Former colleague mounting public challenge to Belmont Selectman Pike's residency
BELMONT – Town Moderator Tom Garfield confirmed yesterday that former selectman David Morse sent him a letter seeking information about how he could challenge Selectman's Chair Jon Pike's residency, based on a belief that his not really living in Belmont.
"There's not a single person in town that will attest that Jon Pike lives in Belmont," Morse said yesterday, adding he would likely make a more elaborate statement at the Belmont candidates night Monday at 6 p.m. in the cafeteria at Belmont High School.
Pike served for 12 years on the Planning Board and six years as selectman. He is running against George Condodemetraky for a third term as selectman.
Morse said that after exchanging letters with Pike and speaking to him on the telephone, he will likely not pursue a formal challenge but will instead take his objections to Pike's residency "to the public."
"The challenge is not in formal form," Morse said yesterday, adding that Pike would be likely to survive a formal challenge to his residency.
Garfield said that if Pike's residency is officially challenged he would refer the matter to the N.H. Attorney General.
Pike said yesterday that his residence in clearly stated as 40 Old State Road and that he has cable bills, insurance bills and other correspondence that proves he is a legal resident of the town.
"I don't sleep there every night but where I sleep is my own business," he said.
He also owns an automotive sales and service operation on Prescott Hill.
The latest exchange between Pike and Morse is what seems to be an escalating battle that started some years ago when Pike was initially denied continued town health care coverage following his divorce from Belmont employee and now Town Clerk Cynthia DeRoy.
Pike learned sometime in 2010 or 2011 that in previous years the town's insurer — the Local Government Center — allowed ex-spouses to remain insured on their former spouses policy unless one of them remarried — including the former husband of now Town Administrator Jeanne Beaudin.
He challenged the fact that he was required to pay for his own policy under the federal COBRA law and not remain on DeRoy's two-person policy. Rather than go to court, the town settled with Pike last year and reimbursed him $11,100 for insurance premiums he had paid and allowed him to stay on the town's policy until he became Medicare-eligible last summer.
With both Pike and Morse recusing themselves from the vote on the settlement — Pike because the settlement involved him and Morse because his girlfriend Brenda Paquette was the benefits administrator in Belmont — Selectman Ron Cormier was left = to make the decision on the settlement. Cormier did so after consulting with two former selectmen — Ward Peterson and Ron Mitchell — and the town attorney.
Condodemetraky filed suit in Belknap County Superior Court challenging Cormier's solo decision but Judge James Barry dismissed the suit saying Condodemetraky didn't present a legal argument.
After the settlement was reported in the newspapers, the town officially adopted a policy that says all ex-spouses from November of 2011 forward must take their own town-sponsored policy under the provisions of COBRA. Pike and one other employee's ex-wife were grandfathered under the old policy because this was the first time the town established a formal policy on divorced spouses.
Two weeks ago the The Sun learned that Morse and Condodemetraky met with an investigator with the state Attorney General about what they said was an unlawful action allegedly used by Town Administrator Jeanne Beaudin and her assistant Cary Legasse to get Beaudin's ex-husband covered by insurance in 1999.
The AG found no reason to believe the women had violated N.H. law and closed the investigation making it a public document.
The Sun learned last week that Paquette was no longer employed by Belmont. She was reprimanded in October of 2012 for giving out confidential information. In addition, Paquette's ex-husband James has filed suit against the town for denying him the same insurance benefit given the Beaudin.
"There's not a single person in town that will attest that Jon Pike lives in Belmont," Morse said yesterday, adding he would likely make a more elaborate statement at the Belmont candidates night Monday at 6 p.m. in the cafeteria at Belmont High School.
Pike served for 12 years on the Planning Board and six years as selectman. He is running against George Condodemetraky for a third term as selectman.
Morse said that after exchanging letters with Pike and speaking to him on the telephone, he will likely not pursue a formal challenge but will instead take his objections to Pike's residency "to the public."
"The challenge is not in formal form," Morse said yesterday, adding that Pike would be likely to survive a formal challenge to his residency.
Garfield said that if Pike's residency is officially challenged he would refer the matter to the N.H. Attorney General.
