Hrustich's Recklessness

"It has been the political career of this man to begin with hypocrisy, proceed with arrogance, and finish with contempt" - Thomas Paine

According to yesterday's Press & Sun Bulletin, Mayor Bertoni has now decided that his decision to eliminate EMS in Endicott may require further study.  He has been informed that Union Volunteer Emergency Squad does not have sufficient resources to handle increase in volume of calls that this ill conceived plan would require.  Apparently careful study is not generally required before making life and death decisions.  King John the Dimwitted apparently can just "wing-it" and the consequences be damned.  Fire Starter has reliably learned that this is the first step toward an attempt to reduce the entire department to 16 members.  This would translate to no more than 4 firefighters per shift (and even fewer with illness, injury or vacations).

However, a close examination of this latest debacle reveals that Bertoni did not take this action alone.  His over paid and under worked Joint Fire Administrator Hrustich explained that this action would have no effect on public safety.  That is until a few facts were brought forward including UVES' lack of capacity.  Despite the "careful consideration" of Hrustich and Bertoni, this simple fact eluded them.  Now that questions have been raised, Bertoni is backing off...at least for now.  But a bigger question remains.  Why didn't Hrustich know this was an issue?

As we have previously pointed out, Hrustich has been under a no confidence vote in both Johnson City and Endicott for nearly 18 months.  In both resolutions, the fire fighters expressed grave concern for Hrustich's cavalier attitude toward the safety of fire fighters and citizens.  They both criticized his willingness to throw safety to the wind in order to promote himself and his bloated and undeserved $120,000 salary.  Both fire departments also criticized Hrustich for his lack of professionalism.

It is with regard to this last charge that fire starter has received some significant information.  We have previously reported that Hrustich has made it a habit of trying to direct a fire scene remotely.  We have been reliably informed that this goes against all tenets of fire fighting.  If you can not actually observe the scene, how can you make life and death decisions effecting fire fighters and citizens?  Simply put...you can not.

Another basic principle of fire service is that although you must arrive quickly to emergency scenes, you must do so safely.  In January of this year, Johnson City was asked to provide mutual aid to Vestal for a structure fire.  Volunteer companies such as Endwell were called upon as well.  JFA Hrustich responded from his Tioga County home.   With lights and sirens and at a high rate of speed, Hrustich proceeded to pass an Endwell fire truck on the shoulder and nearly forced the rig into the other lane. This is remarkable in that this was not even a fire he was responsible for.  When Hrustich arrives on the scene, he would not be in command.  This lack of professionalism led to reports being filed with the Endwell Volunteer Fire Company and an investigation is ongoing.

More recently, Binghamton received a call of a man having jumped off a bridge into the river.  Various agencies were responded to the river to attempt to retrieve the body.  In this instance, Johnson City responded to the river bank.  But never missing an opportunity to try and place himself front and center, Hrustich again responded from his Tioga County home. From several reports, he was driving recklessly and at a high rate of speed and nearly T-boned another emergency vehicle from Endwell.    All this to arrive at the river bank and watch the water go by.  Incidentally, Endicott also responded but due to Hrustich's mismanagement, Endicott's rescue boat has been out of service for over a year and a half.  So apparently any glory was going to be found in Johnson City.

Perhaps most shocking in this latter incident is the fact that Hrustich had his two young children in the official village vehicle.  While he sped through the streets and placed the public at risk, his two minor children were in the back seat.  Apparently, even the safety of his own children is trumped by this pathetic man's ambitions.

In both instances Hrustich acted unprofessional and recklessly.  This has been the hallmark of his "leadership".  He places others at risk for his own personal glory.  And this is the man that Hannon and Bertoni regularly cite to support their reckless and dangerous schemes.

Bertoni plans to slash the department and significantly compromise public safety.  For now, the public is watching and Bertoni has backed off.  But if it will mean more money for the chief, count on it coming back.

UPDATE: Many were puzzled by Bertoni's statement that "I am not non-amenable to working it out".  The Press & Sun Bulletin published the following correction: 

The Press & Sun Bulletin inadvertently misquoted Mayor Bertoni in the early edition on May 9, 2011.  The correct quote is "I am not non-amenable to displaying my ignorance".  The Press apologizes for any confusion.

EMS Revenge

"Revenge is always the weak pleasure of a little and narrow mind“ - Unknown

Well...King John the Prevaricator has struck again.  As referenced in our last post, Bertoni is proposing the abolishment of the Emergency Medical Services program in the Endicott Fire Department.  The Press & Sun Bulletin reported today that the program will be abolished due to its cost and to allow the fire department to better focus on fighting fires.  Apparently Village Fire Chief Hrustich is unable to walk and chew gum at the same time. This over paid and under worked civil servant is unable to provide fire protection and EMS services as pretty much EVERY OTHER PAID DEPARTMENT IN THE COUNTRY DOES!!  Perhaps this decision says a lot more about the chief's management abilities than the fiscal condition of the village.

