For over 20 years I’ve been highlighting the costs of the endless provisions in the contracts of our town workers in which I have indeed made many enemies. The cops, firefighters and teachers I have lost much respect for because when you vent your concerns regarding their costs and put forward reforms that could cut the approximately $90 Million budget by tens of Millions their attitudes take a nose dive to say the very least.

Recently I have been the subject of a horrible smear campaign in which anonymous flyers have been passed around town that stated that I was a deviant and had a criminal record in which I need to present the truth. Also, because I’m the Republican Mayoral Candidate the Johnston Sun Rise will not allow my commentaries in which I can’t even defend my reputation in which the democratic iron fisted machine that rules our town has been having a field day, but now for the truth. This is the commentary that you will only view on this great site.

To the Editor and Johnston Residents:

In this week's Johnston Sun Rise there was an article, “Filippi fights back” that had to do with some past events in my life in which I need the opportunity to explain the “whole” story. I wanted to submit a commentary to the paper but the policy of the Sun Rise prohibits candidates from submitting commentaries. What happened to me should be a call to arms in which we need to take back our government.

First, over the past 6 weeks there have been flyers distributed around town that showed pictures of me when I was arrested 11 years ago for being disorderly at the once Mario’s Showplace in which I was falsely arrested. Also, the flyer noted that I was arrested for drunk driving in Attleboro which was another false claim. The mayor even jumped into the fray and said, “He attacks every group” and “Obviously, Mr. Filippi has made a lot of enemies” and, even referred to me as a “deviant”.  So who are these groups and enemies that the mayor aligns with? To know the answer I must start at the very beginning when it all began.

About 18 years ago a local firefighter faked a month long back injury in which someone saw him working at his landscaping business in town. The personnel director had pictures taken in which he was fired. However, Mayor Perrotta hired him back because he didn’t want to see all the years of public service go down the drain; he wanted their endorsement. When the individual had his work history examined it was a history of chronic absenteeism and tardiness which in affect had cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands in overtime over his years of employment. At that point I got a copy of their contract in which upon reading I was appalled. That year when I ran for town council I highlighted the outrageous provisions in my campaign literature in which I was told by a group of them that election eve that my house should catch on fire and I should burn to death. Also, I have been told by numerous firefighters over the years that I better pray I‘m never in need of their service; enemy number one indeed.

As for the police, over the years I highlighted various aspects of their contract including costly details that inflate our utility and construction projects, early retirements, Law Enforcement Bill of Rights and criticized speed traps and rolling stops etc… Also, I advocated developing a civilian security system including having private security patrol and respond to accidents etc; enemy number two…

As for other groups that the mayor embraces I believe in safeguarding traditional family values and whenever some pro same sex marriage advocate attacks “God Almighty” claiming the apostils were “ignorant cave dwellers” who “walked around in wooden clogs” in an attempt to promote a lifestyle that according to every clinical study and survey is an absolute self destructive unfulfilling lifestyle that‘s when I put my foot down and tell it the way it is. In fact these so called advocates of tolerance have even tried to get the Johnston Sun Rise stop publishing my commentaries; enemy number three...   

The first time I was victimized by our Police Dept. was about 16 years ago when a car pulled out from a curbside and sideswiped mine. The driver wrote in his report that I had my blinker on so he passed me in the breakdown lane in which he should have been given a citation. I was told by my insurance agent that I needed to go to the station to have them issue a citation so I would be fully compensated for my damages. Chief Tamburini left it to the officer who took the report in which I was told, “I don’t give a bleep what the law says, that’s my bleeping call”; it cost me $850.00. Note: when they are sworn in among their duties is to uphold “all” our laws.     

Also, about 12 years ago I received a bad check in which the police sat on it for over 2 months in which they finally told me the felon had moved and there was nothing they could do. However about a month later a lawyer told me that the police should have gone to the bank to get a forwarding address. When I told the detectives I was going to make note of it in my campaign literature I got my money 3 days later. Also, one election eve about 14 years ago a cop had pocked his finger in my chest as he was complaining that I wanted to take his job away in which I had bruises that next day and now for Mario‘s..

