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Welcome to the NEW Atkinson Reporter! Under new management, with new resolve.

The purpose of this Blog is to pick up where the Atkinson Reporter has left off. "The King is dead, Long live the King!" This Blog is a forum for the discussion of predominantly Atkinson; Officials, People, Ideas, and Events. You may give opinion, fact, or evaluation, but ad hominem personal attacks will not be tolerated, or published. The conversation begun on the Atkinson Reporter MUST be continued!

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Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Consentino handling roles problem-free

From the Eagle Tribune;

Consentino handling roles problem-free
By Eric Parry
eparry@eagletribune.com

ATKINSON — Philip Consentino, the town's police chief and elderly affairs director, skims through the obituaries on a daily basis looking for local residents who have died. Once he finds someone, he sends a sympathy card to that person's family.

It's just one service the town's Elderly Affairs Department provides for the 1,200 senior citizens in its database, Consentino said. "When there's a problem, we're the fixers," Consentino said, flipping through a stack of thank you cards he has received over the years.

One of the most important services the department offers is the rides he and four drivers give to seniors on a daily basis to medical appointments and social events. Last year, Consentino said the department provided 1,644 rides.

It also conducts an annual flu shot clinic for seniors, provides a list of reputable contractors, supplies seniors with free medical equipment, such as wheelchairs, and operates a call-in program for seniors who live alone. They receive calls every day to make sure they are safe.

But for all the work Consentino does, he also has critics in town.

Last year, the state attorney general's office received complaints about the way he operated elderly affairs as a division of the Police Department. Last fall, the two were separated even though Consentino retains his role as head of both departments.

But the attorney general's office and head of the Board of Selectmen said there haven't been any recent complaints.SClBSelectmen's Chairman Fred Childs said it seems the changes made last year have worked out fine.

"So far, he's done everything that he's supposed to do," Childs said yesterday.SClBTerry Knowles, charitable trust unit director with the attorney general's office, said she plans to meet with the selectmen and Consentino next month to review the changes that were made. Knowles helped the selectmen and Consentino restructure the two departments last fall.

None of the services provided by elderly affairs have changed but now there is a logbook that provides specific details on the rides provided by the four drivers.

Five days a week, the department averages five or six rides and the logbook records who was transported, where they were taken, and how long the trip took.

"The seniors feel extremely relieved they don't have to rely on their children, they just call us," Consentino said.

The only change is that the names on the vehicles now say "Town of Atkinson Elderly Affairs Department" instead of "Atkinson Police Community Service." The drivers also were given new uniforms with the name "Elderly Affairs."

The department also was given its own budget, which pays for the drivers, fuel and maintenance on the vehicles. Consentino isn't paid for his work as director.

Changes also were made to donation accounts. SClBThe Atkinson Police Charitable Fund was created and primarily benefits elderly affairs. Next month, Consentino said they will begin a fundraising drive to replenish the fund, which brings in about $10,000 to $14,000 a year in donations.

Some recent purchases made through the account were $333 for new dentures for a senior citizen, $800 to install a wheelchair ramp at a resident's home, and $1,000 in books donated to Kimball Library, Consentino said.

To tap into that account, Consentino only has to contact the board of directors' treasurer, who also files monthly reports on the account's balance.

In the last few months, Consentino and Assistant Director William Anderson applied for nonprofit status with the Internal Revenue Service and are still waiting for their application to be processed.

With all the changes that have been made, Consentino said he's just happy he still gets to work with senior citizens every day.

A woman, who was given regular rides to chemotherapy appointments and recently learned her cancer had gone into remission, told him her good news. After transporting her to appointments for years, Consentino said it felt like he and his drivers had helped her along.

"That's the best reward you can get," he said.

26 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey I thought the elderly affairs dept. gave 1,994 rides last year, thats what philly said in the town report.

http://www.town-atkinsonnh.com/Atkinson%20Report%20for%20Web.pd

Maybe he is forgetting which BS he told to who. LOL.

Anonymous said...

Hey Mr. Critic, get in here and defend your man! Smooch-smooch!

Anonymous said...

The oops on the 2000 rides was funny. No mention of any lawsuits or anything!

The political machine is running smooth. Happy days are here again.

This is the tribune trying to drum up some controversial news. The article is saying hey we need some dirt on Phil cause we haven't had any in awhile so if you don't give us some then were gonna make him look good.

Anonymous said...

"The article is saying hey we need some dirt on Phil cause we haven't had any in awhile so if you don't give us some then were gonna make him look good.'

It said that? Where?

Anonymous said...

So where is the donation money going now that it is not going to the elderly affairs budget?

I got the flyer from philly saying that it was the same old donation acct. under a new name, but everything it used to pay for is now in the budget, so where is that money going?

Anonymous said...

Hey, I know, maybe that is how Phil got his new truck! ROFLMAO!

Anonymous said...

No, no, you have it all wrong. Phil is hatching a sinister plot to turn all of us into zombies. That doesn't come cheap you know.

Anonymous said...

