On Friday, January 14, 2011 while Westfield DPW workers were clearing municipal parking lots and streets, one worker parked a DPW backhoe in the driveway of a Westfield residence.
The Fact of The Matter has obtained pictures and video of a Westfield DPW backhoe parked in the driveway of 308 Woods End Rd. The town owned backhoe had arrived that day and didn't leave until two hours later. While monitoring the event as it unfolded, another small white DPW truck and a larger yellow colored dump truck passed by our location.
As seen in the video posted below, a DPW worker exits the residence through the garage and gets into the backhoe, lifts the front "bucket," dumps snow, and then backs out onto Woods End Rd.
If you pause the video at 51 seconds, the DPW worker is shown.
If you pause the video at 51 seconds, the DPW worker is shown.
As the backhoe heads south on Woods End Rd., a BMW sport utility vehicle being driven by an unidentified female, backed out of the residence's attached garage.
The backhoe makes a left turn onto Lawrence Ave. and continues heading south. Eventually, the driver makes a right turn onto Sinclair Pl. and heads back to the Westfield DPW building located on North Ave./Crossway Pl.
In the video, the BMW SUV that exited 308 Woods End Rd, passes the camera and follows the backhoe, then passes the backhoe heading south on Lawrence Ave.
Questions:
1. Why was the backhoe parked in the driveway of 308 Woods End Rd for nearly 2 hours?
2. What was the worker doing, inside of 308 Woods End Rd.?
3. What was this DPW worker supposed to be doing during this time?4. Where was this DPW worker's supervisor at the time this backhoe was parked for 2 hours on private property?
5. What amount of $$$$ did this idle backhoe and missing DPW worker cost the Westfield Taxpayers?
6. Does the "DPW" routinely "plow" on private property?
7. Would this employee ever pull this stunt if the department were managed properly?
Mayor Skibitsky, Town Administrator James Gildea, DPW Supt. Claude Shaffer, can any of you answer these questions concerning yet another case of mismanagement.
And I thought Watergate was the height of corruption in our government?
ReplyDeleteThis video is clear evidence of a massive conspiracy the likes of which we have never seen before in modern history.
Woodward and Bernstein have nothing on the Fact Of The Matter investigators.
Call it WESTERGATE!
ReplyDeleteGiven the poor quality of snow removal in town I'm disappointed that this equipment sat idle for a good portion of the day! Come on!
ReplyDeleteNow let's not jump to any rash judgements. There can be a very logical and resonable explanation for the two hour idle time.
ReplyDeleteAs a citzen I demand a full investigation into this blatant misuse of township time and equipment.
ReplyDeleteThe Mayor and Council should retain an outside, impartial, independent Lawyer to research what happend in this specefic situation and demand a complete accounting of all DPW worker's during the recent snow storms. The trust in our local government has been shattered and I only fear coming home from work at night to see massive protests down town similar to Cario, Egypt & Tunisa.
It's time for regime change in Westfield.
Hey Mayor, maybe less photo ops and more actual governing of the town's affairs and crap like this wouldn't happen.
ReplyDeleteI don't expect much but where on Earth do you get your information and or tips?
ReplyDeleteWe rely on sources of information we obtain ourselves or from others. This story was generated from a resident's tip. To reveal any more information would compromise the identity of the source.
ReplyDeleteYou have already said too much...... Source is a source.
ReplyDeleteEveryone takes a lunch break. Everyone needs to go see the doctor during a work day now and then. Everyone has the usual kid/child care issue.
ReplyDeleteIn those cases I hope we all approach our bosses and explain the situation. I doubt that happened here because I can't see any manager saying- yea go drive the front end loader home. The town employee is being deceitful by his own actions.
I'm not sure you can hold the boss on this one. I assume he has crews all over and does his best to check on them. Same for the Mayor. He's not a bad Mayor just because he has a bad employee on the payroll?
It looks like this guy got caught loafing. I agree with the earlier comment that the biggest problem is the equipment to service residents, and paid for by residents, sat still.
The problem here is the town employee.
The police department bathroom thing still has me stumped on many levels. Has that been resolved?
To the author- you passed 30,000 views. That's impressive. Obviously people are listening. This became chatter in the steam room at the Y over the weekend. That might be more impressive.
Keep up the informative work. The other papers have forgotten about the other side of journalism where you hold people and government accountable.
You make some valid points. However, when the Mayor states that there will be no diminished services in 2011, and example after example of diminished or no service is given, the Mayor has to be questiones as he was in this video. What is going on Mayor? The supervisor in charge of this DPW worker should be questioned and Town Administrator James Gildea should be questioned; he put Claude Shaffer in charge of the DPW.
ReplyDeleteA source is a source, of course. If you have the ability to narrow the source down from approximately 30,000 residents, be my guest. Our source has no problem with us identifying them in the manner in which we did.
ReplyDeletethis entire web site is totally preposterous
ReplyDeleteThe fact of the matter is you have a right to your opinion and we will post it. As a side note, 31,000+ hits on this site is not all that "preposterous".
ReplyDeleteDPW or any other town employee using town equipment or property for their own purposes like sleeping, putting kids,loafing,copies, fundraising, non-profit work,tanning, websurfing,etc is stealing and should be treated as stealing
ReplyDeletethe conservation center,DPW and Building Inspector offices are just the tip of the iceberg.Why is the Ex Dir of DWC shoveling snow and cleaning windows? Where are the town Committee chairs and Boards in the mismanagement of their triple digit salaried employees?
Someone ought to clean house by confiscating each supervisors, exc directors,administrators etc computers to spot check &see what is done with their very expensive time and fix it to stop the waste of all money invoved
I heard from some people while in the Y this past weekend that the DPW and town know who this worker was..... why havent you reported on that??? Has the worker been been dealt with i would love for this guy to be tied up in Town square for a day and embarharssed. He should be fired for stealing, this is no different then stealing gas or a tool. The guys talking in the Y said his name is Tony they didnt know his last name..... get snooping on that one, what a great story that would be if you pushed the Town to actually do something about this THIEF! What a message that would send if this guy got FIRED, maybe the DPW workers might actually start caring about working if they knew what could happen if they didnt!
ReplyDelete