The Lisbon Reporter…Loss Of A Great Warrior

IN MEMORY OF TODD COMBER

August 18th is a sad day for the Lisbon Reporter.  We lost our Founder, Chief Editor and Friend.  Todd (54) dedicated the last eight years of his life to bringing the truth to the people of Lisbon. He was proud of our community and worked tirelessly to keeping Lisbon residents informed.

Even after he moved to Florida to help care for his aging parents, he continued to make Lisbon a better place to live and raise children.

His devotion to our community is beyond reproach and he will be missed dearly.

The staff of the Lisbon Reporter will continue his legacy in his memory.

Todd will also be missed by friends outside of the Lisbon community.

Rest in Peace, my friend

Abuse Of Power Running Rampant In Lisbon (Maine)!

Courtesy of Larry Fillmore
The Lisbon Reporter

“Ever wonder how Chairman Pesce can ignore the Charter and Council Working Rules?

It is very simple because he can. Who is going to enforce the numerous violations of both the Charter and Council Working Rules? Chairman Pesce can have the police remove anyone from the council meetings but members of the public cannot ask the police to remove the Chair. This is called absolute power and violations of this are called abuse of power/position. But, then again who is going to enforce these violations, no one.”

Read more HERE.

Are Lisbon (Maine) Taxpayers Paying For Incompetency?

“FBI Chief Says ‘Be Suspicious of Government Power’; Lisbon Reporter Says ‘Be Suspicious Of Local Power Also’. More HERE.

Courtesy of Larry Filmore:

Re: Town of Lisbon and the Brunswick Housing Authority

“Most of you do not know this but a former council sold Brunswick Housing Authority 4 Campus Avenue for $1.00 and with it went over a MILLION dollar grant for the renovation of the building by Federal Grant. The property at the time was valued at $265,050.00. I understand that the Brunswick Housing Authority is a non-profit organization but the Town of Lisbon is not. The Town should not be making concessions like this and now the Town is willing to do all the trenching and then pay for half of the paving even though there is no benefit to the town from the MTM center to 4 Campus Avenue. Why should the taxpayers be forced to pay anything for this project?

On the agenda for May 27, 2014, there is no “Audience Participation” so the people will not have a chance to speak on this subject.

Please review this proposal by Mr. Leighton and tell me if you believe that this inept performance is worth the $78,000.00 plus Mr. Leighton receives as a salary from the town. This is exactly what you get from an individual that has absolutely no credentials for the position.

So why does the Interim Town Manager and the Town Council accept a proposal that is incomplete and does not present ALL the facts in order for the Council to make a competent decision?” Read more HERE.

Beyond the Walls and Halls of the Lisbon Police Department Purchase of “Toys For The Boys”

The Lisbon Reporter reports “In September 2013, Chief Brooks received $71,750.78 in Federal Forfeiture Funds. These funds had strings attached and could ONLY be used by the Lisbon Police Department.”

On February 14, 2014, Larry Fillmore “submitted a Freedom of Access Act (FOAA) for a copy of all the Purchase Orders utilizing these Federal forfeiture funds.” On March 11, 2014, he received copies of fifteen (15) Purchase Orders totaling $27,468.74 dollars.

The Purchase Order contains a lot of miscellaneous items to include three (3) 16M4A4 Telestk MPC assault rifles and Larry has several issues with this particular purchase.

Read more HERE.

The Lisbon Reporter: “Maine’s Circle of Corporational Corruption and Complexity Widens”

Thank you Lisbon Reporter for spreading the word! Click here.

Related: Trail Of Evidence That Leads From Maine’s Original Constitution To The Commission Of Maine Judges, click here.

For more information on this subject type in “Lise from Maine” in the search section of this blog. Lots of information and discussion in the comments section.

Maine’s Continued Attempts To Quash Government Transparency

Courtesy of Larry Fillmore

FREEDOM OF ACCESS ACT (FOAA) PROGRAM

“Title 1 General Provision, Chapter 13: Public Records and Proceedings, Subchapter 1: Freedom of Access, Statue 402 Definitions outline the Public Records which can be obtain by individuals. This Statue also outlines the exceptions that cannot be obtained.

So why is this statue part of Maine Law? Lawmakers established this program as the tool to be used by citizens when transparency in government no longer exists. This program was created as a check and balance procedure to ensure residents of Maine would be able to find out what is going on in their towns and at the state level. The program provides for the people to get answers to their questions when our elected officials do not want to divulge this information.

