This is an allegation at this point, but it sounds like the Mayor is up to some shady dealings to me. This is Long Island, nothing is very far away in miles. Maybe the village should buy an economical smart car for the next Mayor to drive to necessary meetings.

No, I think we should just start paying $.50 a mile. It will cost us, the tax payers, more money but it will make the "residents first" people so happy...and is this what it's all about?

It seem rather naive to believe that a village administrator such as a mayor is, no matter the size of that municipality, would only have to travel within the confines of the village limits in order to do business. I look forward to hearing the explanation and will not automatically assume something "shady" is going on without additional information. As a retired professor of environmental sciences, I do agree that an economical vehicle might be a good idea though.

Just do the math folks. 5000 gals means the Mayor averaged about 500 miles/week for 4 years. That's like 4 round trips to Manhattan EVERY WEEK FOR FOUR YEARS. That's a lot of "going out and meeting people" Mr Mayor. LOL!,

I agree the mayor should be held accountable for the cost of unnecessary fueling. I am disturbed by the dishonesty of our elected official. We placed our trust in him eight years ago, and he has continually let us down.

The mayor sure looked nervous as he admitted his guilt on Channel 12 news today.

The more and more I watch this unfold, the more I see Richard Nixon all over again saying “I am not a crook.” Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Did anyone attend the Village meeting this week, what was addressed?

Elizabeth I attended the village meeting Monday, Mr. McGiff read his letter to the Board. The Mayor refused to respond to the allegations in the letter. Understandably he did not look happy. Mr. McGiff or Mr. Crean, I am not sure which, then placed a motion in front of the Board to ask that the State Comptroller investigate the allegations made by Trustee McGiff. It was defeated 4 to 2. Then there was a motion asking asking the Mayor to resign, again I am not sure which of the two trustees made the motion. To tell you the truth things looked tense and somewhat chaotic at that point. It was defeated by the same margin. The Mayor then opened the public portion of the meeting and after that was concluded the meeting adjourned.

While I was mighty tempted to speak on the issues raised by the letter I decided to wait and give the Mayor some time to consider his response. I would guess at the next meeting there will be members of the public who will press for answers.

So one guy who is not up for re-election and another guy opposing Pontieri are accusing the Mayor of "stealing gas" for the last 4 years? Really? Since both were board trustee members during this alleged crime spree, why is this only coming out now? How come they didn't discover this most heinous crime earlier? Just asking...

Baby out with the bathwater? That must be some real dirty water by now. And that
baby pontieri lied to us through his teeth last night when he said past mayors
took gas too (look at today's Advance where Ihne and Mayor tell us otherwise).
And it is obvious there is more to this story when his records show enough gas
to fuel the titanic. Mr. Spota, if you have one shred of decency do not overlook
this too. Something is rotten in Denmark, and I'm not willing to say that it's
all okay because our Village is filled with condos. Any idiot can let condos go
up on every corner. Open your eyes and look around.

4717 gallons over 4 years with 50 weeks out of the year considering a 2 week vacation equals 23 gallons a week. Yet McGiff said in The Advance today that the Mayor filled up 4 times a week. I am using their numbers and do not come up with 4 times a week. If a policy was needed then why did Crean and McGiff not suggest one since they are on the board and were in a position to do that at any time. Why have they not even discussed this and their other issues with the other trustees. Seems political to me just based on the timing and the fact that all of this took place after the New Village vote & going into a campaign. Do I sense a bit of jealousy Doug? I mean Daniel, no sorry I meant Steve.. :) So confused, too many names.

Dear GreatSouthBay (GSB),
Jealousy? How about contempt. The mayor, et al, frequented the pump at times up to 3-4 per week. Look at the documents that were submitted. They speak louder than anything. Frequently odometer readings were ommitted (was that so the vehicle being filled with gas could not be recognized?). The mayor (or family member or friend of the mayor) also received cash back on many of his transactions. I believe that a camera should be installed at the fuel pump at the mayor's expense.

Also, remember that the mayor has been employed by several organizations at the same time. He cannot claim village gas expenses for other organizations. This is considered fraud. This was one of the major problems with him working for the Town of Brookhaven at the same time he was Mayor of the Village of Patchogue. Conflict of Interest. You cannot serve two masters, especially if you are expecting reimbursement from at least one of them. Just curious did the mayor ask for reimbursement for gas mileage from the Town for any of the town business? What about Angela's House? Isn't he on a board for some place on Fire Island? He is also on several other boards. There needs to be a clearly defined separation of travel expenses, they need to be documented, submitted, and then reviewed by the governing bodies for reimbursement. Last, did he deduct this free gas on his taxes? This would be tax fraud. Did he mail his own taxes? Mail fraud. You going to resign now Paul?

