Why endorse a candidate who frivolously SUED our town?

Frank  McGahee(sp?) Is a board member of Village Keepers, the organization that SUED our town, with zero justification, and cost US thousands of dollars in legal fees. Why would we endorse someone who is so anti-Maplewood? WTF?

who is "We?"

Dennis_Seelbach said:

Frank  McGahee(sp?) Is a board member of Village Keepers, the organization that SUED our town, with zero justification, and cost US thousands of dollars in legal fees. Why would we endorse someone who is so anti-Maplewood? WTF?

Anti Maplewood is a loaded phrase   He did nothing more than represent the thoughts of many in 

town.   The pro building feeling certainly was not unanimous and he represented those of us who 

felt the same way. When we lose the right to sue we have lost a very important factor in our lives.

author said:

Dennis_Seelbach said:

Frank  McGahee(sp?) Is a board member of Village Keepers, the organization that SUED our town, with zero justification, and cost US thousands of dollars in legal fees. Why would we endorse someone who is so anti-Maplewood? WTF?

Anti Maplewood is a loaded phrase   He did nothing more than represent the thoughts of many in 

town.   The pro building feeling certainly was not unanimous and he represented those of us who 

felt the same way. When we lose the right to sue we have lost a very important factor in our lives.

Nobody questions his right...just his wisdom and committment. The lawsuit never had a chance, and overdone knew it. All it did was cost all of us money!

alias said:

who is "We?"

Maplewood Democrats!

author said:

Dennis_Seelbach said:

Frank  McGahee(sp?) Is a board member of Village Keepers, the organization that SUED our town, with zero justification, and cost US thousands of dollars in legal fees. Why would we endorse someone who is so anti-Maplewood? WTF?

Anti Maplewood is a loaded phrase   He did nothing more than represent the thoughts of many in 

town.   The pro building feeling certainly was not unanimous and he represented those of us who 

felt the same way. When we lose the right to sue we have lost a very important factor in our lives.

Noone's denying anyone's right to make use of the courts.  What offends people is that he/they chose to take this path, and I/we will hold it against him/them.  As is our right.  

But of course you knew that, you're just here Pontifying as usual.   

My taxes have increased 298% since I moved to Maplewood in the year 2000.  Services have remained the same or got worse (except recycling).  So we're cool,  everything is good, right? Doesn't matter who is 'governing'.  so don't worry about it folks.

This thread has nothing to do with taxes.

And, frankly, The Township Committee, which the thread is about, has almost no control over taxes. 

Why don't you all find out what the candidate is about and what he represents before jumping to (the usual) conclusions?  Like moths to a flame…like lemmings on a cliff.

And why don't you find out the VILLAGE FACTS about those legal bills, what they really amounted to, and who actually paid those invoices?

And while you are at it why not take the time to sort out for yourselves what could have avoided that suit in the first place. 

Sometimes it is better to do research and ask questions before jumping to conclusions about anyone  or anything. And that's a FACT.

OliveBee said:

Sometimes it is better to do research and ask questions before jumping to conclusions about anyone  or anything. And that's a FACT.

Sometimes, just not this time. 

Red_Barchetta said:

OliveBee said:

Sometimes it is better to do research and ask questions before jumping to conclusions about anyone  or anything. And that's a FACT.

Sometimes, just not this time. 

So you believe you do not need FACTS?  Then you are making clouded judgements and uninformed decisions. 

Fact #1...He is Board member of Village Keepers.

Fact #2...Village Keepers sued the town.

Fact#3...Prep for that suit cost the town money.

Case Closed !

Dennis_Seelbach said:

Fact #1...He is Board member of Village Keepers.

Fact #2...Village Keepers sued the town.

Fact#3...Prep for that suit cost the town money.

Case Closed !

The amount of monies paid to defend the suit amounted to $1.00 per resident

All of those monies were billed were done so by the Township Attorney including some monster

expensive phone calls to his in Township associate 

Case closed? It doesn't work that way

That's $20k that we could have spent on something else.... something more useful and/or more important.

author said:

Dennis_Seelbach said:

Fact #1...He is Board member of Village Keepers.

Fact #2...Village Keepers sued the town.

Fact#3...Prep for that suit cost the town money.

Case Closed !

