So Long, Farewell and Kiss My True Grits!

MNYT wonders if that's what Barbara Bellis-simo Mattina was thinking as she departed 155 Washington Avenue for the last time as a Village employee back in January. 

Mrs. Mattina was raised and educated in the Incorporated Village of Mineola and started working for VOM in 1974.  By all accounts, she was a dedicated employee with a very strong work ethic.  You know the type:  coughing and sneezing, but reporting to work anyway because that is what you do.  (People like that are SO annoying, don'tcha think?)

To quote a recent letter to the Mineola Ame-rican acknowledging her retirement, " . . . she was totally dedicated to her duties and the people of Mineola.  She was someone you could always count on.  She seldom took time off and was always there when you needed her."  (http://www.antonnews.com/mineolaamerican/opinion/5617-letter-enjoy-your-retirement-barbara.html )

Whether her dedication was inherited or learned, there is no doubt the apple didn't fall far from the family tree, because Barbara Mattina's father was the late Anthony Bellissimo, well-known for his community involvement with Kiwanis, the Mineola Republican Club, Mineola's Fire Department and the Board of Trustees - to name a few.  Tony Bellissimo was not a slacker and apparently, neither was his daughter.( http://www.mfdaction.com/news/bellissimo.html )

As a matter of fact, Mrs. Mattina was the subject of a Mineola Ameri-can article back in 1999 entitled "25 Wonderful Years."  At the office she was feted with a tiara, sash and balloons in honor of what was by then 1/4 of a century of civil service with the Village of Mineola. (http://www.antonnews.com/mineolaamerican/1999/07/23/news )

Here are quotes from some of her colleagues that were part of the article:  "You can put her in any department and she's excellent at it.  She is well liked by everyone in the village."  And, "She likes helping senior citizens and those in need.  She really likes what she does."

Most resounding is the subject's own take on the situation:  "This is a wonderful place to work.  It's like working in a little family."

Sounds ducky.  So what happened?  Why would someone who clearly loved the community she grew up in; who enjoyed working with the public (and let's face it - "the public" can be real ball busters); who derived a true sense of pleasure from assisting other people, leave her position the very first day she was able to retire with her full union benefits?  And without any fanfare or retirement luncheon.  Surely somebody who has been a faithful civil servant to VOM for over 35 years deserves some kind of formal recognition.

You'd think.

Let us suppose, gentle reader, that for the last seven years of your tenure with the Incoporated Village of Mineola you'd been subjected to a hostile work environment.  Suppose you were harassed by your boss.  Now suppose you complained to his boss and nothing was done.  Suppose that even after you transferred out of the department, the harassment continued and was extended to your co-workers as well.  Suppose that with only about 6 weeks to go before your retirement date, you were brought up on trumped up charges that were subsequently dropped because they were completely without merit.

Would you want ANYTHING from such people?

Because that's exactly what Mrs. Mattina's work life was like.  And it all began with a slip of the lip. 

UH-OH!

The day she let slip to her Building Department co-worker that she knew she was "doin' the nasty" with their boss was the beginning of the end.  Think about it:  if information like that got out it could cost boss man and his gal pal/secretary their jobs and jettison his marriage.
Bit of a sticky wicket, that.

So what's a "gentleman" to do?  How about embark on a campaign of harassment to make Mrs. Mattina's life miserable?

And when this harassment was brought to the attention of the big guy in charge, what do you suppose he did?  You might expect him to fire the boss and transfer the gal pal because such a relationship is totally
inappropriate in a government agency.  It compromises the integrity of the department and leaves the village open to a possible sexual harassment lawsuit down the line.  Add to that the creation of a hostile work environment towards Mrs. Mattina and the behavior crosses the line from merely inappropriate to COMPLETELY EGREGIOUS.

But the mayor's solution to this problem was to transfer Barbara Mattina from the Building Department where she had already worked for seven years, and send her back to the Justice Court.  No matter that she had done nothing wrong or that she had not violated the trust of the village taxpayers.  It also didn't matter that she had more years in that department than both the supervisor and the other secretary combined, or that she had a wealth of knowledge that neither of them had.  What mattered was keeping Building Superintendent Dan Whalen happy.

Why?

