Recently , former Vernon Mayor Ellen L . Marmer launched a number of allegations against me and my administration in a piece published in the newspaper . Some of her charges are uninformed , some are misunderstood , and the majority are just plain untrue .

As former Mayor Marmer knows , I am not permitted to speak about any government employees due to the Town Ethical Rules and Personnel Rules . Claims of patronage and cronyism are claims of illegal actions . I am a person whose family lives in town with a history in town . I run a business in town and I also go before judges and juries as an attorney in town . That being said , a statement of cronyism and patronage are claims of unlawful conduct that are incorrect , untrue , and false . Those ridiculous slanderous claims are a direct attack on my character and my family’s reputation . A claim of patronage and cronyism is also an attack on our personnel system and its requirements , moreover , it is a direct attack on more than a dozen people that I have hired , promoted and appointed ( after ratification by the Town Council both Democrat and Republican members ) , all of which were selected only after they went through several levels of vetting , background checks , reference checks and interviews . After all of that was done , the top three candidates were finally presented to me as Mayor to make a decision to hire , appoint or promote . Shame on youEllen Marmer , yourattack is beyond all acceptable bounds of debate regarding policy and management . It is personal attack with false statements claiming unlawful conduct .

As Mayor of Vernon , I have taken my duties seriously . I am required to hire and dismiss employees . I am required to balance the budget and deliver services that folks in Vernon need , and if possible , services that they want . I am required to make sure that all Vernon residents and property owners are responded to , assisted , and helped . I do not spend as little time as possible managing the town , like the former Mayor Marmer who spent only Thursdays working for the town . I spend the time needed to manage the town . I expect all town employees at every level to do the same , because that is the job I was elected to do and they were hired for .

A look at several so called allegations :

Patronage and favoritism lead her list , particularly the appointment of the town attorney . In actuality , my legal team consists of the same attorneys that served during the past Marmer administration . Attorney Cummings has become the Town Attorney and Attorneys Boyan and Burke continue , serving as Assistant Town Attorneys . During her first term , Mayor Marmer appointed our current sitting Democrat Congressman as her Town Attorney .

She accuses the Council of allocating $ 30 , 000 to hire one of the mayor’s “ lawyer friends” to lobby our interests in the Legislature . They are not my friends . She questions the need for such services . The two organizations that currently represent us also represent all the other member towns in Connecticut , and I feel that more individual emphasis on Vernon is needed to further our interests .

Marmer takes aim at the Republican initiative to discontinue charging condominiums for fire hydrants . When our Planning and Zoning Commission requires street lights and fire hydrants in a development , the cost becomes part of general taxation . Not only do condo dwellers pay for these services through their taxes , but they are also charged individually . It is a double tax , and it is not fair . The utility companies also pay taxes on the hydrants and lights . True , there are areas of Vernon that do not have fire hydrant but for the protection of these areas , the town has purchased and maintains fire apparatus to carry and pump water to the site . The cost of this equipment is , of course , part of general taxation .

The assertion that we are not paying principal on “ outstanding” bounding debt is incorrect . The town is paying both principal and interest on bonding debt of outstanding bonds . The Town had outstanding bonds before I was Mayor , and the budget indicates that both principal and interest is being paid this yearand every yearuntil those old bonds are retired . As to the new debt that was incurred as a result of the 2004 and 2005 bonding projects , I did structure those debts or notes in February into bonds that require the town to pay interest only for this yearand next yearbecause the rates were low , but there are nearly no additional costs for the life of the 2004 and 2005 bond projects . Without that management decision , the budget would have been $ 1 . 1 million higher , or we would have had to cut $ 1 . 1 million in services . The bonding structure reduced the impact on the taxpayer . We will pay interest only on these bonds until the year2010 when 20-year old bonds are retired .

I have not “ manipulated and revised any Town Council minutes prior to an agenda for council approval . ” This is blatantly and totally false , shame on you, and youshould check yourfacts .

I have appointed out-of-town residents to boards and commissions where it is allowed by the Town Charter , particularly the Economic Development Commission . The group was inactive during the Marmer administration because there were not enough members to field a meeting , in violation of state law and the town charter . I have appointed people representing , banking , retail business , manufacturing , real estate and property development to this commission , which is required to produce a report to inform the Mayor and Council of economic trends , employment trends , and ways of attracting business to increase commercial tax revenue and job opportunities for people in this town . Some live in Vernon , some do not . All run business in Vernon and have strong ties to the community .

We have not “ given away” a $ 6 . 3 million federal “ earmark” grant . I am actively trying to get the Connecticut Transit Authority to submit to the federal authorities our proposal to use these monies for renovations of the Citizen’s Block as a transportation center for Dial A Ride and senior transit , which would in the process rehabilitate this eye sore in the center of town , and make it more feasible to attract the Music Hall of Fame and locate the Pitney Museum . By using part of this space for transportation related purpose , we can , under the law , use the grant for a purpose that is more in line with the needs of Rockville . The Town Council members and most of the people in Vernon and Rockville have indicated that a seedy large bus station was not a pressing need in town .

The Town website developer redesigned our Web site . The staff developed the content . The site is now interactive and provides such services as online tax payment and online registration for recreational and educational programs . You can check yourtax bills , find all departments , all employees , all elected officials , signup for news updates , and a number of other items . I believe that these changes have provided a huge convenience to our citizens and give us the capability of adding even more features as needed . I did not check the political affiliation of the contractor at the time , but now find that he is “ unaffiliated , ” not a Republican as Marmer charges .

I would agree with one thing that Marmer suggests . Please take some time to educate yourselveson the accomplishment of this administration , it is fully transparent . They are numerous and positive . They include changing to a two-year budget , reduced the 2008-2009 tax rate by 8 percent ; public safety improvements such as the reconstruction of bridges that were fully funded but the prior manager Mayor Marmer did not even start ; successfully finished several long term projects ; realized major cost savings in employee benefit packages ; audited the Board of Education budget , contracts and invoices and reduced $ 700 , 000 in spending ; adopted a policy on fuel usage , electricity and oil that equates to a 5-10 percent decrease in usage ; as well purchasing of hybrid vehicles to further save energy .

We have also implemented systems of digital governance to deal with the 21 st century challenges the government faces that a 20 th century bureaucracy cannot handle . Now , no matter who the mayor is , the management systems will be non-political .

I am happy to speak with youand clarify any rumors youmay hear . Please feel free to call me .