Here is a transcript and video of one example of incivility by our Rye City Council. I’m sure the Nazis and the KKK, that Filippi refers to in his rant about civility, told their victims how civil they were too.
http://ryeny.swagit.com/play/01232013-790
Filippi (04:30): Um…there’s uh, there’s another announcement I’d like to make. Um, We I sp- when we came to um…we were elected started in 2010, uh we started this announcement aspect to bring out the best part of Rye. To show- to highlight the volunteerism, let people know about what other activities were happening in uh in and around Rye. Um, so I- but I’d like to talk to you about something else that is more sinister. It’s kind of like acid reflux eating away at your esophagus and eventually causing cancer.
(05:08): At the last City Council Meeting, Mayor gave his uh assessment of the City of Rye. And it was upbeat and he talked about the volunteerism like the hard work the people of the Sustainability Committee do and the other thing twenty eight-twent nine uh committees that we have. Uh, yet, um… Mr. Sculti who everyone knows from the Rye Golf Club etc. uh, became very agitated and uh angry and yelling and screaming and really inappropriate behavior. Uh, not just here, but also with other people uh within, within the City government. Um, sending nasty emails to people. Um, stating that he is, you know, um….um…. he’s-he’s going to be um… uh…you know… doing things or-or just nasty emails. And-and I don’t think it’s appropriate, I ask you to think, consider if it was your wife, or your daughter, or your mother who was being um… uh attacked in this way. Barging into City Hall with a videocamera and showing it in fro- in the face of our ninety pound…uh…uh City Clerk, you know, then…then…uh or other people and…and uh firing off questions etc. and then re-editing it so it looks different.
(06:26): Um, also, you know, nasty things such as uh the fact that Eleanor Militana’s children work at the Golf Club, somehow making that somehow sinister and that it was part of this whole um…this whole fiasco which we have at the Golf Club which is very unfortunate to someone like that.
(06:44): He mentioned that his blog is Laus Deo, which is- got his inspiration from the Washington Memorial, that it’s up higher than any other um uh… nothing higher in the city of Washington D.C. Um…
(06:57): The uh… you know, the…this….this escalated now he feels that- I have to ask him, does he feel he’s above the law when he barged into a Police Arbitration Meeting here in the Mayor’s Conference Hall which is private, it’s not something that is open to the public. Me, or anybody else. It’s between the City Manager, Police- Police Union, and the arbitrator. And he barged in and had to be ordered from the room. I think that is very inappropriate behavior. And then, and then what’s going to be next. If we don’t stop this type of behavior now, he is going to start stalking Laura Brett home, or Mr. Sack from- on the way home from the train.
(07:36): Um… you know, it’s a concern I think- talking to people about the Rye Golf Club, they- some people are afraid of joining because they don’t want to be tagged for some reason by him and being put on Laus Deo. I think that- I think that’s unfortunate. Um, you know, there’s uh… there’s many- there’s things like that.
(07:57) This vendetta against the Mayor and City Manager, um, he keeps referring to the Andrew Dapolite incident. Um, I’d like to take a minute and run through that incident uh…if I might, even though it was a- should have been left as a internal HR uh issue. It was a workshop with the Fire Department and the Board of Wardens, workshops aren’t filmed, um… it was uh… it was- he went in there, he manipulated the cameras, etc. um…he was, he was- felt a little a little funny about it sometime later, he was asked to speak to the to uh…he felt that he should maybe speak to somebody, somebody told him to speak to Scott and that never happened.
(08:37): Uh, next thing we knew, you know, there was um, there was all this stuff in the newspaper um uh…. You know, there- we asked the Board of Ethics to interview uh um the the people involved, um they were able to interview Andrew, then uh other things cam- got in the way. There was a lawsuit that was given to us by John- uh filed by John Carey for him uh… um, cost the city $30,000, that’s $30,000 that’s uh… a crossing guard we could have used for… for during the construction.
(09:17): Um, you know I…I understand he’s got a friend Andrew. They’ve worked together and uh you know he’s upset about the letter being in the personnel file. That was for hostile work environment um… that’s- that has- you can’t just ignore that sort of thing I’m sorry about that. Um, but you just can’t ignore that. The um… and um…no one would have known uh if if if people didn’t come here to the podium and talk about that so again, uh that’s the problem. You know, um… this…you know this this uh you know he also- excuse me (drinks water)
(10:08): I’m sorry he’s not here. Leon um also was upset by the fact that he had an email- I’m not sure how he got that- saying that, asking that- the Mayor asking Nicole Levitsky to keep the camera off of Mr. Floatie and he felt that somehow that was um infringing on someone’s um…um… freedom of speech. But do people remember what it was like here in the uh in the uh prior administration where the the the three ring circus it would be with the uh with these cartoon characters and and facemasks. Now Ray likes to- Ray Tartaglione who brought them in here likes to tell the story about how he made a deal with the Mayor that if the Mayor uh…. That he wasn’t going to bring them in. The truth was we told him anyone who comes in with a mask we’ll call- we’re going to have them arrested because that’s against the law under the Ku Klux Klan Law.
