I can still vividly remember Glenn Marshall on stage at the Nichols School - swaggering, confident, dismissive.
This 'dog and pony show', he called it.
He vowed to write checks, insinuated racism, labeled himself a 'steward of the earth', and gave the impression that it was only a matter of time before 539 acres in Middleboro became his personal paradise and money factory.
He promised he wouldn't build a casino in Middleboro if Middleboro didn't want it, but didn't really mean it. He reveled in being a leader, while shunning those who disagreed with him. He wove a fiction for Congress, and wore ostrich skin boots.
He grandstanded and glad handed. He was always the king, never the goat. Everyone else was the goat. We were the goat.
His dog and pony show became a three ring circus.
He helped divide a tribe, and divide a town.
Yesterday, Glenn stood before a judge, and pleaded guilty to embezzlement and political corruption.
In May, he'll be sentenced to time in another sort of paradise. One with bars, bad food and bright orange jumpsuits.
Mahalo & Aloha Glenn.
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15 comments:
And may he be only the first to fall!
You mean all those promises he made that weren't included in the contract won't come true?
Do you suppose that includes the part about using union workers?
Ooops!
I am interested in this quote
"Mr. Marshall has been cooperative in this matter, and this matter is still an ongoing investigation," Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Mitchell told the court.
This is not about blankets, t-shirts and mugs. This is about much more.
Yes...
"on-going investigation"
Those words brightened my day as well.
This may not be about "about blankets, t-shirts and mugs," inappropriate personal contact by BOS members, socializing with people who have business before the BOS, violations of Open Meeting Law and Ethics statutes.
But that type of conduct by BOS members is indicative of elected officials who disrespect the laws to such an extent that they have blurred the lines of appropriate ethical conduct.
A comparable argument can be made for those who have promoted the use of town property for Middleboro Friends, a private organization, during BOS meetings. That a quorum of BOS members are also members of Middleboro Friends treads close to Open Meeting Law violations.
Mrs. Duphily asked Town Counsel the wrong question to obtain the answer she sought. She asked about 'conflict of interest.' She should have inquired about Ethics, which she continues to violate since she has refused to inform herself.
Besides waiting for Marshal to provide his information, hopefully others are writing letters about the continuing evidence of law violations that the BOS publicly admitted. It's time to send a strong message that unprofessional conduct will not be tolerated. And it's time to vote them out of office one at a time.
Middleboro is on the map, so to speak.
People from all over the country are hanging on every little bit of news coming out of this indictment, hoping and praying that each and every person who went down the fox hole with Marshall, will be smoked out and hung out to dry for all the world to see.
"Ongoing investigation" is music to the ears of many many people who are riveted to the unfolding story.
Hopefully, those many, many people will learn from our mistakes.
And hopefully, others will have the sense to elect better leaders.
Surrounding communities have articulate, well educated Boards of Selectmen, who are familiar with the governing statutes, abide by the laws and conduct meetings in a professional manner. Those communities allow townspeople to address their Boards when they have differing opinions and they are treated respectfully.
Not so Middleboro where casino opponents were gavelled to silence by the Gavel Queen herself, Marsha Brunelle, for whatever hidden fear Marsha may have of the truth about casinos. Marsha allowed casino supporters to whoop and holler and cheer and applaud. Marsha allowed a casino supporter, who fantasizes he is a photo journalist, climb over furniture and disrupt meetings, which actually is a violation of our state's Open Meeting Law.
Were she even managing the Town well, her tyrannical rule might be excusable.
One word of advice for Muriel Duphily.
She's too naive to understand the consequences of her actions. Mimi, the State Ethics Commision is not made up of your friends in the Tribe, or Casino-friends, or Middleboro Friends.
Do yourself a favor and step down from the BOS before you get yourself in any more trouble. You are in over your head. I think basically you may be a nice woman and I'd hate to see you doing time in prison.
For your own sake and the sake of Middleboro, step down from the BOS.
Why should you be the fall guy for casino proponents?
Whew!
Smoking Owl, I'm sure glad somebody in this town gets how illegal Mrs. Duphily's conduct has been in terms of ethics.
But 2 other Board members, Marsha Brunelle and Steve Spataro also publicly acknowledged questionable conduct.
