Mar 5, 2013 11:35 AM
Former Southampton Town Supervisor Linda Kabot took a step toward another run for her old office this week, mailing a letter to supporters and friends asking whether she should try to unseat her successor, Supervisor Anna Throne-Holst, in November.
The letter, and a post on her Facebook page, asked supporters to respond with a simple yes, no or maybe, regarding whether they think she should reenter town politics. She touted her long experience at Town Hall and said that she believes the Town Board in recent years has been mired in interpersonal battles rather than attending to municipal business.
“In my opinion, the town is standing still,” she wrote in the letter. “The agendas are light and ego battles seem to take center stage over the past few years.”
Ms. Kabot served as... more
The letter, and a post on her Facebook page, asked supporters to respond with a simple yes, no or maybe, regarding whether they think she should reenter town politics. She touted her long experience at Town Hall and said that she believes the Town Board in recent years has been mired in interpersonal battles rather than attending to municipal business.
“In my opinion, the town is standing still,” she wrote in the letter. “The agendas are light and ego battles seem to take center stage over the past few years.”
Ms. Kabot served as... more
What did the stars do this week?
Hahaha! The Skip Heaney Tea Party crew out in full force right on cue. Perhaps Heaney would like to run again.
"Ms. Throne-Holst’s call came soon after former Town Supervisor Linda Kabot had visited headquarters that day to discuss a police matter, the captain said. Ms. Kabot arrived and left with a file of her own, wishing for documentation of a private matter, but did not end up filing an incident report that day because she lives outside the Town Police jurisdiction, the captain said. Former Chief Overton had also stopped in that day to say hello and have a ...more cup of coffee, the captain said. He had left the building by the time the supervisor called. Neither Ms. Kabot nor Chief Overton returned requests for comment this week."
"Captain Tenaglia confirmed the supervisor had called him that day. He recalled saying that documents are shredded at headquarters on a daily basis, but that he would check to see what was going on. He said he walked to a back room and found a maintenance man shredding papers for a secretary. “At the time [Ms. Throne-Holst] called, that’s what I saw,” the captain said. “Now, if something happened an hour before that, or a half hour, and it took that long a period of time, I don’t know. I just know that at that time, that’s what was happening.” The captain said he unplugged the shredder and put it away."
In the words of the great C+C Music Factory, "Things that make you go, hmmm"
"former Town Police Captain Anthony Tenaglia has spoken out—to say there was no wrongdoing. “There were no records destroyed. There were no records missing,” the former captain, now retired, who was in charge of police headquarters at the time of the incident, said in a phone interview on Monday. “This was some concocted conspiracy theory that never occurred.”" BUT
"The supervisor said she next called Captain Tenaglia to get confirmation. ...more She recalled that he told her he was going through many years of accumulated files, discarding what was personal, such as birthday cards, or no longer relevant, in an effort to clean up before the new chief arrived."
Nothing destroyed, nothing missing. Oh, just a little housekeeping and oh yeah some files left.
Just some wonderful happenstance. The ex-chief, with the ex-town supervisor and the soon to be ex-captain reminiscing and sharing stories as the shredder buzzes away in the background. Ah, good times...
"Sgt. Joyce, the department’s records retention officer in the Overton administration, said this week he has no comment on the issue before hanging up on a reporter."
"Meanwhile, Ms. Schermeyer and Mr. Kratoville said that they preferred to answer questions on the issue this week via email" of course you would
"Captain Tenaglia said. “There’s nothing to hide. There’s nothing going on. Southampton Town is a good police department. It’s an honest police department. It was then and it is now.”"
There is nothing to see here, move along says the cop with the bullhorn as Overton and Kabot exit stage left
Where is that facebook page that we can vote a simple yes or no on?
"A fellow detective accused Lt. Armstrong of perjury after Ms. Jennemann was convicted in May 2004, and a subsequent Suffolk County Police Bureau of Internal Affairs report found that he likely lied when he said, under oath, that he was at the scene of the Bridgehampton accident, in which farm worker Henry Anthony Yarrell was killed. Colleagues, speaking on condition of anonymity, said he was never ...more observed at the scene."
