By Patrick Brodrick

            To anyone that reads The Independent, it’s no secret that I supported Mary Rose Dickhaut and Kevin Haley in last year’s election, and many of those same readers have called me a “water carrier” for both politicians. The irony always brings a smile to my face, because the same people that have been lauding my recent work on The Independent are the same people that called me a “water carrier” for Bill Connolly Jr., Selectman Joseph Notaro Jr. and their fellow Rifle Range Supporters during my stint at the Times & Courier.

            But when you peddle the truth – a strange, fluid and fluctuating entity – that’s the burden you have to bear; someone is always going to be pissed at you and you damn well better get used to it.

            So when people contacted me to voice their discontent over recent postings claiming I have an “agenda” because I hardly mention Selectwoman Mary Rose Dickhaut and Selectman Kevin Haley on The Independent, I just have to shrug my shoulders. It’s not that I’m some lap dog for the two, despite what some may think, it’s just that the disagreements I have with Dickhaut and Haley, and their actions, are minor compared to the colossal clusterfucks that Selectmen Robert Pasquale Jr., Joseph Notaro Jr. and Anthony Fiorentino continue to steer the town into time-and-time again. Decisions that I believe have had far-reaching impacts on the town, and not in a good way – how many lawsuits is Clinton involved in now because of their litigation-first approach to issues in the last several months? Three? Four? To be honest I stopped keeping track.

            However, in the last few weeks both Dickhaut and Haley have allowed their personal feelings to get in the way of doing what is in the best interest of the town, and for the first time since last year’s election I can honestly say that I’ve been disappointed at their stomp-their-feet, take-my-ball-and-go-home attitudes during a recent selectmen’s meeting.

            (Note: Being disappointed in my candidates is a far cry from regretting my decision to vote for them, and I stand by my choice and respect both candidates a great deal. The only other option would have been to elect Haaavaaad Professor Gregg Stahl — a pompous and bloated bag of flesh stuffed with pig shit and monkey brains — which wasn’t a choice at all. The thought of having Stahl serving on a board with Notaro, Pasquale and Fiorentino causes me to throw-up a little bit in my mouth, and makes me piss my pants and forget who I am for a half-hour.)

Great Expectations

            About a week ago I got a call from Haley, asking me about my recent postings regarding a smear site that was created to defame his reputation. He casually asked me what type of response I had gotten – surprisingly, more positive than negative – and then recounted a recent meeting when selectmen scheduled time to discuss a report from the state. The report listed a number of areas of town government that could stand to see some much-needed changes; however, when it came time to discuss possible solutions to the complex problems both Haley and Dickhaut simply threw their hands up in the air.

            “You should have seen it, I just sat there, looking up at the ceiling and didn’t say a word,” Haley said. “Joe [Notaro] was like, ‘I don’t know why no one is saying anything.’ Mary Rose just looked at him and said, ‘You go ahead and do whatever you want Joe.’ You should have seen it, it was great.”

            I didn’t have the heart to tell him that I had a lot of adjectives running through my mind at the time and “great” wasn’t even on the list; childish and cowardly, but not great.

            I understand that both Haley’s and Dickhaut’s actions were fuelled by frustration over having their names dragged through the bilge water of the HMS Free Speech by a group of juveniles; but that frustration manifested itself into something that did more to harm to the town than the slight momentary satisfaction it could have possibly have wrought in either politician.

            Haley, however, defended his actions and said his silence during the discussion was because he felt it was inappropriate for the selectmen to be implementing changes to governmental procedures without the input of the variousboards that would be affected.

            “This report is an important issue and I don’t believe that venue was the proper forum to have that discussion,” Haley said. “These issues should be addressed in a working meeting and should involve all the department heads so they have a chance to give us their input. I don’t think we should be making decisions that affect departments without input from the heads of those departments — that’s crazy.”

            Believe me, I can only take wild shots in the dark at the anger, frustration and disappointment both politicos must feel at having to serve with the mouthpieces of the people that have tarnished their names. Hell, I don’t like the idea of living in the same town with some of these cretins, never mind what it’d be like to sit in a meeting with their chosen representatives, but that doesn’t justify either Haley’s or Dickhaut’s actions.

            This report is a chance to make some significant improvements to the town and how it functions on a daily basis. I’m sure both Dickhaut and Haley are hedging their bets that it will only be a few more weeks until at least one of the incumbent board members is voted out of office, but I’m not one to count chickens before they’re hatched. And, as terrifying as it is, there is a chance that both candidates could be reelected.

A Fight Worth Fighting

            When I cast my vote for both Haley and Dickhaut I did so because I wanted to see some semblance of a discussion on any given issue instead of a blanket consensus vote that was most likely determined long before the meeting was called to order. I was sick and tired of watching the controlling majority of the board vote in the best interests of their base instead of the best interest of the town.

            In short, I voted for the two people that I thought would get on the board and drag the devious actions of the majority, kicking and screaming, out into the light. I voted for the two candidates that were going to fight – and I mean a knock-down, drag-em-out, kick-the-hell-out-of-them brawl — for what they thought was right, not just throw their hands up in the air with a just-wait-until May mentality.

            Hell, if I wanted someone that was going to simply roll over and play dead every time Pasquale, Notaro and Fiorentino opened their mouth I would have voted for Gregg Stahl.