Representative Mary Nelson (Falmouth) and Judy Meyer, Chairlady for the Right to Know Advisory Committee are representing the Maine Municipal Association (MMA) and trying to change the current procedures. Mrs. Meyer went so far as to state she felt the court should stop any and all requests deemed a NUISANCE. I cannot understand why any FOAA requests that mean the requirements of the law can possibly be considered a NUISANCE. It is the individual’s right, under the law, to request any documents that meet the provisions of the law. Apparently, Representative Nelson and Mrs. Meyer has something to hide; why else would they want to deny the right of any Maine citizen to submit a FOAA request that qualifies under the Maine law.

The provisions of Representative Nelson bill are totally ridiculous. Representative Nelson’s bill would eliminate the $15.00 per hour after the first hour as the fee and allow the agency to dictate how long and what price they can charge for completing the FOAA request. I had this situation happen to me. I requested information that could have been extracted from the computer system in a matter of seconds. However, it took the Finance Director several hours to gather the information and then the town charged me for each hour the Finance Director stated it took her to retrieve the information. There are no checks and balances to ensure the accuracy of the time it takes to complete any requests. Leaving it up to the agency is like having the fox guard the hen house. There has to be guidelines established to ensure the integrity of the program.

I, like Mr. Michael Doyle (Falmouth) utilize the Freedom of Access Act (FOAA) program when my elected officials refuse to provide information. I am sure my FOAA requests are a NUISANCE to town employees but it is MY RIGHT under the law and who is going to judge if my request is a NUISANCE or not. My thought process is much different than anyone else, so who is going to deny me my right? Who has the right to deny Mr. Doyle and others their right to request information under the law? In both Mr. Doyle’s case and my own, we have discovered abnormalities in our local government.

Representative Nelson and Mrs. Meyer should be ashamed for trying to make it impossible for individuals to submit requests under the FOAA program. It is easy to understand why Maine Municipal Association wants to make it harder for citizens to challenge local government because they represent the municipalities. But the bottom line is, there is a program in place that allows residents of Maine to request information from their town and state under the law. And as long as these individuals meet the requirements of the statue, they should be able to submit as many as they want without any interference from the state or anyone else.

Mrs. Meyer is the Chairlady of the Right to Know Advisory Committee and she is supporting Representative Nelson’s bill. How is this possible because if Mrs. Meyer is stating that these requests by Mr. Doyle and I are NUISANCE requests; then she is talking out of both sides of her mouth at the same time.

You no longer have the Right to Know if you cannot submit a request for information under the Freedom of Access Act (FOAA).”

Larry Fillmore

LD 104 – “An Act To Amend the Laws Governing Public Records”, HERE.

Title 1, Chapter 13: PUBLIC RECORDS AND PROCEEDINGS
Subchapter 1: FREEDOM OF ACCESS, click here.

Falmouth Today article “MAINE MUNICIPAL ASSOCIATION READIES ANOTHER ATTACK ON THE FREEDOM OF ACCESS ACT (FOAA)” February 4, 2013, click here.

The Lisbon Reporter Reports On New Hampshire Corruption

The Lisbon Reporter reports “Is There More Behind Lisbon (ME) Corruption? ”

“Hey Lisbon Residents, Got YOUR Thinking Caps On Yet?”

Related:  Click here.

A Lesson In History Can Help The ‘Discord’ Between LePage and Mills

The Lisbon Reporter reports “Excellent Presentation a ‘must read’ for ALL!” To view this and more news from the Lisbon Reporter, click here.

City of Biddeford and Town of Lisbon Have Something In Common…Official Corruption Behind Closed Doors

Lisbon Reporter reports “Are Lisbon’s Taxpayers’ Getting Fleeced By The Town Manager?”
“The darkest day in the history of Lisbon was when Chief Brooks talked the Town Council into hiring Stephen G. Eldridge as our Town Manager. In 2008, when Mr. Eldridge took over as Town Manager, there was over three (3) million dollars, that’s right, three million dollars in the town’s Undesignated Fund. But if you go to the Annual Audit and look, you will see that the Undesignated Balance is $1,076,332.00 which means the town is SHORT $226,459.00.”
Read more HERE.

Related: click here and here.

The Lisbon Reporter also reported on this, click here.

Re Larry Filmore FOIA, click here.

WHEN WILL THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WAKE UP? THIS IS YOUR MONEY ALSO! Read more, click here.

What kind of beings sit in elected positions?  Their actions are a public scandal!  No Governor in this state has yet taken this bull by the horns. The “behind closed doors” tactics to deprive people of their businesses, livelihoods, property will never generate revenue for this state.

The common thread between the City of Biddeford and Town of Lisbon…is official corruption behind closed doors to steal from the taxpayers!!

Angry U.S. Marine Steve Holt Speaks Out

The Lisbon Reporter reports “No comment necessary…an angry patriot speaking the truth. ”

View video HERE.