Well today was full of surprises. After making my speech in the public comment period of the SSHA board meeting today I received a phone call from a respected neutral source asking if I would be willing to meet with Housing Authority Executive Director Ed Spychalski.
The standing policy of this blog is I am willing to meet with anyone to discuss any relevant topic. Another long standing policy is to accept any rebuttal or criticism of this blog and publish it on this blog free of charge with no edits.
So after a phone call I was invited into Ed’s office for a discussion. Now the last time I met with someone like this it was failed mayoral candidate Brent Wilkes during his campaign. That meeting started out by Brent threatening to sue me for slander. Believe it or not things went downhill from there.
So knowing I had no intention of apologizing I didn’t have high expectations for the outcome. I was pleasantly surprised.
Ed was friendly even gracious. I shook his hand and said I’m John but people call me Lucifer. He said I’m Ed the tenants call me Satan {Just Kidding} seriously we had a long talk, some was chit chat but much was substantial. He never apologized but neither did I. The order to lift the trespass order was called in to the police in my presence. No concessions were given and in fairness he never asked for any.
Are we friends now? No but we understand each other a little better. Ed invited me to write a local history column for the resident’s newsletter. I invited him or staff or residents to write a piece for the blog.
I have a much better understanding of resident eligibility rules policies and such
Who knows? I’m sure many of the problems land squarely at the feet of the ever missing Eric Weller and ousted Board president Dennis Brunelle.
For now I’ll give the devil his due {and that comes from Lucifer himself, just ask Nancy Muldoon she’ll tell ya}
Thank you Ed and it was a pleasure to talk with you today {no kidding this time}
38 comments:
Don't believe it for a second! PHOTOSHOP!
I can assure you its real.
So let me guess John-did Ed tell you this is all Weller's and Brunelle's fault? He's just a victim, right?
Ed doing another charm offense--uh oh look out
That may well be true but I always print my honest observations.
Trust me I'm still not happy with the housing authority mess and tenet complaints.I do appreciate he has made it much easier for me to do my work investigating conditions and problems.
I will continue to publish what I find.
The good the bad and the ugly
This is what Ed does, JT, throws a bone, gladhands and gets people to drink the coolaid. You're just another one of many.
So it's pass the buck time again. Not that Weller and Brunelle and the rest of the Board don't bear responsibility for what has and does go on there but does Ed get a pass now? Interesting that he wants to throw his good buddies under the bus. Watch out big John he'll do the same to you when it suits him.
ohhhhhhh, John, you're treading on dangerous ground; this is how sociopaths work. They lure you in with csweet talk then snap your head off. Believe me I am happy you got the ban lifted oh I am happy. But walk with wary footing.I'm a little sad; you ALMOST, I say almost, sound like all those tenants lauding the King in his presence. Beware.
"Please allow me to introduce myself I'm a man of wealth and fame I;ve been around for long long time I've laid many a man's soul to waste"....so now for you john it's of to Vegas then Nor'lins, boy oh boy,God Bless "The Wheel of Fortune"LOL,love ya John.
I find it interesting that a positive jesture creates a negative impression from the masterminds who would believe nothing is positive at SSHA. It's almost the same mentality that allows Eric Holder AG to wipes his hands clean of the Black Panthers putting a bounty on Zimmerman's head.Again it's part of an agenda that continues to surface. If you don't agree with a positive situation find a negative to offset it.People should not become judge and jury. When all facts come to light and they will than and only than should a judgement be made. It might be possible a judge and jury may decide this issue. There are so many more pressing issues in this city to be concerned about but I see no conerns shown in that area. Maybe the experts above should start debating charter change and the other group of Kool Aid Drinkers.
John - I didn't see anything in your description of the conversation that Ed threw anyone under the bus. It's so interesting how some of the twisted minds take a comment and mpld it into a scenario they believe.
jt-i guess ed figured out that -if u cant beat em join em lol,there is nothing better than "talking things over" it might be a wierd type of thank you ,for all your hard work.keep it up ,saratogians need facts!!!thanx
Now that your foot is back in the door you can squeeze all the tenants that pay less than $100 per month that are loaded with complaints. My toilet runs or I need my light bulb changed. Can some one rake the leaves around my apartment. These coming from people in their 20's and 30's that don't work.
