Monday, August 11, 2014

This is what I am dealing with UPDATED

Through the Right To Know which I am still working through, I found Kristen's letter where she told fellow commissioners how the ESB Chair had Kristen "insist" on artificial turf. I posted it here and also sent it to the ESB, minus the ESB Chair, since I had an old email address of hers and did not have her new one. I sent further communication to the entire ESB concerning the RTK, including the ESB Chair, after I had a current list of emails.

I had a feeling that Kristen Linfante would weigh in on this email exchange, so I filed a Right To Know asking for all emails to or from Kristen Linfante concerning the ESB Chair, Elaine Gillen, Lebo Citizens from August 1, 2014 to and including August 3, 2014.

I love how Kristen still thinks I ran against her. I'm flattered that she would think that I would remove the word "organic" myself. I'm good, Kristen, but I'm not THAT good.

I don't see the humor in the ESB Chair's statement that Autocorrect suggested that igniting me is the only way to deal with me. I also don't appreciate the libelous statements made about me.

Here is the email exchange from my latest RTK.

Update August 19, 2014 7:31 AM After the ESB Chair joked about igniting me, she asked about Kristen's trip out west. Here ya go, Kathy. NEXT Up: Kristen Linfante Third summer that my commissioner has been MIA. By the way, no apology from the ESB Chair or Miss Kristen. Oh, how some women are permitted to behave around here.

34 comments:

Lebo Citizens said...

This group will be making their PAYT presentation to the commission on September 9.

This is, in my opinion, when the ESB chair stopped speaking to me, when I made it clear that I was against Pay As You Throw. You see what is happening with the stormwater fee and how those funds are being misused. I can't wait to see what happens to the budget when we start having to pay for our garbage separately.
Elaine

Anonymous said...

Pretty malicious email exchange from 'ladies' that like to believe they are so prim and proper.

Some of it could be taken as libelous, I'd imagine if one was so inclined to cry To an authority a lot.

What was it Harry Truman used to say... "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen."

Anonymous said...

Personally, I perceive PAYT as another initiative to disguise a tax increase as a fee.
Watch and see if there is a corresponding drop in municipal taxes since the muni is moving recycable collection onto the individual homeowner.
If they do, I believe individual homeowners should be able to find their own recycable collection provider since they're paying for it.

Anonymous said...

Interesting to read Kelly Fraasch's response, but not surprising. She always shows a level head when people are acting like children.

Lebo Citizens said...

I was asked if the position of ESB Chair is strictly a volunteer position. Here is my response.
It is completely a voluntary position, but it is a gray area since lebogreen.org is promoted on the municipal website. The website is funded by volunteers, but promoted with municipal dollars.
http://www.mtlebanon.org/index.aspx?NID=1928
Elaine

Anonymous said...

I say disband the ESB now along with the SAB.

The ESB did nothing while this turf BS was going on, then they're coming in at the end and feigning surprise.

Instead of listening to the overgrown children in all of these advisory boards, how about we just adopt some fiscal responsibility.

Lebo Citizens said...

Add the Historic Preservatiom Board to your list, 3:41 PM. I contacted them about preserving the integrity of our historic fields on Middle and Wildcat, and got a "thanks, have a nice day" type reply in return.

Nobody seems to stand up for his or her beliefs anymore.
Elaine

Anonymous said...

Elaine I understand that PAYT is a done deal. We had to order locks for our dumpsters to stop people from using them. They also suggested that we add cameras because people tend to just throw their trash around the dumpsters if they are locked. Now you know how Brummie is planning on paying for his kid's indoor lacrosse field. That too is a done deal!

Anonymous said...

Elaine I just learned that Crystal Drive is having it's annual Block Party this weekend. Did Dave invite you? If not don't feel bad. Living on Gypsy Lane we weren't invited either BUT we do get the traffic.

Lebo Citizens said...

Darn, 5:25 PM, another year and I don't get invited again. I don't think he likes me. I'm getting that vibe, 5:25 PM.

4:38 PM, how much are locks and cameras costing you? Why is everything a done deal around here? Yeah, my blog and I are the problem.
Elaine

Chip Brumfield said...

Ha, that Hrabovsky chick seems like a real gem. She and Linfante are birds of a feather.
How about this for a concept-be open and transparent, do the right and ethical thing, be responsive to taxpayers' concerns? Totally amazing, I know. It's a nutty.concept I call "honest government".
Katie H needs to get a clue and a life. Who the hell is she to smack talk another resident? I guess since she's buddies with a commish, she is allowed to dish.
Stay classy, ladies. There is a reason other communities mock us. You're it.

Lebo Citizens said...

Yes, I am aware that if a comment like that was ever written about Kristen Linfante, she would have filed a police report by now.

I think there is an ESB meeting on Thursday. It should be an interesting one to attend.
Elaine

Anonymous said...

Chip Brumfiled (really?) don't forget they are also more attractive people as well. ;-)

Anonymous said...

3:41 you are exactly right when you call for disbanding the ESB and the SAB.
The SAB agenda is pretty apparent in this turf boondoggle.
The ESB and Lebogreen were the people that foisted that other Penn State Professor's - Michael Mann's, flawed and debunked hockey stick textbook global warming on our students a few years back.