Why would the mayor allow the Building Superintendent to keep his job under such circumstances?  It's not as if he had a long history with the Village as somebody who had worked his way up the ranks.  Whalen was a newcomer with very limited experience in the field and with dubious qualifications.  He exercised extremely poor judgement when he decided to embark on a deeply personal relationship with his subordinate (for whom he managed to obtain a 15.48% pay increase in 2004 that was followed by another 9% at the end of that year).  But his further decision to engage in a campaign of harassment and intimidation against Mrs. Mattina was unconscionable.  And the only other person who holds more accountability than Danny B is the mayor - for allowing it to go on despite the complaints he received from village taxpayers, not to mention the employees union.

What, exactly, does Mr. Whalen bring to the table?  Or maybe it's what's under the table that counts. . .

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The situation got so bad that Mrs. Mattina had to report to work early every day so she could be escorted up to the second floor to punch in her time card, in the event that her former boss was there.  And even though Whalen was instructed to maintain his distance from Mrs. Mattina, he always managed to find a way to cross paths with her when court was in session.  Back and forth through the Justice Court offices he would go.  Back and forth.  To and fro.  Just to make his presence known.

But the lady stuck it out with grit and determination.  What else was there to do?  Give in and throw in the towel?  Should she have caved, quit the Village and lost out on benefits she had worked so long for?  Should she have given in to thuggery?  Because that's what all of this really amounts to.  Thuggery.

Thugs rule by intimidation.  They steal what isn't theirs to have.  And it doesn't have to be something like money or jewels.  They can steal your pride, your sense of self-worth, your sense of safety and security. 

They can try to anyway.  For instance, according to a written complaint filed by Mrs. Mattina and one of her co-workers, as they were heading towards the door at the end of one work day they encountered Whalen coming from the opposite direction.  He then pulled out his cell phone as if he'd gotten a call and made a disparaging remark about them as he passed by, referring to them as "a herd of cows."

Their word against his.  But if you've ever had any dealings with Whalen, you know that (a) he's not a gentleman and (b) he is a coward.  If he called these women "a herd of cows" to their faces, that would have been a direct verbal assault.  But he did it in a sneaky, cowardly way.  And even when these women filed complaints in writing with the village they received no support.  Can you possibly imagine what the response was?  You really can't because nobody is that creative.

Except for the Village's attorney.  Because as usual, John Spellman was there to clean up Danny B's mess.  Attorney Spellman's response?  The reported incident happened after 4:30 - "after working hours" - so there was no action for the Village to take.  It didn't matter that it occured within the confines of Village property and only a few minutes after the official end of the work day.  It didn't matter that a complaint had been filed with the Teamster's Union and that THEY had instructed these women to put the Village on notice.  No siree.

You see, John Spellman is the Teflon® coating to Danny B's frying pan.
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So instead, Mrs. Mattina put in for an early retirement and counted down her days.  Not because she's filthy stinkin' rich and never has to work another day in her life.  Not because she didn't enjoy helping the public any more.  Not because her job was no longer challenging.  But because life is too short to allow people to shit on your head and call it rain any longer than you absolutely have to.

But even then, the harassment didn't stop.

For some reason the Village Clerk decided to get in on the action, grilling the Justice Court supervisor when on the video surveillance system he saw Mrs. Mattina standing in front of the building on one of her union mandated breaks.  Weeks later he filed charges against Mrs. Mattina for leaving her post early and without permission - accusing her of putting the villagers at "jeopardy" by leaving the Justice Court unstaffed.  In the meantime, with her supervisor's prior knowledge and permission, Mrs. Mattina had worked through her lunch so she could keep a medical appointment .  And the office was not left unmanned.  There were two other workers there.

Thankfully, the United Public Service Employees Union stepped in and got these ridiculous charges squashed.   But again, it cost the taxpayers because Spellman had to get involved to represent the Village.  All because the Village Clerk had to try to stick it to Barbara Mattina.  And to what end?  For what purpose?  What was he trying to prove?

And this just a few weeks before Christmas.  Ah, the spirit of giving !! 

So adieu Barbara Bellissimo Mattina.  Stomp the muck off your boots and forget 155 Washington Avenue.  At least forget the last six or seven years.  There's life beyond Mineola.  And if you do decide to return to the workforce, whoever is smart enough to hire you will be greatly rewarded.  And maybe, maybe some day the Village taxpayers will recognize just how reprehensible certain of their civil servants are, and how badly they're being hosed by certain of the people in charge.  Maybe then they'll demand a change.

In the meantime Mrs. Mattina, enjoy your newfound freedom from all things Mineola.  And remember:  Life is a Beach . . .  

NOTHING LIKE A BLIZZARD TO COVER YOUR TRACKS

WOW !!!

