Pretenders Beware - We Are the REAL Voice of Shelby Township!

Free speech is a fantastic right we enjoy as Americans.  Republicans, Democrats and Independents all enjoy the right to say what we want (within reason) without fear of retaliation.

In our democracy, you are free to be as informed and educated as necessary on the topics and issues you speak about.  You are also free to be as ill-informed and ignorant as you want.  Being a moron has as much protection under the U.S. Constitution as does being Nobel Prize recipient.

One way of circulating ideas, thoughts, opinions, criticisms and gripes in the 21st Century is via the Internet.  And today, thanks to the awesome power of the Internet, a valuable tool of choice for those of us who are passionate about the freedom of speech is the use of web logs like this.  More commonly known as BLOGS.

Rest assured that the writers who coordinate the ideas and insights for The Inside Out live throughout our township.  We are long-time residents, and new residents.  We all share a common ideal: standing up for Shelby Township.  We oppose those seeking to destroy people or tear down our township for the sake of political aspirations.  We reject big spending politicians who will bankrupt our township or force higher taxes on the people.  We also believe, unlike some in our township, that the Board of Trustees is doing a very good job.  Remember, the times in which we live and the conditions that are being imposed on us are a result of poor leadership at the state level.  Shelby Township, when compared to other communities, is far ahead of any in terms of economic health and financial security.

Despite all the steps that Supervisor Rick Stathakis and the Board of Trustees have taken over the last two years to scale back township spending, does this mean Shelby Township is out of the woods?  No, and most people in our township recognize this.  The number of foreclosures combined with falling incomes poses serious challenges to families and to our township.

Yet some people, still fuming over being thrown out of power two years ago, have decided to throw stones and mud.  They have decided that the best way to advance their agenda is through innuendo, smears and lies.  Their antics remind us a lot of out-of-control children who act up out of frustration because they don't know what else to do.  They throw tantrums just to get attention.

One group has even launched a gripe-session they like to call a blog.  These people falsely claim to be the Voice of Shelby.  Oh sure anyone can claim that they speak for the majority of residents, much like a used car salesman can claim that 15-year-old junker “runs like new.”  The reality, however, is that these people do NOT speak for the majority of people in our township.  They speak for a small, politically-motivated clan full of hubris and hungry for power.

So who is actually behind this allegedly "anonymous" blog calling itself the Voice of Shelby.  Some ordinary township residents???  Far from it.  Once we were alerted to this blog we did a little research and discovered some interesting facts.

First, we did a Google search of "The Voice of Shelby."  Interestingly enough what popped up among the many results was a website with the title: Theresa Toia is the Voice of Shelby.  This was a site she created for her 2010 County Commission race.  Theresa Toia ... the Voice of Shelby?  No, it can't be that easy can it?

We did a little more poking around on the Internet and found the smoking gun.  There, on our computer screen right before our eyes was a Facebook page which told the whole story.  Click on the first link to make it larger so you can see for yourself.  

On Theresa Toia's County Commission Facebook page was a posting at the top, dated August 17th, 2010 which exposed everything.  It was a message to Toia’s followers (written after her defeat for County Commissioner) and it said:  “Thanks for your support.  We have transformed the website, come check out our new digs!”  Then, right below that was a link to the Voice of Shelby blog.

TRUTH EXPOSED!

Just to have a little fun, we had one of our writers log onto the Voice of Shelby and leave a comment exposing Theresa Toia as the author of the blog.  A short while later that comment had been deleted and our writer was blocked from posting there again.

There was also this posting on Theresa Toia's website for her County Commissioner race, posted on July 7, 2010 at 11:02 p.m:
Theresa Toia for Macomb County Commissioner (District 6) “Hi Friends! When you have a moment, check out my website!”

When you click on the link provided, you are directed to....drum roll please...the Voice of Shelby.

Coincidence?  The Toia group wants you to think so.  But thinking people everywhere can clearly see the direct connection.

Hey Theresa - WE GOT YOU!

While professing to welcome all viewpoints, any opinions that run counter to theirs, or which threaten to expose the real games these people are playing, are unwelcome additions to their site.  As Toia and her clique seek it, democracy is great just as long as everyone agrees with their view of life.

