04/23/10 A Wounded And Hurt Peter Tesei Goes On Radio Station WGCH To Complain About How The Greenwich Time Covered His State Of The Town Speech.

A Thin Skinned First Selectman Who Has Grown Used To Newspaper Puff Pieces, But Greenwich Time Press Coverage Has Changed After His Failure During The Storm

First Selectman Peter Tesei attacked the Greenwich Time On WGCH claiming the daily newspaper was engaging in tabliod journalism.

The First Selectman then made a bizarre remark, Mr Tesei said,"The Greenwich Time will continue to operate in campaign mode."

WGCH Radio show host Tony Savino seemed confused about the statement and then asked about the failure of Greenwich Chamber Of Commerce members to engage the First Selectman during a question and answer after his state of the town speech.

Mr. Tesei said that he was "disappointed" that only one question was asked.

No one called to ask Mr. Tesei a question on the "ASK The First Selectman" radio sho.

However, one Greenwich Republican plant called WGCH at 661-5051 and thanked Peter Tesei for taking a week to clear trees from town roads after the last NorEaster

PLEASE SEE:

Tesei pats himself on the back during state of the town address - GreenwichTime

Neil Vigdor, Staff Writer

www.greenwichtime.com

First Selectman Peter Tesei, delivering his state of the town speech to members of the Greenwich Chamber of Commerce Thursday at the Milbrook Club, said his administration has taken great strides to reduce the size of the municipal work force...

....Tesei boasted that the town, which has about 1,000 non-school employees, has 41 fewer workers than it did three years ago when he took office....

The Great One Talks About His Plans To Go After Greenwich Town Employee Pension Benefits

Tesei warned that pension fund and health care costs for town employees are a major driver of the town budget and continue to escalate.

The Great One Talked Of His " Emporer Has No Clothes " Problem

Addressing a devastating March 13 nor'easter that caused millions of dollars in property damage and took the life of a local woman, Tesei used the words "full scale mobilization of town resources" to describe to the response by his administration, one that has come under fire from some constituents for its speed.

The Chamber Of Commerce Was Happy When The Great One Finished His 20 Minute "I Want To Congratulate Peter Tesei For Doing A Fantastic Job" Speech

Could Somebody Please Wake up all Those Bankers, Real Estate Brokers, And Members Of Peter Tesei's Own Administration Who Were Being Paid By Taxpayers To Chow Down At The Swanky Millbrook Club

...Tesei, who fielded just one question....

Peter Tesei Gives Himself Just One More Pat On The Back....

....He also took credit for including $186,000 in the proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year for 24/7 ambulance coverage for the first time in northwest Greenwich....

COMMENT:

Maybe The Almost Amazing And Semi- Incredible

First Selectman Peter Tesei Is Right.

Maybe Peter "The Great One" Tesei Doesn't Need

All Of Those Town Employees After All

Peter Tesei Will Just Do It All By Himself And Then Pat Himself On The Back At Mary Ann Morrison's "Next Dog And Pony Show"

UPDATE:

Greenwich Roundup Readers Are

Talking About This Post At Facebook

Donna Ginise Green

This is nothing to be patted on the back for - taking away jobs!

Andy Rocco Melillo

Donna I humbly disagree with you. Tesei did the right thing for our town given the unique and dire economic situation all towns, cities and states find themselves in right now.

Reducing the size of government, even on a municipal level always has beneficial, long-term, and lasting effects. Greenwich is quite a fortunate town and has many services and programs that many other towns are not as fortunate to have. Therefore to maintain our ability to keep our standard of living and community-oriented programs certain money needed to be re-administered in order to make sure the town was spending its money the best way possible. This makes perfect sense when you realize how wide-spread and hard the economic recession has been to many local governments, but also households and familys.

Greenwich suffered from a $8.4 million spending gap. Tesei could have taken the easy road and said lets keep already wasteful/not needed spending and just raise taxes, whether they be sale taxes, property taxes, income taxes, etc. Instead Tesei took the initiative and did what he believed to be right for our community. His vision clearly was not on immediate interests to appease constituents, instead he cut wasteful spending, reduced the size of government and placed Greenwich on a long-term sustainable path.

Leaders sometimes do not make decisions that seem to make sense immediately, sometimes one must be patient to observe the overall effects. This economic nightmare was not created in a day, and it will not take one day to come out of it. Instead of criticizing Tesei as taking away jobs he should be complimented for reducing government, and cutting wasteful spending while maintaining the level of great opportunity Greenwich has always been exposed to whether it be through school programs or community-oriented organizations.

Government workers' expenses are completely paid for by the taxpayer. I think it is Just of government when it reduces its size and influence, maintains responsible spending and a balanced budget, as well as keep social unity. Government is not here to give us free jobs that cost us more than it would give to us. Tesei should be complimented, and with full sincerity I know he has Greenwich's interests first, and support him and his administration to the highest extent possible.

Greenwich Roundup

Dear Andy,

Everyone wants the smallest most effective Government possible, but Greenwich has been cut to the bone.

Durrng the last Nor easter there were not enough boots on the ground and major roads like King Street were blocked by downed trees for over a week.

Last month the BET laid out plans to cut the towns social service department at a rate twice that of any other town department.

This is going to cause more pain to the weakest members of Greenwich society - children, seniors and the disabled.

This social services cut is also going to hurt honest hardworking folks who have lost their jobs, because of the greedy speculation of investment bankers and hedge fund guys.

Now Tesei's administration is delaying the Nathaniel Witherell project saying they want to study of closing down the town owned nursing home.

Just look at how many millions are wasted just on one project by the powers that be in Greenwich.

These cuts are needed because the town wasted millions on fraud waste and abuse over the last three years on the Hamilton Avenue School remodeling project.

Today Greenwich is going to spend mega bucks tearing down the toxic modulars.

These modulars could have been leased, saving the town millions.

And When Facility Director Anthony Byrne got caught with his hand in the cookie jar, the town put him on a $30,000 administrative leave vacation so that he could increase his retirement benefits.

Now the town wants to spend 1) million dollars to build a soccer field on top of the Cos Cob Power Plant's toxic waste dump.

This is all so Republican Greenwich insiders can get paid off.

It is a shame that hard working employees will have to be fired so that a 10 Million dollar soccer field can be built.

Worse yet, Tesei said yesterday that he wants to cut the pension fund and health care costs of the town employees who survive his next round of town employee firings,

Tesei is going to shut down the social service department's emergency food closet, yet he takes his staff at taxpayer expense to the Millbrook Club to clap as he pats himself on the back.

Tesei and his inner circle should be ashamed of themselves and start cutting checks to that soon to be cut food closet on the third floor of town hall.

Tesei could have patted himself on the back on the front steps of town hall at very little expense to the taxpayers of Greenwich.

But no Tesei had to waste taxpayer dollars dragging his inner circle over to a swanky shin dig at the Millbrook Club with money that could have been used to feed the children of a family that has suffered an emergency.

Tesei spent more tax dollars on a one day party, than the emergency food closet gets in one year.

Basically, Tesei is patting himself on the back as he takes food out of the mouths of needy children.

UPDATE #2

Lynn Lavalette Comments On

This Post At Facebook

Lynn Lavalette

I would like to be assured that our tax dollars won't be used to replace some of the Town workers' lost pension money during the recent financial crisis, but not holding my breath.

NO ONE HAS YET OFFERED TO REPLACE THE MONEY WE LOST IN OUR PENSION FUND!!

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