W O W  ! ! !

Talk about thieves in the night! 

On January 13, 2009 the Board of Trustees held a hearing about an application by the current owners of Heart of Portugal to open another restaurant at 68/70 Old Country Road between Geranium and Juniper Avenues.  There have been a number of eateries at this location over the years such as the Courtyard Latenite Cafe, and more recently Tucano's Bar & Grill.

One by one, residents of Geranium and Juniper Avenues spoke about the numerous problems they have encountered with the various restaurants that have come and gone.  Garbage on their lawns, drunken arguments, loud music, theft of personal property, and unknown cars blocking their driveways were just some of the complaints that were leveled.

The mayor recused himself from the hearing because he or a member of his family is now the owner of the building where this restaurant space is available.  (The precise ownership issue is a little fuzzy.)  And the petitioners were represented by Jack's former law partner Mr. Selva.  Cozy! 

As one of the complainants stated, this restaurant approval seemed to be a done deal.  The "doneness" test was passed when Trustee Cusato was shut down (as is the norm) when he questioned the plans for smoke ventilation because there didn't appear to be any on the specs the trustees were given to review.  (Imagine the nerve of a veteran volunteer firefighter questioning something like that!)

On the plus side, the new venue will be run by the same people whose Heart of Portugal Restaurant has been a staple on Mineola Boulevard for many years now.  It's a successful business with a good record in the neighborhood.  But this doesn't change the fact that there is limited parking at the proposed location and, based on the miserable history the local residents have experienced through the years, perhaps another restaurant is not the best use of this space on Old Country Road.

In any event, the matter was tabled for further discussion at a later date - presumably with another public hearing to be held before a final decision would be made (as has been the case with every other special use permit application).  Instead, the matter was brought up for a vote at the February 10th Work Session.  That's right.  The night of the most recent snowstorm that dumped 12+ inches on Mineola and environs.

Everybody was being encouraged to stay home.  Nobody would expect that the Board would actually go through with a work session under such circumstances, much less pass a resolution on a special use permit without allowing for more input from the public!  But the world is FULL of surprises and just when you think our Trustees can't sink any lower, they pull another fast one.  Thus, amid blizzard conditions our merry Band of Brothers hitched up their flying reindeer, piled into their magic sleigh and flew over to 155 Washington Avenue so they could approve the permit for Jack's new tenant.  To hell with any additional public commentary!

And so gentle readers, it appears that this was indeed "a done deal."  An open and shut case if you will.  They flew in, executed the deed, and flew out again.  Under cover of darkness and a blanket of snow.

Like thieves in the night.

Can't wait to see what the next storm brings . . . .

With Friends Like These . . . .

Have you been following the 13th Avenue Saga?  That's the story of an

entire block of residents who can't get any sleep at night due to the noise being generated by their immediate neighbor, Verizon.  Doubly vexing is the fact that the building in question is actually located on a little triangular piece of land on the north side of Old Country Road
that is part of the Incorporated Village of Garden City. 

BTW: who drew the boundaries for these villages way back in the day?  Ray Charles?

    

So Verizon embarked on a construction project some months ago with the approval of Garden City.  Depending on who tells the story, hearings were held but the 13th Avenue residents weren't notified since they live in Mineola.  OR, hearings weren't held because they didn't need to be held because everything Verizon planned was within code.  At least that's what GC's Building Superintendent Michael Filipon claims.

http://wcbstv.com/video/?id=138261@wcbs.dayport.com

Apart from the inconvenience any construction causes and the eyesore these folks have to look at, is the racket.  These people are used to noise between the traffic on Old Country Road and the LIRR trains zipping by numerous times a day.  But this is a new din being generated in the middle of the night by air handlers needed to cool the equipment inside the building.  For some reason that has yet to be logically explained, these compressors MUST go into full operational mode at 1 a.m. - sleeping neighbors be damned!  Got a child who has to go to school the next day?  Let him sleep at his desk.  Terminally ill and in need of some peace and quiet as you hopefully try to recover?  Verizon feels your pain but they've got a job to do.  After all, this building "is a key telecommunications site needed by the Department of Homeland Security" and therefore it can NEVER be closed.

Say what ????  First, how thrilled do you suppose DHS is to have this little nugget of information bouncing around the radio waves? Thumbs up to the Garden City rep who let that cat out of the bag.  Second, nobody is asking that the building come down - it's been there for years.  What they want is for you all to apply a little bit of common sense and lower the freakin' volume !  Better yet, there should be NO volume emanating from that location at 1, 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning !!  

