught with Hannon's absence.  Who will she turn to on these cold winter evenings?  She certainly is not interested in "working late" with Deputy Mayor Ball-less.

The bottom line is the village does not run itself.  Press releases do not equal leadership.  Hannon has made numerous messes since becoming a trustee and later mayor.  He presided over the sewage treatment plant debacle, the runaway lawyer bills, and the police contract debacle just to name a few.  In the meantime he is trying to enrich his friends at resident's expense.  And all the while economic development has been non-existent.  He needs to do the job village residents are paying him to do or leave.  Otherwise, he is nothing more than a common thief.

Hannon should not hold on to the office of mayor out of vanity or ego.  The Village deserves so much better than it has gotten from Hannon.

Hannon to Stay...For Now

"Time will inevitably uncover dishonesty and lies; history has no place for them." - Norodom Sihanouk

As we suspected all all along, Mayor Dennis Hannon's talk of resignation was merely the cover of a coward.  Fearful that he would have to face an embarrassing loss in the appeals court, he gave himself an "out" which seemingly had nothing to do with the matter.  Now that the village is victorious, the "family and health" problems had been flushed down the memory hole.

So what is the first thing Hannon does?  File more lawsuits.  This time he is seeking lawyer fees.  If we are following this correctly, Hannon has filed multiple lawsuits against the fire fighter's union and is now seeking repayment of the fees for his crooked schysters.  And apparently this is also the fire fighter's fault.

Fire Starter believes that this continues to be so much subterfuge.  Hannon would prefer not to have the public notice that he has spent an inordinate amount of money to fight an unnecessary fight which left village services and coffers depleted.

The ranks of the fire department could have been maintained with the Federal grant money...at no cost to the village.  But that was rejected in favor of this unnecessary fight.  The department could have been maintained through the pay concessions offered by the union.  But that was rejected in favor of this unnecessary fight.  As far as Fire Starter can see, everyone lost except the lawyers.  And this is what Hannon is so proud of??

With new board that is on to Hannon's tricks, the new year should be interesting.  The real question is- How many embarrassing defeats at the hands of the board will Hannon endure before his "health and family issues" take a "turn for the worse"?

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The Fire Starter would like to take this opportunity to thank the brave men and women who keep us safe every day of the year.  Our police and fire personnel work tirelessly and around the clock so that we may enjoy our holiday season and the entire year.  On Christmas eve, as we all enjoy the peace and security they provide, we should all say a prayer of thanks for these dedicated professionals.

"Most of the energy of political work is devoted to correcting the effects of mismanagement of government." -Milton Friedman

The Johnson City Village Board on Tuesday took separate actions which, with a fair and objective media, would serve to highlight the dysfunction of the Hannon years on the village board and as mayor.  As we all know, there is no objective media in the Southern Tier.  If there was, there would be no need for the Fire Starter to consistently correct the record and tell the stories the media will not.

First, the village board approved the police contract which brings them up to date.  The Fire Starter is happy that the village and police union were able to reach an agreement.  It is patently unfair for the police to sit without raises for the past five years.  Inflation alone has worked against these fine men and women who have risked their lives daily to protect us.  It certainly was about time the village lived up to its obligations.

In reporting on the deal., the Press & Sun Bulletin made reference to the fact that the deal was worth about $1.3 million and that the village only has a fraction of that amount on hand to pay the raises.  The village will now have to borrow the lion share to pay for this agreement.  This fact is clear evidence of Hannon's mismanagement of the village over the last two years as mayor and before that as trustee.  The village should not have to borrow to pay salaries.  This should have been built into each and every budget for the last few years.  Instead, Hannon falsely claimed to be "holding the line" and limiting tax increases.  In reality, he has played a shell game that is now coming home to roost.  the taxpayers will now be saddled with this new debt and interest just to pay current obligations.  This is the equivalent of taking a second mortgage to pay for groceries.  It may be necessary but is indicative of poor planning and mismanagement.

