From the Eagle-Tribune;
Atkinson chief may still head elderly affairs program
By Meghan Carey
mcarey@eagletribune.com
ATKINSON — Tonight's workshop on the elderly affairs program has been postponed until the selectmen receive more answers from the state attorney general's charitable trust unit.
Those answers could allow Philip Consentino to remain as both police chief and director of elderly affairs.
Residents' complaints over Consentino's dual roles, as well as the donation accounts he handles, prompted an examination earlier this year by Terry Knowles, director of the charitable trust unit.
Consentino leads the elderly affairs program, which gives rides and other help to senior citizens. The program is funded partially through the town's operating budget, and also from donations.
Selectmen often held public hearings for Consentino to take donation money out of three donation accounts, the balances of which totaled about $19,000.
Knowles sent a number of letters to the town, advising how to lawfully handle the donation money. Consentino has since received permission from donors and transferred $6,500 to a nonprofit group he set up. The rest of the money remains in the Atkinson Police Department's Donation/Equipment Fund account.
Knowles also advised the selectmen to examine the elderly affairs program and make sure it is separate from the Police Department, which they planned to do tonight.
Selectmen's Chairman Paul Sullivan, Selectman Bill Friel and Town Administrator Steven Angelo met with Knowles for the first time Friday. Sullivan said they wanted to make sure their plan to transfer the remaining $12,000 in donation money to the Trustees of the Trust Fund was OK. Also, they had questions about the separation of Consentino's roles.
"Basically, we wanted to make sure and do the right thing, where it's in question, for all parties involved," Sullivan said.
He said the selectmen left feeling that the matter, which first arose in April, will be worked out smoothly. The next letter from Knowles, which should come this week, should confirm in writing what she told them last week. Then selectmen will reschedule the workshop, Sullivan said.
Knowles said yesterday that letter will outline how Consentino should be required to document the time he spends as police chief, as well as the time he spends volunteering as the director of elderly affairs.
That should draw a firm enough line, and satisfy state and federal labor laws. But Knowles said the selectmen should speak with someone at the state Department of Labor to be sure.
"We're slowly resolving the issues," Knowles said. "In accordance to the earlier letter, what, and how it needs to be done. It's really a matter of time sheets."¬ù
The meeting Friday was incorrectly listed as a nonpublic session. Once the selectmen arrived in Concord, Knowles informed them it had to be a public session and let two members of the public attend, she said.
It was up to the town to decide whether to reschedule and properly post the meeting, she said.
Sullivan said it was a mistake. He posted it as a "legal" nonpublic session because the selectmen are working to bring the issues in line with state law.
Consentino said yesterday he was upset others were able to participate in conversations about him and the elderly affairs program without him there.
"I wanted to go to that meeting, but I wasn't invited/involved because it was a selectmen's meeting," he said.
Atkinson Town Hall
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17 comments:
just tell me, how can you possibly separate the duties of police chief and elderly director, without separating the depts?
Selectmen, do the right thing here, put the cars at the community center, have Noriko or someone else dispatch, doesn't much matter who as long as they do the job, and voila, you have accountability!
As for you, Phil... If you gave us the transparency and accountability people have been asking for for years, then you wouldn't be being forced to now. sorry.
If the Chiefo is allowed to control elderly affairs, it's time to get rid of all selectmen. This issue should be a NO BRAIN decision.
Sullivan, Friel, Childs.........we are watching. It's time to rid yourself of the leash the chief has around your necks. Stop being the dogs the chief takes for a stroll everyday, and become the adults we thought we put in office.
We put you there, and we can take you out.
PS: Get rid of the Chiefo and his “Little Dog” Polito too.
Phil is losing his mind cause he is slowly losing control. He wasn't invited to the party. And they were talking about HIM!
WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!
Isn't this funny. He knows that if Friel gets swayed by the Atty General's office, that he is done cause he knows Sullivan is ready to make the big move and has the ammo to do it. His little empire is collapsing around him. No more Senior lunches? No more senior fall scenic bus tours? How could this be? How is he going to buy votes if he can't run his illegal political group out of the taxpayer funded PD? I hope Terry Knowles does not hook up with the police certification people that slapped the chief around a few months ago for breaking more rules.
