10/11/08 Greenwich Citizen News Links Or Betty Sternberg Repeatedly Screws Up And Repeatedly Gets More Money

Betty Sternberg is the town's highest paid failed administrator.

Sternberg's Salary Cap

Dr. Betty Sternberg, superintendent of schools, will receive far less than an optimum salary bonus from the Board of Education for her supervision of the Greenwich School District for the 2007-08 academic year.

The Board of Education, in a 6-2 vote last Thursday, decided to give her less than a quarter of her maximum bonus, or $3,500 of a possible $15,000.

The amount equals less than half of what she received for the 2006-07 school year, the second year in her three-year contract. Sternberg earns a salary totaling more than $290,000 with housing and transportation expenses included.

On Oct. 23, at the next regular board meeting, members will vote on whether to renew Sternberg's contract beyond September of next year.

"The Board voted the motion, with Marianna Ponns Cohen and Jonathan Cohen opposing," said board chair Nancy Weissler, "to approve a bonus payment of $3,500."....

....Sternberg has presided over a district rocked by declining academic scores and performance, and by displaced elementary school students with the controversial and long construction delays of the Hamilton Avenue School. Added to this was the highly publicized suspension of Marc D'Amico, principal of Glenville School.

She has also been served a civil suit for racial discrimination, and faced issues of mold discovered in temporary school housing for Hamilton Avenue School students.

Overall, public satisfaction with her administration's management of the district has brought a sharp decline, as shown in the district's newly released Success System report.

PLEASE SEE:

Greenwich Gossip

Betty Sternberg Gets a Raise?!

By Bill "The Scribe Of Greenwich" Clark

Well, a "performance" bonus, at least. Yes, dear reader, incredible as it sounds, the Board of Ed voted Betty a salary bonus of $3,500 by a vote of 6-2. At least one of the negative votes came from someone who thought the bonus should have been larger.

At this point, Betty's salary and benefit package is reported to be in excess of $290,000 per year. That's almost $25,000 a month, dear reader. About $6,000 a week. Well more than a thousand dollars a day. And for this we get falling test scores, construction cost overruns, two homeless elementary schools, unprecedented dissatisfaction and unrest among teachers and townspeople, and no end in sight to any of it. What's wrong with this equation?

Your scribe will never understand why the Board of Ed doesn't bite the bullet and simply fire Betty. It would have saved the taxpayers of this Town well over half a million dollars and incalculable anguish if the Board had just left the position vacant for these past two years.

But now they have given her a bonus, and apparently plan to keep her around to wreak more havoc for a third year. What's the old phrase about putting the inmates in charge of the asylum? Sounds like a pretty good metaphor for what's going on in Greenwich these days....

Building Better Teachers, Rethinking Committees

Last Thursday, board members working with administrators became acquainted with the Greenwich Public School's newly revised Teacher Evaluation and Professional Learning plan, or TEPL, at a Board of Education meeting at the Havemeyer building.

More Greenwich Citizen News Links

Down Economy Top Issue at Debate
Pioneering Spirit Started Greenwich RTM in 1933
Poll Points to Dissatisfaction in Schools
Metal Boxes on Utility Poles Stir Safety Concerns
Storm Clouds Hang Heavy over Board of Ed

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10/11/08 Shays-Himes debate schedule announced

Seven debates will take place between incumbent Republican Christopher Shays and his Democratic challenger, Jim Himes. The men are running for Congress

Date: Tuesday, Oct. 14

Time: 8 a.m.

Sponsor: Bridgeport Regional Business CouncilLocation: Housatonic Community College, Beacon Hall, 900 Lafayette Boulevard, Bridgeport

Contact: (203) 335-3800

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Date: Tuesday, Oct. 14

Registration Opens: 11:45 a.m

Debate Starts: 1 p.m.

Sponsors: Norwalk Chamber of Commerce/News 12 Connecticut

Location: Norwalk Inn & Conference Center, 99 East Avenue, NorwalkContact: 203/866-2521
Date: Thursday, Oct. 16Time: 7 p.m.Sponsor: Fairfield UniversityLocation: Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts, 1073 N. Benson Road, Fairfield

Contact: (203) 254-4000

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Date: Sunday, Oct. 19

Time: 11 a.m.Sponsor: Temple Israel

Location: Temple Israel, 14 Coleytown Road, Westport

Contact: (203) 227-1293

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Date: Sunday, Oct. 19

Time: 4 p.m.