Now these people with run around like Chicken Little screaming that our landfills are overflowing. Except they aren't!

Check out Penn & Teller's funny segment on recycling.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rExEVZlQia4&feature=youtube_gdata_player

"Green Hell: How Environmentalists Plan to Control Your Life and What You Can Do to Stop Them"

"In this stunning exposé, Steve Milloy unveils the authoritarian impulse underlying the Green crusade. Whether they're demanding that you turn down your thermostat, stop driving your car, or engage in some other senseless act of self-denial, the Greens are envisioning a grim future for you marked by endless privation.
Steamrolling nearly all opposition with its apocalyptic predictions of environmental doom, the Green movement has gained influence throughout American society--from schools and local planning boards to the biggest corporations in the country. And their plans are much more ambitious than you think, says Milloy. What the Greens really seek, with increasing success, is to dictate the very parameters of your daily life--where you can live, what transportation you can use, what you can eat, and even how many children you can have."

http://books.google.com/books/about/Green_Hell.html?id=yuJE7j7oVp4C

Good reading over a latte and french pastry at soon to be opening La Gourmandine or Life Is Sweet.

Anonymous said...

Maybe Kathy is upset because she can only dream that lebogreen would get the website traffic your site gets Elaine!

Anonymous said...

I get the impression Kathy (I can't spell her last name) is a real piece of work. She is now insulting Elaine. The first time I heard her speak she was asking for a school board members resignation in a public meeting because he did not agree with her opinion.
It was hard to believe someone living in Mount Lebanon has such rotten manners but I have come to expect that of the PTA members.

Anonymous said...

It's this simple... there should be no new initiatives in Mt. Lebo unless they lessen the tax burden on the people.

If PAYT ends up being less expensive for most residents, except those that 'throw' the most, then I am for it. Being that our taxes currently fund garbage collection, with this out of the budget, that money should be returned to the taxpayers.

If this is not the case... then PAYT must be defeated along with anything else that makes the already-excessive tax burden any bigger.

Everything from here forward must be planned to lower the tax burden.

Anonymous said...

I am saddened to read that the leader of the ESB was outwardly and aggressively condescending toward a fellow resident in emails to a commissioner and fellow board members. She, too, should be removed from her position.

Would it be difficult for the board members, municipal employees and elected leaders to embrace the long standing fundamentals of ethics?

-In public life, they have an obligation to provide others with whatever they are owed or deserve. They have an obligation to treat ALL people equally, fairly and impartially.
-In public life, they have an obligation to DO NO HARM
-In public life, they have an obligation to bring about good in ALL actions
-In public life, they have an obligation to uphold the principle of human dignity. That is, at the very least, they need to be honest in their dealings with others and obligations to keep promises.

Hey Commissioners, Feller, Deiseroth, GATEWAY, ESB, FRANKLIN, Turf Task Force, PIO, SAB, MLSA, Mt Lebanon Lacrosse, hey EVERYBODY... I am talking to YOU! Is this the BEST you can do?

Lebo Citizens said...

9:48 PM and 11:27 PM, unfortunately, that is the way it is around here. Nobody is resigning. Everyone knows that I have asked for resignations. People can joke about setting me on fire, the commission president can accuse me of altering documents, ridiculous antics, and still hasn't figured out that she ran unopposed in the May 2011 Primary. I am dead to Brumfield. They get away with all of this because they can. There are never any consequences to their actions. But I am the bad guy.

When the commission meeting videos are posted on the municipal website, watch how arrogant Bendel and Brumfield are over spending $800,000+ on turf, while people were talking about flooding issues. Their solution? Take out a bond, including $1.5 million toward stormwater issues. Guess how much is collected every year in stormwater fees? About a million bucks. They have received $3 million in the 3 years of collecting stormwater fees from us. The vote passed and the commission will be issuing another bond. They felt perfectly justified in spending $800,000+ on artificial turf.

The storm knocked out my Internet and TV, so I won't be able to upload the podcasts until Thursday afternoon, at the earliest. Verizon is completely booked because of the storm.
Elaine

Anonymous said...

Elaine in the 1980's my parents owned a business on Rt 88 in Castle Shannon. Castle Shannon then had a PAYT system and my "job" as a kid was to watch our dumpsters from 6-8pm while I did my homework and all day on the weekends. I would run out and write down their plate numbers. I asked our commissioner if taxes would be lowered if PAYT went through and was told taxes were going up not down and the commissioners are attempting to buffer the increases some. Property taxes are to increase too along with school fees.

Anonymous said...

Elaine I'm old and single now and have maybe a half bag of garbage a week. The guys that cut the grass take the grass and yard garbage with them. But what happens if one of my neighbors with large families throw their garbage in front of my house? Do I have to pay it? As a 65 year democrat voter I'm ending my voting record. Corbett doesn't suck... Mt Lebanon commissioners SUCK! They are pushing us seniors out of our homes.

Anonymous said...

4:48, I'm betting PAYT enforcement will be haphazardly enforced at best..

But you bring up a good point. You being older and single most likely won't be throwing out say-- one of those Fisher Price yard sets.