Pontieri looked so shifty lthe other night on News 12. Why was he sputtering so bad?
What is he hiding I bet this fuel story is a lot bigger than we even know. Does
Tritec gas up at the garage too? I wouldn't be surprised. I've seen them
entering and exiting the village dpw garage. Why the hell are they there? That
shouldn't be allowed. And to the poster that said they support tritec and
pontieri? Is Tritec pontieri's running mate? I guess so. Gives new meaning to
the expression "thick as thieves."

OUR MAYOR is the BEST thing that ever happened to PATCHOGUE,this group will grab at any straw they think they can get,and THIS is ALL they can come up with how pathetic!!!!!!!!

Mayor Pontieri has done a lot for this Village. Lets look at the other side of th coin. Ms mguire wants to run for Mayor while her husband holds the job of Village Justice. Nothng like keeping it in the Family but it doesnot belong in Village business.

We can't afford another year of pontieri. Period.

We cannot afford to have a new Mayor especially one who works full-time in NYC and travels frequently, one who is currently a plaintiff in a lawsuit against the village that is costing the taxpayers lot's of money and delaying the Four Corners project which most residents are in favor of. By the way, Susan, are you related to the Mrs. Cosgrove who once ran a brothel on Jane Ave?

Greatsouthbay- No, unlike the mayor, I never sold myself for money.

Mayor Pontieri," as and example, on Tuesday I had to drive to Hofstra and then Mineola to attend meetings and drove 160 miles that day." OK, rounded out, Patchogue to Hofstra= 37 miles, Hofstra to Mineola rounded out = 7 miles, Mineola to Patchogue rounded out =40 miles, total rounded mileage for Tuesday = 84 miles. Mr. Mayor , what happened to the other approximate 76 miles you claim to have driven on Tuesday? Did you have to run out for milk or bread and forgot to say so? Gas pumps that I am very familiar with for public/private facilities come with gas cards identifying the vehicle and require a second card identifying the driver. The gas pumped and starting/ending mileage is recorded against the vehicle and driver and provides valuable information as to mileage per gallon and if a vehicle may require a tune up or maintenance to increase efficiency. All this should be easy to verify, stop the spin, you abused your privileges or you didn't, if you did you stole product and services from The Town you swore to uphold as a Public Servant plain and simple. All your friends commenting here can't cover those acts up claiming you are a nice man, it doesn't matter if the facts are true.

You SOUND SHIFTY Bob!

Why have to FOIL the records? I asked around and the general consensus is that trustees can get copies of any records at Village Hall. So why didn't you just go in and ask for the records Gerry? Aren't you still a Village employee? Can or can't you go in and ask for anything? Why do you state you had to wait months for the info? And why did your fellow trustee McGiff say that you guys were aware because of the audit? How do you want us to be convinced when you don't tell the same story?

If you guys are really the moral code that you are trying to put yourselves out there, why not do it in a moral way. Instead of providing false information to the public. I find it sad that it takes me a few days to verify or discredit the information that you all have been posting, writing and recently stated on television. Gone are the days of I heard it, so it must be true.

Way to go Concerned resident,what a sorry bunch they are!

Perhaps you and YOUR cronies can all "GO AWAY" Dennis?

Just let him answer the question. Is he a thief or not. By the way I'm not going anywhere.
. By the way CAROL you sound as if you are about to cry

CRY DENNAS??Lol,not me , afraid there will be alot of crying after the elections,but,not by me........

Anybody in PATCHOGUE VILLAGE GOVERNMENT ever think of installing G.P.S. Devices in Village Vehicles or any vehicle requesting to be paid for "OFFICIAL VILLAGE BUISNESS" That way you would be able to keep track of all vehicles all the time within a 10' radius???????

THIS WAS MY RESPONSE TO THE MAYORS FACEBOOK LETTER:

http://www.facebook.com/notes/patchogue-2012/a-letter-from-mayor-pontieri-addressing-accusations-about-village-gas/320262128018820

Residents First cordially invites you to a brunch to support our candidates.
Elisabeth McGuire for Mayor, Lisa Ihne for Trustee, Gregory Powers for Trustee, Stephen McGiff for Trustee
Located at Patchogue Lodge of Elks
14 Oak St, Patchogue, NY 11772-2878
$50 per person-$75 per couple
Children 12 and under Free

Checks should be made out to Residents First,
Contact 631-335-6188

http://www.facebook.com/ResidentsFirst
http://www.facebook.com/events/292765280771586/

