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Letter to First Lady Ann LePage 12/19/2014

December 19, 2014

Dear First Lady LePage,

I have tried every avenue to stop the financial and mental beating that the State of Maine has thrown at me since my children, dogs and I crawled here in 2010, domestic survivors, to begin again. My family abusers are active in our lives. ...

I was in NJ working full time while my brother and mother were in Bayside, Maine for the summer. My dad died when I was 16 in 1977. Another tragic story, that allowed Mom to give everything to my brother and both also resenting my honesty. Where I could have went to college for free through the VA- the situation with my Mom and brother left me broke and broken. I needed a job to survive and began working as a shipping clerk at Midas International Warehouse, North Brunswick NJ. A 17 year old, well endowed, broken female in a warehouse of men and truckers, in great mourning over the death of Dad. Cancer ate him to death over the prior 3 years. I was a recipe for disaster.

I got tough quick. I began night school immediately and worked my up and out. By 22, I had landed a new job, tripled my starting salary from the warehouse job and had 16 credits while taking care of Mom, the house, and I paid my way. By 24, I was flying and began dating a hometown, downtown guy...

That summer, 1984, ...hurt me for the last time. I told work that I needed an emergency vacation. I had to get to Bayside, Maine where my brother and mother were. We did not have phones there and 2 weeks would give me strength to get out for good. I flew into Portland, had my child hood friend and to this day, one of my only friends,... pick me up.
...would get my neighbor's phone number and kept calling Mrs. Ch... I refused the calls, I was on the mend, surrounded by my Bayside and friends. Until, a week in, I came walking into our cottage....was sitting in the living room. Mom and George (my brother) had invited him to Bayside... How could they do that to me?

We were married in 1988... I had to get us out. I filed for divorce in 2005 and we fought for our lives. Children crashing,...down, day in day out, all professionals- clergy, courts , protective services, judge, mediators, therapists, psychiatrists, friends, family- all failing us and draining of us hope every day. ...plan was to render me homeless- he had watched the courts allow my sister and brother rob Mom's estate (she died in 1995) and clean me out. My sister was the executor and an addict. She died in 2002 in 6 weeks from cancer and self abuse.

I was divorced in 2007-... was unsuccessful at making me homeless because I had taken care of the finances throughout the marriage. We were debt free, the year round house we built in Bayside(1997) with my 401k, and my small inheritance and some luck in the stock market, was free and clear. The South River, NJ house (turned dump) I bought in 1987 had a 40k mortgage left. I left the work force in 1994 with 38? credits earned, making 32k a year, to raise my daughter. My salary was half the income- I knuckled down.

...demanded both homes be sold. It was insane- we were debt free. The mortgage was 400 a month- I couldn't get an apartment in NJ for less than $1,000. Our daughter was on death's door and he was relentless. I saw he was trying to break me mentally and financially with attorney's fees. He worked/works for the ... since 1988, accounting degree, large family and buddies with my brother. I had 2 brothers left for family. Both threw me to the curb with an occasional public showing with a bone of feigned concern.

 The last thing you do to children is remove them from their home and schools. There was no reason to do so. I told...to take the house in Bayside, and I'll take South River- they were about equal in value, though Bayside was my dream. All I ever wanted was a home there.(Mom had sneakily signed our family cottage over to George when Dad died. I would not find that out till I flew to Bayside to escape). ...refused. I told him to take South River, I'll take Bayside, I can't move the kids there, but I'll rent it and get an apartment in South River. Please don't sell Bayside on the kids. It's theirs. NO! Sell them both.

The heartbreak of knowing I would lose Bayside when I filed for divorce was beyond belief. But no contest .... His attorney, Ellen Schwartz was court connected to corrupt Judge Fred Keiser http://ncpforce.com/?p=45 along with the guardian ad litem, Dr. Rosenbaum. I was the Judge's last decision before he got removed from the bench and he nailed us.

In 4/2007, he ruled both homes be sold. He had refused to speak to my children during the proceedings, he was doing one last favor for his inner circle. I spoke up at the divorce. I asked him how he could order the children out of their home and town (I would end up in the piney's in southern NJ- at that time I couldn't even get a job in McDonald's-...as the children were crashing,...The Judge said “America is a moving country, people move all the time. You are now divorced little lady.” Looking exactly like Jabba The Hut in a bow tie. No neck, big fat head lulling from side to side in a slow drawl. Bastard Bully.

In 2009, I was reduced to a shut in. Broke, alone, house in disrepair and becoming worse. After all that, and putting the houses up for sale, 6 months in- the bids were only coming in on Bayside. Joe reversed- he would take Bayside and I get NJ. He was living with his Mom in our home town, down the road from out house in South River, NJ. Fine.

He was in Bayside for 6 weeks with the kids, drinking with my brother, just snuffed me out of Bayside and life.  In NJ,  I put the radio on, The Eagles sang “So often times it happens, that we live our lives in chains and we never even know we have the key.” Wake up call- go Laurie, get up and go. That was 8/2009.

