JOHN LAVALLE PUTS BROOKHAVEN RESIDENTS IN DANGER

[Brookhaven Truthsayer]

Why were the roads not plowed so good in Brookhaven during the last snow storm?

there's a very good reason for the exhaustive efforts of the highway department workers-who slaved all night (during the last storm) plowing the roads of brookhaven, to not finish the job.

There is simply not enough men to plow the roads.

We have roughly the same number of employees to plow the roads in Brookhaven as does Smithtown-and we have 5 times the roads!

And it won't change any time soon unless the people of this town flood the supervisor's office with calls and the media steps up to the plate and reports what is going on here in good ole' Brookhaven.

Rouse went to the Town Board last summer with boatloads of research and data showing how neglected our roads are in a comparable study of Brookhaven and numerous townships. The conclusion for the immediate future was simple enough- the highway department needed at least 50 more employees to plow and pave.

No councilperson from the Town Board questioned the need. Only the supervisor, John LaValle came up with the insane figure of $ 100,000. per employee would be the cost, so the town could not afford it.

And because the 60% of the Town Board majority is (in my opinion) owned, lock stock, and barrel, by John LaValle, no one but Hennessey and Fiore-Rosenfeld said anything. Thus only ten new hires for the highway department, and no hope for the improvement in the snow plowing duties to be fufilled anytime this winter.

The only problem with LaValle's $ 100,000. dollar figure per hire is totally, unequivocally wrong. Either LaValle is a total liar and a fraud, or LaValle is just plain stupid. Personally, I think the former is correct, but LaValle seems to fool alot of people.

Each new hire would start at an annual salary of $ 31,000.00. Add taxes and benefits to the equation, and the price tag is more like $ 50,000. per new hire. You don't count aquisition costs of additional vehicles for some of the hires for two reasons-one the costs can be minimal if the town buys at auction, as well as the fact that the town would be making a capital purchase of equipment-thus adding an asset (bolstering the town's capital position), not depleting the reserves of the town-as the supervisor has incorrectly determined in his efforts to not allow the highway superintendent to hire new employees to plow our roads.

The total projected cost of the 50 new hires would approximate $ 2.5 million dollars.

We just gave the taxpayers of Brookhaven back 34 million dollars.

Am I alone in thinking that the supervisor's actions boarder on gross neglect, or even criminal stupidity?

Personally, I believe the reason John LaValle will not permit the hiring of 50 more highway workers comes down to getting the job done. If Rouse gets any positive press, LaValle goes into a meglomaniac hissy fit, because LaValle ants all of the positive press derived from Brookhaven Town Government. To quote John LaValle at a Town Board meeting from September, 2003: "(In Brookhaven)...you can't have two kings...."

That is how, in my opinion, John LaValle thinks. Not what is good for the residents of Brookhaven, but what suits the endless power cravings of John LaValle himself.

When will Newsday report this travesty? Will Newsday wait until a fatality on our roads? Or worse, a number of fatalities that could have been easily avoided had John LaValle made the right, sensible decision to benefit the residents of Brookhaven?

Most of us know the reality of the absurd in Brookhaven.

[Rabi Steve]

Nice work John. Maybe during your next campaign you can put that on your palm card. Instead of drinking or posting online during work hours, maybe you could do some real work. Have a happy new year!

[Embarassed to be GOP]

that was, of course, disgusting. one can assume the previous poster is either John LaValle or a "friend" of his, filled with hate. I noticed, though, in your Crookhaven way, you failed to address the veracity of the original poster's statement-but that is of course because you know it is true. Your post, Rabi Steve, is exactly why you and your kind should never, ever be permitted back into government. In November, you will find that all of us residents of Brookhaven have had enough. To the original poster-good work. Everyone needs to know in detail the slime that Mr. LaValle and his "friends" bring to the table, as well as to the internet. Of course, this is my opinon, and the opinion of many.

[Brookhaven Truthsayer]

To the poster Rabi Steve,

It is regretful that you choose to smear rather than choosing to fix (or help fix) the clear danger that exists this winter on our roads.

