As reported in the Eagle-Tribune yesterday, chief is quoted as claiming the elderly affairs program did 1,200 transports last month! How is this possible? As usual when the chief L...... um...... embellishes(thats a PC word, this blog has no desire to be sued as many town resident have for pointing out the chiefs misstatements), the math doesn't add up. According to the chief in 2005 elderly affairs did 560 transports ALL YEAR! In 2006, he claimed 730 transports ALL YEAR!, last year he just said he didnt have the figures, but that it was around 1,049 FOR THE YEAR! Does he just make these figures up as he goes along? Despite repeated requests from the budget committee over the years he has steadfastly refused to provide any verification of these numbers.
So here is the math;
Trip from PD to Parkland Med. ctr. in Derry..............................12 miles.........................24 minutes best time
Trip from PD to Exeter Hospital, Exeter....................................19 miles.........................36 minutes best time
Trip from PD to Merrimack Valley Hosp. in Haverhill.................9 miles..........................18 minutes best time
Trip from PD to Lahey Clinic in Burlington, MA.........................35 miles........................47 minutes best time
Lets be as generous as possible to the chiefs numbers (elsewhere in the article he does mention the transport rate at 3-5/day)
Time from officer clocking in to get in his cruiser and negotiate his way out of the hazardously overpopulated PD parking lot and onto the road.........................5 minutes
Lets say that he only has to drive to lower maple ave to pick up the elderly customer..... 5 minutes
Lets say that the customer is ready to go, waiting for the ride, and can walk out to the car unassisted, 10 minutes
And lets say that ALL the transports are to Parkland, the nearest hospital( because the chief cited in the article transports to area med. ctrs.)............................................. 24 minutes each way
And let's say that he says goodbye as he drops her off and waits for her to get inside(gentlmanly thing to do) 10 minutes
We now have an average man hours per transport of 78 minutes with no waiting, but he would have to wait to bring the customer home, right? or he would have to go back and get her.
Waiting for 1 hour for wait AND appointment.................................. total 2hrs. 18 minutes
Return to pick up later....................................................................total 2 hrs. 36 minutes
So we now have an average man hour per transport of 2. 25 hours(we will round down to be fair)
Elderly manpower budget for 2007....................... $15, 300(based on 1275 hrs.@ $12.00/hr. average)
Spent on this line item as of 5/31/07....................$ 10,215
divide by $12/hr.................................................... 851.25 man-hours
divide by 2.25 average man-hour per trip.............. 378 transports so far this year!
Even if the reporter heard him wrong and went with the 3-5 per day. that he claims, there are 151 days from Jan 1- May 31, every day(even though doctors offices are not open on Sundays) that would be 453 so far this year, not 1200 in a month!
As usual the Chief embellishes, misleads, exagerates, however you want to call it, it is misinforming the people to polish his own apple, and it is wrong!
Oh, in case anyone missed it, the article closed with the chief saying that the reason this program worked so well is that Atkinson "has little crime, so we can use the dispatch center" Proving once again that Janine Sawyer- Standley, Jane Cole, Mark Acciard, Brian Boyle, MariAnne Pinciotta, and many others on the budget committee over the years WERE RIGHT! Police money is used to cover the costs of elderly affairs, there is duplication of costs, and yes, virginia, there is LITTLE CRIME IN ATKINSON!
No matter what Lt. Baldwin screams at you during deliberative session.
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ATKINSON's Vietnam HONOR ROLL as VOTED and PASSED by 2005 Town Meeting and re-approved at Special Town Meeting Sept. 12
EDITORIAL-
A voice of compassion, an example of fairness and reasonable government.
One who believes in the strength and comfort you, your children and your family can draw from good government leadership.
A person who knows Atkinson is our home -- our most important possession that must be preserved and protected through fair taxes and sound community planning and where our children must be safe to grow to become a new generation of leaders.
One who knows that the citizens of Atkinson are all neighbors with her leadership to be dedicated and responsive to all.
One who believes that when those from Atkinson have served our nation and honors are deserved, those honors must be given.
In Valerie Tobin, we now have a leader we know we can entrust with these responsibilities because they are part of her character.
It is our honor to endorse Valerie for election to Atkinson’s Board of Selectmen.
Just a note for those who wish to count the deer.
In January 08 this blog had 16,000 hits and 1,500 unique visitors (for the month).
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In 2007 this blog had over 100,000 hits and 5,750 unique visitors (for the year).
EDITORIAL-
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We take no small measure of umbrage at such a hostile official act against this BLOG’s patron. Therefore, a timely Editorial comment is both appropriate and necessary.
Discussion of Atkinson’s financial direction, from any viewpoint, is fundamental and encouraged and we will always attempt to limit and correct errors.
However, Righteous indignation towards purported error of such inconsequential nature is not appropriate.