Pike said yesterday that his residence in clearly stated as 40 Old State Road and that he has cable bills, insurance bills and other correspondence that proves he is a legal resident of the town.
"I don't sleep there every night but where I sleep is my own business," he said.
He also owns an automotive sales and service operation on Prescott Hill.
The latest exchange between Pike and Morse is what seems to be an escalating battle that started some years ago when Pike was initially denied continued town health care coverage following his divorce from Belmont employee and now Town Clerk Cynthia DeRoy.
Pike learned sometime in 2010 or 2011 that in previous years the town's insurer — the Local Government Center — allowed ex-spouses to remain insured on their former spouses policy unless one of them remarried — including the former husband of now Town Administrator Jeanne Beaudin.
He challenged the fact that he was required to pay for his own policy under the federal COBRA law and not remain on DeRoy's two-person policy. Rather than go to court, the town settled with Pike last year and reimbursed him $11,100 for insurance premiums he had paid and allowed him to stay on the town's policy until he became Medicare-eligible last summer.
With both Pike and Morse recusing themselves from the vote on the settlement — Pike because the settlement involved him and Morse because his girlfriend Brenda Paquette was the benefits administrator in Belmont — Selectman Ron Cormier was left = to make the decision on the settlement. Cormier did so after consulting with two former selectmen — Ward Peterson and Ron Mitchell — and the town attorney.
Condodemetraky filed suit in Belknap County Superior Court challenging Cormier's solo decision but Judge James Barry dismissed the suit saying Condodemetraky didn't present a legal argument.
After the settlement was reported in the newspapers, the town officially adopted a policy that says all ex-spouses from November of 2011 forward must take their own town-sponsored policy under the provisions of COBRA. Pike and one other employee's ex-wife were grandfathered under the old policy because this was the first time the town established a formal policy on divorced spouses.
Two weeks ago the The Sun learned that Morse and Condodemetraky met with an investigator with the state Attorney General about what they said was an unlawful action allegedly used by Town Administrator Jeanne Beaudin and her assistant Cary Legasse to get Beaudin's ex-husband covered by insurance in 1999.
The AG found no reason to believe the women had violated N.H. law and closed the investigation making it a public document.
The Sun learned last week that Paquette was no longer employed by Belmont. She was reprimanded in October of 2012 for giving out confidential information. In addition, Paquette's ex-husband James has filed suit against the town for denying him the same insurance benefit given the Beaudin.
Last Updated on Saturday, 02 March 2013 03:30
Hits: 457
Pendergast chosen to participate in national fire chief training program
Written by Gail Ober
LACONIA — Deputy Fire Chief Deb Pendergast is one of 20 fire chiefs or aspiring fire chiefs chosen nationwide to participate in a year long leadership development course created by the International Association of Fire Chiefs.
Pendergast, who is also the only person selected from New England, will go to a six-day introductory residency in Leesburg, Virginia in March and then participate in four to six months of self study while in Laconia.
The group of 20 meets again in Chicago in August and participants will chose a project that contributes to the enhancement of the fire service and to actively participate in professional organizations at the state or national level.
At the end of the year-long project, participants will come together again for a final two-day briefing session.
Pendergast said she learned of the scholarship program — the entire program is paid for by a grant from the Motorola Solutions Foundation — through her participation in the International Association of Women in Fire and Emergency Services.
"I thought I didn't stand a chance but was told yesterday I was accepted," she said yesterday afternoon.
"This is very exciting," she said. "I have a career goal of being a fire chief."
Pendergast said the city of Laconia has been wonderful to her but she does have aspirations to be sitting at the top of a fire department someday.
There are two female fire chiefs in central New Hampshire — Chief Eleanor Marden of Holderness and Chief Deanna Ford of Hill. Pendergast said she doesn't know of any career female fire chiefs in the state.
Of the 20 people selected to participate in the program, four including Pendergast are women. Other female participants are deputy chiefs from Los Angeles, California and Alexandra, Virginia along with a battalion chief from Oakland, California.
Pendergast, who is also the only person selected from New England, will go to a six-day introductory residency in Leesburg, Virginia in March and then participate in four to six months of self study while in Laconia.