John LaValle can choose to heroically call for more hirings for the superintendent of highways (especially during an election year), while making it clear in whatever manner he deems appropriate (news release, press conference, etc.) that he is above partisan politics and is vested in the interests of us, the residents of Brookhaven.

The collective breath of Brookhaven holds tight with worry that our kids are not safe traveling to school, our spouses in peril in their daily commute, while a simple, gallant measure of common sense dictated by Mr. LaValle would go a long way toward reassuring the public that the old days are no longer relevant.

My hunch is that the positive press generated by such a move by the supervisor would far outweigh any potential (imagined) rivalry that appears to be limiting Mr. LaValle's ability to "get it right".

.....and Why Not?

[open to the truth]

unfortunately many know that what truthsayer wrote is accurate, with one exception..... this has nothing to do with partisan politics. Lavalle did exactly the same thing to Pat Strebel and she was supposed to be on his team! The most disturbing quote is the one about not having 2 "kings". I must have missed the coronation but, oh wait.....we're supposed to live in a democracy. Why is the man referring to anyone in government, especially himself, as a "king"! THAT would be reason enough for anyone not to vote for him.

[Yeah Baby Too]

As everyone bashes the GOP the Dems sit back and laff knowing all the infighting will just bring them additional seats in upcoming elections. I’m not really sure who is right or wrong in the GOP, but if Gene Gerard has his way, there will be a candidate up against every GOP member via a primary, Gene and his crew are going to play get even, but in the mean time we will lose seats and eventually the GOP stronghold if the infighting does not stop!

[woweekazowee]

not for nothin, but the best chance we got is to get jjl and his mouthpieces out and people with independent minds like Ed Hennessey in to run the town. I like what Gene and Charlie are doing, because we can't go on with the tyranny that exists now. If jj runs, we lose the sup. If Ed runs, we win it. Look at your polling data. You know I'm right. It ain't infighting, it's a liberation.

[fatso]

Lavalle needs to go look outside a plow or sander hasent come down my street all day and part of tonight. give rouse the money he needs to do his job instead of placeing us residents in harms way. i hope no one gets hurt or killed on these roads because little jonny as the supervisor of the town is ultimately responsable for the roads. :twisted:

[open to the truth]

those rumors about Gerrard and "crew" running primaries against everyone are just that... RUMORS.... probably started by Lavalle cronies, or by the other haters who enjoy seeing all of this Republican party in fighting. The FACT is that Lavalle and team, with Hoffman leading the charge, are trying to run the political party. THey aren't happy just running the government. They need to have ALL the control. This is the page out of Frank Petrone' s Huntington. Destroy the political party and they have to come to the supervisor for everything.. start by giving all the jobs to outisders, people outside the town, people outside the party....SOUND FAMILIAR BROOKHAVEN ???? And who was the chief of staff under Petrone?? None other than Hoffman. Petrone did not succeed in destroying his town party, so he defected to the Dems.... Interesting fact....when Grucci wanted to run the party, Lavalle led the charge to stop him, WHY? because the Republicans wanted separation of party and govt....So why does he expect the party to support his bid to run the party and govt? And who remembers the people who led the charge to stop Lavalle from over influencing the choice of party chair when Nepell stepped down? Latini, Polak and Segall. They put together that meeting and Lavalle stood before the crowd and said he wasn't going to interefere in the party process. Bob Reilly had the support, and Vice Chair Ed Morris put in 100 committee people so that his boss Lavalle couldn't influence the process????????? Who became the chairman? Lavalle's choice, Gerrard. And who was bought off with the position of secretary??? Polak. Sweeten the pot with her 10K raise and now suddenly she believes it's ok for the supervisor to run the party, why? Because he wants her as one of the people running the show. Everybody has their price.
So what happened? The unexpected, Gerrard surprised Lavalle by having the b*#ls to stand up to Polak, to put some people on the executive board who's paychecks are not signed by Lavalle, to put in a new vice chair and treasurer not of Lavalle's choosing and suddenly that spells PRIMARY. Not so, although Gerrard has indicated that all incumbents will have to screen for their nomination. What are they so afraid of? Don't they think they have what it takes to win over the committee they are trying to destroy? Hmmmm Maybe if they start acting like government officials and stop trying to be party leaders they will sail through the screening process with flying colors.
While we are wasting all of this time and energy on public infighting the Dems are strategizing and raising money to take all of them out! We will lose because we have lost sight of the ball. Our elected officials have forgotten who hit the streets to convince all of Brookhaven what great representatives they would be. They now believe they got there on their own. Independent agents....they don't need their team anymore. They are just too great. And THAT, NOT PRIMARIES will ultimately topple Independence Hill.

