JC Police Short Staffed

"The backbone of our nation's domestic defense against terrorist attacks will continue to be the men and women in local law enforcement and emergency services."- Saxby Chambliss

Mayor Dennis Hannon has begun another investigation.  This time it is the police department.  Is it about a murder?  Illicit drug use?  Graft or Corruption?  No.  This time it is about police officers speaking to the public and telling the truth.  And since the truth often reflects poorly on Hannon and his destructive policies, you can be sure there will be a thorough investigation.

Fire Starter has written before about Hannon's dangerous cuts to public safety.  Since Hannon took office, the numbers of police officers and fire fighters has dwindled.  Whether through frivolous threats of firing or voluntary/involuntary retirements, Hannon has reduced both the police and fire departments to the point of ineffectiveness.  And those of us who have been watching this closely know that this has been his goal all along.

Well several weeks ago, Hannon's chickens came home to roost.  (Fortunately, this time, no one needed to die as a result of a mayor's recklessness.)  Because of vacations and other time off, the Village only had two officers on the road.  Not surprisingly, the need for these officers maintained at its usual level.  In such situations, calls are prioritized for the officers with the most urgent addressed first.  As a result, Village residents with less urgent business were left to wait between and 1 1/2 to 2 hours to receive the service they are paying for.

When officers arrived at the calls, they were frequently greeted by unhappy residents who questioned why it took so long to respond.  The officers explained that there were only two officers on duty and the calls were prioritized.  Apparently, residents dissatisfied with this explanation, flooded the Mayor and Village Board members with complaints.  One angry resident reportedly called Trustee Ron Davis and expressed his outrage.  Outgoing Trustee Davis effectively told him "too bad". (It is amazing how these public servants lose interest when they are not running again). 

However, Davis did go to Village Hall and demand immediate action on the issue.  He insisted that the officer who advised the resident of the limited staff be punished immediately!

Fortunately, Mayor Hannon is taking a much more proactive approach.  He has ordered an investigation of the officers involved and who would be surprised if punishment soon follows.  And he also has directed his toady chief, Zikuski, to order officers not to tell residents about staffing.  Apparently, if asked about delays, officers are now ordered to stare blankly and change the subject.  Problem solved!!

Leadership is not bullying subordinates and squelching free speech.  Leadership is taking the tough stands and then taking responsibility for the consequences.  Hannon was quick to take bows when announcing limited increases to tax rates.  But when the consequences are inadequate services, he is looking for someone to blame.  This is not leadership.  This is cowardice.

Although Hannon is not up for re-election, one of his toadies is.  Long time dissolutionist and Hannon sycophant, John Sullivan is on the ballot.  The only way residents can take back our Village is by winning a majority on the Village Board.  A vote for Sullivan is a vote for Hannon and dissolution.  Yes men like Sullivan must be defeated

Bloody Hands

“Successful guilt is the bane of society” - Publilius Syrus

Fire Starter has written regarding the reckless cuts to emergency services in both Johnson City and Endicott.  We have repeatedly pointed the finger of blame at the respective mayors, Dennis Hannon and John Bertoni.  We have also repeatedly highlighted the toady Joint Fire Administrator, Stephen Hrustich, as the architect of the dismantling of these vital services.

The Mayors and Hrustich have been playing a dangerous game.  They have cut the fire departments nearly to the point of ineffectiveness.  And this has been the plan all along.  Once the departments can no longer function, it will be easy to eliminate them entirely.  All the while, Hannon, Bertoni and Hrustich have been crossing their fingers that not tragedy would ensue.  It now appears that their luck has run out.  And a citizen has paid the price.

One month ago, Hrustich issued an order that if staffing in the fire department fell below five on duty fire fighters, the fire fighters would vastly curtail EMS calls.  Specifically, fire fighters were ordered to no longer respond to "delta" calls if there were fewer than five fire fighters on duty.  A "delta" call is a high priority call where advanced life support is required.  An "echo" call is a maximum priority call where cardiac arrest has occurred and death is imminent.

Two weeks ago, a citizen collapsed at the Schaeffer bus terminal in Endicott.  The 911 dispatch call came in as a "delta" call.  Since there were four fire fighters on duty, Endicott Fire EMS was not allowed to respond the four or five blocks to the scene.  Instead, the Union Volunteer Emergency Squad (UVES) was dispatched.  Unfortunately, the UVES ambulance was unavailable and the UVES "fly car" with one paramedic had to come from Johnson City.  As a result, the citizen waited on the ground for 5-6 minutes before he received ANY medical attention and another 5-6 minutes before the ambulance arrived.  In these precious minutes of waiting, the citizen died.

While all of this was going on, four able Endicott Fire Fighter EMTs sat by helplessly in the fire station.  Prohibited from responding by their chief, they were left to watching the clock while an elderly man's life slipped away.

There is no way to know for sure whether the fire fighters could have saved this man's life.  But a significantly shorter response time would have certainly increased his chances.

What is patently clear is that Bertoni and Hrustich's wreckless slashing of emergency services in Endicott has placed citizens at risk.  They are playing political and fiscal games with your safety for their own political and financial gain.  If a citizen dies, so be it.