The amount of monies paid to defend the suit amounted to $1.00 per resident

All of those monies were billed were done so by the Township Attorney including some monster

expensive phone calls to his in Township associate 

Case closed? It doesn't work that way

yahooyahoo said:

That's $20k that we could have spent on something else.... something more useful and/or more important.

author said:

Dennis_Seelbach said:

Fact #1...He is Board member of Village Keepers.

Fact #2...Village Keepers sued the town.

Fact#3...Prep for that suit cost the town money.

Case Closed !

The amount of monies paid to defend the suit amounted to $1.00 per resident

All of those monies were billed were done so by the Township Attorney including some monster

expensive phone calls to his in Township associate 

Case closed? It doesn't work that way

What is more important than the right to express one's grievances through the court system?

20,000 chili dogs?

Dennis_Seelbach said:

Frank  McGahee(sp?) Is a board member of Village Keepers, the organization that SUED our town, with zero justification, and cost US thousands of dollars in legal fees. Why would we endorse someone who is so anti-Maplewood? WTF?

Dennis,

Your views, entitled to them as you are, seem very one-dimensional.  The Post House and VK lawsuit are yesterday's news at this point, yet you seem intent to relitigate them through the political process.  Most Maplewoodians, I suspect, are taking a broader view and focusing on issues that are important to the community and that a future TC member will actually be able to affect.  The MDC appears to have overwhelmingly decided that Frank McGehee is the best candidate to represent their party and our town going forward.  

My neighbor, who is a MDC District Leader for my neighborhood and attended the meeting, told me that Mayor DeLuca was the first person to rise and speak in support of McGehee. The vote was 26-2 in favor of McGehee. So it seems that others are burying old grudges and moving on.  You might consider doing the same.

If you want to oppose McGehee, that is obviously your right, but who is the alternative?  I heard from a Lembrich supporter on Maplewood Ave last spring that it only takes 50 signatures or so to get on the primary ballot.  If you are so outraged by the MDC's "anti-Maplewood" choice, why don't you find a few dozen like-minded people, get their signatures, and run?  Or help organize and support someone else?  Your opposition is otherwise kind of pointless if the only alternate options people have are an invalid Republican or a protest write-in.

Like him or not, Frank McGehee has put himself forward and volunteered to serve our town.  (I don't know enough about him yet to say how I feel, but the fact that DeLuca, Profeta, Huemer, and Lembrich ALL support him is interesting and encouraging).  Regardless of how I may end up feeling about him as a candidate, I have much more respect for his commitment than those who stand on the sidelines complaining and throwing stones at those who've stepped up to serve.  

Apparently Village Keepers' important grievance was that the town's law firm needed an extra 20 grand. I forget how the language in the law suit went exactly but I think it was something like:

Whereas the Township of Maplewood has money, and the law firm of Duffler, Kinell and Prong is a bit short this month, our organization ("The Village Keepers of Maplewood NJ") demand that the Township of Maplewood hand over sums in remuneration to Duffler, Kinell and Prong of approximately $20,000.

KTHXBAI,

Village Keepers (a non-profit organization).

Thank you, tomdevon, for saving me from a snarky comment about what 26 of 28 party stalwarts could possibly agree on.

lord_pabulum said:

My taxes have increased 298% since I moved to Maplewood in the year 2000.  Services have remained the same or got worse (except recycling).  So we're cool,  everything is good, right? Doesn't matter who is 'governing'.  so don't worry about it folks.

Funny, my taxes have only increased 50% over the last 15 years.  Maybe you were under assessed in 2000

DaveSchmidt said:

Thank you, tomdevon, for saving me from a snarky comment about what 26 of 28 party stalwarts could possibly agree on.

You're welcome, but if I knew that one of your snarky comments was otherwise in the offing, I would have remained silent

tomdevon said:

DaveSchmidt said:

Thank you, tomdevon, for saving me from a snarky comment about what 26 of 28 party stalwarts could possibly agree on.

You're welcome, but if I knew that one of your snarky comments was otherwise in the offing, I would have remained silent ">

As a sideliner myself, I'd only add that, to his credit, Dennis_Seelbach gets out there.

Free tennis balls available with the purchase of only a few dozen chili dogs

As stated above, construction is proceeding at the Post Office site.  This should be a non-issue for this year's TC election.  What will be of concern going forward is the position the TC will take officially on economic development and density going forward.  The subject of the OP can legitimately be queried as to his position on that related issue. 