Sunday, January 29, 2012. From11:00am until 1:00pm.
Residents First cordially invites you to a brunch to support our candidates.
Elisabeth McGuire for Mayor, Lisa Ihne for Trustee, Gregory Powers for Trustee, Stephen McGiff for Trustee
$50 per person-$75 per couple
Children 12 and under Free

Checks should be made out to Residents First
Contact 631-335-6188

i have been a village resident for 11 years..patchogue was a stagnant worthless mess prior to the election of PAUL PONTIERI...the only significant business in our village was swezeys dept store...we had nothing else.but,they went out of business.no retail traffic...no one came to patchogue to shop..when i was buying my home,my relatives said...patchogue?...that's a s**thole!!!..but i saw the town for what it could be...PAUL PONTIERI was the first mayor who felt the same way i did.Mr Pontieri's efforts have given us a bustling main street once again...once shuttered buildings are now restaurants/laundromats/retail stores...i feel that any fuel use which is considered inappropriate by his adversaries was an oversight at best and im sure that standards will be put into place to prevent such in the future...it saddens me that mr Crean and mr Mcgriff who have lived here longer than i would obviously prefer our community be in a pre-Pontieri state...As i said before,I have witnessed Mr Pontieri present at all events positive and negative...he was on smith street at the height of hurricane irene to assess damage and to urge people to evacuate . im sure mrs judge,mr Crean and mr Mcgriff were nowhere near there.. THIS MAN REALLY CARES!!!LETS STOP THIS WITCH HUNT WHICH WILL ONLY BENEFIT THOSE WITH POLITICAL AGENDAS OF THEIR OWN AND APPRECIATE MAYOR PONTIERI FOR THE PILLAR OF OUR COMMUNITY THAT HE HAS PROVEN HIMSELF TO BE

George, you may have moved here when I was sixteen (as you said in another post saying I probably never cared about this village) but my family and I have lived here years before you have. I have worried about the state of this village probably more so then you in some respects. My mother single handedly raised 5 children in it and it has been quite amazing to see it's transformation. We had very little and we have earned what we have and been fortunate enough to have this town prosper as well. However though abuse of power usually doesn't usually limit itself. That's why there is law. So before you attempt to belittle me based on my age maybe you should check your own positions and motives and be aware of the facts given to residents to protect them against such acts. I have no reservations nor any empathy for those who do wrong and attempt to excuse themselves. If I were to steal, I would no doubt be pursued and punished under ever measure deserved by my conduct as to the law. I am insulted at your attempt to discredit me on the grounds of my age!

Is it the fact that you cannot morally or logically present a valid argument against my well stated and presented case? You may as well said I don't know a thing because I am just a kid, you my friend are proving to be ignorant. If you are going to continue to argue in that fashion be aware it is completely invalid and bears no relation to the question at hand.

I asked one question, Should certain people be exceptions? Should certain people be exempt from the standards imposed by law? Remember yes or no.

George,your last comments are how MOST Patchogians look at all of this ,have faith,we will do the RIGHT THING!!!!

Check this link out to see what Pre-Pontieri administrations have accomplishments....
http://www.clhm.org/docs/Lawsuit.PDF

That’s nothing compared to the lawsuits Pontieri is racking up from the Tiki Bar,Tritec and Lombardi’s to name a few. This guy will top them all with lawsuits AND slumlords.

We need to all be more realistic of what this village can achieve and what Mr. Pontieri has achieved…As business owner who has been in the village for 40+ years I have never experienced a better Mayor that has done more for this village and made so many positive changes that fare out weight any possible negative change than Mayer Pontieri and I am truly proud of what he and his administration have accomplished, I find it disgusting to witness people slamming him and bring lawsuits against the village which only spends more of the hard earned money of the taxpayers for their own political and personal gains.

People need to think like chess... A few steps ahead.

Patchogue has many "mixed use" zones throughout the village, and eventually and enevitabbly residential and night spots don't go good together. Bands at the brick house and music elsewhere on Main Street will become a disturbance to the residents. Who really expects people to shell out a sizeable sum to live on Main Street and have noise and parking issues to live with?

Fugu, that was also a VERY important point to make. We have to take such impacts under consideration.

Hi Chris I can't believe that you are only 26 and so insightful in your letters! Good Job...keep them coming! Here is another point for you. As we know, workforce housing means that people have to go to work during the day. Therefore, the occupants of the apartments won't add to the foot traffic in the village during the day as they will be at work. They will only add to the parking problems at night. Last night it was impossible to find parking in the village.