Enough is enough.  If this was your husband, brother or father who laid helplessly on the ground, would you merely shake your head and remark "what a shame it is" or would you demand answers.  Would you hold the officials accountable or merely file it away as a bad memory.

The time to act is now.  Next time, it might be your mother, son or wife.  Or perhaps even you.  And the blood will be on Bertoni's and Hrustich's hands.

Endicott Follies Continue

"No poet ever interpreted nature as freely as a lawyer interprets the truth." - Jean Giraudoux

Fire Starter read with great astonishment regarding the latest scandal involving someone close to the Village of Endicott Mayor.  Saturday's Press & Sun Bulletin reported that Bertoni appointee and part time Village Justice, Michael Fauci, has numerous judgements filed against him by the State of New York.  These judgements include:

• Fines and penalties for failing to provide Workman's Compensation coverage to protect his employees
• Several fines for violations of the Election Law
• Judgement for unpaid taxes
• Judgement for failure to pay unemployment taxes.

Fauci, a practicing attorney for many years, claimed that he could not find anyone to talk to to clear up the nearly $100K judgement from Workman's Compensation so he just stopped calling.  As weak as this excuse was, at least he put in a good try.  No explanation was given regarding all of the other judgements and penalties that this officer of the court ignored.

This latest episode of arrogance by public servants is disturbing for several reasons.  Fauci is charged with judging criminal and civil cases that arise in the Village of Endicott.  If he is this dismissive of the law in his personal matters, is he fit to pass judgement on others?  When confronted about these debts, his answer was "I'll get around to it".  Would such an answer be acceptable in Judge Fauci's court?  How can this "hand maiden of the law" have any moral authority going forward?

And what about his patron, King John the Clueless?  Mayor John Bertoni has appointed Fauci to this position several times.  His best answer was these are "lawyer charges rather than judge charges".  Wait...What!?  It is as if it does not matter what Fauci does on his own time and his off bench conduct in no way reflects on his role as a judge.  We suppose it is at least a plus that Fauci doesn't claim to "own the village".  But his dismissive attitude is reflective of the same arrogance displayed by Bertoni.

In classic Bertoni-eaze, he notes "whether that transforms to him being a judge and upholding and enforcing the law, I'll talk to him once I get the official reports"  Huh??  Fire Starter is not even sure what this sentence means.  Fauci has broken and flouted the law.  What else does King John the Unintelligible need to know?

And then there is the money quote: "If this raises a red flag, we will deal with it".  Mayor Bertoni--meet red flag.  Over $100k in judgements and fines from the State of New York and the answer is "I'll get around to it".

But King John the Witless never sees the red flags.  Whether it is the reckless and incompetent Joint Fire Administrator Hrustich, the incompetent airport manager or his many other friends and family, Bertoni chooses not to see the red flags.

But it appears that residents are beginning to see red flags everywhere.  And Bertoni  the color guard.

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?

Hrustich's Recklessness Criminal?

Hubris: - n - Exaggerated pride or self confidence - Merriam Webster Dictionary

Fire Starter recently reported regarding Joint Fire Administrator Hrustich's reckless and high speed driving.  Of significance was the fact that neither incident involved an emergency in the Villages of Johnson City or Endicott.  Despite this, Hrustich drove at a high rate of speed with lights and sirens and endangered the lives of Endwell Volunteer Fire Fighters and in one case, placed his own children in harms way.  Hrustich sped to the scene of a body recovery from the river at a high rate of speed with his young children in the fire command vehicle.  He then had the arrogance to photograph his children in the command vehicle.

Fire Starter has done a little amateur lawyering and found some suprising information.  Under New York Criminal Law, Hrustich may well have committed a crime by proceeding lights and sirens and at a high rate of speed with his minor children in the vehicle.  Under Section 260.10,a person is guilty of a crime if he:

"knowingly acts in a manner likely to be injurious to the physical, mental or moral welfare of a child less than 17 or directs or authorizes such child to engage in an occupation involving substantial risk of danger to his life or health"

A reading of some of the writings on this law reveals that actual harm is not necessary.  Rather, merely placing a child in a potentially dangerous situation is sufficient to result in a conviction.  A violation of this section is a Class A midemeanor and can result in incarceration. 

Proceeding to an emergency scene is always a dangerous propostition.  Many fire fighters have lost their lives long before arriving at the scene of an emergency.  Add in reckless driving and a high rate of speed and there is more than the potential for injury.  It was mere dumb luck that somewone has not been injured or killed by this unprofessional yahoo.

So why would Hrustich place his own children and the lives of citizens and fellow firefighters at risk?  Especially when he was responding to a call where "his men" were esentially waiting for a body to float by?  Hubris.

Hrustich is the grand high exalted poobah amongst chiefs.  No emergency scene can operate without him.  So much so that the prior no confidence votes taken by both departments complained of him giving orders before actually being on the scene.

And of course, if there is the possibility of media being present, Hrustich needs to arrive as quickly as possible to "address his public"   When Hrustich is at a fire scene, the most dangerous place to be is between him and the television cameras.

