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| The Truth will Set You Free! |
There have been many questions raised on the quality of work by James O’Neill and C.W. Augustine Inc. Mr. O'Neill claims local contractors, Frederick and Pat Biggs and Mark A. Jones, have undermined his reputation as a contractor. This has been an ongoing battle between Mr. O'Neill and the contractors, forcing Mr. O'Neill to file a 1 million dollar lawsuit to protect his reputation and business.
The Knox Street debacle, a highly publicized political boondoggle, brought this back to the forefront. How do you spend close to $200 K in the rehabilitation of two houses in Ogdensburg? There should always be checks and balances when tax payer's money is used. The courts will seek the Truth of this Lawsuit!
Journal Defamation Suit
37 comments:
They should also look at the connection between Jen Stevenson and Mr. O'Neil. He was doing all of the inspections for Stevenson when she was selling homes that would not pass inspection. Stevenson was also on the board of the Housing Authority that was giving out loans for people with low income.
Was this against law? No one really wanted to look into this matter. No one really cares who does business in Ogdensburg.
Speaking of the Truth, is Art really applying for jobs and still listing himself as City Manager?
http://keysnews.com/node/39179
See: http://www.keysnet.com/2012/04/14/438911/more-than-40-apply-to-be-next.html
Anonymous 4-21 I could not find that site concerning Uncle Art. If he is planning to go to another city we should ask them to check the back issues of the Ogdensburg Journal before they decide to hire this clown.
I think this suite is just smoke by Oneil.. The Biggs welcome such an aciton.. Remember on the small scale Oneil claims victory in the courts before but read closely the Biggs won but the monetary amount was not what they asked for but they still won..
Once and for all quit this ---- about Jen Stevenson. Put up some facts or shut up.
As of this week, the headhunting firm engaged by the city of Key West to identify a new city manager, along with the help of an appointed committee, had heard from 44 applicants vying to be the next top municipal official.
They include two familiar faces in the Florida Keys: Bernard Lapira, the village manager in Islamorada from 2003 to 2006 who now lives now in Old Fort, N.C.; and Ken Davis, an Islamorada-based Department of Defense contractor who spent time on the ground in Iraq and ran unsuccessfully for Monroe County sheriff in 2008.
City Manager Jim Scholl, who earns $180,000 annually, is leaving after five years leading the city staff; his contract expires on July 1. Those who want to replace him:
Jim Gleason, city manager in Mascotte, Fla.
Carolyn Hanel, borough manager of Jenkintown, Pa.
Scott Harris, town administrator of Calhoun Falls, S.C.
David Harvel, assistant city manager of Havelock, N.C.
Thomas Heck, town manager of Manalapan, Fla.
Dan Huff, community development director in Sutherlin, Ore.
Andrew Hyatt, city manager in Fairview, Tenn.
Bruce Hyde, commissioner for the Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing in Montpelier, Vt.
Gary La Venia, township manager of Maple Shade, N.J.
Michael Laverty, solid-waste commercial manager in Tampa.
Stephen Layson, chief administrative officer of Bibb County in Macon, Ga.
Chris Lochner, municipal manager of Hampton, Pa.
Craig Lonon, a retired former city manager of Harlingen, Texas.
Bill Looney, administrative consultant for Southwest Ranches, Fla.
Andrew Mair, county administrator of Mercy County, N.J.
Marla Marcinko, borough manager of Wilkinsburg, Pa.
Alex Morales, a private grant writer and consultant based in Fort Myers.
Matt Overeem, superintendent of public works in Mount Prospect, Ill.
George Penn, vice president of PDA Consulting Group Inc. in Cerritos, Calif.
Michael Platt, executive director of Serials Solution in Seattle, Wash.
Constantino Purrinos, president/CEO of All City Counseling Inc. in Miami Beach.
Frank Ragan, city manager of McKinney, Texas.
Ray Rammo, director of engineering for the Broward County Health Department.
Scott Randall, general manager of a property owners association in Hot Springs, Ark.
Brian Redshaw, city administrator in Hibbing, Minn.
Robert Rice, city manager of Syracuse, Utah.
Arthur Sciorra, city manager of Ogdensburg, N.Y.
