Former Recreation Department Director Richard Tripp keeps writing in to the Hamburg Sun to discredit anything and everything Steven Walters does these days. What I don’t understand is how he gets so much print time? Any other person, myself included, is limited to three articles in a quarter. So how does this guy get so many publications out of the Sun News?
The biggest misconception Dick Tripp is spreading, is that Walters is going to sell off the Ice Rink and its property. Nothing can be farther from the truth. Even if the Ice Rink is lease/managed the town will continue to own it. The only difference is that it will be managed by people who will keep it up and clean to make a profit. No more shitty looking facility that is out of toilet paper every time you need it.
The one thing I remember about Dicky Tripp is he was a major player in the Democrats administration that raised your taxes every year for 30 years. He helped build Recreation Department debt, mismanaged facilities, allowed the towns playgrounds to disintegrate, and didn’t say a peep against a single tax increase the entire time he worked for this town. I’m sure that’s because he and every other management team member was in a union just like the blue collar guy. God forbid our top management people be management confidential with personal contracts they have to live up to.
Now that he is retired off a big fat state retirement system paycheck, he come out of his hole and barks at our Supervisor who has reduced your taxes for the first time that I can ever remember. Dick it’s time for you to crawl back into that liberal hole you came out of. By the way, if Dick Tripp was any more to the political left he would be a socialist. Here is the latest in the Sun News.
http://www.thesunnews.net/editorial.php3?idkey=798
Editor, The Sun:
This is directed to all of the residents of the Town of Hamburg.
I wanted to call your attention to the issue of parkland alienation that the Town Board is seeking. The board wants to enter a lease/development arrangement for the ice arena.
As I have stated in the past, I think this is a bad move, since the town’s Recreation Department already efficiently manages town owned facilities.
Unfortunately, some politicians have chosen the tactic of attacking the messenger to divert attention from the issue. I refuse to respond to their personal attacks. I will instead focus on the issues listed below:
• Should the town continue its pursuit of alienation of parkland and seek a development/lease arrangement with a private entity?
• Do we need a second ice arena in Hamburg?
• Should the town bond up to $10 million for development funds and turn it over to a private entity?
• Should the town turn over rink operations to a private entity with no proven management skills?
Since the politicians have chosen to make me the issue, I will take a side seat and allow others to express their views.
Richard Tripp, Lake View
What union was Dick Tripp in? My understanding was that he, as his succesor Marty Denecke, are considered Department heads, and therefore not in a union.
Please produce some type of verification regarding your assumption. I thnk your wrong on this one.
This is the same guy who OK’d that hill that was made on awesome property, that today could be used for so many things. I would love to know who got paid off for that stupid idea of making a sledding hill. I still have not seen a single person on that hill since it was made. I heard 2-3 people split 1 million dollars and Mr. Tripp was one of those people.
Until this last Monday the only non-union people working for the town were our elected leaders. On Monday the Chief of police and his two Assistant chiefs became management confidential. until then even the Chief’s of Police belonged to a union. All department heads still are in a management/white collar union.
Dick Tripp was not in a union and the decision on the hill falls to the Buildings and grounds dept. Recreation coordinates and runs recreation programs. All facilities are the responsibility of B&G. It would be really nice if facts are researched prior to making statements that are harmful to the reputation of honest people. Dick was continually fighting against the Town board. The fact that he was a civil service employee was a thorn in the boards side. The board knew he did the job and they could not control him for their political gains. He laid the blue print for the successful programs that as of late have won national awards. In fact he had developed and planned out the construction of a multi-purpose (not just ice rink) facility at the Nike base that would serve Town residents. The board was willing to go along with it until Jeff Walker came in and convinced the Town that he was going to build a similar facility on Commerce Place. When his private funding failed for this project he concocted the current proposal for the lease/management at the Nike base.
Also, deparment heads are not in a union. Yes they have a contract, but they are not organized. The town has 4 recognized unions -Blue collar (highway/B&G), white collar (office personnel), police command and PBA. Because a group has a contract does not necessarily mean they are a union. The Chief of police was the only department head that was in a union until the last meeting.
Forgot the fifth Town union, dispatch.
Ford,
The print time afforded to Tripp in the Sun should be of no surprise. The Sun has always been a supporter of the Democrats on the Town Board and will say, do or print anything that supports that agenda, even printing letters from “people” who don’t exist.
As t what Tripps’ problem is, it can be summed up as “sour grapes.” He cant stand to see any changes, especially in something he worked for, considers a jewel and is trashed by others due to its shabby condition. As is typical with most Democrats, if you can’t support your position with facts & get public support as a result, lie as much and as often as you can … some may believe you.
Mr. Tripp is all about lies…”So What” sounds just like Tripp, So are you Dick?
All the letters to the editor were lies..even Mr. Tripp said so. He is not dumb, just like a lawyer in court says things to the jury that he knows the judge will tell the jury to disregard, but we all know they still remember those remarks when it is time to decide the faith of a person. So the readers are the jury.
And about the multi sports facility Mr. Tripp had in mind was a fancy name for a golf dome. This was not going to be a mulit sports place it was just a place for the people to go and hit balls. He wanted to be like Tonawanda…Sorry dude, Lakeview Road is not a place to spend 5-7 million on a Golf Dome..you need to put it where it is easy to get to because people use places like that only when it is easy to access.
Lets all wait to see what comes from the public meetings that Mr. Walters promised. I will bet that all the things Mr. Tripp (Dick) said in the Sun are false and the truth will surface from the people that have the knowledge of the project.
The hill was not a B&G project it was Dick’s idea so he could have some place for the kids to sled and not have to travel to OP (chestnut). So who got paid off…..? I say Dick had his paw in it…