Why do we elect these councilors?
Watching the city council meetings is a punishment, but it is my obligation. The lack of respect and decorum sickens me! I received a message that Stephany Infante wrote on Kendrys Vazquez’s page that shows who really has an evil mind. Here it is:
“Everything happens for a reason. God knew there were challenges in the horizon so he kept Kendrys Vasquez with his family. Imagine if Kendrys was mayor right now, and needed to take extensive time off to be there for his son. I 100% know there would’ve been sooo much negative talk about him being away.
“I don’t see the same people/groups talking about the extensive vacations or time off that others have taken, but I definitely know this would’ve been talked about if it was Kendrys. Anyways, Kendrys, I am so happy to see Amir persevering. May God continue to protect him and give him the strength to educate others on Topical Steriod Withdrawal 🩶by Stephany”
Stephany, what you have done is despicable! Using a child’s illness for political purposes is inappropriate and unfair. Let’s focus on supporting Amir and his family during this challenging time. Exploiting what Kendrys and Denis are going through just to sling another barrage against the mayor is unacceptable because you are judging a scenario in your imagination.
We should prioritize the well-being of Amir rather than using their situation to spread hate. On top of that, using the name of God for your malice is a sacrilege!
The Personnel Committee meeting
When I mention the lack of decorum in council meetings, it’s worse than that. Some of these power-hungry people have found themselves in a position they believe gives them the right to verbally abuse city employees. My skin crawls when I hear the lack of respect for treating another human being.
That was the case of Pamela Gonell, who was before the council to be appointed Assistant Commissioner of Health and Code Services. The lady has been doing the work for a year, and several coworkers have been present to support her. Even her supervisor, Pat Ruiz, spoke in her favor.
Ms. Gonell was grilled by none other than Councilor Fidelina Santiago who had a series of questions written for her. She insisted on having Ms. Gonell recite the science courses she took in medical school ten years ago in the Dominican Republic. She mentioned some of them, and then councilor Santiago snapped, calling her a liar. “I am a doctor, and taking all those courses in two years is impossible.”
I was stunned. Belittling Ms. Gonell in public instead of requesting her job application to confirm if she listed those courses among her credentials.
And saying that she is a doctor? Those are the credentials that I want to see!
How conceited of her when she still has pending a federal accusation that may end up in jail for stealing ballots from mailboxes along with Jennifer Lopez. Fidelina shouldn’t have been sworn in and occupied that position until she cleared her court case.
Another thing that bothered me is that the committee chair, Stephany Infante, doesn’t seem to notice how disgraceful the council members’ behavior is. Oh, silly of me, she’s equally at fault.
This council is the pits! Discussing and solving problems is the least of their concerns. Most of them have a political agenda, and they turn everything according to their misguided plan.
In this case, they are prejudiced against Ms. Gonell because Mayor Brian DePeña recommended her for the position that she’s been holding for a year. I know it’s not personal; it’s politics. They complained that the mayor is placing only friends in city jobs. Let me remind you that all mayors have done the same; they want to surround themselves with people they trust.
The issue of qualifications has been ignored for as long as I can remember. When Wendy Luzón worked for Mayor Dan Rivera, she lied on her resume and said she had a college degree to qualify because she only had a high school education. Everybody knew she lied, but there was no commotion.
The city council did not approve many city employees, yet the mayors ignored their decision and kept them on the job. I remember that the council tried to eliminate funding for a position on the budget, and the mayor made changes to provide a salary for that person.
Why are the city councilors so obsessed with the investigation of Provisional Chief William Castro? Why are specific individuals who call themselves bloggers and other news and social media so fixated on him? They did not focus extensively on discussing suspensions, administrative payments for personnel on leave, contracts of the police chief and mayor, and particularly, the outcomes of other investigations and disciplinary actions in public meetings. If they had, maybe taxpayers would not have endured outrageous buyout settlements of forced retirements and payments of “sustained” investigations without any disciplinary action.
Where were the city councilors then? Where were they when the police chief and fire chief received a five-year contract without city council approval? Where were the city councilors during the District Attorney’s office overtime investigation?
The council did not make a fuzz when former police chief Roy Vasque walked away with over $700,000 after being out with pay for a few months. And who can forget the investigation of the elderly complex apartment on Elm Street that was being used by Chief Vasque and other officers where drugs were left unattended for several years? Evidence that was unaccounted for and survived two evidence audits. Where were they, and what were the results of those investigations?
When I say that watching the council meetings is a punishment, it’s not an exaggeration; I’m not smarter than any of the councilors, and their disregard for the truth and the laws pains me. I expect fairness from them, not politics and revenge. Many of you reading right now would think, “She’s favoring Castro.” Please don’t close your mind and understand what I’m saying. Fairness!!
Two weeks ago, the city council had a big show with the agencies investigating the police’s matter. I read the Bennet Report of their investigation (I wrote about it a few weeks ago), and he lied to the council almost every time he opened his mouth. I could tell because I read it.
Then, there were discrepancies between Bennett’s Report and Maverick’s. The councilors didn’t notice them because, if they read it, they must lack reading comprehension. Besides, they were hearing things that went according to their preconceived judgment, so they accepted it.
I noticed that they were blatantly violating the rights of former provisional chief William Castro discussing personnel matters in public. Those things should be addressed in an executive session. Also, Castro and his attorney were not asked to be there. That meeting became a disgusting trial where the accused was not present to defend himself.
Most importantly, where is Castro’s 205-page report with 64 exhibits? Why is no one talking about it, especially the city councils? Maybe because it talks about what happened in the police department or because it names three city councils and numerous policy and ethics violations by city employees and state employees, including the Civil Service Commission and POST. But don’t worry, I’m on it.
Wendy Luzón will strike again!
A few weeks ago, Councilor Ana Levy made another push for Voter ID, but Councilor Luzón couldn’t stop asking questions about how that would work. Nobody knows yet. First, we must fight at the State House and get it approved; then, the city must establish the system to follow.
Her insistence made me think she wanted to start planning how to overcome that obstacle. Remember, videos show her during the last election when she destroyed other candidates’ signs at two o’clock in the morning.
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