It's been almost week now since the last Middletown Township Committee meeting took place and the controversy over reserved library funds have not died down, if anything as the calendar gets closer to March 15th and the Middletown Township Committee needs to produce a proposed budget to the State, the rhetoric could heat up even more than it already has.
As I stated in an earlier post, during public comments at last weeks Township Committee meeting, Library Director Susan O'Neal, spoke about the virtues of the library and attempted to talk about the perceived surplus funds that the Township insists are available for it's taking, but when she was badgered and talked down to rather arrogantly by appointed mayor Tony Fiore, she ended the discussion and sat down.
Fiore was waving in the air a piece of paper that he claimed was a 2008 MTPL Foundation IRS 990 form that showed the Library held in excess of $350,000 (but he didn't present it to O'Neal), he wanted to know how much was currently in this account. O'Neal stated that she thought there was $35,000 available as per the 2010 IRS 990 form. Fiore then wanted to know what happened to the surplus funds, what were they used for?
Ms. O'Neal said that NO portion of municipal funds are included in the Library's surplus, at which point Township Attorney Brain Nelson, attempting to interject himself into the conversation, rose from his chair next to the Mayor waved his finger at O'Neal and said that her statement was false.
It was at this point that Director O'Neal ended her discussion, probably feeling somewhat frustrated and intimidated by the aggression shown to her by both Tony Fiore and his "goon" Attorney Brian Nelson.
The below 10 minute audio clip is from Tuesday night's meeting and captures Susan O'Neal's entire 10 minute address in front of Township Committee. To hear the exchange between Tony Fiore, Susan O'Neal and Nelson as described above, you will need to advance the audio to about the 7:50 mark.
It doesn't shed a very good light on Fiore or Nelson,it just adds to the perspective that Township Committee and it's attorney are arrogant and don't care to hear about the truth or worry about how they chose to intimidate others when they have their minds made up.
5 comments:
This "GOON" has no respect for anyone and he WAS NOT ELECTED to the TC. Little,arrogant piece of **** with a NAPOLEON complex does not belong on the dais. This is the result of the low caliber of individual we now have serving in this township.
Carton,looks like the pickings are slim on the bottom of the barrel,pal.
The Mayor complains that the Library is duplicating programs that the arts center offers and that in such economic times this should not happen. I have never seen the arts center offer a program to the public for free. All of the programs at the Library are free. So Mr Mayor if you are so concerned about the economy, why not let the public who elected you partake of these free programs at the Library? Or are you trying to promote the arts center with the hope they will generate some more revenue?
Mike, are you sure you put up the right audio clip- for a minute I thought it a clip from a Senate investigation of the Mafia.
So two art exhibits occuring at the same time is now considered "duplication of effort"? Couldn't the same be said of the entire Township Committee since Middletown already has one Evil Clown hovering over it?
Anon 7:51 p.m.,
The programs at Middletown Library aren't free; they are paid for with municipal tax dollars and some programs are subsidized with donations and grants.
To the extent that heat, electric and other operating costs are paid for with municipal tax dollars, then programs at the Arts Center are susidized with tax dollars, as well. The arts Center helps defray the operating costs, borne by taxpayers, with program fees, membership fees and donations.
The Library budget is statute driven and the Arts Center is deterrmined by an ill equiped Township Committee. Both offer program services that overlap. Both offer distinct services as well -- books for one and theater for the other. Both have very similar visions and missions and could share program services and complement each other. This would require the L.B.T and C.A.C.B. to get together and determine an organizational structure. It would also require that the T.C. stay out of the reorganization to avoid injecting partisian political interests and generally mismanaging the effort.
Both the library and the arts center have cost, and continue to cost, the taxpayer significant dollars in bond (loan) costs.
The Library receives at very generous state mandated budget. some of that money could be well used to help defray Arts Center operatring and program costs. The key to making this happen efficeintly with minimal tax dollar waste is to remove the opportunity for the Township Committee to have any imput as to how the Library dollars are used in support of the Arts Center.
Both the Library Board and the Arts Center Board (sans any voting members representing the T.C. participating)are hopefully capable of creating such a formal alliance without T.C. participation.
to anon751
This was never a problem before the arts center came to town. The arts center was promoted by rosemarie peters, former TC member, who is now the county surrogate and is further padding her taxpayer funded pension with that high paying job. But leaving politics out of it, the library has done a fine job and a tremendous service to the community. Believe it or not, not all twp. residents can reach into their pocket and pull out yet more money so they or their children can attend a program.
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