Note to Lewiston Supervisor Brochey: Finish Up 0r Wrap it Up

Dennis Brochey

 

You know, I just looked around and he's gone.

It seems the whole Dennis Brochey household has officially left Lewiston.

Despite his saying he was going to run for one elected office or another he decided to pack it up and go west.

The house sits empty while the Lewiston Town Supervisor takes yet another cross-country trip to his new home in Las Vegas, Nevada.

This time however he means business.

He won’t be traveling down Route 66 on his motorcycle taking in sights, but will be behind the wheel of a Ryder truck.

Of course a lot people will miss Dennis Brochey.

He had a charm about him sometimes, a warmth that was irresistible, like sunshine.

He talked straight, acting like a neighbor, a business guy who has to pay taxes too, more than like a politician who votes to impose them.

He seemed to always have a dream to shoot higher than he knew he could do.

He didn’t bother to be better than his contemporaries or predecessors. He tried to be better than himself.

But lately, however, he has spent more time on his motorbike in his new city than in Lewiston Town Hall. His reasons are his own; there is little doubt the allure of spending time with children and grandchildren has drawn him away.

But is it fair, dear residents, to have a Town Supervisor who is spending more time taking care of his personal business than the business of government?

You can make the argument he is taking accumulated vacation time – since he worked a lot of hours. But since he is, technically, a part time employee, he isn’t entitled to vacation time and, unlike full time employees, he doesn’t have any personal or sick days to use either.

The questions are, “has Mr. Brochey been collecting his full salary while he is taking off all of this time?”

Is it fair to take a check while you aren’t going to work?

How can anyone run the day-to-day operations of the town from two thousand miles away?

According to the town’s Finance Director, there is work to be done: budget work, which has to start earlier than usual this year to sort out complex issues facing the town.

The budget process is crucial this year.

With the prospect of a town tax looming, Lewiston should not have a “Travelin’ Man” who is out of town more than in it.

Of course, Brochey may have made some arrangements to keep his residency so he can stay in office until January.

But if he can’t find the time the job demands he should make the decision to step down and let Deputy Town Supervisor Mark Briglio run the day-to-day operations.

We must make tough decisions to see if it’s worth it in the end.

Speaking of decisions: When Brochey ran for office two years ago he made a promise that he would “never vote for a town tax.”

Some are now asking how is he going to keep his word if he has to include a new tax in his proposed budget to solve the Town’s dire need for revenue?

He would look absurd of course if he voted against his own budget.

But will he vote?

During this critical time the Chief Finance Officer of the town is in the sunny South West desert.

The Brochey era is coming to an end.

Nothing remains as it was.

In the end, everyone leaves.

In the end, the most interesting people always leave.

Just wait a second. He can't leave it like this!