Middletown's Fishgate

You MUST read this Daily News article entitled "Dead Fish Seen as Threat! I kid you not. Let me point out right away- I do not fish! I eat it, but don't catch it.

Seems as if SOMEONE dropped a 3 foot gutted striped bass minus head/tail parts behind Sr. Ctr. Director Arlene's Kaulls' little $50,000 Audi TT convertible while it was parked in front. Heck, I thought it was a Miata, so thanks to my commenter for pointing this out to me. Arlene did not get a big laugh out of this. Is the car impounded for evidence?

Mrs. Kaul filed harassment charges & Police Chief Pesare (who investigated Mob crime in his previous existence) is taking the fish seriously. Remember "The Godfather?" Supposedly the symbolic Sicilian message is that if you don't heed this warning, you will soon sleep with the fishes.

Or perhaps someone just couldn't afford the new trash bags.

On Thursday, Kaull called the situation “sad” and the latest attempt to make her and her family look bad. Involved in local politics since 1986 — including time on the Town Council — Kaull now serves as vice chairwoman of Middletown’s Democratic Town Committee and is the sister of Town Council President Paul M. Rodrigues.

Maybe someone just doesn't like her. How would a dead fish make your family look bad? Your car- definitely, but your entire family? Actually, I think it more likely that the fish would make your car rather smelly (esp. when the temp was close to 100). So does she actually mean that the fish makes her family stink?

[Paul] Rodrigues said Thursday that the June 2 incident at the senior center involving his sister seemed “eerily similar” to some of the “garbage” that surrounded the last election.“All this nonsense, it just doesn’t end,” he said. “It’s very similar to the games that were being played before the last election. This is just embarrassing and the town doesn’t have time for this.” Pesare said he believed the gutted fish was thrown at Kaull’s car in response to a letter to the editor published in the May 31 Weekend edition of The Daily News about ongoing political issues in the town.

Poor, poor pitiful me. Someone writes a letter to the Daily News & a fish shows up in a car. Yep, I definitely see a connection there. A possible plant (er, fish) to end any real discussion? Why would this embarass you? Sorry, I've never noticed highly sensitive natures here. All the Rodrigues seem quite capable of taking care of themselves- and I mean that as a compliment.

Anyone with information about the dead fish recently left behind the car of Middletown's senior center director is asked to call Detective A. William Swierk at 846-1144 or leave a message on the Police Department's confidential tip line at 842-6516.

Perhaps we need at officer stationed there now? Was the fish dusted for prints? Has an autopsy been performed?

Perhaps it was meant as a donation. “Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day; teach that person to use the Internet and they won't bother you for weeks”

So what was that fish doing there? “No good fish goes anywhere without a porpoise”

Perhaps that fish just knew too much: “If the fish had not opened its mouth, it would not have been caught”

The whole thing sounds mighty fish to me. Is this what you call a fish tale? Hey, I'm a fish out of water here. This whole story if a fine kettle of fish. I've got to stop writing now, I have bigger fish to fry.

Perhaps the fish was accidentally left behind & was meant to be delivered for the Council agenda along with the letter by Kempen's attorney (see previous posting).

Fishgate. Sorry, LOL. I do not wish any of the Rodrigues any sadness. I know too much of that what it's like. But this is funny. Am I swimming upstream here? I just can't stop.

Is the fish being held as evidence? Sorry, I just can't resist.

Thanks to reporter Matt Sheley. Sometimes fishing for a good story just pays off. Politics in Middletown has become like a fish in troubled water. Hey, I'm just a small fish in a big pond here. I need to clam up!