Let's break down Bertoni's argument for a moment.  When it comes to cost, Bertoni cites the additional payment given to firefighters to compensate them for the additional training and duties associated with the EMS program.  But Fire Starter has learned that the total additional cost is less than $25,000 per year. Chief Hrustich notes that the department answers approximately 1800 EMS calls per year. The cost to the Village averages less than $14.00 per call in personnel costs.  Looking at it another way, in a village of about 13,000 people, the EMS program costs less than $2.00 per person per year.  Many who have received life saving services would agree that this is a small price to pay for security.

Bertoni claims that fire fighters will now be free to concentrate on fighting fires.  But in reality, even the chief notes that the department rolls on fewer than 700 fire calls per year.  So to do more with less, Bertoni argues that they will have the fire fighters provide fewer services and stop providing EMS services...wait...What???  (This is the governmental version of "Closed to Serve You Better").  And there appears to be no explanation as to how providing life saving medical services interferes with the ability to fight fires.

Emergency management is based on the provision of redundancies.  In many instances, other EMS providers such as UVES are unavailable to provide service in a timely manner.  They have only so many resources available to cover the entire Town of Union.  So what happens then?  In at least several instances in the last year, such a delay would have been the difference between life and death.

So what is this really about?  Apparently, the day before Bertoni announced this decision, the fire fighter union president attended a village board meeting and asked some pointed questions.  King John the Dimwitted had few answers and looked like the empty shirt that he is.  Well...this can not stand! So he lashed out at the fire department by eliminating the EMS program and the small stipend paid to its participants. 

But what about public safety?  Apparently it is more important to avenge his embarrassment than to provide life saving services to village residence at little cost to the village.  This sort of self centered, self serving approach to public service is a disgrace.

We have recently gotten several glimpses into the "character" of Bertoni.  Repeatedly, it has been found to be seriously lacking.

Airport Follies

“The truest characters of ignorance are vanity, and pride and arrogance.” -Samuel Butler

Well...King John the Ineffectual is at it again.  We recently detailed his one man war on skateboards which led to a police report.  Although there are still reports of skateboards in the Village, the perpetrators now wait until 10:00AM when Mayor Bertoni has completed his Village work for the day.  But let there be no mistake, Bertoni "owns the entire Village of Endicott".

While Bertoni is chasing skateboarders, the Village continues to deteriorate.  He has installed no-nothings and cronies as Village department heads.  One striking example of this is the manager of the "Tri-Cities Airport, Gerald Coprew.  This Village owned  airport used to generate income for the Village while providing an important and convenient portal for local industries like BAE and Lockheed Martin.  During Bertoni's reign, the airport has fallen into disrepair and under utilization.  Fire Starter has learned that:

• Bertoni's pick as airport director spends most of his time in Virginia where he has a full time job and residence.  His "residence" within the Village is vacant most of the time.
• Most airports such as Tri-Cities have a "beacon" which allows airplanes to locate and land at the strip.  For a number of months, Tri-Cities' beacon has been inoperative.
• Several days after a recent snow storm, a local pilot sought to land at Tri-Cities only to learn that the runway was still not plowed.  He later learned that the  airport was closed.  But no one had informed the Federal Aviation Administration.  This breach of Federal law could have cost lives had someone needed to land and not realized the condition of the runways.
• The airport has dedicated snow removal equipment provided by the Federal Government but it often goes unused due to the mismanagement of personnel.
• Tenancy in the hangars is down sharply due to reduced service and a new policy which denies access to the hangars in the evenings.  This results in lost revenue to the Village.
• Hangars have fallen into disrepair to the point that dividers between "stalls" have collapsed onto private planes resulting in thousands in damage.
• When presented with an opportunity to generate revenue through Lockheed Martin, the village was unable to figure out away to accommodate the aerospace giant.  Lockheed sought to rent hangar space for model flight testing but this was apparently too complicated a proposition for the part time, absentee airport manager.

These are but a few of the follies being perpetuated by Bertoni and his cronies.  Have we not seen enough of Bertoni's nonsense?  He has time for threatening children, their families and Village employees but no time to manage the business of the Village.   All too often, cronyism has taken priority over quality public service.  Whether it is the over paid or underworked Joint Fire Administrator Hrustich or Bertoni's other family and friends in Village positions, feathering private nests has taken precedence over public services.