He already turned the townies into zombies a long time ago.

Anonymous said...

Can anyone tell me how you give 1994 rides on $20,000?

If he is THAT great a cost manager, why does the PD cost us $775,000

Anonymous said...

Damn you Phil! Why did you make it cloudy today!?

Anonymous said...

funny how those people who choose to try and defend him by minimizing the value of this blog, never answer the questions or discuss the issues, they just "shoot the messenger"

It is probably much easier that way.

Anonymous said...

Sorry, but there is no shooting of the messenger here. Take a look at the inordinate number of anti-chief topics on this blog. See how even topics unrelated to him eventually turn to him. Look at the Atkinson Taxpayers Association website, which has 40% of it's news stories (50% if you include the Ongoing Lawsuits link) on its homepage. Is that all the news in Atkinson?

No, we are not shooting the messenger. We're just pointing out the bias...

Anonymous said...

I am shocked. shocked at the lopsided negativity against such a wonderful person. The bias is because there's one and only one guy in town who abuses his badge and abuses taxpayers and generates lawsuits more than anyone else so what's the big surprise? Duh. The evidence was already presented that he was found guilty of harrassing and intimidating his own police officers and was also found guilty in contempt of court. Its been proven he's done bad things and he keeps getting us sued with multi-million dollar lawsuits so is there a negative bias? Sure by anyone whose really paying attention. Denying all this would be a denial of reality. I will predict the next message: attack message, attack messenger, attack blog but ignore facts; change subject.

Anonymous said...

Why change the subject. This one has been discussed, lets see, in virtually every post on this blog.

You continue to just not get it. It is not the message, its hearing it over, and over, and over, and over, and over again.

It has become a one topic blog and that is what people are tired of.

Anonymous said...

He's right. Why change the subject? The subject never changes.

Anonymous said...

The taxpayers website takes any public documents submitted to it about Atkinson. If there is something you want there that is a public document, and not there, submit it, but dont bitch about what is missing, send it in.

Anonymous said...

The shooting the messenger comment was regarding your attempt to discredit any comments critical of Phil by merely commenting about the posters supposed motivations instead of dealing with the facts and questions raised.

You respond by doing the same thing again! Point proven!

Anonymous said...

Better get back on those meds.

We know the facts. Heard them 1000 times. What difference is hearing them 1001, 2000, 5000 times going to make?

Anonymous said...

The Tribune article happens to be about the Blogs favorite person is it not?

We will continue to complain about the chief lawbreaker until he is gone. Every day he puts this town at greater risk and costs us taxpayers more and more money. And its my money he's blowin. So its my right to complain a BILLION times if I want to until he stops wasting my money and putting the town at risk. GET IT?

I just might post my complaints a few more thousand times because this is the only place I can complain and not be afraid of his abuse of the badge. Besides, it seems to irritate the heck out of his supporters so I might just complaine a few hundred thousand times.

Post away bloggers! if you guys ignored us we'd probably just go away. So there's gotta be some truth to all these complaints because they don't seem to stop.

Anonymous said...

"if you guys ignored us we'd probably just go away. "

The only people who will go away are whatever objective readers are left. Pretty soon it will be just a small group yelling the same things back and forth at each other.

So, go on, keep complaining. It doesn't matter if the complaints are true. Let's see, what have all the complaints here accomplished so far? Not a damn f***ing thing. This place has become nothing more than a sideshow.

Complain away until you're blue in the face. Nobody really cares.

Anonymous said...

Anon 4:36 PM said, "So its my right to complain a BILLION times"

Haven't you done this already?

Anonymous said...

"Anonymous said...

The taxpayers website takes any public documents submitted to it about Atkinson. If there is something you want there that is a public document, and not there, submit it, but dont bitch about what is missing, send it in."

Seeing as the ATA has posted news from the Tribune relating to the pending lawsuit against you know AND the separation of the the PD and the Elderly Affairs, let's see if they posts the above article. After all, aside from the fact that is paints the Chief in a positive light, it IS related to almost everything that they seem to consider newsworthy to the fact that it is on their homepage.

Wouldn't you agree? And if it is not up there, why?

Anonymous said...

June 3, 2009 8:42 PM

She divorced him years ago. Couldn't stand the constant complaining. A form of verbal abuse.

Anonymous said...

Anon 10:19, if you are looking for someone thick of head, I suggest you take a look in the closest mirror.

Somehow, you do not seem to understand I am referring to their Latest Newsfeed section and not their public documents. The News section, is in fact, run by the webmaster and is not user submitted.

I'm sure you must blame Phil for your stupidity.

Anonymous said...

And again oh thick headed one, you are not understanding the words that are coming out of my mouth.

The webmaster on that site does not going looking for articles about Atkinson, everything on there INCLUDING the latest newsfeed section, people have submitted.

If you dont understand this I can try it in French for you.

Anonymous said...

Atkinson is the most corrupt small town in NH. What are the three selectmans name's Moe, Larry and
Curly, because they are the Three Stooges, just watch any Monday night