The group of 20 meets again in Chicago in August and participants will chose a project that contributes to the enhancement of the fire service and to actively participate in professional organizations at the state or national level.
At the end of the year-long project, participants will come together again for a final two-day briefing session.
Pendergast said she learned of the scholarship program — the entire program is paid for by a grant from the Motorola Solutions Foundation — through her participation in the International Association of Women in Fire and Emergency Services.
"I thought I didn't stand a chance but was told yesterday I was accepted," she said yesterday afternoon.
"This is very exciting," she said. "I have a career goal of being a fire chief."
Pendergast said the city of Laconia has been wonderful to her but she does have aspirations to be sitting at the top of a fire department someday.
There are two female fire chiefs in central New Hampshire — Chief Eleanor Marden of Holderness and Chief Deanna Ford of Hill. Pendergast said she doesn't know of any career female fire chiefs in the state.
Of the 20 people selected to participate in the program, four including Pendergast are women. Other female participants are deputy chiefs from Los Angeles, California and Alexandra, Virginia along with a battalion chief from Oakland, California.
Last Updated on Friday, 01 March 2013 04:15
Hits: 205
Elderly woman sues former caretaker relative, alleges she took financial advantage
Written by Gail Ober
LACONIA — A 99-year-old former Belvedere Street woman filed suit earlier this month claiming her grand-niece abused her power of attorney and used the woman's money for her own benefit.
Marion Chartier, who lives in an assisted living facility in Vermont, also contends that Donna Stivali and her husband Peter withdrew $179,000 in equity from the home in 2004 and 2005 without Chartier's knowledge or permission. She also contends Peter Stivali allowed an attachment of $3,585 to the house without her knowledge or consent.
She asked the court to order the Stivalis to return $268,000 to her and Belknap County Judge James O'Neill ordered a temporary attachment to the Stivalis for $300,000 each until the matter is resolved.
According to paperwork filed in Belknap County Superior Court, the Stivalis and their children initially moved into an upstairs apartment in Chartier's home. Donna Stivali assisted Chartier, who lived alone but occasionally needed assistance, by driving Chartier to doctors appointments, purchasing groceries and necessities, and "eventually, in managing" her finances.
In exchange for the assistance, Chartier charged the Stivali family $350 monthly that included utilities to live in her home with the agreement the family paid for its own groceries and personal items.
In 2003, the Stivalis had difficulty paying the rent and Chartier, in what her attorney describes as her attempt to help them, made a gift of the home to them reserving to her a rent-free life estate in the home.
Pleadings indicate that shortly thereafter the Stivalis began charging Chartier $400 in rent and $400 for heat monthly. The complaint says in 2004 a "questionable" release of life estate was filed and recorded in the Belknap County registry of Deeds on April 16, 2004.
Chartier said she never agreed to end her release of life estate, and since it was filed, the Stivalis has been taking over control of more and more of the home "forcing her into smaller and smaller living quarters."
In 2009, Chartier added Donna Stivali to her joint accounts so she could assist with her finances and paying her bills. She also said she cashed in a certificate of deposit and put the $20,703 in a passbook savings to which they both had access.
Chartier said that between January and June of 2010 Donna Stivali withdrew $14,736 for her own benefit.
On February 2, Chartier gave her nephew William Rodd her power of attorney and named Stivali as the alternate.
On December 25, 2011, Rodd died and Donna Stivali became her power of attorney and as such, said Chartier's attorney, was obligated to observe the standards of a prudent person for Chartier's benefit.
On January 6, 2012 and under the influence and direction of Stivali, Chartier removed $50,031 from one account and deposited it in an account to which both women had access.
Bank records show the majority of checks from that account were written by Donna Stivali.
Chartier also had an account into which her Social Security checks were deposited and she thought that account was being used for her day to day needs.
On January 4, 2013, pleadings say that the Stivalis took Chartier to Lakes Region General Hospital and "abandoned her in the emergency room."
After being under observation for a week, hospital staff called and told the Stivalis that Chartier didn't need hospitalization but were told the Stivalis didn't want Chartier back in the home.
Complaints say they refused to assist the hospital in finding alternative living arrangements for her and failed to fill out paperwork, including financial documents needed to help her qualify for alternative living arrangements.