[RL]

my 2 cents says that these problems all of them every single one has been the jjl master plan to split us apart and take over a fractured party. not good are primaries but sometimes it must bedone thiis time jjl loses a primary to ed that gives us unity at last.why don't we ALL see this???????????by the way hope no real snow this weekend because we cant work any harder and theres not enough people to make it safe on the streets if thers an accident rouse has made it clear that its jjs fault for no hires i pray for rain.

[no plows]

7 inches plus and not a plow in sight. Hempstead's got 800 miles of roads and 300 men. Brookhaven has 2200 miles of roads and 200 men. Very dangerous.

[surprise surprise]

I must say, my road was clear when I got up at 6am. The guys at the highway department must have been workingvery hard all night. Good job Rouse, keep it up.

[SmithtownPlower]

I used to work on the Smithtown Highway Dept. When I plowed snow my area consisted of about 4 square miles, and it was difficult to keep up with that when the snow was heavy. It was always in the back of my mind that someone's Mother, Daughter, Son, etc. would be traveling these roads in a few hours and I wanted them to be safe. I also wanted to be sure that Emergency Vehicles would have clear passage in case of an Emergency, Those were the thought that motivated me and kept me up working through the night. In Brookhaven a Plower has 12 miles of road he or she is responsible for it's simply absurd. When it snows John J LaValle should be very nervous because it's only a matter of time before someone is killed because of HIS actions and his alone. When someone dies and chances are someone will eventually, John J LaValle should be charged with Murder through negligence. John Rouse is a fine man who is doing his best, he cares. I had a chance to hear him speak the other night and you know he is sincere. Keep up the good fight John Rouse we are all behind you and will stand by your side and win this together. And the people of Brookhaven will be freed from this little tyrant and his minions.
And why not.....

[about time someone]

its about time someone told us what was going on.

[Keep It Cheap]

Why were the roads not plowed so good in Brookhaven during the last snow storm?

there's a very good reason for the exhaustive efforts of the highway department workers-who slaved all night (during the last storm) plowing the roads of brookhaven, to not finish the job.

There is simply not enough men to plow the roads.

We have roughly the same number of employees to plow the roads in Brookhaven as does Smithtown-and we have 5 times the roads!

Except you shouldn't count the county roads or the State roads, which Brookhaven has more than it's fair share of.

[/quote]

And it won't change any time soon unless the people of this town flood the supervisor's office with calls and the media steps up to the plate and reports what is going on here in good ole' Brookhaven.

Rouse went to the Town Board last summer with boatloads of research and data showing how neglected our roads are in a comparable study of Brookhaven and numerous townships. The conclusion for the immediate future was simple enough- the highway department needed at least 50 more employees to plow and pave.

No councilperson from the Town Board questioned the need. Only the supervisor, John LaValle came up with the insane figure of $ 100,000. per employee would be the cost, so the town could not afford it.

And because the 60% of the Town Board majority is (in my opinion) owned, lock stock, and barrel, by John LaValle, no one but Hennessey and Fiore-Rosenfeld said anything. Thus only ten new hires for the highway department, and no hope for the improvement in the snow plowing duties to be fufilled anytime this winter.

