Caught in another lie? UPDATED

I couldn't decide on that title or "The Dumbest Thing Dave Ever Said." I was not at Tuesday's commission meeting, nor had time to watch the videos, but I did read Matt Santoni's Mt. Lebanon seeks deer decree.

Kristen Linfante was not at Tuesday's meeting, but municipal staff could not verify the whereabouts of the private hunt. Chief McDonough had not heard of any complaints about hunters or wounded deer. Even Kristen also could not identify where her hunt was taking place. Hence the title of this blog posting.

According to the article, we're back up to six locations for hunting; Iroquois Park, the golf course, Bird, Robb Hollow, McNeilly, and in the conservation area off of Connor Road which must be 50 yards away from nearby homes and 150 yards from schools and playgrounds. Isn't there a playground in Iroquois Park? Neighbors will not be notified by letter. It would be too much work and not effective. I bet the Recreation Department could handle that. They contacted 8,000 residents and non-residents when they were soliciting non-municipal funds for the turf project. But according to Dave Brumfield,

“The minute people get a letter from us and see it's not a tax bill, they're going to throw it out,” said Commissioner Dave Brumfield." [Dumbest thing he ever said.]

Residents will be notified via LeboALERT, postings around the killing fields and through the municipal website.

January 15, 2015 7:45 PM The Almanac reports in their article,  Mt. Lebanon still hopes to thin deer population

Mt. Lebanon Police Chief Coleman McDonough said the municipality had qualified five employees for bow hunting on public land and could qualify as many as seven more before the permit application is approved.

The archery hunt was to begin on December 26, 2014 with 20 municipal employees participating. None had been vetted. As of January 13, 2015, the municipality only had vetted five employees with potentially seven more before the permit application is approved.  Was the lack of tags the real issue or couldn't they find anyone who qualified?

In the Post-Gazette's Mt. Lebanon ready to begin deer hunt, only Kelly Fraasch was thinking about residents.

Commissioner Kelly Fraasch asked if letters could be sent to residents who live near likely places for the archery hunt.

It's in the news

Matt Santoni is reporting Mt. Lebanon residents reportedly plan private deer hunt. The question of the day is...well, I won't go there. Kristen Linfante is on record saying that it is happening and she is encouraging more of it.

I tried to inform the school district today about the hunt. In an email sent to the school board, superintendent, commission and municipal manager:

Since the Commission's School Board Liaison Kristen Linfante is going on a leave of absence, I wanted to bring this to your attention. This is a walking community, and the district has identified safe walking routes. Every street in Mt. Lebanon is listed. Here are the recommended safe walking routes. "For students in elementary school, locate your school map and find your address. You may then follow the blue arrows to the school." Following the blue arrows takes on a whole new meaning now, doesn't it?

Elaine Gillen

I only heard back from Kristen Linfante.

Dear Ms Gillen, 

I am not sure where you heard that I am on a leave of absence. You are mistaken. I am not. Please check the commission meeting video of January 5 where a clear explanation of my circumstances is available. I am facing a serious medical issue which *may* cause me to have to miss some meetings. For the sake of transparency, I wanted to make this known in the event that I do, in fact, miss any meetings. That is all.

As always, thanks for your good wishes, especially during this very challenging time. 

Best regards, 

Kristen Linfante
Commissioner, Ward 3

Of course I would hear from Kristen. Where is everyone else? Why isn't anyone calling her on this? Is there a freaking hunt or isn't there? Instead of condoning Kristen's efforts to terrorize parents with a secret cull, why didn't any commissioners put her on the spot during the discussion session? Was/Is there a hunt in reality or just in Kristen's mind? Why didn't Kristen say that, as school board liaison, she had it covered with the school district? No, I am mistaken. How did I ever get the idea that Kristen was taking a leave of absence? Why are our leaders putting up with this behavior?

Steve Feller was quoted in the Trib as saying, "There is no requirement for property owners to notify or consult with municipal officials about hunting.” Should property owners notify the school district, in order to update safe walking routes? Obviously, it isn't exciting school board president Larry Lebowitz and it is nothing for Timmy to tweet about. Mt. Lebanon is totally insane. Welcome to Mt. Looneytown.