The housing authorties inspections were almost non existance.. What this program was supposed to be was housing for low income people. What t turned out to be was a rush by realators to sell anything they could, grants given to contractors who overcharged and in some cases did shoddy work. Inspected by whom. Oneil huh.... Every town has code enforcement who would be better qualified to inspect houses. In the city we certainly do... All this turned into in the city was a money rush for a few.. City council fell asleep at the wheel and Sciorra didnt care while Woods played god . No on e cared until ELECTION TIME. At that point everyone cared... Election over, no one cares again..
One thing that has to happen. Cilley, Morley, Nelson and Skamp must be checked to see if any friends or relatives benefited.. Stevenson must be checked for her involvment in this program.. Hosmer and Ashley wernt there and seem to have gone a long way to get to the bottome of things.
I,ll bet this lawsuit gets thrown out as it has no merit.
Here we go again.... round three of A vicious circle that involves:
Art Scorria ... gone
Justin Woods.... gone
James O'Neil ... present
Jen Asnley...... present
Jen Stevenson .. present
COVER UP WITH CROOKS & CRONIES AND A WASTE OF TAX PAYER MONEY.
IT WILL NEVER END UNTIL ALL ARE GONE!!!! WE NEVER GET ANY ANSWERS!
How about the $200,000 Nelson, Morley, and their "toadies" wasted to get rid of Sciorra?
Yeah Mike, we are ALL going to go back and reread all of the crap you and your buddy Chris put in The Journal about Sciorra.
It was all brought about by the re-election of Bill Nelson. He needed the lift and the persona of being for the people during the months before the election...
Think about this.. Whats changed since the Election....??????
We have an acting City Manager who does nothing on his own... Months have gone by with absolutely no progress in hiring someone new...
Civil suits are not about TRUTH - they are about perceived damages. I think that Mr. Augustine can show that some of the falsehoods said about him in front of the city council have damaged his reputation, especially after Ogdensburg chooses to part ways with him.
The Biggses' personal crusade is going to cost them the rest of their lives. Goes to show that sometimes it is better to just let the past be.
6:33 are you saying that the City has definately parted ways with C.W. Augustine?
10:08 no, he said they will at some point.
The biggest joke in Northern NY is:
If you read it in The Ogdensburg Journal, it must be true.
633 Do you believe in the tooth fairy. Read the documents on the website.. The city records will become open now as the Biggs will have them subponed. I cannot see anyway that any judge will not dismiss this as a frivilous suite and possibly award the Biggs an award to pay for legal expenses.
Who is Mr. Augustine? You are refereing to Oneil I think.. His history of complaints, and unanswered questions is going to hurt him. His memory from the first trials of I cant recall will also prove to be interesting.. This iwll be thrown out..
6:33, the writing style is familiar. Could it be the August One himself doing that entry?
“The Biggses’ personal crusade is going to cost them the rest of their lives. . .” well, it all sounds familiar. What the Great One, leader of them all, does not understand is that we are nearer to the end of our lives than the beginning, and we have already paid.
Huge monetary lawsuits only matter to those who value “things.” Fortunately, we value intangibles like health, and loving our children and grandchildren and being loved by them. If we ever do receive any paperwork from a process server, and the lawsuit actually goes forward, we will receive what we have hoped for for a long time—James A. O’Neill on the stand, to answer before a judge and a jury the questions we wish to have answered—or stammered through, as the case may be. His lawsuit cannot go forward unless he takes the stand, something assiduously avoided by O’Neill and his team of attorneys the last time around. We will have answers, or non-answers, this time.
If the jury, after reviewing all the evidence, decides we are guilty of maligning poor Mr. O’Neill, he is welcome to have all the jury decides to award him. That includes my ratty house, and all my clothes from the Salvation Army.
I find his statement amusing about not recalling his employem4ent for the last twenty years... I and most other people can recall their employment for the last forty years. Mrs. Biggs be sure to subponea the cities records of Mr. Oneil along with the mayor, Mr Woods, Mr Morley, Mr Sciorra if you can find him and Mr Mallette.. Woods stated Augustine group presented a resume which I assume would be enough for you....
The facts of the case are that there are multiple records of the Biggs couple maligning O'Neal and CW Augustine in public, both in the minutes of the city council, in letters, in news stories and in the videos that are broadcast on channel 30. In order to win this lawsuit, Mr. O'Neal just has to prove that one of the things the Biggs said is false and that one of the things has harmed his reputation - which shouldn't be difficult. I don't know where this couple is coming from thinking they are going to score any major victory on the witness stand, as any competent judge will sustain an objection to questions from their attorney to Mr. O'Neal that do not directly relate to the lawsuit. They are in a losing situation here. Plus, given what gadflies they have become, I doubt there is a judge in the county who is sympathetic to their cause.
