Paranoia [ˌpar.rəˈnoɪ.ə] (adjective: paranoid [ˈpar.rə.noɪd]) is a thought process believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety or fear, often to the point of irrationality and delusion. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs, or beliefs of conspiracy concerning a perceived threat towards oneself. False accusations and the distrust of others also frequently accompany paranoia.
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Generally, people who suffer from a paranoia complex have a mental state where they think everyone is out to get them. In their view, everyone is an enemy and no one is to be trusted. So these people act irrationally, and at times do things that make you question their sanity.
Recently the Shelby-Utica News ran a story about an electronic sweep of Shelby’s municipal offices that was conducted recently. Apparently, believing the place was bugged, Shelby Township Clerk Terri Kowal authorized an outside private investigator (Ricco Investigations) to come in and check the municipal hall for listening devices - or BUGS as they are called by people outside the industry.
WTF? Hiring a private investigator to sweep for bugs?????? Mrs. Kowal really has become weird over the last few weeks.
Mrs. Kowal said she has evidence that her office was bugged? Really? Where is the evidence? She said ceiling tiles were moved and duct tape was hanging down from the ceiling. Oh really? Were any photos take of this security breach? If so, where are the photos? Footprints on the wall? Really? What was the shoe size? More importantly, why weren’t the Shelby Township police notified and called in to investigate this bizarre event?
If Mrs. Kowal thinks that her office was bugged, does she really believe the culprit/culprits would be so sloppy as to leave ceiling tiles moved, footprints on walls, or duct tape hanging? And just who does Mrs. Kowal believe in her own mind bugged her office, and for what reason?
Furthermore, just how would someone go about planting listening devices in the police department? Isn’t there someone in the department 24/7 — and wouldn’t the police notice a strange person walking around the department?
CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?
When you read the Shelby-Utica News article, you will likely be shocked at what the newspaper has reported.
Documents obtained from Freedom of Information Act requests show the sweep was conducted under the request of Shelby Township Clerk Terri Kowal.
“Kowal said it would be authorized and on behalf of whoever,” Riccobono said.
Kowal said she commissioned Riccobono to do the sweep after discussions with now-former Police Chief Robert Leman about security concerns.
While Kowal discussed with him that she was having a sweep done of her office, Leman said, he did not give his official authorization for the sweep prior to being placed on administrative leave Sept. 21.
“There was a discussion but no authorization from me,” Leman said.
Okay, we we have documented proof that Kowal and former Chief Leman tag-teamed this electronic sweep over security concerns? Really. More paranoia? Sure, there may have been no formal authorization from Leman about the sweep (wink-wink...plausible deniability?) but ask yourself this question: Do you think anyone could get access to roam around the police department, planting bugs of all things, without approval from the Chief?
Continuing on:
Joe Riccobono Sr., founder of Ricco Investigations in Utica, performed a search for electronic listening devices in the township clerk’s office, the office of Human Resources Director Lisa Suida and Shelby Township Police Department offices without the authorization of Acting Chief of Police Roland Woelkers or Township Supervisor Richard Stathakis, which Stathakis and Woelkers said would have been proper protocol for the sweeps of the latter two.
“I’m not at liberty to discuss that,” Riccobono said when asked how he gained access to the Police Department without official authorization from the acting police chief or township supervisor.
“I was received and allowed entry,” Riccobono said of the sweep, which occurred Sept. 23. “I can tell you it was an uneventful situation. Nothing was found.”
The $300 charge for the sweep — originally $200, according to Riccobono, but raised to $300 because it was paid by check rather than case — was in the bill run approved by the Board of Trustees Dec. 6.
Okay, so if you are a vendor providing a service to Shelby Township, Terri Kowal has an offer that you can’t refuse. First get approval for $200 and then raise your fee by 100% because the township has to pay the bill by check instead of cash? Does this mean if a contractor does road work for $600,000 they will get the same opportunity to double the bill to $1.2 million if you pay by check instead of cash?
This cash for services arrangement that Mrs. Kowal made with her P.I. friend Joe Riccobono stinks!!!