So lets say on trash day eve someone sneaks their old set on your pile. Will you be billed to have it carted away? Fined if you take the approach: "it's not my plastic recyclable, I'm not paying to throw it!"

Will we have PAYT metering maids on the municiple payroll now riding from house to house assessing, weighing and noting everyones' trash?

How about jamming up the district court with residents battling unjust PAYT bills?
It is a absurd, watch Penn & Tellers expose above (though there are a few F bombs that might offend).

Anonymous said...

Question for Kathleen Hrabovsky—

Kathleen would the can that your "LOL" fire accelerant came in- that one might use to "ignite" a fellow neighbor go in a recycling can or out with the regular trash?
- Just curious

Anonymous said...

The municipality couldn't handle parking fines, now they're going to enforce garbage. Yeah right... that's going to be fair!!!!

Lebo Citizens said...

Does igniting me increase my carbon footprint?

I went to the Galleria today and uploaded the podcasts; however, both meeting videos are on the municipal website. Don't miss Kelly's stormwater presentation during the discussion session.
Elaine

Anonymous said...

So 4:02, do you have any idea on who or how much it cost the school district to develop and put on that two hour green agenda indoctrination lecture?

I haven't read the following book, but then do we really need too? The pieces are beginning to come together to complete the picture.

"Green Hell: How Environmentalists Plan to Control Your Life and What You Can Do to Stop Them"

"In this stunning exposé, Steve Milloy unveils the authoritarian impulse underlying the Green crusade. Whether they're demanding that you turn down your thermostat, stop driving your car, or engage in some other senseless act of self-denial, the Greens are envisioning a grim future for you marked by endless privation.
Steamrolling nearly all opposition with its apocalyptic predictions of environmental doom, the Green movement has gained influence throughout American society--from schools and local planning boards to the biggest corporations in the country. And their plans are much more ambitious than you think, says Milloy. What the Greens really seek, with increasing success, is to dictate the very parameters of your daily life--where you can live, what transportation you can use, what you can eat, and even how many children you can have."

http://books.google.com/books/about/Green_Hell.html?id=yuJE7j7oVp4C

Anonymous said...

"Don’t say you were not warned. A new book has debuted just in time to help save the humans from the “save” the Earth crowd. The book serves as a chilling warning to modern society.
Be prepared the next time your child comes home from school with some nice “green” project or attempts to lecture you about how you “should” be doing more “sustainable” activities to “save” the Earth. You will be ready to confront teachers, political leaders, neighbors, and annoying aunts with the astounding new book by Steve Milloy titled Green Hell: How Environmentalists Plan to Control Your Life and What You Can Do to Stop Them."

http://humanevents.com/2009/03/25/green-hell-coming-soon-to-a-life-like-yours/

When they were trying to get LEED certification approved for inclusion on the High School project didn't Remely make some absurd argument that the kids would be able to lecture parents on the wisdom of changing light bulbs for energy efficient ones?

Anonymous said...

LEED certification was estimated to add around $800,000 to the HS project's bottom line, by the way.

Anonymous said...

http://www.epa.gov/waste/conserve/tools/payt/top9.htm

Get ready for a big expansion in our municipal offices. We'll need a PAYT manager, several assistants, a secretary and a few cars for them to use to check on everyone's garbage piles.

Anonymous said...

Im still lost as to how our inept local yokels plan to enforce the garbage policy.

Anonymous said...

First charge a fee, which at some point will require more people and money to keep track of payments. Then they'll need enforcers is issue tickets/fines for non-compliance. It is called government bloat.
Did anyone have a problem with garbage collection before.

Chip Franklin said...

It's a tax. I dont care how they couch it. And what the hell have we been paying for previously?

Anonymous said...

If the "Greenies" were serious about all this Global Warming BS then THEY would reduce their homeS to reduce their so-called footprints. They would DEMAND that the U.S. not IMPORT 45-65 MILLION poor people that will need food, clothing, education, medication etc. Remember they said we would experience severe heat this summer. It was to be so hot that the power grid would struggle to handle it. What a joke! But you hear more pushback over in Europe now that all those scientific reports and emails have been leaked. But closer to home what PAYT to fly through because of Global Warming. Then several large tax increases blamed on Global Warming. First will be the need for an indoor sports complex. Second will be a new position that will go from home to home to ensure everyone has the RIGHT light bulbs and instructions on proper home temperature. Real control comes with the all telling Smart Meter along with Smart appliances. They will then be able to monitor those not complying and actually remove power to them. They can lower or raise your thermostat. As my professor stated they could determine that you have watched too much TV and kill it during the Steeler game. It's all about CONTROL. Same with obamaCare. Control.... Ask the School Board about the increases in Home Schooling and their most hated... Charter Schools. Caution do so away from children and pets! Ask Brumfield about all the military stuff be obtained for our police. Ask him about all the street cameras they want to install. Maybe we should keep them drooling over sports related crap....

Anonymous said...

Has anyone gotten a ticket recently for leaving their garbage cans at the curb too long or for having their yard not up to Mt Lebanon standards? I've heard rumors of all kinds of tickets being issued.