William Rodd's widow immediately agreed to help Chartier and on January 18, 2013 Chartier stripped Donna Stivali of her power of attorney and granted it to Natalie Rodd.
Since January 18, Chartier has been living in an assisted living facility near Natalie Rodd in St. Johnsbury, Vt.
Chartier said the day before she was taken to LRGH, $440 was taken from her account for "heat." The day she went to LRGH, she said $400 was taken for "household" and cashed a counter check at the bank payable to cash for $7,400.
Around January 20, 2013 and after the Stivalis refused to allow Chartier back into the house, $200 was taken from the account through an ATM, leaving $98.11 from the original balance of $50,031 in January of 2012.
Peter Stivali's attorney David Osman replied by saying Chartier's petition is invalid because it was signed by her attorneys — the firm of Normandin, Cheney and O'Neil, PLLC — and not her and that the pleadingz were somewhat vague and doesn't address the long history of care provided to her by the Stivalis.
Osman said the judges ex-parte attachment effects not only Peter Stivali but his three children whose bank accounts are included in the court's attachment.
Donna Stivali's attorney Matt Lahey filed a similar objection to the court's attachments.
Marion Chartier, who lives in an assisted living facility in Vermont, also contends that Donna Stivali and her husband Peter withdrew $179,000 in equity from the home in 2004 and 2005 without Chartier's knowledge or permission. She also contends Peter Stivali allowed an attachment of $3,585 to the house without her knowledge or consent.
She asked the court to order the Stivalis to return $268,000 to her and Belknap County Judge James O'Neill ordered a temporary attachment to the Stivalis for $300,000 each until the matter is resolved.
According to paperwork filed in Belknap County Superior Court, the Stivalis and their children initially moved into an upstairs apartment in Chartier's home. Donna Stivali assisted Chartier, who lived alone but occasionally needed assistance, by driving Chartier to doctors appointments, purchasing groceries and necessities, and "eventually, in managing" her finances.
In exchange for the assistance, Chartier charged the Stivali family $350 monthly that included utilities to live in her home with the agreement the family paid for its own groceries and personal items.
In 2003, the Stivalis had difficulty paying the rent and Chartier, in what her attorney describes as her attempt to help them, made a gift of the home to them reserving to her a rent-free life estate in the home.
Pleadings indicate that shortly thereafter the Stivalis began charging Chartier $400 in rent and $400 for heat monthly. The complaint says in 2004 a "questionable" release of life estate was filed and recorded in the Belknap County registry of Deeds on April 16, 2004.
Chartier said she never agreed to end her release of life estate, and since it was filed, the Stivalis has been taking over control of more and more of the home "forcing her into smaller and smaller living quarters."
In 2009, Chartier added Donna Stivali to her joint accounts so she could assist with her finances and paying her bills. She also said she cashed in a certificate of deposit and put the $20,703 in a passbook savings to which they both had access.
Chartier said that between January and June of 2010 Donna Stivali withdrew $14,736 for her own benefit.
On February 2, Chartier gave her nephew William Rodd her power of attorney and named Stivali as the alternate.
On December 25, 2011, Rodd died and Donna Stivali became her power of attorney and as such, said Chartier's attorney, was obligated to observe the standards of a prudent person for Chartier's benefit.
On January 6, 2012 and under the influence and direction of Stivali, Chartier removed $50,031 from one account and deposited it in an account to which both women had access.
Bank records show the majority of checks from that account were written by Donna Stivali.
Chartier also had an account into which her Social Security checks were deposited and she thought that account was being used for her day to day needs.
On January 4, 2013, pleadings say that the Stivalis took Chartier to Lakes Region General Hospital and "abandoned her in the emergency room."
After being under observation for a week, hospital staff called and told the Stivalis that Chartier didn't need hospitalization but were told the Stivalis didn't want Chartier back in the home.
Complaints say they refused to assist the hospital in finding alternative living arrangements for her and failed to fill out paperwork, including financial documents needed to help her qualify for alternative living arrangements.
William Rodd's widow immediately agreed to help Chartier and on January 18, 2013 Chartier stripped Donna Stivali of her power of attorney and granted it to Natalie Rodd.
