My letter to Members of GBFD 1/20/11

I would like to alert the members of the Goldens Bridge Fire Department of some issues pertinent to the proposed members of the Nominating committee named during the Goldens Bridge Fire Department’s January 2011 monthly meeting.

Albert Melillo suggested erroneously that his brother Robert Melillo should serve as committee chairman for the nominating committee as he cited Robert Melillo as the outgoing chief. Documents on this website prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Robert Melillo has served as the chairman of the nominating committee in 2009 and 2010 as the outgoing chief of the Goldens Bridge Fire Department. Walter Hughes is the current outgoing chief of the Goldens Bridge Fire Department and should be the chairman of the nominating committee. This is an attempt to pull another fast one on the department and to neutralize Walter Hughes authority as Chief.

This attempt to put Robert Melillo in the position of chairman of the nominating committee is the latest in a long string of actions steeped in nepotism and cronyism trying to be forced upon the department. Beyond the obvious reason of Robert Melillo ensuring his brother Albert Melillo is nominated as chief of the Goldens Bridge Fire Department, these are additional reasons why the nominating committee should be headed by outgoing chief Walter Hughes and the entire committee reselected:

Robert Melillo is a sitting commissioner of the Goldens Bridge Fire District. The Goldens Bridge Fire District is currently defending itself against a pending Article 78 and anyone involved in this matter is clearly showing a conflict of interest by nominating Chiefs of the Department when they are engaged in a legal dispute surrounding their decisions on approving potential Chiefs.

Robert Melillo and Jospeh Simoncini both refused to approve Richard Barrett for 2^nd Assistant Chief of the Goldens Bridge Fire Department. Albert Melillo did not properly follow the by laws of the Goldens Bridge Fire Department when ordering the special meeting he called to vote on the matter of electing a 2^nd Assistant Chief (Not every member of the Goldens Bridge Fire Department was notified per the GBFD By Laws for example).

Thomas Beneventano is a sitting commissioner of the Goldens Bridge Fire District, he too should not be allowed to be on the nominating committee as he too is himself defending the actions of the Goldens Bridge Fire District in approving Chief Richard Barrett in 2010. He abstained from voting due to conflict in the approval of Chief Richard Barrett but is now allowing himself to be on the nominating committee while presiding as a sitting commissioner. Clearly one decision made on the nominating committee will factor in to how a Chief is or is not received by the board of fire commissioners.

Joseph Simoncini Sr. is the father of commissioner Joseph Simoncini and should not be appointed due to his direct relation to a sitting commissioner.

Dino Magaletto is not a resident of the Goldens Bridge Fire District and should not be able to decide the leaders for the department. He is clearly appointed as a crony of the Melillo brothers and benefits from their decisions. I personally cannot recall seeing Mr. Magaletto in his turnout gear or on a fire scene. He seems to be appointed for being a close associate.

John Winter Jr. is the most removed proposed member of the nominating committee from the nepotism and cronyism in this particular set of individuals. It should be noted that his father is direct supervisor for commissioner Robert Melillo in the Town of Mamaroneck Building Department.

The Chiefs that are going to be proposed as Chiefs by this proposed nominating committee, Albert Melillo and George Tockstein do not live in the Goldens Bridge Fire District. Although this is not a pre-requisite, the service to the Goldens Bridge community will suffer especially as George Tockstein lives 11.5 miles from the Goldens Bridge Fire House. Even doing 60MPH in 45MPH and 35MPH speed zones will limit his ability to be on scene by a minimum of 12 minutes. Albert Melillo offered to me after the November 2010 GBFD monthly meeting that he was willing not to run for Chief if I would return to the department. He would not have offered this to me if it were not in the best interest of the department in the long run.

So it is up to the membership to decide if they wish to let things progress in it’s current spiraling direction resulting from the leadership that is currently seizing control. The number of disenfranchised members continues to grow. Many departments are waiting to see which direction the Goldens Bridge Fire Department heads.