Speaking of Mr. Woods, does anyone know where he went, or ran off to? I noticed his house was sold. Was there any grant funding put into this house? I sure hope Mr. Woods has to at some point come back to Oburg and answer a whloe lot of unanswered questions to some authority or Judge. By the way, what was Mr. Cosmo's part in this mess? He must have been accountable for these funds and obligated to account for the disbursement of them to whomever they went to? This is not over Mayor and you've got a few more years of it. Gook luck!
1236 Do you really believe what you just wrote.... Come on be real. Biggs state fact and if fact hurts then so be it. Thats not defamation. This entire affair is corrupt and has been since the days of the SLC housing Authority.. I said corrupt possibly not illegal. Remember this money is grant money intended to help people in a certain income bracket. It was never met for realators, grant finders, contractors, whatever else to rape the system. When a contractor does work you expect it right. When he dosnt do it right you expect him to fix it and not at an extra cost. When he plays engineer and isnt then he is falsely advertising himself and what he represents.. I see no lawsuit here, but the city should be looking into one against anyone who did shoddy work under their name.......
The Biggs are notorious low-lifes and liars - just ask anyone who knows them over in Canton. They can't be trusted. I'm glad that they will be getting what they deserve, they never should have stuck their pointy-little noses in Ogdensburg's business in the first place.
1116.. Now thats defamation.. Better hope Pat dont research your number... Its hard to do but can be done by someone with time...
0845 What 1116 said isn't defamation if it is true. Look into why the Biggs's claim against Augustine failed the last time around. I wish the Journal would, but apparently with Robbins gone there is nobody interested in reporting the news there anymore.
1135 cant read, when i look at the pages on the website...
I read that they won the lawsuit but were denied the total claim...
due to a legal tactic on Oneils part...read it all Oneil doesnt know
his employment history? come on people ....but he does know tactics
and how to hide things...any one out there know what a CW Augustine really is?
other than they get money for nothing from Ogdensburg. Biggses
will get him......don't give up because of this lawsuit garbage..
Wait a minute, you are using the Biggs's website as your source? Haven't we already established that they are full of shit?
328.. No only you said that. Im with them on this one.. Oneil has you brainwashed or perhaps your one of his grant writers... Bottom line is it dosnt matter what you thinkk or I think its what Judge Demerst thinks. Bet he throws out the suite.
Speaking of courts I see that the Doheny camp challenged Owens petition on the Workman party line. Got a few thrown out but Ownes name remains in tact on that line.
Doheny seems content to spend his millions and attempt to buy the election.
Most people I,ve talked to seem to think this canidate lacks the character and integrity to represent us in Congress. I,ve thought that since his two arrests within a month for BWI back a few years ago and his constant drinking and party going. This year he wants to put a big front on and get married .. to the wedding only the press, other politicans and a few friends will be invited.. they will be treated to boat tours and a big reception on his private island of Caprice.. Sure hope our Senator Ritchie passes on this as seh dosnt seem to fit with his crowd...
OOPS.. I just posted about Doheny and was just informed that in the last two years Doheny hass given Ritchie over eighten thousand dollars for her future campaigns. I errored in saying she didnt fit with his crowd... A lot of us would think thats a lot of money...
Both major parties are full of hypocrisy and deceit, people who would rather push their ideals to keep their electoral chances up than compromise to do what is best for the country.
While I wholeheartedly believe that both sides are guilty of turning elections into glamorous popularity contests and spend too much time and money trying to get votes and raise funds, there is one party who caused the problem and is the more serious offender. The GOP is a cancer on the United States of America - just look at what they have done to Congress.