What matters is each candidate's concern about doing what is right for the community as a whole going forward, vision of how the town should proceed on a wide range of issues we will be facing in the near and distant future, time and energy the candidate has to pursuing this vision, ability to see all sides of each issue and to weigh the facts before before making an informed decision, etc. We should be looking at all each candidate has to offer not just their allegiance to  a single prior issue in which some members of our community chose up sides.

I respect the idea that we should move on and forward. I didn't have much of an issue with the cost of the lawsuit itself. However, I often felt that the project's opposition resorted to exaggeration and distortion in making many of their points and there often seemed to be an implicit political angle to a lot of it. So I'm willing to listen to the VK folks on how to move forward, but I'll do it with a degree of skepticism and apprehension.

tomdevon said:

Dennis_Seelbach said:

Frank  McGahee(sp?) Is a board member of Village Keepers, the organization that SUED our town, with zero justification, and cost US thousands of dollars in legal fees. Why would we endorse someone who is so anti-Maplewood? WTF?

Dennis,

Your views, entitled to them as you are, seem very one-dimensional.  The Post House and VK lawsuit are yesterday's news at this point, yet you seem intent to relitigate them through the political process.  Most Maplewoodians, I suspect, are taking a broader view and focusing on issues that are important to the community and that a future TC member will actually be able to affect.  The MDC appears to have overwhelmingly decided that Frank McGehee is the best candidate to represent their party and our town going forward.  

My neighbor, who is a MDC District Leader for my neighborhood and attended the meeting, told me that Mayor DeLuca was the first person to rise and speak in support of McGehee. The vote was 26-2 in favor of McGehee. So it seems that others are burying old grudges and moving on.  You might consider doing the same.

If you want to oppose McGehee, that is obviously your right, but who is the alternative?  I heard from a Lembrich supporter on Maplewood Ave last spring that it only takes 50 signatures or so to get on the primary ballot.  If you are so outraged by the MDC's "anti-Maplewood" choice, why don't you find a few dozen like-minded people, get their signatures, and run?  Or help organize and support someone else?  Your opposition is otherwise kind of pointless if the only alternate options people have are an invalid Republican or a protest write-in.

Like him or not, Frank McGehee has put himself forward and volunteered to serve our town.  (I don't know enough about him yet to say how I feel, but the fact that DeLuca, Profeta, Huemer, and Lembrich ALL support him is interesting and encouraging).  Regardless of how I may end up feeling about him as a candidate, I have much more respect for his commitment than those who stand on the sidelines complaining and throwing stones at those who've stepped up to serve.  

Tom, you are right that it is yesterday's news, but the underlying issue is quite fresh...The continual undermining of the current political establishment by a bitter, egotistical former pol. Apparently, the Democratic establishment has far shorter memories than I, and a far greater tolerance for anti-Maplewood activities.

I do oppose McGehee, for that very reason. I don't have, nor do I need, an alternative to hold that position. As for my being a candidate, I could probably scare up 50 signatures, but I would bet that at least half of them would never vote for me. I have too big a mouth to survive an election cycle, and too little tolerance for wasting my, and others', time.

Respect me, or not...that is certainly your choice. But I would urge you, and others, to see the chaos that is looming because Fred and the Bandits have their agenda.

OliveBee said:

Why don't you all find out what the candidate is about and what he represents before jumping to (the usual) conclusions?  Like moths to a flame…like lemmings on a cliff.

And why don't you find out the VILLAGE FACTS about those legal bills, what they really amounted to, and who actually paid those invoices?

And while you are at it why not take the time to sort out for yourselves what could have avoided that suit in the first place. 

Sometimes it is better to do research and ask questions before jumping to conclusions about anyone  or anything. And that's a FACT.

Fact -- Lemmings don't jump off cliffs.

http://www.snopes.com/disney/films/lemmings.asp

I am personally disappointed in the committee's choice of a new resident whose first participation in our town's politics was to be involved with a disruptive personal vendetta.  I for one will be considering alternatives.

author said:

Free tennis balls available with the purchase of only a few dozen chili dogs

I still want to know where you are getting these $1 chili dogs ... I'm intrigued. 

CapnMarko said:

author said:

Free tennis balls available with the purchase of only a few dozen chili dogs

I still want to know where you are getting these $1 chili dogs ... I'm intrigued. 

Village Coffee?

CapnMarko said:

author said:

Free tennis balls available with the purchase of only a few dozen chili dogs

I still want to know where you are getting these $1 chili dogs ... I'm intrigued. 

Seriously. They're like $4.45 at Nathan's.