9/2009 I put the house up for sale and began looking for a home in Belfast, in town, with police protection and City services. Real Estate Agent Jan Andrews of Town and Country (now Masiello Group) High St., Belfast and I began the search online in 9/2009. Always my number one concern were NO WATER ISSUES- definitely no streams (those disclosed were refused- I have that in writing too).

By 12/2009, we narrowed it down to 5 homes and I drove up on Christmas break with the little money I had left, my son and my beagles and booked a room at the Comfort Inn, Belfast. My brother George did not know I was in Belfast. We were done, had not spoken since he brought Joe into our family. During proceedings and the history of my brother's abuse, I asked my brother for just one thing. Do not bring him into our family again. He did, even before the divorce. Inviting Joe and my kids to dinner to the cottage, out on his boat, partying and supporting Joe. I would have preferred not to relocate anywhere near my brother or Bayside. But Bayside had turned into that crack in the window of possible escape. I jumped.

Seaview Terrace was the best. No water issues, no stream, in town, nice house, City services. police protection, neighbors- Jan had known all we had been through and she pushed this home. Her counterpart Bill Ingersoll (listing agent) was thankful for a fresh snow that covered the 2x2 ditch. Even if it was exposed- it would look like the drainage ditches that are on the sides of the home. The sellers had it filled in the back from the last time the runoff caused a ravine, only I did not know that. They told me it was a great home, slow market is why it has been on the market for so long, a great value. Ok, this is the one I will focus on and go back to NJ and reduce my price 70k to sell fast and buy this, and get the motion into court for a hotly contested relocation. Rarely granted, I was putting it all on the line. Belfast or bust. This was my only chance to get away.

Alone and scared to death, I did it. In 6/2010, my life in a 50 ft Penske truck, we pulled into 17 Seaview Terrace, Belfast Maine. My son entering 7th grade, the papers to relocate were not even filed yet. My ex had turned our daughter against me again. He had her speak to the new Judge for relocation. To speak against me.

On Friday, July 23, 2010, Bank Of America in Belfast decided to hire me, full time, with benefits, @ 28k. I was ecstatic. My court hearing in NJ was that Monday, 7/26/2010. I drove down and back in 4 days. While I was in NJ I had to empty out a storage unit onto a lawn mower trailer with no help, after court, in 100 degrees and into the next day. I didn't finish till 6pm and had to drive back that night. It was an open trailer- with mattresses and belongings and a hurricane was coming.

I got my son and headed out. The trip was brutal, night construction on all the highways, I was mentally and physically exhausted. I kept pulling over for 10 minute naps. I pulled into Seaview Terrace at 4 am. I slept for a few hours and then dragged myself out to unload the trailer before the hurricane or massive storm hit. I was dragging in the mattresses- it was 90 degree's. I had tied my beagles up outside so I could leave the door front door open. A man came walking up to me and I thought, hooray, help has arrived. He said hello, my name is David Smith and I am your neighbor, 2 houses down. I am here to tell you that I am not fond of beagles........... I was dumfounded- I said “And what do you want me to do with that?” And I kept dragging my mattress in. He left.

With in 4 months David would have called the police many, many times, calling me, coming to my house, all unwarranted. Another neighbor, even further up the road from him, with a pug, told me he did that same to her. She finally put a shock collar on her dog and the dog was never the same. She never forgave herself. David and another neighbor, The Hands, would band together, harassing me and alienating me from the community. It was astounding. Mrs. Hand even telling me, it was such a nice, quiet neighborhood before you came along. Mr. Hand speaking against me at a City Council meeting and feigning near death health. I am sure City Manager Joe Slocum put him up to that. The City had done him a favor in 2009- took the water from his yard and sent it to me. My home was for sale at that time. I found this out on the QT.

I went to BPD Chief Trafton and told him the story. I told him to put a camera on me so he could see I never left my dogs out when I wasn't home, I put up a 5 foot privacy fence so they would not be provoked, and I brought them in or squirted them with a water gun when a squirrel would cause them to bark. He told me of a Judge in Augusta that had just ordered the removal of a dog's voice box because of a complaining neighbor. I said that must be what David is up to. Please come to my home and see for yourself. He did and he was impressed that I had gone above and beyond.

Later that week, David went to the Chief. The Chief tried to talk him down, but David became irate. The Chief was concerned with his behavior and explained an order of protection to me. I said do it. The Smith's are well known in Belfast, are teachers and David has been stabbing me in the back since. Much to the delight of City Hall and Council Heil Hurley. And of course the trickle down to my son- some of it posted on www.waldokids.blogspot.com .

I was awarded relocation two weeks before school started. We were safe, we can heal. I couldn't be more wrong. Bank of America would keep stalling on an ergo assessment, my back was getting worse by the day. After 4th full month in November, I could not sit for more than 5 minutes without excruciating pain. The Dr. said it is arthritis and I was put into physical therapy and out of work, unpaid for 4 weeks. The therapy worked, I was released back to work with orders for the ergo station to be in place. My boss told me to get the ergo station order removed from the release. I said absolutely not, I had just spend 4 weeks in rehab. That was the end of Bank of America. No unemployment, workmen's comp., no desk jobs without and ergo station. Dr. Mollison had said I probably could not work a desk job even with the ergo station.