Sponsor: League of Women VotersLocation: David Clune Center for the Arts, Wilton High School, 395 Danbury Road, Wilton

Contact: Jara Burnett (203) 637-9244

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Date: Monday, Oct. 20

Registration Opens: 10 a.m.

Debate Starts: 10:30 a.m.

Sponsor: Business Council of Fairfield County

Location: UBS Conference Center, 400 Atlantic Street, Stamford

Contact: (203) 359-3220

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Date: Monday, Oct. 20

Time: 7 p.m.

Sponsor: World Affairs ForumLocation: Holiday Inn, 700 Main Street, Stamford

Contact: (203) 356-0340

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10/11/08 The Greenwich Citizen Is The Only Newspaper That Let's Us See The Young Man That Was Killed In Greenwich By A Mystery Driver

A 'Hard Working, Sweet Kid' Remembered

Police Investigating 20-Year-Old Cyclist's Death

Joseph Borselio, 20, of Riverside, a cashier at Shop Rite on West Main Street in Stamford, had volunteered to work on his day off Sunday so that a colleague could take the day off. Usually working the 2:30 to 9 p.m. weekday shift, he worked that day from 1 to 7, and then headed off per usual on his bike.

Later that evening while pedaling north on Sheephill Road, apparently on his way to his Palmer Hill residence, Borselio was hit by a Jeep Cherokee traveling north.

The collision came just past the red stop sign at the intersection of Sheephill and the Sound Beach Avenue Extension. Police said Borselio's body was thrown into the air and onto the shoulder of the road near 93 Sheephill. He died of multiple traumatic injuries, according to the medical examiner.

COMMENT:

Maybe The Police Don't Want To Realease The Accident Report, Because They Got Some Of The Facts Wrong.

"He rode on the car for some distance," said Sgt. Timothy Berry.

Cheif David Ridberg Owes The Single Family Homeowners An Accountable Transparent Police Department That The Public Can Trust.

Accident Reports Are Public Documents Not Police Documemts.

The Public Bought The Paper And Paid For Them To Be Filled Out.

WILL THE BORSELIO FAMILY HAVE TO HIRE AN EXPENSIVE OUT OF TOWN LAWYER TO SEE THE ACCIDENT REPORT AND LEARN WHO THE 20 YEAR OLD MYSTERY DRIVER THAT KILLED JOEY IS?

The Greenwich Citizen Continues:

....According to police, the Jeep was found further along the road from Borselio's body,

telephone pole. The operator of the Jeep was standing by the vehicle and stated to police that he had collided with Borselio on his bike.The accident is under criminal investigation and the driver's identity is being withheld.

"This road is like a speedway," said Depoli, who spoke of the danger she saw to "mothers with carriages crossing the street," at the stop sign.

Borselio, who lived with his father Louis, had recently received a raise for his work as a cashier at Shop Rite on West Main Street in Stamford where he has worked for two years. "He was saving up money for college," said Ravin Malhotra, Shop Rite's front end manager. "He was a sweet kid. He would help you with anything. He was an aggressive, hard worker."

After receiving his raise, Malhotra said, "He thanked me and said, 'You take care of me.'"
Borselio was described as "everybody's friend."

"Customers looked at him as a family member," said Malhotra.

Borselio's father, Louis, reported his son had attended Cos Cob Elementary School and Central Middle School and that he had graduated from the Boces vocational high school in Westchester.

A Mass of Christian burial was celebrated Oct. 9 at St. Catherine of Siena R.C. Church in Riverside and internment followed in St. Mary's Cemetery, Greenwich.

Condolences may be made online at http://www.castiglionefh.com/.


Please See:

10/10/08 Greenwich Police Chief Ridberg Has Things Screwed Up While The Stamford Police Chief Is Operating A Profeesional Department

10/09/08 Maybe No Charges Will Be Filled Against The Driver That Mowed Down Joey, Dumped His Dead Body In A Driveway And Crashed Into A Utility Pole

10/09/08 READER SUBMITTED COMMENTS: Driver who hit bike rider Or Where is the police report?