You are a fair person, john. I think Ed was right to have you in to talk and to clear the air a little. Openness and lines of communication are never a bad thing. I always thought that if Wilkes had explained his positions to you ie I think this or that would be good for Saratoga, you would have listened. You might not have supported him but at least you would have understood where he was coming from. Instead he proved he was a bully. Maybe Ed is overpaid. But do we expect people to turn down money? Maybe he's not qualified for the job. did we expect him to turn down a promotion? Maybe the SSHA shouldn't pay for trips to Vegas but really wasn't it HUD who decided where their training would be? Ed seems like he's trying to change. Maybe he needs a chance. But Brunellw was clearly negligent in his oversight. Maybe the Board will do better with out him. They now seem to have a better understanding of the concept of due diligence.
This may be off topic but I would love it if you gave a Saratoga history talk to the residents. Thanks, John!!
Either you are very tall, or Ed is very short.
I would not trust the guy, at all.
April 20 6;56 am, How do these people get to pay rent that cheap?
I know people that work and need a place to live and rent is nowhere that cheap anywhere in saratoga.
How does one apply to live in these apartments...
7:27pm It's called welfare! 1/3 of income for rent. Their rent doesn't cover the wear and tear on the apartment. Many of these people don't work and never try to get jobs. They have it too good. Food Stamps, Food Banks and all their gas and electric paid for. They destroy their apartments and when you go in front of the city court judge to evict he lets them stay. And you think this spychalski guy is some kind of demon. Smarten up! You need a hard ass to run a place like that. He is probably the best guy for the job.
I, for one, am NOT on Welfare. many of us just don't have the means to live in anything but income-based apartments. And many of us DO have lovely and well appointed apartments;but you get some real dirty tenants too, isn't it like that in ANY multi-family building? I can name at least 10% who are impeccable! I believe Food Banks are for people who have children; I'd never want to see children go hungry. The only services I get are disability.Some people do have legitimate reasons for not working. They have had traumatic situations in their lives or financial downfalls. Walk a mile in their shoes. WHERE you live is NOT as important as who you are. Also as for Ed, I always repeat the (in)famous Dr Phil: "the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior", "a leopard never changes his spots"; I've known enough manipulators to know when it's a snowjob. My theory is:Be wary, but be friendly. Remember the Godfather movies? a kiss on the cheek, then WHAM! Even Jesus got the proverbial kiss on the cheek and look what happened to HIM! I thoroughly enjoy your blog, you are not one-sided; you allow people from both sides of the fence to bloviate. Keep up the great work!He's being all so humble now, because he doesn't want to miss the Gravy Train as it pulls out of the station! I CAN tell you this much: even if he DID use the Arpeys and manipulation to get the front entrance done, it sure is pretty. One must give credit where credit is due; now, let's work on the boiler and the elevators! I hear elevator renovation is next on the to-do list.Hooray! Those death boxes are horrendous. Now, if only I can get the fridge to stop banging, shreiking and popping all the time.
If anybody's on welfare it's big Ed--welfare for the rich--getting something for nothing, ignoring upkeep of the property while jaunting off to Vegas on the public dollar. Look at where the big bucks go, my friend, look at the top!
The only people that listen to Dr. Phil are people that are nuts! He beats up his wife and he manipulates her but he is such a fine source for advise? Cuckoo! What is so bad about using a contractor like Arpey? He does quality work, he lived his whole life in Saratoga and has no ties to Ed. That means he is not related. How dare you attack someone you know nothing about while you choose to collect disability(another form of welfare) and sit back and reap the rewards without putting any effort to help earn those very rewards.
11:10am,was the work done by Mr Arpey a result of the bidding procedure,was he the low bid?