Adding insult to injury is the way their concerns have been blown off not only by the tribal elders who run the Village of Garden City (because that's to be expected) - but by the Village of Mineola as well.  Numerous calls to VOM's building department were handled with "That's Garden City - we have no jurisdiction."  Then, when they started complaining at the December public hearings in Mineola, the mayor said they should have come to him first.  Ay carumba !!!

Now it's two months later and the midnight jamboree continues.

To the mayor's credit - and MNYT is not a big fan of Jack Martins - he did give his cell phone number to the residents so they could call him to come out and hear this cacaphony in the middle of the night.  And he did go.  And no doubt he has reached out to Garden City for help.  But who did he speak to?  And what kind of spin are they giving him?

At Mineola's February 3 public meeting, Legal Eagle John Spellman stated that the two temporary air handlers have been taken off line and one has been removed from the site.  The other is permanently affixed to the building but it is enclosed with insulation and baffling.  It will remain unconnected unless an emergency arises and it must be reconnected, but that reconnection will require a permit from Garden City.

Right.

That's why when 13th Avenue resident Alicia Rodriguez got up and very nicely told Mr. Spellman that somebody is lying, he just kept his head down and scribbled away.  He didn't look up even one time.  Scribble, scribble, scribble.  He scribbled through John the Bird Man's complaints and he didn't stop when Ida Ferriera followed.

Let's not forget where Attorney Spellman resides.  Garden City.  Far from the Verizon building.

Mr. and Mrs. Ferriera and Ms. Rodriguez asked the members of the Mineola Board to attend the Garden City public meeting the next night so they might lend support to the residents of 13th Avenue.  Not an unreasonable request.

So who showed up to defend these taxpayers on Thursday, February 4th?  Only one trustee and that was Paul Cusato.  Jack Martins may have still been in Albany.  Larry Werther apparently could not rearrange his schedule to attend.  Paul Perriera was probably boning up for his 2011 mayoral campaign and Tom Kennedy was likely occupied waiting for the ice in his newly legalized illegal pool to thaw.

Paul Cusato - the most unfairly maligned of our trustees - the one who gets shot down every time he dares to swim against the tide and irritates the mayor.  Paul was the only VOM official to stand with the residents of 13th Avenue as they voiced their anger and frustration against Verizon and Garden City.  As a matter of fact, he was the first to speak. 

Several other village residents - who are in no way affected by this noise - also ventured out on a cold, dark, winter night to provide moral support.  Kudos to all of them.  BUT - and this in no way diminishes the importance of neighborly support - why was only one Mineola trustee present?  The one person who has been in contact with the GC trustees wasn't there to put their feet to the fire.  And his deputy - who should be fully informed and ready to step into the fray in the mayor's absence - wasn't.

Talk about disappointing!  Lest you forget, these are the same individuals who gave themselves a 64% salary increase last year without any warning or public hearings on the matter.  Remember?  And isn't it telling that the only trustee who voted against the raise (and was publicly chastised by the mayor for it) is also the only trustee who made it to Garden City's Village Hall on the night of the 4th?  Just the night before, the "other Paul" (Paul Perriera) assured Alicia Rodriguez that the Trustees had her back, and that she and the other 13th Avenue residents shouldn't feel abandoned.  He said "We will support you and if that means going down to a meeting tomorrow that will be it.  If it means calling Garden City again then we will do that as well . . . We're here to protect you."  (Sounds like a mayoral candidate to this blogger!)

Thanks.  Thanks alot.  With friends like these, who needs any enemies?  Certainly not the taxpayers of 13th Avenue.  Certainly not the rest of us. 

Election Day is coming up in March, so remember who your friends are.  Or aren't.  Just because two candidates are running doesn't mean you are required to cast a vote for each of them.  You can vote for one and not cast any vote for the other.  Send a message.  Think about it.

(For an "in-print" article about the Garden City public hearing click on http://wcbstv.com/localbusiness/verizon.verizon.noise.2.1471296.html )

What's A Story, Morning Glory?

