Comparing Supervisor Stathakis to Adolf Hitler Proves Trustee Lisa Manzella’s Poisonous Politics

We all know that politics can be a very dirty game.  It is sometimes called a contact sport where the stronger the hit (or cheap shot) on your opponent, the better.

Some politicians (and political wannabees) prefer to attack rather than stand on their own record.  These people are more comfortable tearing down an opponent, often by any means necessary, than standing up and explaining their own record.

This is especially true when you are a closet liberal in a township comprised of conservative Republicans. The closet liberal we speak of is Trustee Lisa Manzella.

Schooled in Maccarone-style politics (much like Chicago-style politics), Manzella repeatedly attacks those with whom she disagrees, often with nasty personal comments.   It doesn’t matter if you are a resident or a fellow elected official.  Anyone she doesn’t like (for whatever reason) becomes her prey.

Everyone knows now much Trustee Manzella loves using Facebook to smear our township.  We have published many of her more colorful comments in previous Inside Out posts.  We also know how Mrs. Manzella goes on Facebook during township Board meetings to express her hatred for other officials.  We discussed this in our June 29, 2011 Inside Out.  Her favorite attack target has been, and remains, Shelby Supervisor Rick Stathakis.

At the July 5, 2011 Board meeting, resident Bob Vavro came to the podium to confront Manzella about her Facebook fanaticism.  Specifically, Mr. Vavro was speaking about a post, published on the Inside Out, which clearly shows how Mrs. Manzella influenced resident Tom Delise to refile recall petitions after the previous recall flopped.  At first, Mr. Delise said he would keep the issue alive until the next election, which he said was 17 months away.  However, after being prodded by Manzella in a written post, Delise said he was “all for it” and went ahead and refiled the Save Shelby recall petitions.

When she was confronted with this information at the July 5th Board meeting, Mrs. Manzella LIED.  She said “that is not a direct quote from me” as Mr. Vavro read the Facebook post.  Manzella even went so far as to say she never wrote about 200 volunteers.  Really?

Below we are reprinting the Facebook discussion that Mr. Vavro was referencing.  Read it yourself: 

Based on what you see above, did Lisa Manzella write this Facebook post or not?  Did she talk about 200 volunteers or not?  Did she encourage Mr. Delise to refile recall petitions or not?

If, as Manzella said at the July 5, 2011 meeting, she didn’t write it, then somebody hacked into her Facebook account.  However, if she did write it and then denied doing so, wouldn’t that be considered lying?

You will note, based upon the Facebook date and time stamp, that Manzella’s puke talk was posted at 7:56 p.m. on June 21st.  There was a televised Board meeting that night, the Board was discussing a $50,000 fence for the police building parking lot and township resident Dub Hearon was speaking about this topic.  This was a serious discussion, and yet Manzella felt she just had to go on Facebook at this time to complain about her upset stomach.  Instead of listening to the people, Manzella decided that she had more important things to do.

Given past exposure about her Facebook rants, you would think that Mrs. Manzella would demonstrate some educated restraint.  Can you imagine what would happen if Supervisor Stathakis or Treasurer Viar went on Facebook during a public meeting?  It would likely be front page in the Macomb Daily.  Remember, Manzella is using a computer (paid for by taxpayers), to go on Facebook during a public meeting (paid for by taxpayers) and getting a Trustee salary (paid for by taxpayers).  Is this appropriate and professional conduct for an elected official?

Public debate in a democracy is healthy.  However, using a word like Nazi to describe fellow residents is, in our view, too extreme for public discourse.  Sadly, it seems the “N” word is not too extreme for Lisa Manzella to use in her dialogue.  After getting home from the July 5th meeting (at least she waited until the meeting was over this time) Manzella went on Facebook and posted the following on the Save Shelby recall Facebook page:

 What did Manzella just write?  We had to read it again to make sure!

“Oh no she didn’t,” was our initial reaction.

Oh yes she did!

Trustee Lisa Manzella, in a Facebook post on Tuesday, July 5th, actually tried to draw a parallel between two “leaders”:  Supervisor Rick Stathakis, the leader of Shelby Township, and Germany’s Adolf Hitler, the leader of the Nazi regime.  Since Mr. Stathakis accurately called Save Shelby’s failed recall a “distraction” at a time when there are so many other pressing issues facing our township, she used this word as the basis for what she called “parallels”?

WTF!!!!!!!  Trustee Manzella doesn’t care what anyone thinks about what she does or says?  She must feel that she has the right to do anything at any time, and say anything about anyone without being held accountable.  This Facebook post should prove that Manzella has lost all sense of decency.

Adolf Hitler was the most evil man to ever walk the Earth.  Hitler murdered millions of men, women and children simply because they were of Jewish faith.  Adolf Hitler wanted to create a uniform race under his control by any means necessary.  How can Manzella possibly imply parallels between Hitler and his death camps and Supervisor Stathakis?

Perhaps Mrs. Manzella should have walked on one of the death marches from Nazi concentration camps, where prisoners, including young children, were forced to walk half-naked over long distances – with the certainty of death staring them in the face.

Manzella may want to travel in the shoes of people who were just like us – living their lives, laughing, enjoying, paying bills, kissing and loving, playing with our children — who began their days as regular citizens and ended their days as lampshades or piles of hair and gold teeth.

Manzella should walk the fields where Jews were starved to death, stripped naked in front of their fathers, mothers, friends and neighbors, humiliated and ridiculed, their heads shaved and forced to run around for Nazi entertainment before being shot to death and dumped into mass graves.

Manzella should walk the terrifying road where Jews trembled with fear as they were pushed into buildings where they entered as mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers and children — and exited as ash piles.

We may have gotten used to Lisa Manzella’s nasty political attacks.  However, this time it is our assessment that she has gone WAY TOO FAR.

Her obscene and insensitive Hitler comparison is much more worrisome than calling Mr. Stathakis corrupt.  This comparison is bigger than saying Mr. Stathakis is out of touch and doesn’t represent the residents.  This is more callous than calling Mr. Stathakis evil.

Manzella claims to love Shelby, and yet seems to enjoy throwing excrement at our township.

Let’s be very clear.  All elected officials, regardless of political party, do dumb things once in a while (as evidenced by Manzella’s Facebook rants).  All politicians get lame ideas from time to time.  Elected officials are not perfect.

However, unless Supervisor Stathakis kills 6 million people for having “inferior genes” (and we all know that will never happen) it would be smart for Trustee Lisa Manzella to choose her words, and her historical comparisons, more carefully.

Until next time...