10/08/08 READER SUBMITTED COMMENTS: Should The 20 Year Old Mystery Driver Be Charged With Leaving The Scene?

10/08/08 Greenwich Time News Links Or Why Can't Debra Friedman Find Who The 20 Year Old Mystery Driver Is That Killed Joseph And Crashed Down The Road

10/07/08 Hearst Newspapers Makes A Change: Debra Friedman Replaces "Martin "What Time Is It' Cassidy (Updated)

10/06/08 Breaking News (Updated): Greenwich Bike Rider Killed At 11:30 Last Night. ----- Or THE GREENWICH TIME CAN'T KEEP TIME

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10/11/08 My Hats Off To The Greenwich Citizen Editor And Webmaster For Following Greenwich Roundup's Lead And Putting Up Himes And Shays Videos, But..

The Greenwich Citizen Has placed Flash Player At The Top Of Its Page That Has Greenwich Citizen Produced Videos For 4th District Congressional Campaign.

The Only Down Side Is That 5 of the 6 Videos Are On Chris Shays.

No Wonder Jime Himes Is 10 Points Behind With such lopsided Coverage.

The Mainstream Media In Greenwich Often Highly Favors Incumbent Candidates.

This Causes Citizen Journalists And Bloggers To Fill In The Campgain Coverage Gaps And Appear To Be Heavily Biased Against The Mainstream Media's Favored Incumbent.

However, The Greenwich Citizen's Campaign 2008 Flash player is a cool feature.

So please check it out at the top of the Greenwich Citizen home page.

I encourage to watch all 5 ofGreenwich Citizen produced videos on Chris Shays and then you should watch the one Greenwich Citizen produced video on Jim Himes' Brooks Community Newspapers editorial board video five times just to be fair.

Be prepared to spend all of Saturday afternoon watching Chris Shay's Videos, the longest one is over an hour long.

Please Also See:

Himes, Shays on the Issues

Speaking with the experience of a former Goldman Sachs executive, 4th Congressional District Democratic candidate Jim Himes chastised 21-year incumbent and Republican opponent Christopher Shays on his stances regarding the current economic crunch facing voters and the country at large.

UPDATE:

Now You See It

Now You Don't

Greenwich Citizen Has Pulled The Brooks Community Newspapers editorial board videos.

What's Up With That !!!!

Isn't There Enough Videos Only Featuring Chris Shays ?????

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10/11/08 I Am Sorry For The Delay In Answering Emails And Reporting Some News Stories

About A Week And A Half Ago A Bunch Of Brown Spiders Invaded My House And My Family And I Sprayed A Bunch Of Spiders And Destroyed A Bunch Of Spider Egg Sacks Out Side The House.

Well Apparently One Of The Spiders Bit Me On My Blind Side Right On The Neck.

I Gout A Fever And Ached All Over.

Plus I Had A Nasty Swollen Bump That Latest A couple Of Days.

Well Last Weekend There Was A second Wave Of Spider Invasions Once Again.

Once Again Spiders And Egg Sack Were Destroyed And You Guessed I Got Bit On My Blind Side Again.

Last Monday And Tuesday I Had A Horrible Fever, But Recovered Enough To Go To My Church And Volunteer To Do My Coffee Service Before Going To A Weekly Bible Class.

The Next Day I Had To Go To Harrison And Document That CVS Has Done Some Work For One Of My Clients And The Spider Bump Opened Up And Looked Very Nasty I went To The Greenwich Hospital And They Told Me The Wound Was Infected.

I Received A Morphine Shot And Was Amazed At How I Instantly Felt A Sensation In The Base Of My Brain.

They Cut And Drained The Wound And Gave Me An IV Of Antibiotics.

I Was Given Some Dressings And Prescriptions For Antibiotics And Pain Pills.

Friday I Had The Wound Checked, But Things Did Not Improve Much, So I Was Given A Second Antibiotic IV And Another Prescription For A Different Antibiotic That Was To Be Taken With The Other Two Pills.