What would happen if they all had night jobs....then it would solved all your concerns!
I think a good solution to the parking problem would be that during evening and maybe weekend hour additional parking could be provided behind the Brookhaven clinic lot as well as perhaps the village or Tritec could lease the property behind bargain bilge and turn that into a parking lot. I think it is a shame that we are stopping this project because of opposition and not working together to solve the problem. This project will bring more people to the village provided jobs, as well as generate significant tax revenue for the Village. I am personally ashamed that both Tritec and residenent of the village for entering into a deadlock on this...and the Residence First candidates should be ashamed that they campaigning ground of stopping of this project and claiming they are doing what is best for the residence. What would be best would be to come up with a way to make this project work for everybody involved not shut it down. I would think the most effective campaign would be to show the residents how they can be progressive on these issues, not protest them.

Just my two cents

Concerned business owner what business do you own that you keep afloat against economic reasoning? The problem is not ideals but the science of economics. You cannot sustain an idea just because its ideal or you want it to, if that were the places like Greece or our current economy on the national level would be in better shape.

This goes to say that even in the mist of all that your solution still doesn't pose a logical means to the end which both parties are claiming the wish to see come to fruition.

You are dealing with resources, scarcity, allocation, and human action. Not simply ideals.

Fugu...Where have you found mixed use not to work well in Village? I have found that mixed used has proven to be successful, especially in the New York Metro Market and the majority of all downtown main streets in the country, There is probably just as many people would prefer to live above a retail store, restaurant, and bar as their are people would never consider it. (Like myself) I would also like to point out that the village offers access to a great mass transit system, just because somebody lives on Main Street doesn't mean they would necessarily have a car.

Oh and thank you Lee I appreciate such kind words. I just want a Patchogue I can call home in the future and be proud of. I want the Patchogue that Pontieri started, and was succeeding, in building. I walked to middle a school through an almost completely different town and he and the administration at the time made it a wonderful place. I would just like to preserve and further grow it effectively and beneficially for those that have stayed and helped it to become what it is now. We should be building up what we have and refining it rather then trying to make it look better on paper with numbers. That is NEVER in any application a sensible form of long term planning. You need solid structure.

Sorry have to comment again, so now if you live in Patchogue you may not necessarily need a car? Enough said there enjoy your imagination while the rest resort to reason and rationale. I can't argue against such dillusions. You probably have never lived without a vehicle, nor would you, in such an area. You probably wouldn't sit on the bus if you were paid. Otherwise there would be a name behind your concern. I see your aim and now believe even more your business to be fictitious and imagined.. Or subsidized.

I own and manage real estate rentals both residential and retail through out the Island. The last 1-2 years have been the most consistence for me in the residential end. I attribute this to the weaken housing and lending market as well as offer renters great value with great services. That is not to say that due to rising cost (Taxes, Utilities, insurance etc..) that my profit margins have stayed consistent as every other business experiences. This is pure economics i agree, and we have an opportunity to have a developer invest over 100+ million into our great Village, because they believe in it like we all do. I have been here for 40+ years and have experienced some of the worst here, but because of progress, vision and unity this Village has overcome all of the bad names it has been given. I am very proud to call this Village home.

Chris I have no interest in starting a debate with you. I have never slammed your ideas or refuted what you have said. I simply made truthful points, I have never stated this project should just be pushed through just to make something look good...that is insane to believe. I have made the point that it should be well thought out and everybody should participate, not just turn our back on it. Your idea of building on what we have is excellent but that doesn't mean we back burner and opportunity. I believe not seeing every option through on this project at this point would be doing both the residents now and the future and huge injustice. I have once lived without a car while I lived in an apartment in a urban market where I did not need to own a car because the mass transit system provided. Also I actually stated “just because somebody lives on Main Street doesn't mean they would necessarily have a car.” I never said you don’t need a car if you live in Patchogue as you suggest. I am making the point that Patchogue offers most everything you need with- in about a 5 minute walk from Main street, that includes a train station that offers the most expansive amount of stops on all the LIRR lines on Long island. So I stand behind what I said “just because somebody lives on Main Street doesn't mean they would necessarily have a car.” I know being your age it is tough to imagine that only 30 years ago most families only had one car and they somehow survived.

I keep my name anonymous because I have found that most people take what people write on this blog personal, I have achieved great success in my life and I am not willing to have my reputation soured or have to spend my time defending myself because somebody miss interpreting something I wrote. I write on it to actually share my thoughts as well as hear what other people thoughts are as I feel there a lot of people who contribute great ideas and views on here, I believes it helps me continue to evolve as a business man as it helps me realize there are many ways to look at something and keeps me thinking out of the box.