Q&A about Kristen's Hunt UPDATED 2X

I emailed Commissioner Kelly Fraasch today, hoping to get some answers. Here is the email saved in Google Docs.

Kelly,

I am sorry that I chose to miss last night's meeting. It sounds like it was a humdinger! I am hearing lots of rumors and I have lots of questions. I hope you can answer them for me and clear up any rumors.

Where is the hunt occurring that Kristen spoke of last night?
Who was responsible for getting the program up and running? How did they do it?
Did other commissioners know about it? Did you know about it? Did Steve Feller know about it? The Chief? Public Works?
When we had the deer culling in 2006-08, Public Works was responsible for visiting the killing fields to make sure that the area was cleaned up. Is this being done for the private cull?
Who is responsible if there is an accident?
Have there been any complaints or reports concerning this activity?
The video of the meeting has not been posted. Is it being pulled?

Elaine Gillen

Kelly's response:

Hi Elaine,

First, I was very surprised last night hearing about such a program potentially being conducted. I didn't know anything about it.

I will say someone did ask me about conducting such a program (months ago) and I referred them to our Police Chief for information.
I never heard it amounted to anything, but if I did, I would have notified my fellow Commissioners and the staff right away.
I do believe if the staff knew about a serious inquiry or program actually being conducted they would have shared that information with the full Commission.
Even though we have no say as a municipality, I believe we all should have knowledge about such a program being conducted to help address any questions.

I am gathering from emails from Steve Feller that our staff is not aware of any program actually being conducted.
So that leads to your first question, where? I don't know and I am not 100% one is actually being conducted or was conducted in recent weeks.

Who was responsible for getting the program up and running? A private property owner can seek permission from the Game Commission without the municipality being notified.
However common sense would be with all of the municipality's communications with the PA Game Commission in recent weeks we would certainly hear about an inquiry or program within our neighborhoods.
Again, I am saying that would make sense, but I could be wrong.

Other Commissioners know? I don't know for sure, but I will say a couple of them looked just as surprised as I was.

I received an email earlier from Steve Feller and he indicated that he did not know about a program being conducted.
Chief McDonough was on the email chain and he didn't indicate that he had knowledge of such a program being conducted.

A couple of these I will need to verify with Phil.
Your next question is a guess, but if the program is on private land than all costs, maintenance and liability would be on that private property owner.
I checked with Phil, and it appears this is correct.

Who is responsible if there is an accident? My guess is the property owners that are hosting the program and complied with the Game Commission.
Information from Phil, Mt Lebanon has no liability to any accidents and therefore cannot also regulate any such program.

We have had complaints and notifications of potential hunting in Robb Hollow and McNeilly this year, but that is all that I have heard about.
When tree stands were discovered in McNeilly I alone heard from a handful of people, so I don't think someone can conduct a program without some neighbor being aware.
Obviously Steve Feller would know if complaints had come in, and again, he clearly stated by email that he had no knowledge of such a program being conducted in Mt Lebanon.

I am not sure why the video isn't up, but probably later today. If not by the end of the day, I will inquire.

You are not the only person inquiring about this issue today, so I will try and get back to you with any information as soon as I can.

This is my individual opinion that the PA Game Commission has regulations and rules for hunting but not for communities like Mt Lebanon.
All of these questions, which are basic/appropriate need to be addressed by the Game Commission.

The regulations/restrictions the Game Commission does have could be very appropriate for places that have acreage, but most definitely we cannot compare to such demographics with our smaller property sizes.
I hope the PA Game Commission will make amendments/review their process and program and seek some clarification on hunting regulations for places like Mt Lebanon. Obviously we cannot be the only community in PA trying to seek clarification and address these issues.

I am copying Phil if he has anything to add.

Best, Kelly

As of 5:49 PM on Tuesday, January 6, 2015, there are no meeting videos available. I did not hear anything from Phil Weis.

Update January 7, 2015 8:29 AM Latest email exchange with Kristen Linfante.

Update January 7, 2015 9:03 AM This is the last email exchange that I will be adding to the blog today, since I am just "fanning her flames." Kristen Linfante 8:52 AM email