Tick tock, tick tock. The winds of change are in the air. I can feel it.
Why is it so hard just to split the two?
At least for this year, Selectmen do not have the authority to spend more than the approved budget of $19K.
Given the reality the chief spent police budget dollars (translation taxpayer dollars) to pay for 1644 rides last year, there is no voter approved funding to actually pay for what he's been doing going forward. So changes may not be able to occur until next year when the selectmen can put it to the voters in March on proposed changes.
The seniors are in for a rude awakening when they find out that $19K doesn't buy squat and we have to make this a true, volunteer organization to make it work. And it will have to be pulled out of the PD no matter how you slice it. And no Phil, you will not be running it.
A police dept taxi service is the craziest thing I've ever seen. And the misappropriation of taxdollars is so blatant and so flagrant, it is amazing. This scheme cannot stand. And it won't.
Chief is going to lose his captive voting squad.
From the Eagle Tribune Blog;
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What in the world is stoping the selectman from removing the elderly affairs program? this is turning into a joke and a half. You know how you hear of corrupt police chiefs and government etc...Well folks you are watching it first hand.
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48 - a has been! 8 hours ago 1 point
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What in the world is stopping the selectmen from removing the police chief? This dust for bones moron has been the subject of so many investigations that we need to realize that if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's a DUCK!
Get rid of him already - he is making a mockery out of the selectmen and the entire town!
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Bigum Chief headum hunter 15 minutes ago 1 point
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And here we have another article in the paper for all people to see what kind of a political mess we have here in Atkinson. Boy i hope this Chiefo Bigumheadum gets fired soon. There have been many , too many, issues that warrant his removal.
No $19k doesn't buy alot but it could be put to better use than tool box for the Chief and flowers for selected individuals.
It could be spent on blood pressure screening, bone marrow donor searches or in other beneficial ways. It could benefit all rather than some people.
I do not see why he has any backing.
I dont think the $19,000 is a problem, and to be honest, no one has ever suggested cutting or eliminating the program.
What the budget committee tried unsuccessfully for 5 years to obtain was accountability.
Just some verifiable numbers on how many people use the program, and how many rides they give, and how many man-hours were spent on the program.
Instead we got pie in the shy numbers like 1644 rides, and 250 people doing the riding, all for $19,000. And the problem is the lack of verification especially when anyone can easily see the numbers dont add up.
I submit to you, that if there had been transparency and accountability, as the AGO said, all along, this wouldn't be an issue now.
It is outrageous for tax money to be spent, and the taxpayers are unable to find out how, or how much.
Leave "sending flowers" out of the criticism, please. For YEARS, the Selectmen have sent flowers (paid for by tax dollars) to senior citizens, really sick people. Once upon a time, they also sent flowers on National Secretary's Day to all the girls in the offices of Town Hall. Once in a while, it was nice to hear of the Selectmen doing nice things, but I'm not sure they do that any more, but it's good that Phil is.
The money could be put to better use than on fluff.
Sending flowers has absolutely nothing to do with the misappropriation of taxpayer dollars which, last I checked, was illegal. I believe this means our head law enforcement officer is breaking the law.
What taxpayers want is simple accountability. How did the town of Atkinson pay for 1644 rides for seniors on an Elderly Affairs budget of $19,000?
Someone please show me how this was done. If you can't show it was done with $19K, then the law has been broken. Plain and simple. That is the issue. I am still waiting to see the proof the law was not broken. Let's open up the books and get some tough questions answered.
Imagine, misappropriating money to send flowers. How sad.
I LOVE the six flags guy, as Chiefo Bigheadumo on the atkinson factor website!
The Chief must have funded an EA trip to Six Flags which ended up in his TV debut.
Ed Naile has another webcast segment about our sad town. They call us a news hog and discuss many of our problems but focus on Phil's 5 slush funds.
http://www.nhtaxpayerradio.com/shows2008.php
Advance to minute 42.
It's the 9/18 posting, Part I
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