The second issue addressed buy the board was to revise the "shared services agreement" with the City of Binghamton.  We have repeatedly outlined how this was always a good deal for Binghamton and a bad deal for the Village of Johnson City.  The village pays more money for part time chiefs than it would have for full time command in the village.  Binghamton has been able to reduce its expenses for these chief positions by about 30% at the expense of village taxpayers.  this never was and remains a bad deal for village residents.

But even more disturbing is the sweetheart deal contained in the revised agreement.  The Binghamton chiefs, like JFA Hrustich, now have a guarantee of their bloated salaries for at least one year regardless of their performance or misconduct.  These "three wisemen" could engage in the most egregious conduct meriting discharge yet they would be guaranteed their bloated salaries at Johnson City's expense.  This is the sort of back room cronyism that has been the hallmark of the Hannon years.

Hannon has been flirting with staying on with Hannon.  In one meeting, Hannon has provided all of the proof taxpayers need as to why he must go.  The village has been so severely mismanaged since Hannon has been mayor that it may not be salvageable.  Only with his departure can the village be saved.

The Fire Starter wonders who (if anyone) is encouraging Hannon to stay.  But we are quit confident that if Hannon stays, the village will go.  And maybe that answers our question about Hannon's support.

Hannon Staying On?

"Stupidity combined with arrogance and a huge ego will get you a long way." -Chris Lowe

Johnson City Mayor Hannon recently announced that he is reconsidering his decision to resign.  He sites "the political winds changing" in the village as a reason for reconsidering resignation.  When asked point blank if he is opening the door to reversing his decision, he said "maybe a crack".  However, reviewing all of the circumstances in the village and the recent elections, one must consider the "crack" to be in Hannon's head.

It is entirely unclear what has changed in the political environment.  Hannon's only dissolution ally, John Sullivan, was soundly defeated in Novembers election.  Hannon is losing a dim witted supporter in Trustee Ron Davis as of the first of the year.  He still has equally dimwitted supporter Rick Balles to rubber stamp his destructive policies.  However, the rest of the new board is comprised of anti-dissolution members.  Greg Deemie will return for the second year of his two year term. Former Trustee Bruce King is returning to the Board and will likely renew his battles with Hannon.  And first time board member, Luke Slota has vowed to preserve the village and work through the villages problems without the acrimony.  This certainly sounds like a shift in the political winds...but not in Hannon's favor.

Now let's look at what Hannon has created and will now have to face.  He has negotiated a new contract with the police union.  After looking down the barrel of a million dollar plus arbitration award, Hannon finally negotiated.  But this agreement will cost the Village considerably more than the arbitration award. Hannon conveniently pushes the lion share of the liability into the next fiscal year forcing the new board into a vote to violate the 2% tax cap imposed by state law.  Does Hannon really want to be there for that vote?

The Sewage Treatment plant remains as a symbol of Hannon's incompetence and neglect.  Does he want to be there for further votes to exceed the tax cap to pay those bills?

And his one "achievement has been the successful laying off of fire fighters.  However, as we pointed out in previous posts, this was ultimately a loss to village residents as the positions could have been funded by grant money and union concessions in perpetuity.  And now he is spending more money on lawyers on a fools errand seeking to force the union to pay his over priced lawyers.  This is a classic case of throwing good money after bad.

Hannon points to his "inter-municipal agreements" on shared services as his crowning achievement that must be preserved.   However, we have repeatedly outlined how these agreements are not favorable to the village and line the pockets of Hannon toadies at the expense of taxpayers.  The taxpayers are stuck paying more money for less service.

So what is Hannon's talk of staying really about?  It is about Hannon's ego.  It is an attempt to put the best face on his departure.  He is running like a coward but wants to make the case that he has done a wonderful job.  In reality, he has made a terrible mess that will take years to fix.  He is not willing to do the heavy lifting.  For this reason, the Fire Starter believes Hannon is still leaving.  And his departure will be his greatest achievement for the village.