In 2001 an old friend and I stopped in for a drink on the way home from a fund raiser. It was a Saturday night and our wife’s were working. We walked in and sat down and the stripper immediately came over and was very aggressive in which I felt very embarrassed. I frantically looked in my wallet for a dollar to get rid of her but my smallest bill was a $20 in which I than put my wallet away and asked my buddy for a dollar. As he was going into his pocket 3 bouncers came over and told us to leave. I asked what we had done wrong and he just repeated himself in which I asked again at which point we were grabbed and shoved to the back door where I was thrown down a flight of cement steps as my buddy was slammed onto the top landing in which a few days later he received surgery to his elbow, we were both in our early 50‘s. As we walked around to our cars I kept asking what happened as I was still in shark. He told me because I put my wallet back the stripper took that as an insult and signaled the bouncers to remove us. At our cars we were looking at our injuries as I wanted to go to the station but he didn’t want to because he thought my wife would blame him for going there. Within 10 minutes 3 cops arrived. As I told the cop what happened he said, “I know you.” “I read your stuff” and “I know how you feel about my men.” When I asked for his name he put his badge in my face and said, “Remember that number because you discuss me” and we were arrested. We were victims of 3 very brutal bouncers in which we sustained severe injuries and “we” were arrested. At the station they would not let me call my wife and when I requested medical attention when the rescue came I was handed a gores pad and ice pad as my face was badly broken with blood everywhere, which could clearly be seen in the pictures. Also, over the course of that night the police continuously asked me over the intercom if I wanted “change for a dollar.” My buddy is diabetic and needed something to eat because he was getting the shakes and all they did was asked him if he wanted a banana, like a monkey in a cage.

The following day when my wife came to get me, after crying all night and thinking I was dead, we went to the emergency room in which the doctor had to take an x-ray of my face to see if there were any broken bones. In the police report the stripper stated that the big bald headed guy flicked his fingers at her breast; which he did not. However, in court the stripper said that I was the one who flicked my fingers at her and that when the bouncers told me to leave I jumped from my seat and threw punchers at them. However, when the bouncer took the stand he stated that when he asked me to leave “I left the building in a gentlemanly fashion.” At that very moment the judge placed his hand over his heart and said he didn’t feel well and stopped the trial. 

A week later the case was dismissed; “thrown out of court,” and the town solicitor hoped there would be no hard feelings. Also, in the police report it stated that we were intoxicated, which we were not, yet wasn’t given any alcohol related tests to prove otherwise.  Also, after my car was towed a cop went back to the tow company and took the ignition key off my key ring which would cost about $35.00 to replace. I was told a few days later it was “in the officer’s ashtray”.

Let me also mention, when my son was just about 5 years of age he ran out of the back yard and went next door to play with his little buddy. We rang their door bell several times but they couldn’t hear because they were downstairs. My wife and I were beside ourselves. At that time there were attempted abductions in East Providence and Woonsocket. When the cop came to the house we thought it was odd at the time but he wouldn’t look at me and directed his questions at my wife; I didn’t realize at that time just how low they could be; my son was missing and all he was thinking about was his job and benefits who was the same cop who arrested me at Mario’s.  

As for operating a vehicle under the influence 3 years ago in South Attleboro, yes, shame on me for drinking to much that night but “I did not drive my car as the flyer claimed.” My wife was working and I couldn’t reach my sons and had items in my car so I didn’t want to leave it unattended. I thought I’d make the best of a bad situation but it was cold so I started it to keep warm. I thought if I could sleep for a few hours I’d be okay to drive home. After about an hour I heard banging on my door and a cop telling me to get the bleep out. When I opened the door I was dragged out and pushed to the squad car. I have arthritis in both knees and as I was falling and tried to brace myself I was hit with a night stick across my face in which my nose was severely bleeding and received stitches over my eye. In the report it stated that I hit my face on his door. One of the cops involved was later thrown off the force for unlawfully using a police taser and the other who had numerous allegations of brutality is still on the force because his father is in a higher command.

In closing, over the course of our country’s history fellow Americans had given their lives and limbs so we could have freedoms to express our concerns but many of our state and local governments have been taken over by ruthless unions who have aligned themselves with extremely liberal groups who if they had their way there would be no such freedoms… Realizing the unions and the Democratic Party are one in the same when they distributed those flyers and outright lies it clearly demonstrated just how little respect they have for our town’s residents in which voters should be appalled. The only name they left was “we Democrats & Un-affiliated voters” which is an insult to every independent thinker and well intentioned life long Democrat in which their actions, that our mayor seemingly indorses, was the equivalent of urinating on the graves of every American who paid the ultimate sacrifice…

As I stated at the council meeting when the mayor introduced the new budget with a $1.2 million increase that could be decreased by $millions, “The unions in this town are a disgrace and we need to take our government back”. I’m hated because I believe in cost effective government, that taxpayers should come before those who work for them and that we must be mindful of tomorrow’s generation who will be left destitute if we don’t change course via privatization of services, school vouchers, putting realistic caps on pensions and healthcare costs and only paying wages and benefits that reflect the private sector which is 87% of the workforce and none union etc…

I also want to thank the Johnston Patch for having the courage to allow me the opportunity to truly defend myself and Amen to that. Thank you, Proud Republican Mayoral Candidate Peter A. Filippi III