Douglas Thielen
9 Pheasant Drive, New Fairfield, CT 06812
[203] 746-4039
Letters & Opinions
for September 23rd
2009
LEST WE FORGET #4
Since another municipal election campaign in New Fairfield has begun, I have been reflecting on some of “Hodge’s Follies” that are directly attributable to John Hodge during King John’s ego-driven administration. Below is the fourth example of our self centered monarch’s decrees:
Hodge's Follies #4 ~ Firing the entire Building Committee. Our Machievellian Producer threw a collective 150 years of project engineering experience into the Orchestra Pit. Why? Because [1] they would not cater to his decrees and [2] because JH always knows best, regardless of the topic. Just ask him. Talk about abuse of power, this was a classic!
Only an individual with a monster ego could believe he knew more than 6 building professionals and proceed to throw them under the bus. That is scary, but that is a fact.
The new Building Committee, appointed by Hodge, has 4 of the 6 members with virtually no building construction expertise but they are very good at rubber stamping our 1st Selectman's orders. This group of amateurs will be managing the recently approved $32+ million dollar construction project with the "guidance" of our egomaniac CEO. That scenario is flat out frightening.
The result of firing the entire Building Committee continued John Hodge's Senior Center debacle that wound up overrunning the approved funding by more than $50,000. Why? Because Hodge reneged on an implicit promise to repay the $74,500 cash advance he requested, and was given, to immediately start working with an architect on the design. When it became patently obvious that the project was headed into the red, our devious CEO had an attorney find a technical loop hole in the wording of the cash advance resolution to negate the agreement to repay it. That is the only reason Hodge did not overrun the project. Were Mr. Hodge an honorable and trustworthy man, that $74,500 would have been put back into the general fund and new funding would need to have been approved by us voters in order to legally be able to finish the project over the previously approved funding. However, that would have resulted in John Hodge having a lot of deserved egg on his face so the $74,500 was not repaid. Draw your own conclusions...
When you read John Hodge's campaign promises, please remember the above deceit that was perpetuated on the Board of Finance at the expense of us taxpayers. Character matters and I hope the voters remember that when casting their vote for 1st Selectman in November.
Doug Thielen