The only problem with LaValle's $ 100,000. dollar figure per hire is totally, unequivocally wrong. Either LaValle is a total liar and a fraud, or LaValle is just plain stupid. Personally, I think the former is correct, but LaValle seems to fool alot of people.

Each new hire would start at an annual salary of $ 31,000.00. Add taxes and benefits to the equation, and the price tag is more like $ 50,000. per new hire. You don't count aquisition costs of additional vehicles for some of the hires for two reasons-one the costs can be minimal if the town buys at auction, as well as the fact that the town would be making a capital purchase of equipment-thus adding an asset (bolstering the town's capital position), not depleting the reserves of the town-as the supervisor has incorrectly determined in his efforts to not allow the highway superintendent to hire new employees to plow our roads.[/quote]

New hires require supervision. So the logic you employ that the purchase of additional equipment shouldn't be considered? Can I use that logic in my own household budget too? Let's see, a new F-350 with a plow and a new home theatre and a new additional 2-car garage aren't really actual expenses, they'll "bolster" my capital position!" (Since my net worth will be so much higher!) And it won't deplete my "reserves!

[/quote]
The total projected cost of the 50 new hires would approximate $ 2.5 million dollars.

We just gave the taxpayers of Brookhaven back 34 million dollars.

Am I alone in thinking that the supervisor's actions boarder on gross neglect, or even criminal stupidity?[/quote]

I think you are alone.

[/quote]
Personally, I believe the reason John LaValle will not permit the hiring of 50 more highway workers comes down to getting the job done. If Rouse gets any positive press, LaValle goes into a meglomaniac hissy fit, because LaValle ants all of the positive press derived from Brookhaven Town Government. To quote John LaValle at a Town Board meeting from September, 2003: "(In Brookhaven)...you can't have two kings...."

That is how, in my opinion, John LaValle thinks. Not what is good for the residents of Brookhaven, but what suits the endless power cravings of John LaValle himself.[/quote]

I see. More employees, their benefits and pensions and more equipment is "good" for taxpayers...

In my employment, the company would rather work employees longer and pay time and a half, than hire more. Overtime = cheap. New hires = expensive. More tools, equipment, staff quarters, lockers, etc = expensive. More supervision.

Sounds like good efficient government to me.

[/quote]
When will Newsday report this travesty? Will Newsday wait until a fatality on our roads? Or worse, a number of fatalities that could have been easily avoided had John LaValle made the right, sensible decision to benefit the residents of Brookhaven?

Most of us know the reality of the absurd in Brookhaven.[/quote][/quote]

Everyone's a critic!

[FmrSmithtownPlower]

I know most of the people in here are very political so I wil give you a political analogy. In Smithtown there are 92 election districts and 184 committee persons to cover 92 ED's. In Brookhaven there are 284 election districts and 568 Committee people to cover Brookhaven. In Smithtown's 92 election districts they have 200 workers to clear the roads so we can campaign door to door. In Brookhaven there are about the same to clear 284 election districts. Maybe that's why little tyrant won't hire new employees, he doesn't want people campaigning door to door they might than find out what's going on in this town, and that's the last thing they want in town hall. I beleive that according to these numbers in order for the people of Brookhaven to receive the same level of service Smithtown residents receive "Safe roads" they would need close to 600 workers. LaValle must have no conscience how could a man sleep at night knowing the danger he puts people in, and all for a political gain. It comes down to this people, If Brookhaven Highway does a good job under Rouse than JJ has no chance of getting that position in GOP hands and he needs those vendors back desperately.

[SnowedinSeldan]

I've never been on this site before but my neibhor told me about it while i was complaining about the roads this past storm. I always wondered why my friends in Smithtown always bragged about their roads while I complained, I was mad at Strebel, Rouse, Malkmes, I didn't know how bad things were as far as lack of manpower was concerned. I never contemplated that Mr. Lavalle would put me and my family in danger for political reasons. But after reading from the smithtown plower I understand whats going on. I will tell all my friends and family to come to this site and get the real truth. Mr. Lavalle please grow up and let ROuse do his job, the job we elected him to do. That is after all what Democracy is, Right?