Since January 18, Chartier has been living in an assisted living facility near Natalie Rodd in St. Johnsbury, Vt.
Chartier said the day before she was taken to LRGH, $440 was taken from her account for "heat." The day she went to LRGH, she said $400 was taken for "household" and cashed a counter check at the bank payable to cash for $7,400.
Around January 20, 2013 and after the Stivalis refused to allow Chartier back into the house, $200 was taken from the account through an ATM, leaving $98.11 from the original balance of $50,031 in January of 2012.
Peter Stivali's attorney David Osman replied by saying Chartier's petition is invalid because it was signed by her attorneys — the firm of Normandin, Cheney and O'Neil, PLLC — and not her and that the pleadingz were somewhat vague and doesn't address the long history of care provided to her by the Stivalis.
Osman said the judges ex-parte attachment effects not only Peter Stivali but his three children whose bank accounts are included in the court's attachment.
Donna Stivali's attorney Matt Lahey filed a similar objection to the court's attachments.
Last Updated on Friday, 01 March 2013 04:02
Hits: 303
LRCC's new Advanced Manufacturing program receives major donation from Aavid Thermalloy
Written by Roger Amsden
LACONIA — An advanced manufacturing program which is being developed at Lakes Region Community College received a major donation recently from Aavid Thermalloy, one of 22 Lakes Region manufacturing firms working with the college to develop a curriculum that will help provide a steady stream of workers with the skills to meet their present and future needs.
The 8,000 pound Matsuura RA III Vertical Milling Machine, which right up until it was moved was being used to turn out products for Aavid's advanced thermal solutions line in Laconia, was so massive that it actually required knocking out sections of an exterior and interior wall so that it could be brought into the first floor of the academic building which currently houses the college's fire science, computer and electrical programs.
Don Brough, who is project director for the advanced manufacturing program, said that the milling machine will be a key component of the advanced manufacturing lab which is being put together at the college and which will occupy half of the first floor space of the building.
''Aavid and a lot of other advanced manufacturing firms in the area are being very supportive of the new program and helping us shape it so that it helps meet their needs for skilled workers,'' says Brough.
He says that the school is one of seven community colleges in the state which have formed a consortium which received a $19.9 million federal Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) grant in 2010. Funds from the grant are being used to develop or update advanced manufacturing curriculums and laboratories across the Community College System of New Hampshire.
Brough, TAACCCT project director at LRCC, says the college received about $950,000 as its share of the grant and is working to develop a curriculum and hire instructors for the programs it is developing in cooperation with local businesses.
Carl Daniels, Energy Services Technology head at LRCC and former Aavid Thermalloy employee, is heading up the Advanced Manufacturing Department.
"College personnel appreciate Aavid's benevolence," says Daniels, adding ''the new milling machine will be used extensively to educate students in state-of-the-art manufacturing."
Brough said that the Lakes Region historically has been a strong manufacturing area lost a lot of that during the 1970s and 1980s when the piece work kinds of jobs with their repetitive tasks went overseas. ''There was once a machining program at the college but it closed down due to lack of students,'' says Brough, who can recall working at one of those jobs at Allen-Rogers in downtown Laconia during summers when he was attending Duquesne University in Pittsburgh and he ran turning machines that made golf tees.
He said that the manufacturing jobs which remain in the area are high-skilled jobs which are also highly paid, averaging $75,000 per year.
But all of the area's major manufacturers are facing worker shortages as older workers retire and fewer young people are coming through to replace them.
Brough says that a three-tiered approach is being developed in the school's program.
The first component is a WorkReadyNH program free to people ages 18 and over who are unemployed or underemployed and who are not full-time students. It provides professional assessments to participants in technical and soft skill competencies, provides 60 hours of training and then awards tiered certifications, which job seekers can cite as part of the application process and which can help employers quickly sort resumes. A gateway program aimed at decreasing unemployment, it is considered an accessible first step of sorts toward earning a full degree.
The next step up is a tuition-based certificate program for those looking for careers in advanced manufacturing. Brough said that it is a year long program divided into two semesters with courses covering manufacturing processes, basic machine shop math, blueprint reading, meteorology, and CNC machines.