There are quite a few reputable contractors in the area who have been approached and contracted to repair/fix work that was done by ONeill/C.W. Augustine/Construction Management (or whatever you choose to call yourself this week it all equals Jim ONeill). That he has experience in performing any sort of competent construction work is a fallacy in itself. He is so full of BS and apparently the idiots in control in Ogdensburg have fallen for the "big talker" and bought in to his crap. Anybody who has ever done any work for the housing council can verify that it was basically instituted both by professional administrators trying to make themselves a job on the public payroll and, by out of work and, in other words, laid-off Alcoa workers who stole a hammer from their momma's kitchen drawer, filled out and filed a DBA, and bought some cheap insurance and started calling themselves a "contractor" in order to scam the unsuspecting public into thinking they knew what they were doing. Most of them were rejects from the defunct county weatherization program. The good contractors and tradesman were, and continue to be, too busy to be bothered and encumbered by those bogus programs. Just look at the reputable, well-paid contractors... You don't see them with cardboard signs in front of their locations advertising themselves, or advertising that they are experienced an "all phases" of construction (what does "all phases" mean anyway? It's a local term that you don't see used in this sort of context anywhere else in the country. As far as I know it means the begining, middle and end... which is real helpful knowledge when one is performing construction work, although ONeill seems to have no knowlegde of the middle/actual performance part. So please construction advertisers, stop sounding like a moron and quit using the phrase "experienced in ALL PHASES of construction" in your ad.
I wish the Biggs had included an email address in their webpage. I would contact them and offer them additional support in their case with over 40 years of real construction experience. Not the BS that ONeill lists on his letters to any of the councils he wants to get paid from, but the real deal from carpenter/superintendent/building contractor/business owner/tradesman residential and commercial. Go for it Biggs!
Dear OBurg, this article starts out sounding like Frd & Pat Biggs & Mark Jones are contractors, they are not contractors, just concerned taxpaying citizens of Ogdensburg and Canton. Yes, the Biggs are from Canton, but they too are State & Federal taxpayers, the Grantors of these funds. We all need to be concerned as to where and how this money was spent.
The Biggs have shut up. Guess O'Neill got his way, or they got caught lying.
Sorry to hear about the Blog Administrator’s family emergency. I hope all is better now. Many thanks for running this site. Your time and effort are appreciated by many.
To 12:52, we’d like to hear what you’ve got to say! To you and all Ogdensburg residents, please feel free to call or write. You might get stuck with an answering machine if you call, but please keep trying. All your opinions and ideas and help are most welcome.
For now, the best way to reach us is by mail at 206 CR 29, Canton, NY 13617 or by phone at 379-9871. Soon, everyone will be able to contact us through YouTube.
We said we were on the side of the City, but the City Administration has made it clear that they don’t want our input. We remain on the side of city residents; where the City Administration stands remains to be seen. So we will hold our own meetings and work on these problems ourselves.
So far, 100% of the persons who gave us permission to review their grant work think that the City was dramatically overcharged for the work done. 100% chose the same culprit. 100% felt that someone had something to hide. 100% were forced to forgo something originally promised in their scope of work, usually top-priority plumbing or electrical work.
Ogdensburg citizens, I’d forget City Hall and write directly to the Governor or the Comptroller of the State of NY. Many voices together may get some help from the top. An extensive audit of all the financial records with fraud detection protocols by the State of NY is necessary to untangle this mess.
Additionally, we’re seeking volunteer architects and professional engineers from outside the area to come and perform assessments of grant-funded homes. Their reports would be invaluable in assisting the State and Federal governments to do something positive and logical with ALL THAT MONEY.
We must be getting somewhere, because somebody wants to gain access to the inner workings of our website. Somebody wants to shut us down, and keeps trying.
Thanks to all the Ogdensburg residents for the mail and phone calls we’ve had so far. It means a lot to us.
Pat Biggs
Lets go back to all the houses torn down and the salavge. The contents and distiibution .... Scorria and Woods profiting ... remenber the home with a package of replacement windows that went to Woods buddy for $$$ and they were caught ... Scorria then summond Silver to protect Woods.They were two peas in a pod until it was to much for the public to swallow!!!!
Hey there 9:37, was there anything published or documented on these actions of Justin? Was it brought up to city council and when?
Thanks
the person with the biggest entitlement mentality in Ogdensburg is Jim Oneal and Augustink if Ogdensburg gets any rehab money he wants it. If they get no rehab money he will charge them administrative fees until Cosmo looses the confidence of the City Manager....oops, he is the City Manager.
For all the good they are doing the city council might as well be bound and gagged...won't cost the taxpayers a dime....remember Grant guy gets a fee for that ...and he is almost done on the binding and gagging ..hey Coz just cut him a check already as this work has passed the code enforcement offices inspection..they did a drive by last week
6/11 11;34 Woods did give replacement windows to a buddy. This salvage went to Richardson in his demo contract. Woods got caught... Scorria came to the rescue with Silver on his side. The 3 made one of those secret deals. Art & Silver talked to council in ex-scession so its now a council gag deal - end of story. Its Arts way of governing!
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