As foolish and pathetic as this over paid and under worked joint fire administrator is, he is not to be pitied.  It is those who must follow the orders of this arrogant and reckless "public servant" who deserve our concern.

Sullivan to Run

A man is called selfish not for pursuing his own good, but for neglecting his neighbor's. - Richard Whately

Fire Starter has just learned that long time dissolutionist and purveyor of false information, John Sullivan, will be running for Johnson City Village Board.  Fire Starter has highlighted some of the low-lights of this self serving hypocrite here and here.  Fire Starter believes that Sullivan represents everything wrong with many who seek public office.  For Sullivan and his ilk, it is not about public service but about getting what he believes is his.

He now apparently believes that the public will forget his talk of seceding from the Village.  He must believe the public will forget his lies regarding the the pay and benefits of Village employees and the savings from dissolution.  He must believe the public will forget that while he rails against public employees, he happily laps at the public trough.

One might easily believe that Sullivan is a well intentioned but misguided or misinformed resident.  Unfortunately, the facts point to a different conclusion.  When Sullivan sought dissolution of the Village, it was not out of some high minded  concern for taxes or services.  Mr. Sullivan sought the dissolution out of greed.  Sullivan was frustrated with his inability to launch a development project off of Reynolds Road.  Having been blocked by the planning board, Sullivan believed the only way to push the project forward was to eliminate the Village and take his chances with a more sympathetic Town of Union planning board.  This sort of self interested motivation is exactly what is wrong in local government.  Far too many of our local politicians have feathered their own nests and the nests of friends and allies on the public's dime.

Bertoni has secured full employment for his family and friends.  Hannon has done likewise while using his power and public funds to attack and destroy his enemies.  Both have advocated the reckless spending of hundreds of thousands of dollars on lawyers to pursue their petty plans.  And where has Sullivan been with regards to Hannon's reckless and wasteful spending?  Right there on the sidelines cheering.

One could assume that Sullivan merely believes all of Hannon's actions were proper and legitimate.  But based upon Sullivans prior actions and motivations, it is clear that he sees another way to dissolution.  A vote for Sullivan will be a vote to continue the financial ruin of the Village.  Whether it is mismanagement of the sewage treatment plant or reckless spending on lawyers and fire hydrants, Sullivan will be a rubber stamp on all of Hannon's vindictive schemes.

And why not?   Dissolution failed almost two years ago.  The next best thing would be to cause the financial collapse of the Village.  Hannon has gotten a pretty good start.  Now all he needs is another ally like Sullivan to finish the job.

Sullivan now runs for Village Board to do what he was unable to to do through the dissolution vote.  But in the end, for John Sullivan, it is not about good government.  It is just about John Sullivan.

Complaint Filed Against Hrustich

“Arrogance diminishes wisdom” - Arabian Proverb

A number of  months ago, the Fire Starter reported regarding the no confidence votes taken by Johnson City and Endicott fire fighters.  Unlike the local media, we went into great detail regarding the specifics of the charges.  We reported on the Johnson City no confidence vote here and the Endicott no confidence vote here.  In both instances, fire fighters raised grave concerns regarding the Joint Fire Administrator.  Issues regarding safety and competency were detailed for the respective Village Boards.  To date, neither Board has taken action.  At the very least an investigation should have occurred.  The OSHA violations alone should have been cause for concern on the part of elected officials.

More recently we reported regarding the Joint Fire Administrator placing members of the public, fellow fire fighters and his own children in danger.  Joint Fire Administrator Hrustich raced to the scene of a river rescue originating in the City of Binghamton while his children were in the back seat of his taxpayer provided vehicle.  With full lights and sirens and at a high rate of speed, Hrustich sped to the riverbank while his children sat in the back seat of the fire command vehicle.  Along the way, Hrustich nearly collided with a responding rig from the Endwell fire Department.

The JFA apparently is so devoid of judgement and common sense that he thought it was "cute" that his children accompanied him to this emergency scene.  He even took pictures of his children in the command vehicle at the scene! (Fire Starter has seen the pictures but is withholding their publication to protect the children).   Fire Starter is unsure which represents the greater lapse in judgement.  Responding to the fire scene with children may have been a momentary yet dangerous lapse in judgement.  But upon arriving at the scene, it apparently still seemed perfectly fine such that he memorialized the event with photos taken with his village paid cell phone.

Fire Starter has learned that a formal complaint against Hrustich has been filed by the Endicott Fire Fighters.  The Fire Fighters Association has detailed this most recent reckless (arrogant?) behavior and asked for a formal investigation by an outside party.  The Association specifically charges Hrustich with poor judgement, poor leadership and overall recklessness and asks that this most recent incident be examined along with the prior no confidence charges.

Fire Starter agrees with the Association.  It is imperative to the safety of Village residents and fire fighters that these serious charges be investigated.  The village has given life and death responsibility to Hrustich.  If he is incapable of exercising reasonable judgement to ensure the safety of his own children, it it not unreasonable to assume that this recklessness will place others in danger.

The time to act is now.  An outside investigation is fully warranted based upon the evidence of Hrustich's dereliction of duty.  Now the question is whether the respective boards will be derelict in their duties.