Don't worry. It's already been included in my ethics complaint, but others should feel free to comment as well.
It is my understanding that requests have been made to remove comments regarding Mrs. Duphily because her home was broken into.
That must be an upsetting personal event and I'm sure we all wish the perpetrators are apprehended and any personal items quickly restored to her possession.
The connection between Mrs. Duphily's current personal situation and her violation of the Open Meeting Law and Ethics statute don't seem related.
Mrs. Duphily chose to run for public office. Included in the decision is the potential that personal issues will arise along with town matters. Had she informed herself of the laws she has violated, this wouldn't currently be an issue of concern.
Smoking Owl made good points, including
"I think basically you may be a nice woman and I'd hate to see you doing time in prison."
She's a nice lady, in way over her head. This isn't a social tea, but about Mrs. Duphily, along with other Board members violating the law.
Mboro residents don't understand that the BOS was never criticized until blogs.
The BOS ruled without public input or control because no one paid attention or asked questions or demanded that they comply with those silly laws.
Wayne Perkins stated publicly that they were negotiating with the Tribe prior to the Tribe gaining recognition. Where is that public discussion about what the townspeople wanted? Where is the research into the profitability of casinos? Mr. Perkins himself said that towns in CT that have casinos don't pay taxes. Where did he create that fairy tale?
We got ourselves into this pickle because of our failure to demand, insist upon and repeatedly affirm that we have a right to expect public disclosure and compliance with the laws. It's backroom deals that got us here.
And backroom deals with the likes of Glen Marshal, convicted rapist, serial liar, and now, about to be guest of the federal prison system for a reduced sentence, if he squeeeels appropriately.
Removing comments about Mrs. Duphily is not acceptable. Regardless of the circumstances, 3 Board Members publicly acknowledged their violations of a number of laws during Monday's BOS meeting.
The only one who had the sense to avoid any ethics questions was Patrick Rogers who was offended that someone should question his ethics. He had NEVER attended the social gatherings that the other 3 publicly acknowledged.
This isn't about cheap mugs.
This is about chumming around with business partners of the town.
This is about violating Open Meeting Laws when town officials conduct business out of public view and get offended at the accusations.
Those who wrote letters insisting upon a public explanation were correct in doing so.
They succeeded in getting on the public record and in video format their own acknowledgements of violations of the law.
That they were put on the defensive and apologized is unacceptable.
No apologies were appropriate for forcing elected officials to acknowledge their violations of law in the public record.
They are to be commended for it!
I started blogging in June of 2007. I did so because the situation in Middleboro was obviously out of control.
Here you had and issue facing Middleboro AND THE ENTIRE REGION which included a.) The World's Largest Casino b.) all the known and unknown impacts thereof and yet were made to suffice with c.) a board of selectmen spending the majority of their time and a great deal more energy and engagement debating dog complaints.
Dogstock wasn't a joke. It was a statement. It still is.
I've never seen or heard the Middleboro Board of Selectman approach the casino issue with even remotely the amount of seriousness they've approached a dog complaint - or their own public vendettas, cold wars or snarkfests for that matter.
I think many people are put off public office because of the perceived 'gravity' and 'seriousness' of it.
If they only knew...
Gladys,
A review of "Dogstock" was worth it!
I left Town Hall after the "Dogstock" hearing with a reporter. That reporter could only laugh at the farce of the animal complaint hearing and how unprofessional the board was.
Yet town meeting voters couldn't see the sense in amending the town by-laws to address complaints with summonses and accepted Mr. Rosenthal's specious argument.
The majority of voters who elected these people seem to have gotten what they deserve in terms of a board unlike any other.
I remember Glenn...I remember him saying if Middleboro didn't play nice, he would take his casino and go to New Beford. Oh yeah -- no significant historical ties there either.
I also remember him yammering on and on about needing casino money to fund housing and education for his tribe. Apparently, as it turns out, all he needed was investor money to buy himself a second home and put his own child through school.
In retrospect, it really is kind of funny that the pro camp sported orange tees in the summer of 07.
Too funny CC!
How appropriate the pro camps attire was ...and they didn't even know it! Do they know that the new tribal chair, Cedric Cromwell, owed 13k in back taxes?
Amelia said that this crew was no better than the last.
No one is listening to her AGAIN.
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