11:10 I believe Arpey and Ed do have a connection as childhood friends
Jeeeze, John--don't go the way of Al Calucci-- seduced by Ed's alleged "charm" and going from critic to croney. I mean it's great the ban was lifted but would you shake hands with Keith Ranier if he undid something he never should have done in the first place? Maybe just a simple "glad to see you finally did the right thing, Ed, for once" would have sufficed and give him one day out of hell. The buddy-buddy thing is a bit much.
Did Ed say he was sorry? Did he say he was wrong? Did he say he would take corrective action and never do anything like that again. I doubt it. I'd hold off on all the handshakes for now.
At heart I am a civil person..I have offered to meet with Raniere and would.And no I wouldn't shake hands.if Ed had been a dick or imposed restrictions I would have walked out.We shook hands after he lifted the no tresspass order and I would do it again
How does someone, who is married, live in Stonequist when their spouse lives in another town - how is the income calculated ?
Ed and Tony Arpey childhood friends? If you are going to tell stories at least tell the truth. Tony Arpey was born ad raised in Saratoga and went to St' Peters. Ed was born and raised in Watervliet. No childhood connection. Nice try at spreading bullshit.
People do not understand that Al Clucci and Ken Ivins are part of a team and need to do what's in the best interests of the Housing Authority. That means working with Ed and the rest of the employees to continue their good work. The corrective action is only when and if the audit when finish says there are actions to correct. John Franck and John Kauffman don't make that decision. Nor the mayor.
"continue their good work"???like hiring your family, dragging your feet getting rid of the bedbugs and telling residents there's no money for it while jaunting around the country and making 6 figures. We don't need Calucci and Ivins to be part of the team that let all that happen. We need a new team. There are plenty of corrective actions that the City Council could begin directing this organization to take right now. More may be required after the audit.
6:32PM you haven't been paying attention,you don't really think that the people who have caused the problems there are going to be in charge of the correction,not this time...but thanks anyways.
6:23--Maybe not childhood friends but friends nevertheless
What really are the requirements to live at one of these low income housing complexes?.
I know of one person who works for the city,and who was very upset that they didn't get their very own NEW private condo last week.
If I understand it rite SSHA once used a list to choose the order of fullfilment of new housing,and this toad was on top,But they changed it too a random pick out of a hat for those who applied for new housing.
This toadie was furious that he didn't get a new condo after years of kissing butt to be number one on the list.
HAHA SO toadie you loose again
City Council will never be involved with Housing operations. Any corrective actions will be done by HUD. Never the city. HUD at this time has no problem with the way it is run. More of the same from John Franck on the affordable housing group. Maybe if John Franck and others on the council were paying attention they would have known how much they signed off on CDGB money that went to the affordable Housing group over the lat few years. Talk about incompetence! Let me clue you in. 100's of thousands in the last few years. It went into roofs,New boilers,siding Hot water tanks and upgrades on electric.
So, John, you were the champion of all those folks who Ed intimidated and bullied. I'm wondering how they feel about you touting the pictures of you smiling and shaking hands with your new best friend.
We'll see what HUD says about problems after the IG gets done with you!
I don't understand why Mr. Ed is redeploying SSHA staff to his non-for profit. The question I have is if SSHA staff is working for Ed on his other project who is doing the work for SSHA? My visits to the building are concerning. Half the washers and dryers don't work, the place is in dire need of paint, there is no coordinated effort to check apartments on a quarterly or regular basis, and the list goes on. I am deeply concerned that the lives of the tenants are being forsaken for a rather shady money making scheme that has lined the pockets of Mr. Ed and a few board members. I still want to know about these vehicles and trips. John, stay away from Mr. Ed. He's dirty.
John,I so admire how you stood up,questioned authority, spoke the truth and made huge waves! It's tough to hold those in leadership positions accountable for bad decisions but you are the voice for the many afraid/indifferent/ignorant in the community. You are such an inspiration in showing people how they can make a difference by speaking up!
Post a Comment