Following is a direct quote from the Municipal Code of the Village of Mineola :

70. "Story" shall mean the portion of a building which is between one floor level and the next higher floor level or the roof. If a mezzanine floor area exceeds one third (1/3) of the floor immediately below, it shall be deemed to be a story. A basement shall be deemed to be a story when its ceiling is six (6) or more feet above the average finished grade. A cellar shall not be deemed to be a story. An attic shall not be deemed to be a story, if unfinished and not used for human occupancy.  1

SO - if you've been following the shenanigans involving 217 Horton Highway, VOM's Building Department and Jack Martins, champion of same, you know there has been some debate as to what constitutes a "story."   You see, when the owner/architect/builder of 217 Horton Highway (John Cunha) applied for his construction permit, he sought to erect a 2 story, single family residence.  At least that's what he put in writing.  He went before the Architectural Review Board (what are their qualifications exactly?) and was approved for a 2 story, single family residence.  The design approved called for a gabled roof that would provide unfinished, non-habitable space that could be used for storage - as opposed to a 2 story single family house with a pitched roof that could also provide unfinished, non-habitable space that could be used for storage - or as opposed to a 2 story single family house with a flat roof that would have no attic but might provide a crawl space that could be used for storage.  The ARB did NOT approve a two and one-half story residence at 217 Horton Highway.

Let's repeat.  Mineola's Architectural Review Board DID NOT APPROVE a 2.5 story residence at 217 Horton Highway. 

Why then, did Building Superintendent/Parking Meter Attendant Daniel B. Whalen issue a Certificate of Occupancy for a 2.5 story residence when that isn't even what the owner applied for?  Why was the owner not required to apply for a variance?  The Code stipulates that single family residences can only be 2 stories high.  That's 2 liveable stories with either a flat roof or a pitched/gabled roof with an unfinished attic.  If Mr. Cunha, the owner/designer/builder of 217 Horton wanted two and a half-stories, he should have applied for it in his original permit request.  He then would have been required to not only go before the ARB, but the Board of Zoning Appeals as well.  But that's not what happened.  Is it?

Somehow, somewhere along the way, another 1/2 story appeared on that house.  You can't see it from the outside, so that means it's somewhere on the inside.  Now where do you suppose it might be?  Well since the "attic" has 16 windows and a sprinkler system and since Mr. Cunha had previously told people he intended to establish an office up there, it is safe for any reasonably intelligent human being to put 2 + 2 together to come up with 4.  That is, Mr. Cunha has finished off at least half of the attic space to make it "habitable" and thereby "taxable."  And the tax assessor's records have been updated to reflect the same.

Now it's not uncommon for people to finish their attics to create another bedroom, a study, a playroom, a gym - whatever.  But there are laws to follow and if you are going to take an unfinished attic and finish it off, you have to apply for a permit first and you have to submit plans.  But not Mr. Cunha.  He didn't have to submit plans with his original permit application for new construction, nor did he have to submit a permit application after the fact.  He just finished the space and his pal Danny B issued a Certificate of Occupancy for 2 1/2 stories.

But it gets better because when this was brought to the attention of Mayor Jack Martins, at TWO televised public meetings, his "honor" went into spin mode (as usual when it comes to the mechinations of the Building Department).  He tried to explain away that magic half-story by re-writing state and local building codes off the cuff.  According to Jack, unused, non-habitable space now constitutes a half story.  I'm sure Albany will be happy to hear that.  Not to mention Dan Whalen whose ass Jack is constantly covering.

Seriously people.  You voted this guy in.  Are you happy with yourselves?  Because what you elected is someone who thinks everybody else is a fool.  He believes nobody is as smart as he is.  He repeatedly insults your intelligence by twisting facts and trying to lay blame where it doesn't belong. 

Take the most recent case of the 13th Avenue residents who have been complaining about the noise emanating from the Verizon building.  These folks, using common sense, did the most logical thing any reasonable people would do.  They called MINEOLA's Building Department to complain.  But did they receive any assistance?  Not at all.  They were brushed off and told to contact Garden City's DOB.  Then when they exercised their right to raise the matter at a public meeting in December, Jack Martins complained that they should have come to him first.  W T F ????  How about this?  How about the Building Department staff does it's job by writing down the complaints and sending someone over to assess the situation while at the same time advising the mayor?  Instead, they did nothing and when the affected residents brought the matter public, Jack put the onus back on them.  Right where it didn't belong!

So THAT'S the story Morning Glories!  Non-habitable space now constitutes taxable living space.  Certain residents, like certain members of the Building Department enjoy "favored nation status."  And you dear taxpayers, enjoy the privilege of bending down to get reamed up your derrieres while having your faces slapped at the same time.  Relish the process!


1. Title III Planning, Building and Zoning Regulations; Chapter 27 Housing Code; Article 1 Residential Premises; Part I General Provisions; §27.7 Abbreviations and Definitions; C  Definitions.