I Will Go For Another Wound Check On Sunday Afternoon.

So Today I am Catching Up With My Emails And Then I Saw An Email From A Greenwich Roundup Reader That Alerted Me To A Blog Post About Greenwich Time Managers And Owners.

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Brian - to think that these idiots have advanced business degrees!

http://greenwichrealestate.blogspot.com/2008/10/shiver-me-timbers-by-happenstance-i.html

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The Link Is To A Post On The Greenwich Real Estate Blog Called For What Its Worth And It Reads.....

Shiver me timbers!

By happenstance I discovered that the Stamford Advocate now runs a real estate blog. I checked it out out of curiosity and at first it seemed like a real blog and even covered, as you'll see from the link, the price cutting going on over at Leona's place.....

Wait A minute, there is blog at the Stamford Advocate that does not fully disclose who is writing a blog on their web site?

How Can that Be ?????

It Looks Like Managing Editor Jim "I Not Real A Hypocrite" Zorba And Of The Rest Of Hearst Newspapers Criticise Anonymous Bloggers And Citizen Journalists While Hosting And Making Financial Deals With Anonymous Bloggers

PLEASE SEE:

10/07/08 Greenwich Time News Lnks Or Managing Editor Jim Zorba Tries To Go After Greenwich Bloggers

Our letter writers really put it on the lineBy Jim Zebora

Article Launched: 10/07/2008 08:34:58 AM EDT

With all due respect to bloggers, people who write to newspapers are just the best. Our letter writers show the courage to share their views with the world - whether opining about the financial bailout, the presidential election, downtown parking or Henrietta the turkey - and they do so with their identities known to all.

Comment To Jim Zorba:

With all do respect to editorial suits who are just now beginning to recognize the power of Bloggers and citizen journalists. Jim Zebora is being less than genuine in his editorial. Jim Zorba knows damn well who Greenwich Diva is and how Neil "I Won't Publish The Fake Beach Passes In My Desk Drawer" Vigdor screwed her over in the Greenwich Time.

Jim Zorba knows damn well knows who Greenwich Gossip is and how former Greenwich Time owner Bill Rowe placed a ban, that is still honored today, on any of his letters every appearing in the Greenwich Time.

Jim Zorba knows damn well who StationStops is and how his comments were removed from and he was locked out of Hearst Media message boards, because he complained that news websites had did a poor job of reporting on the mugging at the Riverside Walgreen's.

Jim Zorba knows everyone at Our Greenwich, because he was involved in firing most of them from the Greenwich Time newsroom.

Jim Zorba knows that For What It's Worth was fired because a bunch of real estate advertisers came into the Greenwich Post wanting him fired, because he said the Greenwich Real Estate market is going to hell in a hand basket. Jim Zorba would never consider hiring the best real estate columnist in Greenwich, because he is afraid he will have to meet with angry advertisers from Coldwell Banker.

Jim Zorba damn well knows who Greenwich Roundup is. We have had more than a few talks with Mr. Zorba.

Jim Zorba knows that as of January of this year the Greenwich Police Department had 80 Civilian Complaints in the previous 24 Months. That's about one complaint every 8 0r nine days.
Jim Zorba knows that more that 98% of the complaints are routinely found to be unfounded.
Jim Zorba knows that this were getting so bad that the so-called "GPD Internal Affairs Investigator" also known as, Captain Michael "The Judge Says I Was Illegally Appointed" Pacewicz was finding the cases unfounded without even bothering to talk to complainants or their witnesses.

Jim Zorba at first started to do the right thing and assigned a Greenwich Time Crime Reporter Martin Cassidy to investigate how civilian complaints are handled at the Greenwich Police Department, but cowered under his desk in fear when Greenwich Police Chief David Ridberg went ballistic.

Jim Zorba sits on the Civilian Complaint Process investigation in much the same way that Joe Pisani sat on The Martha Moxley Investigation.

Please See:

http://greenwichroundup.blogspot.com/2008/08/082508-tell-david-warner-to-cancel-my.html

Jim Zorba Continues:

It's a more civilized way of making a statement than hiding behind a conjured-up screen name.

