More residents come forward after being mistreated by Hohenleitner because of different views

A personal note to my readers:

I've heard from many of you regarding my posts.  While many of you appreciate the independent detail I provide, some have commented that I should not be talking about a neighbor this way. I agree neighbors should be nice to each other.  And that's precisely why I started this blog.  You see, I am not mistreating a neighbor, I’m reporting how another neighbor, and an elected official has mistreated her neighbors.   While some believe we should not talk about the bad acts of others, I think you have the right to know what I witnessed firsthand over several years on council.  I don’t think it’s right for elected officials in a small town to treat their constituents the way this one has for years.  The fact that most of it was done behind the scenes, creating a false image for the public just doesn't seem right to me.

Having such a politicized person makes residents afraid to speak out because they fear there will be some form of retribution merely because they disagree with that official.  Intimidation should never be tolerated.  We don’t tolerate bullies in school, why should we tolerate them in Borough Hall?

Sometimes we want to blame the messenger, but if we take a step back and look at what the messenger is disclosing, we may realize that our disagreement isn't with the messenger. It’s with the person doing the bad acts that are brought forth for all to see.  If you notice, I really haven't discussed the other candidates of either party because they don’t have the record of mistreating residents that this one does.  We should demand better from our elected officials.

The following is a resident who was removed from a planning board position merely because she had different views than our councilwoman.  I can attest that this did happen as I was aware of the discussion as it occurred that December.  Why reward officials who treat their neighbors this way?

The following is from another resident who was mistreated by Ms. Hohenleitner.  This has become a pattern that needs to stop.

Steve

“Sometime in 2021, I was asked if I would be interested in joining the town planning board. At that time, I was unsure of what would be required of me. I had over 25 years’ experience as an owner of an interior design company, and I had built several homes. I felt I could bring our town some continuity and keep its timeless beauty, so I accepted the position after much thought.

On December 29th, 2021, I received a note of congratulations from Richard Colangelo, the chairman of the planning board for being selected to as a volunteer. About a week later I received a call from the mayor.  She told me that when Lori saw my name as an appointee to the planning board position, in her words "she threw a fit".  The mayor went on to ask me “What on earth did I do to Lori Hohenleitner?”

My response was "Lori who?”, I said she must have me confused with someone else as I do not know her. The mayor went on to say that Lori was yelling "did you see her social media?” Lori claimed that I had responded 35 times to her husband on social media.

This never happened. But I was curious as to who her husband was as I did not know him either.

The mayor was then told by the borough attorney that this isn't the hill to die on and to go along with Lori Hohenleitner to keep the peace. I was so disappointed that someone would be allowed to make up lies about me and prevent me from volunteering in the town in which I live and prevent me from adding something positive based on my work experience.

Upon finding out that I was kicked off the planning board by Lori Hohenleitner, I decided to send her a message on Facebook messenger asking her to show proof of such accusations because I was sure I did not know her or her husband. I asked her to apologize and retract since I felt a terrible wrong had occurred. My social media is a private account so I don't know what if anything there might have concerned her. I did have a support the police sign as well as a Trump sign in my front yard. I am a registered independent and I am not politically involved in our town. My neighbor was a council candidate, so maybe she saw them when visiting her home.  Who knows?

Lori replied to my Facebook message and said she would be happy to discuss the appointment with me. She gave me her number to call. I was happy that we might rectify the wrong that had occurred, so I immediately called and called and called - no answer.  Later I advised her that I tried to call and call and if possible, would she be able to just reply to my message with her accusation about me show some sort of proof...or just apologize as I am not a public official, just a tax paying private citizen and do not want my name or reputation to be slandered. She claimed to be on the phone whenever I called. She never tried to call me.

The next day I still didn't get a reply from her and once again, I asked for a response to this completely unacceptable behavior. Several days went by and she still hadn't responded. I went through all my Facebook posts, and I have never said anything that would have been a problem for anyone. Nor did I respond to any message 35 times. Why wouldn’t she follow through with her promise to call me?

About a month later (February 2022), I decided to attend a council meeting and get some answers in person. When the opportunity came, I stood up and spoke. It was very difficult as I thought that was really being wronged and the fact that she ignored my calls after telling me to call her made me very uncomfortable now showing up in person.  Having to ask her directly what happened at a council meeting was difficult for me after the way I had been treated. At that point the borough attorney said the conversation was discussed in executive session and couldn't be discussed in public. She once again refused to explain her accusations without merit. In fact, Jon Crowley who was on the planning board acted like he had never heard my name before even though I was an appointee with my name on the agenda just a month ago. I went home disgusted and disappointed with how I was treated.

A few months later I was picking up lunch in Highlands, sitting in my truck and Lori happened to walk past my car. Still upset and uncomfortable from the whole experience, I decided to ask again. So, I rolled my window down and said “Excuse me...I don't know you and you really don't know me” she agreed... and I went on to say I was removed from the planning board because of things she said about me...I asked her why? She told me I would have to speak to the mayor and went on to say we were not having this conversation and she abruptly left. I guess our town officials don't have to answer us taxpaying folk.

As hard as it is to get volunteers for many of the important committees and functions of our town, I just can’t understand why someone would target a resident who wants to help and then not have the decency to explain why. We are all neighbors after all.  We should treat each other that way.

I am convinced that the evidence points to her disagreeing with my political viewpoint, essentially being censored for my views.  It is so upsetting to be targeted and removed from a position that I qualified for, simply because of a political point of view, especially since I kept it to myself and never insulted or spoke poorly of anyone that disagreed with me.  We are all entitled to our opinions, and I respect the right to hold such opinions even when they are not ones I share. 

Today you won't find a sign in front of my home, and I am reluctant to join any committees for the sheer fact that there are those who just cannot accept that your thoughts and ideas may differ than theirs. It’s a shame really. I would have loved to be part of the planning board, helping to make something better for everyone.”