Here is more from the story:
Along with the police offices, a sweep of human resources was done without the authorization of the supervisor, who is the top executive overseeing that department.
“I didn’t know anything about human resources,” Kowal said. “(Human Resources Director Lisa Suida) asked if she could have her phone checked because it wasn’t working properly.”
There was no police supervision of the sweep in the Human Resources Department, and Stathakis said he did not know about it until the Oct. 8 email that Kowal sent to Woelkers.
“My concern is that this was not done in an upfront manner,” Stathakis said. “This was something that should have been communicated to me by the chief of police [Leman] or by those with whom he discussed this matter.”
Stemming from his interviews with Kowal after the sweep, Woelkers submitted a memo Nov. 18 to Stathakis that stated the reason Kowal had not informed the supervisor was that “the supervisor would be the last person she would tell about the electronic sweep that was conducted on September 23.”
Kowal said she did not recall making the statement.
“I’ve tried to get as many answers as I could from the clerk’s office, and I’m not having much success,” Stathakis said.
So Mrs. Kowal doesn’t think she has to inform the top elected official of the township about a security breach? The former police chief concurs with Kowal and does not communicate a possible breach to the Supervisor either? Does this make any sense? Kowal said she does not recall making the statement about not needing to tell the Supervisor. So is Terri Kowal calling Acting Chief Woelkers a liar?
Furthermore, we wonder what Mrs. Kowal would be telling the newspapers had Mr. Stathakis, or even Treasurer Paul Viar, conducted an electronic sweep of the Financial Management offices without Kowal’s knowledge. Since Mrs. Kowal supervises this department, and given her eagerness to trash people in the press, it is likely that she would have an entirely different spin on this entire weird incident.
Interestingly, just a few weeks ago, when she was asked about this electronic sweep by Shelby This Week’s host Phil Nye, Kowal implied that there was nothing wrong with it. Just a simple request. Further, she tried to brush all the concerns about this off as no big deal, since she has the authority (by Board edict) to spend up to a specific amount of tax dollars without Board approval anyway.
Mrs. Kowal thinks she can spend our precious tax dollars on any frivolous item she thinks that she “needs” as long as the amount stays below the threshold of Board approval? Even if that means our tax dollars are wasted because someone has a paranoia complex and thinks people are listening to her in her township office?
We find it amusing that those in our township who oppose democracy — the “Save Shelby, Status Quo, Liberal Spending Liars Society” have tried to say that the Board has forced Mrs. Kowal to leave. That is a lie. Mrs. Kowal voluntarily sought another taxpayer-funded job in another community, taking advantage of her lifetime health care benefits paid for by Shelby taxpayers. Nobody is forcing Mrs. Kowal to leave. This is a decision she made, voluntarily, because she has said the new job is a great career move.
The Save Shelby crew could really give a damn what the taxpayers think — and have showed great contempt for the taxpayers in all their ridiculous outbursts and nasty attacks for three years. Save Shelby associates Trustee Lisa Manzella and Clerk Terri Kowal have fed this group’s hunger for attacks upon our Board of Trustees. This group claims that they care about the township, but we all know that the only thing the Save Shelby crew cares about is power, power and more power. The Save Shelby message can be summarized as follows: “To hell with Shelby taxpayers, we are more important!”
Well, as a majority of residents have proven, the Save Shelby vision for Shelby Township is NOT one shared by a majority of residents. The Save Shelby agenda will result in sweetheart contracts, higher union pensions, and grossly higher spending all paid for by Shelby Township taxpayers. The Save Shelby gang will deny all this, of course, but when you look at what they want to do, the end result will always be higher spending and higher taxes.
Getting back to Terri Kowal, we hope that she curtails much of the stupidity which has tainted her last few months in office. Chances are her new employer will see no value in obsessed paranoia and will consider some of Kowal’s follies unsuitable for the taxpayers of Auburn Hills.
We also have this final piece of advice (warning) for our friends who live and work in Auburn Hills: Beware of Terri Kowal. Because what you see is definitely NOT what you get!
Until next time...
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