Writers to Greenwich Time tend to be pretty intelligent folks, too, and I learn something from them every day. It's especially heartening to see the informed, thoughtful give-and-take on this part of the editorial page.

Reasonable people can and do disagree, and in their letters to the editor they do so in what I believe is an extraordinarily civilized way.

Unlike many blog-posters .... blah .... blah .... blah .... blah ..... please visit the Advocate's Anonymous Real Estate Bloggers

Here Are More Posts From For What It Worth That I Mi9ssed While I Was Recovering From My Spider Bite:

Here Is More From Chris Fountain And "For What It's Worth":

(former) Greenwich resident Oh, Great. Guess who'...
Stalwart souls on the other side of the world, to...
Happy Lesbians Before you all start enjoying the C...
Byram Building Committee's other project. When fi...
What's happened to the Black Knight and his fellow...
Don't mess with this agent! So you work with clien...
Here's some good news for those of us planning on ...
Is there no end to this misery? Goldman Sachs hon...
What kind of wussies are our colleges turning out ...
Who, me? Voter fraud in Connecticut A local spoke...
He's back! Russian's palace on Simmons Lane down...
Darn it, first he steals my name, now he's having...
Meet a mortgage broker from Greenwich Bank & Tru...
Don't you dare hurt that plant's feelings! It's i...
The blame game I like this WSJ's columnist's idea...
Okay, this kind of sucks Real estate impact to be ...
So if I can't sell houses in this market, maybe I'...
340 Stanwich Road Nice house but ... This house ha...
The People's Paradise is rationing food Well of...
GE at $18.99??!! this is getting ridiculous. I may...
Greenwich Landing Here's a tiny spot of good news ...
Owie
Courtesy of John Cooke, here is September's Invent...
Oh, Goodie! A replacement! Vlad Putin gets a tig...
Blue skies, nothing but blue skies ... I'll bet y...
Apparently there is serious thought of shutting ...
(Not married to one another, but isn't it a cute p...
49 Cutler Road Pssst! Wanna buy some land? Over th...
Lose you desk on Maiden Lane?Have you considered ...
Putnam Hill Downtown Condo's, updated. This isn't ...
Fun at the opening bell with Djbouti and the Gang ...
Okay, they laughed when his critics called Obama ...
17 Hendrie, Old Greenwich Here's a disappointment...
The sounds of silence Candidates agree to wear li...
Well, here's a tired old voice from the past Of a...
Modular Homes A reader asked about these and I'll ...
Good Lord This company is liquidating 15 of its mo...
Well if Greenwich isn't your cup of tea right now ...
Greenwich Capital Markets A reader points out tha...
They laughed when we called him "The Messiah" Fr...
Buying vs. Renting Calculator I liked the calculat...
Hey, Milbank! Here's how to move those $6 million...
Oh Geeze, now even PBS's Ray Suarez is climbing on...
(Mr. and Mrs. Frank Gifford dining at Mr. Fountain...
Spindletop Wow! A contract! Sort of, maybe. 4 Old ...
So much for that $25 billion, bar keep. Add it to...
Harry Reid is boring - this is exciting, in a sick...
384 Round Hill Road One good thing about a dead ...
Confusing moments in advertising Priced at $4.55 ...
Timber? The Royal Bank of Scotland's stock is d...
Harry Reid greets American public Harry Reid says ...
Open House Report Nothing to report. A few retread...
Open House Tour Pet Peeves Only two, actually. Num...
65 Patterson Ave. At the risk of seeming downbeat ...
19 Desiree Big enough? Price cut, that is. This ho...
317 Stanwich Rd Well now, here's a price reduct...
Another rent vs. buy calculator A reader sent me t...
A Great Wailing and Gnashing of Teeth Joe Pisani, ...
Hey, Dickie - can I get an advance on my allowanc...
And more local politics The Hamilton Avenue School...
Taxes There's a letter printed in today's Greenwic...
Did you think we'd forgotten the Black Knight? Hah...
Why are we doing this? Fed to give AIG an addition...
Rent vs. Buy Calculator Somewhere buried in the co...

If You Miss A Few Day's At For What It's Worth You Miss A Lot !!!

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