I bought the house free and clear and made all the repairs. I could squeak by on the 18k alimony until I found another job. Two months later, wild rapids would come tearing through my tiny ¼ acre property for 2 weeks. Taking ¼ of my property with it. It would take me years of abuse to uncover the truth and mass corruption.

City Hall slamming all doors, holding and manipulating all damning documents and information, employees told not to help me, City Hall sending me down rabbit hole after rabbit hole and laughing in my face, alienating me from the community, DEP claiming a small section of my private property drainage ditch put in by the developer in 1967 as wetlands at some point (and from there DEP giving site after site approval to drain to my private property as a “natural outlet” to the bay), the real estate agents not disclosing and not telling, the property inspector part of the corruption, realtor owner Earl Black using his power to break me, than when he can't he offers me 7k to shut up, Commissioner Aho corruptly flooding me through corrupt approvals (one is the Captain Albert Stevens School) and closing the corrupt investigation.

The Maine Realtor Commission after receiving proof off the charts ( the investigator told me he had never received such detail and supporting evidence) dismissed my complaint (stating I should have done a more EXHAUSTIVE search of my 2x2 private property drainage ditch that was filled in, never disclosed as a stream, brook, creek, natural outlet- no water what so ever. But when I had the property inspection done by DJ Brown Property Inspectors, recommended and supervised by Town and Country Real Estate in spring- I bet there was water flowing through there and he did not report it. Or the unstabilized banks. NOTHING)

Attorney General's office would not respond to corruption, FOAA Brenda Kielty was useless, Governor LePage refused to speak to me at the Front Street Shipyard in 2011, where I waited for hours asking him again and again to speak to me. The City Attorney has sent me intimidating letter after letter, City Council has called me in as threat to the Chief of Police, City Manager uses the police to intimidate me, the police and Chief McFadden have had “conversations” with me to determine my “stability” and when they couldn't shake me, they resorted to shaming me as a mother. As if fighting for democracy and saving my home is an embarrassment to them. The cable guy who has been in my home numerous times with access to my computer is actually the Chief of Police brother-in-law. Cable guy never told me that and I was non-stop telling him of Belfast corruption every time he came.

Any damning document I ask for results in a landslide of rhetoric and/or files, never containing the document requested. And repeated requests for the same are also met with no ceiling charges for basic information that will yield more false documents. City Manager Slocum and City Planner Marshall claiming I have been given the documents but am too ignorant to know what I am looking at.

I have offered resolution after resolution with paving, drainage, including Seaview Terrace into the TIF via the new Annex addition to open up funding, putting the flood plain, flood zone of Seaview Terrace into a mitigation plan to open up federal funding (Dale Rowley EMA said he can't- it has to come from City Hall). All refused and when they finally had to pave Seaview Terrace this summer because it was totaled- they gave the engineer tainted maps to give tainted options. They didn't include me in the meetings, I wasn't given the tainted maps and they came in and did the illegal drainage to send me more water and paving when they thought I'd be at my brothers funeral in Alabama.

Donald died at 65 from cancer on 9/4/2015. The last time I saw him was when I drove through Bayside last summer. My brother George had flown him in (Donald was dirt poor) and he was on our family cottage porch drinking with George and my abusive ex husband Joe. Donald was bought by George and decided that I was trash. I did not go to the funeral, but was in great mourning.

Then on 9/8/2015, the City trucks and heavy equipment rolled in to destroy me even more. I went to the next City Hall meeting to tell of the slaughter, and City Manager Joe Slocum was not taping the meeting. I made him do it, and also taped myself as I spoke. Many of the 50+ meetings I have spoke out had “issues” taping. Many meetings they try to stop me from speaking, I am the only one receiving only 3 minutes to speak, the Mayor, City Manager, City Planner and City Council (especially Heil Hurley) attempt to slander and discredit my truth, they are unethical beyond belief. 

Mayor Ash owns East Side Garage and is my AAA garage. He refuses my emergency calls. I have to wait for hours for a jump and once I slid over a bank and was hanging over the edge at the bay. Finally a passerby stopped and had chains to pull me out. Every day is fear, how will the stop me, will they hurt my dogs, will their children in school with my son hurt him, will the School Staff that I have exposed continue to short change my AP high honors son's education as the have since entering Belfast Area High School. He is now a Jr.

After all we have been through, this is how Maine kicks domestic survivors? I live on 18k and must purchase flood insurance because the State is force drowning me. My taxes are 3k, house insurance, utilities, we're up to 11k. 7K left for repairs, gas, food, bare bone living. The repair guys rip me off, I have to take them to small claims. J&B Autbody for 1k, Ridgetop Chimney Sweep for 1k, Lowe's for 6k and now DHHS for $500. Please Mrs. LePage, Maine has to do better than this. Please help me.

Sincerely,
Laurie Allen

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