Now Fire Starter has learned that Bertoni plans to eliminate Emergency Medical Service currently provided by the Fire Department.  This, despite running thousands of calls annually and utilizing already existing fire department personnel!  The Fire Starter will have more on this latest scheme.
This all boils down to the arrogance of power.  The Village has become Bertoni's kingdom out of which he dispenses or withholds his favors.  Quality, life saving services are not part of the agenda.  Whether it is the airport, the fire department, public works or the police department, the only question is what is in it for King John the Pompous and his friends and family.  And shortly, Bertoni is expected to ask voters for another four years!

We survived Collela because he was a one-termer.  Can we really afford another four years of Bertoni's mismanagement and malfeasance?

Hannon's Psychosis

Projection - attributing your own unacceptable impulses to someone else. The impulses are still judged unacceptable but they belong to someone else, not you.- Dr. Sigmund Freud



"Looks like what drives me crazy
Don't have no effect on you--
But I'm gonna keep on at it
Till it drives you crazy, too."

— Langston Hughes

Fire Starter read with incredulity the article last week in the Press & Sun Bulletin regarding the misuse of the Johnson City Police Department at the hands of Mayor Dennis Hannon and his over paid and under worked Joint Police Chief Zikuski.  We previously detailed this hair brained shared services scheme concocted by Hannon and his cronies.  We previously revealed that Johnson City is clearly getting the short end of this shared services deal.  Now that the Johnson City PBA has decided to push back at this foolhardy arrangement, Hannon has come out swinging.  It seems that the Village police now recognize that Hannon is putting village employees at risk.

Most striking was Hannon's accusation that the members of the  Johnson City Police department have a "to hell with public safety and to hell with the people" attitude.  This level of psychological projection would make Sigmund Freud's head spin.  In reality, it is Hannon who has cut public safety to unsafe levels in order to feather the nests of friends and allies in the hope of spring boarding himself to higher office.  In the end, truth wins out.  When faced with the facts, Hannon reacts with lies and threats.

We previously outlined the fact that Johnson City Detectectives were regularly detailed to Binghamton to participate in their investigations.  Although this may have helped Binghamton, Johnson City investigations have fallen by the wayside.

Fire Starter has also reliably been informed that Hannon and Zikuskihave issued a standing order that if additional assistance is needed in Johnson City, they are only to call on Binghamton.  In the twisted logic of the insane, the more Johnson City is able to use Binghamton resources, the more it will seem that this scheme is working.  In the meantime, officers and citizens are placed in greater danger.  They must wait for Binghamton to arrive rather than getting assistance from a closer agency such as the State Police or Sheriff's Department.  In other words, Hannon and Zikuski are willing to place Village residents and police officers at risk to create statistics that ostensibly support their crazy ideas.  But in Hannon's twisted reality, it is the PBA that is saying "to hell with public safety".

In the meantime, Hannon keeps kicking various fiscal issues down the road with he hope that they will either go away or he will be on to his next office before the chickens come home to roost.  And all the while, the Village is allowed to fall apart, piece by piece.  It seems ever clearer than ever that it has been Hannon's goal from the beginning to dissolve the Village.  What failed at the ballot box will be accomplished through a thousand cuts of neglect and incompetence. And all to satisfy Hannon's ego and aspirations.  But it is the PBA that is the problem. Only in the world of the insane.

And now Hannon sets up his threat.  Hannon asks the rhetorical question "why do we even have a Village police department".  Well Mayor...it is commonly understood that we have a police department to protect citizens against criminals and mentally deranged people.  So it seems that in challenging your foolhardy plans, the PBA is at the very least protecting us from an inhabitant of at least one of these groups.

Hannon's Fuzzy Math

“In politics stupidity is not a handicap.” - Napoleon Bonaparte

The Fire Starter was fascinated by Mayor Hannon's

mathematical prowess.  He magically transformed a 1.72% tax hike into a 3.6%  tax hike.  All without even changing a comma.  What was even more fascinating was his explanation of the error.  Hannon claims to have misread the budget summary.  In order to increase revenue 1.72%, the taxes need to be raised 3.6%.  This is due to decreased taxable property largely due to Hannon's inept handling of economic development.  Instead of pursuing enemies real and imagined and playing policeman while "patrolling" the Village, Hannon should be focusing on economic development.  Unfortunately, his priorities lie elsewhere.

In addition, a review of the budget reveals that it is a wish list rather than a serious budgetary document.  The Johnson City Police remain without a contract and are five years behind.  Although they are likely to receive at least two years of retroactive raises, this was not budgeted for.  The laid off fire fighters could be ordered rehired and re-payed several years of back pay.  But this was not budgeted for.  These are substantial liabilities that are not reflected in the budget.  One can imagine that Hannon will blame any shortfall on the police or the firemen should these unbudgeted liabilities become realities.