[On the Road]

Saturday afternoon I was on route 25-a in Miller Place at about 2:45 PM. Three Highway trucks plows on and sand full in the bed pulled out from Miller Place Road from the Miller Place yard, ready for work. Not bad for maybe tops 2 hours after the first snowfall.
So when Supervisor Lavalle says crews were not on the road for hours after the snow fell, he is dead wrong, and if he says that I am lying, I will furnish proof, being that Suffolk County Fire rescue keeps records of what time ambulances leave the hospital to return to their headquarters, and if not that, the ambulance crew keeps a record. so lets see you deny that fact!

[ProoveIT]

I am a long time Brookhaven Republican. If anyone on this site can prove what the Smithtown guy says is true, I will make sure my district votes for Rouse. But I think Smithtown guy may exagerate a little. I think Smithtown Guy is a prominent Dem in Brookhaven. Anyone know who he is? I do

[open your eyes dummy]

Look, the truth doesn't seem to matter anymore.

There is no question that Brookhaven highway employs the same number of workers as Smithtown highway.

The logic of not hiring an adeqate number of highway department workers to keep the roads safe is about as twisted as all the other garbage you come up with to debate this indisputable fact and other issues with the highway department (like imagined/ficticious additional costs of hiring new personnel).

Like everything else the Brookhaven Supervisor does, him and his supporters just get on these web sites and lie-over and over again.

Suffolk Life noted one storm-just one storm-ate up over 52% of the snow plowing budget. This does not take into account the additional costs of necessary purchases of salt, dirt and other materials that must be purchased prior to a storm which must be replaced now that this storm wiped out these resources.

Have we gotten to the point where budgeting for one snow plowing event throughout an entire winter is even remotely sensible?

It's not sensible-it's plain dangerous.

[stopwatch]

Brookhaven town Hwy was called aout at about 1 PM and worked straight thru to Monday Morning..prove otherwise JJ

[shalako37]

Where would Foley put us with his permissive attitude


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v337/watchdog/Foley2.jpg

[firelady98]

Where would Foley put us with his permissive attitude


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v337/watchdog/Foley2.jpg

They have been at 7-11 since JJ had been in office. Can't blame Foley alone.

(They have been at 7-11 since JJ had been in office. Can't blame Foley alone.)

JUST AT 7-11?

[firelady98]

(They have been at 7-11 since JJ had been in office. Can't blame Foley alone.)

JUST AT 7-11?


actually they are everywhere you turn around..but the picture is at a 7-11. :)

[Snow storm]

Bottom line is the Highways Department is way under staffed and has been for years. it went from 368 men to 165 before Rouse came along. All other Towns have the man power to do what needs to be done for the saftey of the taxpayer. Taxpayer! what a novel idea do somthing for the good of the taxpayers of Brookhaven Town , like provide them with the services and the saftey they all need and deserve. Stop the politics and let the people of the town have safer roads and the basic services they have not been getting for years, wake up JJ it's not about you or Mr. Rouse it's about the people. Show us that you do care and do the right thing by the residents.[/b]

[another reason for]

I've never been on this site before but my neibhor told me about it while i was complaining about the roads this past storm. I always wondered why my friends in Smithtown always bragged about their roads while I complained, I was mad at Strebel, Rouse, Malkmes, I didn't know how bad things were as far as lack of manpower was concerned. I never contemplated that Mr. Lavalle would put me and my family in danger for political reasons. But after reading from the smithtown plower I understand whats going on. I will tell all my friends and family to come to this site and get the real truth. Mr. Lavalle please grow up and let ROuse do his job, the job we elected him to do. That is after all what Democracy is, Right?
well lavalle is leaving soon, thank god for that, and i bet he still hasn't allowed mr. rouse to hire the needed people. but!! i can tell you that he has allowed brother rat to over, over hire at the signage and streetlighting department with all his political and firehouse buddies.