(11:00): So, um… you know that’s- there’s other things like that as well. You know, I understand that again, about uh about Andrew, but you know- to Andrew Dapolite, from me, you know I never steered you wrong, I’ve never gave you- I worked with you but you know I but I don’t think what you are doing is right where um Nicole Levitsky had to file a police report because of the way you behaved. That’s that’s not right. Um, I think your anger at her his misappropriated. I think you anger should be focused on the older adults that told you to go to the press and file the lawsuit. That all becomes public information now—
French (11:45): Richard, Richard I think—
Filippi: I’m sorry, I’m sorry!
French: Okay
Filippi: But unfortunately, you know, when you’re a very talented per- when a when an employer sees that a very talented videographer and and the HR department goes and looks up on google and see’s these issues come up, they just put that resume into the shredder and I’m sorry for you uh for that.
French: Make you point and stay away from personnel issu-
Filippi: My point is also, you know that…that…you know people might say well you know I’m doing this because I don’t like to take the heat. Well that’s not true because actually they don’t really know- they havn’t targeted me- a couple of silly emails from Chittenden
Killian: Until now…
Filippi: ‘Til now! Yea (laughs) Um…but um…
Jovanovich (12:30): Have you renovated your house recently? (laughs)
Filippi: But uh that’s not the point. The point is that it’s very corrosive. I’ve talked to people about joining committees, I’ve talked to people about getting involved in in politics here in Rye, and they all say “No I don’t want to- I don’t want that aggravation. I don’t want to be singled out for something that I decide on. I think that’s sad. That’s a sad situation we are now in, and that’s affected the number of people we can get for volunteer such as CCAC which we’re short people. We need people. Are they going to be actively pursued because they say things that someone doesn’t like. And, you know, the other thing is, people tend to say, “Oh it’s just them. It’s just the City Council being- handling this”. But, from history class I remember uh… a story about um… someone who had wrote down in Nazi Germany. When they- first they came and they took the Jews and the Gays because I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t Jewish and I wasn’t gay. Then they came and took those who were politically active, and I didn’t speak up for them because I wasn’t politically active. And then they came for the Catholic Priests, but I wasn’t Catholic so I didn’t speak up for them. And then they came for me, and no one was there to speak for me.
(13:48): So that’s the type of thing that I want people in Rye to be aware, that you know, it may be directed in one place now, but it may come back to you as well. Um…that that there’s…I think people are- should ask- should demand an end to this insanity. Um, there’s no reason why we can’t talk and share ideas etc. in a uh in a in a normal way without shouting and screaming at one another. I think that these personal attacks on people- you know, we’re all volunteers here. The City Manager is a hired City employee, the City employees don’t- shouldn’t have to uh uh bear these uh uh types of of of problems at work. They should be able to come to work and do the work the best they can.
(14:38): Um, so… it’s…there’s- I always say there’s three types of people. There’s schadenfreude, people who derive pleasure from other people’s misery. I want to know, is there anybody here like that? Anybody like that sort of thing? And then there’s the other group. Those who are spineless, those who- people you know, who they don’t they don’t stand up for anything. Is anybody like that?
O’Brien: May I say something?
Filippi: No, no I’m not finished. And then there’s the other people with the backbone that would stand up and make a stand uh… ask to stop this insanity. You know emails saying you know…to to Scott Pickup calling him a fool because he didn’t- the City Golf Club was scheduled for the same night as this. He has no say in that. He has no- things like that. That’s unacceptable behavior. I think we should all move back to more civility. And, and stop these personal attacks on each other because we’re only hurting Rye which is a place we all say we love. So that’s my point.
French (15:47): Richard, thank you.
Filippi: Sorry. Sorry I took so long.
French: Julie?
Killian: I just want to say, being the newest person here, there there there clearly are some frustrations to working in government, to working in City Council and some of our groups, but I just want to not let things that you highlighted and some of the things we might see here to put anyone off because the large majority of what we do- I really like being on City Council. I… I like it much more than I thought I would and the large majority of people that we deal with are really terrific. There’s a lot of talented people and a lot of really good things that we do, so for any of you in the audience and anybody watching, if you are thinking about running for City Council or being on a Board or Commission, we welcome you, and please do not let uh, any of the negative things you might see cuz there’s a lot of really good people and good things that that go on here. So…
French: Okay. Um thank you. Uh yea, as I prepared for my State of the City speech I did a lot of reading about history of Rye and this is an extremely passionate community as evidenced by Councilman Filippi but—
Lefkowitz: Can I respond to him?
Filippi: Uh…Section 9.
French: We will uh… you know, we’re committed to not make comments personal, and keep the debate up front and move forward. Now we’re going to move on and take comments in the Resident’s Section.