But Hannon has not shown himself to have a great facility with numbers.  He claimed that manpower reductions in the fire department would not effect service.  However, since the first of the year, the Floral Avenue fire station has been CLOSED over 13 times. This substantially increased response times to the southside of Johnson City. 

Medical call responses have also been greatly hindered as a result of staffing cuts.  Since the first of the year, the Johnson City has lacked sufficient personnel to respond to over 100 medical calls ranging from mid priority to life threatening situations.  Citizens facing a battle for their life have been left to wait for the response of more remote responders.

Perhaps the most shocking aspect of Hannon's budget is the apparent budgeted pay increase of approximately 5% for Joint Fire Administrator Hrustich.  He is already the third or fourth highest paid civil servant in Broome County.  He makes 25% more than the chief of the Binghamton Fire Department who commands twice as many firefighters.  Yet Hannon feels the need to shore up his chief toady (or is that toady Chief?).  All at the expense of Johnson City residents.

At a time when Hannon is laying off fire fighters, there seems to be no shortage of funds for his hatchet men and "friends".  Big raises for the part time Joint Fire Administrator who is already overpaid. Big raises for Hannon's office staff, and big raises for the lawyers. 

The purpose of government is to provide services, not reward friends and allies.  Hannon has long since lost sight of this.  And we are left waiting for emergency services.

The Report

The Fire Starter had a glimmer of hope that the report regarding King John the Impotent was not nearly as bad as described.  Unfortunately, the police report speaks for itself.  He did accost the young man and follow him home like some latter day Inspector Clouseau.  He identified himself as the mayor several times in an attempt to use his position to intimidate citizens.  He claimed to "own all of this".  He did attempt to use his position as mayor to settle his petty score.  When that failed, he called "his" police department to settle the score for him.

Fortunately, the police understood that the incident was caused by an overheated adolescent using poor judgement and then having a tantrum.  And there also was a teenager and his parents involved.

The money quote from the police report is the last line: "ALL PARTIES MADE AWARE IT IS NOT THE CASE THAT ELECTED OFFICIALS MAY DO WHATEVER THEY WISH". 

Would that King John the Vainglorious could take these words to heart.



King John the Feckless

feckless\ FEK-lis \ , adjective; 1. Ineffective; having no real worth or purpose. 2. Worthless; irresponsible; generally incompetent and ineffectual.

In the past, Fire Starter has pointed out Endicott Mayor John Bertoni's less than diligent execution of his mayoral duties.  Whether it is leaving Village board meetings to go to card games or extended absences from the Village, King John the Witless has shown that his work ethic leaves much to be desired.  What Fire Starter was unaware of was the fact that Bertoni has been doubling as a crime fighter.  A bloviating mayor by day and a crusader for justice by night.

Fire Starter has reliably learned that the mayor caught a serial offender red handed.  While patrolling the Oak Hill area of the village, the mayor viewed a culprit committing his evil deed.   Fueled with the righteous indignation of the just, our hero sprung into action.

Who was this evildoer? And what was his offense?  He was a teenage skateboarder who was skateboarding in the street.  Fortunately for Village residents, Bertoni was on the job.  He immediately identified himself as the sovereign of Endicott and demanded that the offender remove himself from the street.  The youth, obviously unimpressed, made a face and told Bertoni that he didn't really care who he was.

Well, skateboarding in the street was bad enough.  But now youth had gone too far.  He had insulted the crown and this must not stand.  So our hero followed the youth home and confronted the youth's parents.  He again identified himself as the the Mayor of Endicott.  When the youth's parents were likewise unimpressed, he clarified that "he owns the Village".  They responded by clarifying that THEY owned their home and he should remove himself from their property.

Well the offenses continued to pile up.  Skateboarding, disrespect from the youth, and disrespect from the youth's parents.  This was obviously beyond Bertoni's capabilities.  So he just let it drop there...or that's what any normal adult would do (of course, most normal adults would have avoided the whole situation rather than escalate it into a confrontation).  Instead, King John the Spiteful sought to prove that he "owned the Village" by calling the police department.  Officers responded and took a report (Fire Starter will provide the report if it becomes available).  No arrests were made but consideration was given to sending Bertoni for a psychiatric evaluation.

As silly as this incident appears to be, it reveals a serious flaw in Bertoni's character.  Being Mayor is not about flaunting your title and bullying residents.  It is about SERVING the public; not self serving. It is about providing services, not providing jobs to friends and family.  And it is about being first among equals, not lording your title and power over residents and employees.

King John the Feckless and his imperious ways will catch up to him.  It is up to the voters to send a loud and clear message in November.  We hope he hears it.