"The result could have repercussions in the Jennemann case, and the DA’s office says it also will be reviewing other criminal cases in which Lt. Armstrong was involved to see if a closer review is warranted." Armstrong Case to DA - 12/8/04
"His hearing was set to vet the 13 separate charges of “conduct unbecoming a police officer,” and “conduct which brings discredit upon the police department,” according to a copy of the charges provided to The Press. The charges all addressed in some way four separate instances: Lt. Armstrong’s filing of a false written report of Ms. Jennemann’s accident both before and after the trial, the accusation of two counts of perjury for his testimony in the trial, and his alleged falsestatement given to Internal Affairs officers during their investigation."
Wait for it.....
"“Even if he was found guilty of the charge, I still don’t think it would be fair,” Mr. Suskind said this week. “This is a guy who worked for more than 28 years, has an exemplary record. He may have done something stupid and self-serving, and there’s not even any agreement of guilt. But he wasn’t beating people up, or putting lives in general in danger, or taking bribes.” Both Mr. Suskind and Town Councilwoman Linda Kabot said this week that the lieutenant’s work in a vehicle and traffic capacity had been extremely well done, and Ms. Kabot proposed this week to keep him on as a part- time civilian vehicle and traffic consultant."
Really?! Another Southampton cop with "credibility issues" lies on the stand and jeopardizes a hit & run case where someone dies and "it wasn't like he was beating people up" cricket, cricket.
Great idea Linda Kabot, lets keep him on.
Help us, someone!
Did you ever see the classic movie Ship of Fools?
"My name is Karl Glocken and this is a ship of fools! I am a fool. You’ll meet more fools as we go along. This tub is packed with them. Emancipated ladies and ballplayers. Lovers. Dog lovers. Ladies of joy. Tolerant Jews, Dwarfs. All kinds. And who knows—if you look closely enough, you may even find yourself on board."
Proven leader
- OR -
Retread
The body language?
"Kick the bums out of office!"
"None of the above!"
"Who Sought To Oust Police Chief?" 3/29/12
"At least two attempts were made in late 2011 to oust Southampton Town Police Chief William Wilson Jr. from his post"
"Southampton Town Supervisor Anna Throne-Holst said this week, an intermediary delivered a message in ...more December from “GOP leadership,” offering a deal in which Town Board members would agree to swap votes: the Republican board members would support the supervisor’s reappointment of then-Town Comptroller Tamara Wright, in exchange for Ms. Throne- Holst agreeing to oust the chief."
"Chief Wilson this week confirmed reports that he had been offered a financial incentive—he declined to say how much—by Town Management Services Administrator Russell Kratoville to leave the post he had just been appointed to last spring."
"“I declined because I still have the desire to serve the community and I am dedicated to my law enforcement career,” Chief Wilson said."
"Mr. Kratoville on Monday declined to comment on the issue, stating that it is a personnel issue. “It’s really not appropriate for me to speak about a conversation I may or may not have had with an employee,” he said."
"Town Councilwoman Bridget Fleming, a Democrat, said she did not know anything about the offer, but added, “I know that my colleagues have made it very difficult for Chief Wilson to do his job, so I’m not entirely surprised that that might have been offered. But I don’t have specific information on it.”"
"“This is the reason why some people on the Town Board don’t like him: because he’s a policeman,” Officer Gwinn said. “He’s not a politician, and he will not play politics ... He’s the best man for this job, and if they let him do his job, the Southampton Town residents will see exactly what this gentleman can do.”"
"Ms. Fleming said. “The disservice that this kind of political handling of this important position does to the town is real,” she said, adding that Chief Wilson is “doing a great job, given the obstacles.”"
That would be Suffolk County DA, Thomas J. Spota's "Government Corruption Bureau" as reported in this very paper.*
*http://www.27east.com/news/article.cfm/General-Interest-Southampton/423298/DAs-Government-Corruption-Bureau-Subpeonas-Police-Records-At-Southampton-Town-Hall
- and -
*http://www.27east.com/news/article.cfm/General-Interest-Southampton/425063/DAs-Office-Disputes-Southampton-Town-Board-Letter-On-Police-Records-Move
Food for thought, but I hope it does not give you food poisoning.
what do Lt James Kiernan & Code Enforcement Officer Alfred Tumbarello have in common?
Just Republican Committeeman that sit on the screening committee. Sound familiar?
"Town Employee Faces Charges" 4/26/12
"A Southampton Town code enforcement officer was arrested by Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota’s East End Drug Task Force last week after authorities said he sold cocaine and prescription ...more drugs on multiple occasions over several months. "
"Robert Clifford, a spokesman for Mr. Spota, declined to comment on whether Mr. Tumbarello was on duty with the town when he was accused of selling the drugs."