Participants apply what they have learned through lab work and supervised demonstration of competencies on full size CNC machines in addition to eLearning simulation training.
Also being developed is a two-year associate's degree program which Brough says trains participants in advanced levels of mathematics, quality assurance, operations management, process design and development.
''This puts graduates in a great position to have a rewarding career in advanced manufacturing right here in the Lakes Region, where there are a lot of companies which will be bidding for their skills,'' says Brough.
CAPTION:
Lakes Region Community College (LRCC) Advanced Manufacturing Department Head Carl Daniels explains elements of the new Matsuura RA III Vertical Milling Machine delivered to Advanced Manufacturing Department Coordinator, Don Brough. (Courtesy photo)
The 8,000 pound Matsuura RA III Vertical Milling Machine, which right up until it was moved was being used to turn out products for Aavid's advanced thermal solutions line in Laconia, was so massive that it actually required knocking out sections of an exterior and interior wall so that it could be brought into the first floor of the academic building which currently houses the college's fire science, computer and electrical programs.
Don Brough, who is project director for the advanced manufacturing program, said that the milling machine will be a key component of the advanced manufacturing lab which is being put together at the college and which will occupy half of the first floor space of the building.
''Aavid and a lot of other advanced manufacturing firms in the area are being very supportive of the new program and helping us shape it so that it helps meet their needs for skilled workers,'' says Brough.
He says that the school is one of seven community colleges in the state which have formed a consortium which received a $19.9 million federal Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) grant in 2010. Funds from the grant are being used to develop or update advanced manufacturing curriculums and laboratories across the Community College System of New Hampshire.
Brough, TAACCCT project director at LRCC, says the college received about $950,000 as its share of the grant and is working to develop a curriculum and hire instructors for the programs it is developing in cooperation with local businesses.
Carl Daniels, Energy Services Technology head at LRCC and former Aavid Thermalloy employee, is heading up the Advanced Manufacturing Department.
"College personnel appreciate Aavid's benevolence," says Daniels, adding ''the new milling machine will be used extensively to educate students in state-of-the-art manufacturing."
Brough said that the Lakes Region historically has been a strong manufacturing area lost a lot of that during the 1970s and 1980s when the piece work kinds of jobs with their repetitive tasks went overseas. ''There was once a machining program at the college but it closed down due to lack of students,'' says Brough, who can recall working at one of those jobs at Allen-Rogers in downtown Laconia during summers when he was attending Duquesne University in Pittsburgh and he ran turning machines that made golf tees.
He said that the manufacturing jobs which remain in the area are high-skilled jobs which are also highly paid, averaging $75,000 per year.
But all of the area's major manufacturers are facing worker shortages as older workers retire and fewer young people are coming through to replace them.
Brough says that a three-tiered approach is being developed in the school's program.
The first component is a WorkReadyNH program free to people ages 18 and over who are unemployed or underemployed and who are not full-time students. It provides professional assessments to participants in technical and soft skill competencies, provides 60 hours of training and then awards tiered certifications, which job seekers can cite as part of the application process and which can help employers quickly sort resumes. A gateway program aimed at decreasing unemployment, it is considered an accessible first step of sorts toward earning a full degree.
The next step up is a tuition-based certificate program for those looking for careers in advanced manufacturing. Brough said that it is a year long program divided into two semesters with courses covering manufacturing processes, basic machine shop math, blueprint reading, meteorology, and CNC machines.
Participants apply what they have learned through lab work and supervised demonstration of competencies on full size CNC machines in addition to eLearning simulation training.
Also being developed is a two-year associate's degree program which Brough says trains participants in advanced levels of mathematics, quality assurance, operations management, process design and development.
''This puts graduates in a great position to have a rewarding career in advanced manufacturing right here in the Lakes Region, where there are a lot of companies which will be bidding for their skills,'' says Brough.
CAPTION:
Lakes Region Community College (LRCC) Advanced Manufacturing Department Head Carl Daniels explains elements of the new Matsuura RA III Vertical Milling Machine delivered to Advanced Manufacturing Department Coordinator, Don Brough. (Courtesy photo)
Last Updated on Friday, 01 March 2013 03:56
Hits: 332
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