The ENTIRE car deal is problematic. If it was caused by poor judgement, improper exercise of authority, neglect or mistake or even specious reasoning, this will never trump the facts that the entire questionable transaction started and ended within a very small circle of confidants.
We find the entire circumstances surrounding the disposition of the police Cruiser highly irregular at the least and the "explanations" somewhat trifling and exhaustive of our intellect.
Mr. Consentino: It’s time to go. Being Chief of Atkinson’s Police Department is NOT a birthright. That is a fabled legend of yesteryear.
Historically in Atkinson, police chief appointments were made "under the hand of the selectmen" for terms of one year at a time, as was also the case in the beginning of Mr. Consentino’s assorted and discontinuous stream of appointments to this position.
Your only remaining credential established on a claim of indispensability has faded.
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LETTER
"To All Atkinson Residents,
I am writing to ask for your help. A member of the Atkinson Police Department needs our help. I am here to ask for your help in Corporal John Lapham's fight for his life. As you are aware, John has been diagnosed with Leukemia. He has been once again hospitalized with an infection that is threatening his life. He is one of the bravest people that I have ever met. He has never asked of anything from the residents of the town. Now is our chance to step up and help both him and his family out. As everyone is aware John has been out of work for a few months. His family has been busy helping John to get better. He needs our help, and I am hoping that this town can step up to the plate and help. From the moment that I met John, I have admired him. He does alot, but never asks for anything in return. He has helped so many people in this town. I for one am one of those people. Please help him.
There is a fund set-up in his name at TDBanknorth in Plaistow. Any amount will help John, while he is out of work. It would be great if this town could help ease a burden off his wife.
Thank You
Also if anyone would like to send a card, please address it to:
John Lapham
c/o Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Ctr.
Inpatient mail
75 Francis Street
Boston, MA 02115
United States
Please show Corporal John Lapham, that this community can stand up and show our support to those in need. I for one, miss John and can not wait until he can get better and return to work. Please show him that we support him. "
11 comments:
But your fine detailing of elderly rides didn't include trips to the store, the hairdresser, to visit a friend etal; and I'm sure the Chief didn't include those in his report either. Those would be extra.....
Wasn't it Jane Cole who referred to the elderly affairs transportation the "World's first, non-profit taxi"? or something like that?
Right on.
To the last poster, you are obviously mistaken, it is not about making money off this program. It is about the sweet letters he receives, and the adulation for delivering taxpayer paid for services, not to mention the political support base. He has always been very good at making it appear as if this is all from Phil out of the goodness of his heart, he never mentions that the taxpayers pay for it. The taxpayers vote for it, every single year. Noone has ever talked about ending or even curtailing it. Yes I know Phil has said that the budget committee wanted to eliminate it, but he was not telling the truth, he was just trying to scare the little old ladies he loves so much, so that they would support his candidate and position.
So when you say he is robbing the town that is not quite true, he is merely using it for his own self-gratification, as he has done for over 30 years.
Oh, and stomping on anyone who draws attention to this fact.
And the Elderly who are naive to support Phil for the free taxi rides pay with their votes. As someone else once wrote, there are no free rides in Atkinson, NH!
Mrs Cole made that comment the same year there was a warrant article asking for a car to drive the elderly. (I looked it up) The Town voted that article DOWN. Remember?
The question becomes: How did we get two cars and a wheel-chair van and three or four drivers when it was never approved?
Jane Cole had a great Idea a few years ago. Completely separate the elderly program form the PD. Run it out of the commuity center with all of the other senior programs. Mark Acciard echoed this sentiment last year, make it a true FULL SERVICE agency, not just a glorified taxi service, that provides quid pro quo for a corrupt chief.
The drivers can be as easily dispatched from there, as from the PD. there would be no difference, except that the people would have accountability for a change.
The program doesn't do 1,200 trips in a year, let alone a month! Another lie!
Bill Anderson said last year that they only served 81 residents! It was 61 the year before!
Can we get the truth? obviously we can't trust what we are being told.
There is only one former town resident the chief will not mess with, at least not intentionally. That is because this particular resident is a lawyer with the federal government and would, in a heart beat call his friends over at the DoJ public corruption division.
Technically speaking, that division already has jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute the chief. From the illegal $1300 he gave himself, the using public recourses for personal gain and securing votes for his appointed lapdogs.
The question becomes, who holds the hard evidence that can be turned over to DoJ so the Chief can finally get a taste of honest justice?
What a crock. Chief can say anything he wants as long as we allow him to.
Wrong fishgutz, The problem becomes who do you turn it over to, that won't immediately tell the chief about it so that he can tar and feather you on camera before the selectmen as has hapenned in the past with the Attorney's General office of public integrity?
The chief has no hard numbers. And doesnt want accountability, he wants to do what he wants to do, without questions.
here is the funny statement, chief claimed that there is so little crime in Atkinson, that they have time to dispatch the elderly affairs officers. Did anyone else catch that?
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