I not sure what you believe my “aim” or motive to be, please enlighten. I thank you for your shared views and points. Just out of curiosity if you would share, what is your profession?

Sorry then for the misunderstanding and I hope you can accept the apology. I just do not see how the apartments are remotely a responsible idea. Also in terms of the community it would help to to be open and public, especially if successful as then you may lead by an example. I respect your accomplishments and your wish to remain unknown however, though for the purpose of your own statement transparency would be of much help to credibility of not only source but the confirmation of success through espoused principle.

What I meant by terms of public transportation was that Patchogue is far too rural still to expect a dependency on its use as a solution to parking issues.

Also again my apologies for the personal nature of the last reply.

No need to apologizes, it shows passion for something you believe in, which I respect. I believe and immediate 291 apartments would most likely saturate this market. Perhaps structured phases would be a better approach, although tough to achieve my experience prospective tenants/buyer usually shy away from purchasing or renting while there is active construction taking place. This is why I agree that this is exactly like playing chess. Tritec, the current and future administrations, and the residence need make a move now that includes the next few moves which include the anticipation of the their opponents actions (the opponent in this case are potential tenants, business owner, and shoppers).

I can not stress enough the most important part of this development or any development for that matter is a balance. Allowing anything to go and opposing everything both hurts the community.

Fugu, I was wrong on making that statement about people working at night, it was immature. I see your point but I believe you might be making a generalization based on a small amount of people who oppose it. Also I believe that most people living above bars and night club know what they are getting into and have the right live elsewhere. Patchogue offers a lot of garden style apartment throughout the village for people that do not want to be subjected to that type of environment. You are making these statements assuming that the retail space under the apartments would be rented to a bar or night club. It could be a business that closes at 6pm. I applaud that fact that you are looking into a worst case scenario outcome but if we made every decision on a worst case basis there would probably be very little accomplished. I do agree any additional development whether it be stores, apartments, or even offices it generate parking issues as we already have a shortage of parking space. That is why feel there needs to be further work done here to come up with a system that offers balance. Port Jefferson is great example of how to balance their problem. They have over several years taken more property south of the main strip and turned them into parking lots that help provide relief to their parking problem. I hope the same could be achieved here.

Sounds like your drinking the pontieri kool aid lou. Will ya get real! 291
apartments are not good for Patchogue and Tritec was never willing to
compromise. Neither was your mayor Bud, which is why we have this problem on our
hands in the first place. This was shoved down the throats of residents and this
is what ya get. Tritec doesn't care about patchogue they are from Setauket. I
doubt they were ever going to invest that much anyway Ask anyone in the
contracting industry. Vote for pontieri if you want to keep him in and see what
kind of compromise you get. Ha!

There is no more left to "loot" in Patchogue.

That Patchogue has to depend upon Government funding for it's various building and housing projects is an indicator The only ones "making out on the deal" are the Government Hacks who get the money, and "spread it around". Tax Payers are left holding an Empty Bag.

Why doesn't Pontieri invest in those fake, movie set, building fronts...it will save more money and fit in with the "ghost town" look of Patchogue these days.

But that wouldn't work for him, because then the illegal aliens...his voting block like others with "a hand out"... would be "deprived".

Did you guys read Liz McGuire's blog? She talks about the need for a more
balanced plan. Seems to me most people are on the same page here except for the
Mayor and his "team." He could've listened to people on this a year ago but
chose not to and to push the imbalanced 291 apartment plan through. If you think
he's ready to create more balance I have another bridge I can sell you.

Kim please fwd us her blog, I would like to see what she proposes. I am curious on what everyone believes Mayor Pontieri's motives are to have this project built, and what Mrs. Mcguires motives are not to have it built or what she proposes to be built. To answer you Fugu I am not a mind reader nor can I predict what the stores will be rented as, however 10 new eateries would certainly be to much of saturation and I can imagine that more than 50% maybe more would not survive if they were to open. My point about apartment/noise and bars are you can not please everybody all the time, that is why there needs to be a balance, but you are making an assumption based on a small group of people who complained. I have not stated I want all 291 apartments built but I do not believe there should not be even one built either...that is the point of Balance. I do not think that the current plan is balance.

All real estate agents want to do is "move property", and they are hunting down Any Sucker that will make them a profit.

Landing a Government project is hitting the Motherlode...they could care Less if it sits there empty, after it's built.

All they care about is The Deal...not The Decay or the empty property, and whatever else comes after.

The Tax Payer could left holding the Bag, and it can stay empty, as much as they care !