So, the DA's East End Drug task force conducted the investigation and made the arrest. Good work, but why did the Southampton Police Street Crime Unit headed by fellow committeeman not uncover this and it involved prescritpion drugs? Coincidence, perhaps...
"Those charges remain confidential, but Lt. Kiernan is accused of, among other things, giving tacit approval to Officer Sickles to continue to carry a sidearm, drive police cars, interact with the public and make arrests, despite having been aware that Officer Sickles had developed an addiction to prescription drugs. Lt. Kiernan also is accused of trying to cover up Officer Sickles’s dependency. In addition, at times, confiscated drugs in the Street Crime Unit office at police headquarters in Hampton Bays reportedly were left unsecured." - Two Are Released From Prison 5/31/12
"The town appointed Southampton attorney Linda Riley to serve as the hearing officer for Mr. Tumbarello’s disciplinary proceeding, which will deal with charges filed against him by the town. It remains to be seen whether those charges relate directly to the circumstances of his arrest." - Hearing Officer Appointed 7/12/12 -
whatever happened to this?
"Accused Cop Opts To Retire - Supervisor says claim wasn’t an isolated one" 10/20/05
"Ms. Kabot proposed this week to keep him on as a part- time civilian vehicle and traffic consultant."" speaking of LT Armstrong who, "... likely lied when he said, under oath,..." perjured himself. Why would you keep a corrupt officer on as a consultant.
Better yet she was on ...more the Board when it helped the LT Armstrong change retirement systems which one can only guess was so he could retire and avoid prosecution?
"Bill Clears the Way For Key Retirements" - 7/21/05
"A bill that would allow Southampton Town Police Chief James P. Overton and Lieutenant William Armstrong to retire earlier than expected is awaiting approval from the governor’s office, State Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr.’s office confirmed this week."
"If approved by the governor, the legislation would allow Chief Overton and Lt. Armstrong—both of whom opted out of a 20-year retirement plan and secure a 25-year retirement plan prior to 2003—to switch back to the original plan. If both agree to the switch, the move would cost the town about $7,000 next year, and an additional $123,000 that must be paid into the state retirement fund over the next five years."
"Both Chief Overton and Lt. Armstrong have come under fire in recent months. Chief Overton has not faced any disciplinary action, but town officials have said they are conducting an inquiry into allegations of misconduct by the chief. Lt. Armstrong, meanwhile, is still awaiting the resolution of disciplinary charges against him after Chief Overton said he made false reports and statements in connection with a hit-and-run fatality"
Once again the Southampton residents checkbook is opened up to the tune of $130,000 to cover up corruption that runs from the police department to Town Hall..
When will this end?
This is all I could find - is there more? It would not be surprising.
"‘Troubling’ Practices Subject Of D.A.’s Probe" - 11/29/12
"The D.A.’s division chief of investigations, Chris McPartland, said this week that his office’s now months-long investigation of the town department has turned its focus to the oversight, recording and ...more tracking of days worked by police officers and time off accrued under the union contracts."
"“Our investigation into troubling administrative practices in the Southampton Town Police Department is ongoing,” Mr. McPartland said. “Our review of procedures for maintaining evidence and recording time and accruals to police supervisors goes on.”"
"Reached by telephone, Chief Wilson, who resigned earlier this month and will officially retire from the department on December 1, said that the concerns with oversight of the time records was something he had tried to resolve throughout his 18-month tenure with the town: “I expressed my concern regarding time off multiple times to the Town Board. Whether it’s mistakes or intentional manipulation of records, you’re talking about hundreds of thousands of dollars in compensated absence time that people are entitled to. God forbid anybody shine a light on it ... you become an albatross very quickly.”"
"The auditors noted that Chief Wilson had implemented a slight change to the system that required that any superior officer who was entering and approving his own time records notify the chief via email to verify the entry."
"a draft version of the audit obtained by The Press, written by accountants
from Cullen & Danowski C.P.A., paints a picture of a loosely overseen system of attendance and accrual tracking that does not log who makes entries to time records—and, in some cases, allows supervisory officers to edit their own records. The lax controls on the accrual system apparently led to the town overpaying five retiring officers more than $44,000 in compensation for unused accrued time off last year."
Looks like the fox were watching the hen house until a new watchdog came into town. Unfortunately, the watchdog was sent away and the fox are back.