SILENCE OF THE LAMBS

It is said that "silence is golden."  In the case of the January 6, 2010 public meeting, the silence emanating from Mineola's Board of Trustees was deafening.  Not one of these elected officials had anything to say as Village resident Jesse Smith questioned Mayor Jack Martins yet again about the architectural albatross that now exists at 217 Horton Highway.  Even Deputy Mayor Larry Werther - notorious for his diarrhea of the mouth - was uncharacteristically silent.

So to what do we owe this dearth of dialogue on the part of our trustees?  Post-Christmas January blues? Sugar-induced comas?  Your basic, run-of-the-mill ennui?

Is it at all possible these men are starting, however slowly, to recognize the facts of the matter?  Maybe they are beginning to realize that if Jack is going to twist the truth like a pretzel, then it's better he bury himself alone without jumping into the grave with him.  Or perhaps that's giving them all too much credit.

It should be fairly obvious to anyone who was at that meeting or who has seen it on Channel 18 that Jack will do anything to defend the behaviour of his Building Superintendent, Daniel B. Whalen and that of the owner of 217 Horton Highway.  How else to justify Mr. Whalen's issuance of a CO to that property in the absence of properly installed leaders and gutters and a final survey?  If Jack is going to employ the same justification Attorney Spellman used when Danny B issued that illegal fence permit on Latham Road (i.e. it was a "mistake") that would then lead one to believe Mr. Whalen is not qualified for his job. 

And by what or whose authority did Whalen issue a CO for a 2 and 1/2 story house when the Architectural Review Board approved a 2 story house?  Martins' spin has been and continues to be that a completely empty, unliveable space constitutes half of a story, when as a real estate attorney he should (and no doubt does) know better.  A 2 story house consists of two liveable floors having either a flat roof, or a gabled roof with unfinished area such as a crawlspace or attic.  If there is now an additional half-story to that house, it means part of the attic has been finished and is liveable.  That is why Mr. Cunha's taxes have now gone up.  Until recently, the tax assessor's rolls showed a 2-story house.  Cunha was not taxed for the attic space because it was assumed to be unfinished, ergo unliveable.  But now his assessment report reflects an additional, taxable 1/2 story which is not what was called for in the original ARB approved plan.  And THAT friends, is what Mr. Smith is questioning.

Martins is trying to turn this whole thing around to make it sound as if Mr. Smith is claiming that the actual structure of the house has changed;  as if there's a mysterious 1/2 floor sticking out somewhere.  How did Martins put it?  "The house that was built is the house that was approved." (Um, NO.  Check the approved plans and then check the roof line and you'll see it doesn't match.  But let's not split hairs.)

Let's go over it again.  The ARB approved a house with 2 LIVEABLE FLOORS, an UNFINISHED BASEMENT and an UNFINISHED ATTIC.  Dan Whalen issued a CO for a house that has 2 and 1/2 floors of liveable space (1) without requiring an additional permit for a revision of plans (2) despite the absence of state-mandated leaders and gutters, and (3) absent a final survey.  Such actions would lead most reasonable people to conclude that Mr. Whalen is either incompetent and needs to go back to collecting coins from parking meters, or something else is going on.

The silence was even more obvious the second time Mr. Smith took to the podium to discuss the damage done to his property when a lightning strike in October splintered Mr. Cunha's chimney, sending bricks flying in all directions including into Mr. Smith's car.  The car that was parked in HIS driveway.  The same driveway that Cunha cut into without any prior notice.

Each of the trustees in turn looked at the pictures Mr. Smith provided and NOT ONE of these sheep made a peep.  NOT ONE had the courage - let alone the basic common courtesy - to extend any sympathy to this taxpayer for his aggravation and financial loss.  And let's not even consider what might have happened to either Mr. Smith or his wife if one of them managed to be out there when this "Act of God" occurred.

Instead, one by one in their zombie-like states, they shuffled through the photographs and passed them on.  And the only thing our illustrious mayor did was to confirm with Mr. Smith that Cunha had been advised by his masoner to install a clay chimney cap and/or a lightning rod (neither of which this professional architect has done).

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Do you know sheep are among the stupidest animals on earth?  They will follow their flock leader straight off a cliff - or straight to their slaughter.  Sheep also have no concept of a moral code.  Of course, that can be attributed to their level of evolution.  What excuse do the ruminants sitting on Mineola's Board of Trustees have to offer?