Letter: Fired Public Works Director Fires Back at Manchester Government

An open letter to the Manchester Town Council:

Over the course of the past 2 weeks I provided each of you with a substantial amount of documentation that should have been of great concern to all you. I provided each of you with responses to many of the fraudulent charges levied against me by the Mayor. I provided each of you with more than 100 pages of the TRUTH which all of you chose to ignore. You were not elected to be ignorant of the truth; you were elected to uphold it. You took an oath, repeating words that you have long since forgotten.

Under the Faulkner Act you have a "statutory obligation" to the residents of Manchester to investigate any allegation that relates to the possible misuse of public funds, violations of the Administrative Code, or actions that may be criminal in nature. That same obligation extends to a Township employee who has been made the victim of unfounded charges resulting from a 7 month long witch hunt that cost Manchester taxpayers more than $100,000. Have you betrayed the public's trust? Have you forgotten what took place 20 years ago? Is history now repeating itself?

It appears you have turned a deaf ear to the truth.  You know there are things on the list I provided that may be true. You know I am innocent of the charges made against me—why else would I be denied the right to defend myself? You know there are things going on in town hall that defy reason.

Realize this, the truth isn't relative. The truth isn't relative to who runs for Mayor in 2014. It's not relative to one's political aspirations or to their family members. The truth is not relative to anything at all, yet it seems you have allowed it to be. The truth is the truth, and it cannot be ignored. It's far easier for the Council to accept a lie than it is to dig for the truth—that requires effort, even if it is your sworn duty to do so.

Today my employment with Manchester Township has been unlawfully terminated after 18 years of service. However, today is NOT my last day. These are NOT my final words. The list I provided you with is not all. I have been a witness to many things over the past 18 years, and the ignorance which stemmed from unfettered loyalty to the Mayor is now gone as I have become a victim of his treachery. Et tu, Mayor?

I refuse to allow your ignorance to stand in the way of the truth. As I stated repeatedly in the documents provided you, I am confident that the truth supports my defense, and eventually I will be able to make my case before a body that is sworn to uphold the truth and punish those that ignore it. I thought the Council was such a body, one that met its obligations and held the truth in high regard.  Truth be told, none of you should even consider being a mayoral candidate in 2014. Truth be told.   

Stephen Stanziano, CPWM, PWLF

Director, Department of Public Works