Council Minority Leader: GOP is Party of 'Cartoons & Buffoons'

The Middletown Republican Town Committee leadership offered a final plea Tuesday night for a mayoral candidate at the continued town committee meeting — and came up empty-handed.

When the city's GOP nominated its slate for the November election on July 16, the convention was in fact recessed until July 23, then reconvened Tuesday evening — which left chairman Ken McClellan calling three times for mayor candidates from the floor.

None came forth.

Absent from the meeting were longtime GOP councilmen Minority Leader Philip J. Pessina and former Deputy Mayor Joe Bibisi, whose party failed to nominate both for re-election last week.

Pessina sent a letter to Middletown Patch on Tuesday evening titled, "Failure to Put Middletown First Leads to Mediocrity in the Party."

In it, he charges some behind-the-scenes actions from the former mayor. 

Here is an excerpt from his statement:

"Shortly after being elected for my third term on Common Council, assuming the role of minority leader and witnessing a Republican administration led by former Mayor Seb Giuliano, who created a confrontational style of government within our city, both Councilman Joe Bibisi and I knew it was an opportunity for us to take a new leadership role for our Republican party, transitioning our city government to work more cooperatively, collaboratively within a bipartisan framework; essentially committing ourselves to making “Middletown First,” each within our own parties and our own leadership roles!

"Mediocrity and politics at its best started to rear its ugly head at various Republican Town Committee meetings and especially over the past seven months, which unfortunately I could not attend as they always seemed to conflict with my various Council Committee assignments.  

"I often notified our RTC secretary, sending my apologies due to my council commitments and responsibilities; putting Middletown First! I then became my Republican party’s target of unfounded accusations, especially during the restructuring of our city government creating the Office of General Counsel. 

"Our party has been and continues to be a party of 'Cartoons & Buffoons!'

"This political pressure was led by our former Mayor Giuliano, who wrote in an email on Jan. 29, in which he states his personal opinion to pressure the party to vote not in the best interest of Middletown, but to support his personal political agenda. His words were clear, ' ... municipal elections loom. Any Republican who votes in favor of these resolutions is putting the entire Republican ticket in an untenable position. The mayoral candidate — whoever it may be — will be compelled to run against positions supported by such councilpersons. As such, it will be impossible for them to be on the same ticket.  

"We cannot have a situation where members of the slate are criticizing Democratic initiatives and other members of the same slate are defending them. For me, I cannot support the recommendations of the “blue ribbon panel” in general, but any proposal to remake the legal department into anything other than an office of lawyers being lawyers and functioning in accordance with the Code of Professional Responsibility is especially troubling.  

"I therefore intend to oppose such initiatives, as well as the renomination of any incumbent councilpersons who vote in favor thereof.”

"With this email, Seb’s interest for Middletown is his own best interest, filled with mediocrity and personal politics; NOT putting “Middletown First” but attacking a senior councilperson, Joe Bibisi, who served as his deputy mayor for three terms faithfully.  

"He now has set the stage for Joe and I not to be renominated for this fall’s Republican ticket! I suggest that if he is willing to do that and disregard personal friendships and commitments, what will he do to our city residents when they don’t happen to agree with his proposals?

Mediocrity reared its ugly head again, as a result of a conversation between Seb and I at a caucus meeting. I informed him of my disappointment with his email, advising him his words and actions are destructive to the party.  

"His example of healing was him standing up at a town committee meeting, raising four fingers, stating to me, 'We just need four members on the council and no one should feel comfortable in their council positions'

"I was and still am perplexed by the amount of resistance to the mergers which have been made and planned for by a Democratically-controlled council supporting conservatism in government. Why as Republicans would we not support the merger?

"Giuliano said, 'Remember, we are guaranteed four spots on the council no matter who we run, so no one should feel safe or that their spot is guaranteed.'

During GOP interviews, a tainted process, I asked Bill Wilson, vice chairman of the Republican Party, why we would not put forth our strongest council slate, headed by Joe and I, who have been the top Republican vote-getters, especially during a time when two of the Democratic Council members are retiring? 

"Did I provide the service and honest approach to government, knowing that I have truly helped our city of Middletown move forward for the right reasons — putting Middletown First?'"

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