Just for the fun of it we clicked the link and went to their blog.  We were interested to see what Toia's group had to say.  No much, really.  The blog reads like the rantings of a bitter politician who has been rejected by the people.  Given that Mrs. Toia is a two-time loser for County Commissioner, her bitterness toward other elected officials makes sense.  The site is little more than an hate site aimed at Supervisor Stathakis and other Board members.  However, this "Voice" is silent on any criticism of Clerk Terri Kowal or Trustee Lisa Manzella. Why?  Because Kowal and Manzella are friends, and campaign supporters, of Theresa Toia?

We have included a graphic of the Voice of Shelby blog.  What we find interesting is a Facebook comment posted on this site from Clerk Terri Kowal.  Right there, in black and white, is an entry from her dated September 28, 2010.  That was a Tuesday (a working day) and the time of her notation to the "Voice" was 3:28 p.m.  Hmm....doesn't Mrs. Kowal work on Tuesdays at 3:28 p.m.?  Township taxpayers are paying her salary and yet she has time to spend on politically-motivated sites like this?  Is this what Mrs. Kowal gets paid for?  Since Mrs. Kowal obviously enjoys surfing the internet during township time, taxpayers wonder what other websites she visits on our dime?

So what is really going on here?  It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out.

Theresa Toia, and her friends like Lisa Manzella, Skip Maccarone and others, are already engaged in a campaign of deception.  Why?  Because they need a job - and more to their point they desire POWER.  These people are really all about power.  They will say anything to try and convince the people that they want what is best for us.  But is that really the case?

If Theresa Toia and her kind really believe in what is good for Shelby Township residents:
• They would support the current Board that has cut spending dramatically compared to the last Supervisor.  But they will not.
• They would understand how smaller township government, especially during these times, is better for all of us.  But they do not.
• They would recognize how the Board has saved hundreds of thousands of dollars at a time when people in our township are hurting.  But they constantly do not.
• They would recognize that forcing people to pay millions and millions for a “campus” without a public vote was disgraceful.  But they do not.
• They would realize that a majority of Shelby residents are satisfied with the our elected township officials.  But that will NEVER do that. 

Instead, their die hard refusal to accept the will of the people in 2008 lingers like a fart in an elevator.  They have even backed repeated recall attempts to create chaos and lead people to think that the Board that we elected, and that is working for US, is bad.  Their tricks aren't working, because the people see through it all and understand the political dynamics at play here.

So we have a two-time loser for County Commissioner, Theresa Toia, reacting in a way she hopes will connect with people.  There is little doubt that she will connect with like-minded people in her little circle, but her ability to connect with the rest of us is doubtful.  Remember, she couldn't connect as a candidate for County Commissioner - and she had two opportunities to try it.

Probably what is really happening is that Theresa Toia has her eyes set on yet another campaign.  Perennial candidates like her just keep on going.  Perhaps a race for Shelby Township Supervisor?  This might explain why, shortly after losing her County Commissioner race, Mrs. Toia transformed her “new digs” into a website which aims her hate and anger toward Shelby’s Board of Trustees.  Or, at least those Trustees who are not her Facebook buddies.

This could explain why the Toia clan is incessantly attacking Supervisor Rick Stathakis.  These people love to bitch about “negative campaigning” but they are always the first to resort to nasty attacks and negative nonsense to advance their own hate-filled agenda.  Their blog claims that they are an “independent voice for our community” but given her obvious political connections, Mrs. Toia is NOT independent.  She is but one of a group of politically-motivated, self-obsessed people eager to take power back from the people.

Imagine if you will (Twilight Zone music playing) ... if Theresa Toia does get herself elected Supervisor, she could reappoint her husband to the Planning Commission (he resigned from the commission last year).  She could appoint her friends and political supporters to other positions of influence.  And (the kicker) she could hire her close, personal friend and political adviser, Skip Maccarone, as the Shelby Township attorney.

Talk about the ultimate nightmare.  God help Shelby Township if this scenario comes to fruition!

Until next time...