Former utilities bad boy Shane Saputo thanks the feds, blames the EPA investigation on current city manager
-- John Patten, 01/09/07
-- jpatten@veniceflorida.com

Got a comment? Make it here.

This e-mail makes baby Jesus cry
An e-mail purporting to come from Shane Saputo blasted City Manager Marty Black and City Attorney Bob Anderson, accusing the two men of being wholly responsible for the city's troubles during the now-over EPA investigation. Venice as a city pled guilty in Federal Court in 2005 to charges of illegal dumping and falsification of environmental records.

Last week, the city announced that the Feds would not be prosecuting any of the individuals involved, the so-called Executive Group.

So far, only Venice Florida! dot com has responded to the e-mail, which was CC'd to us, the Venice Gondolier and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Our response, sent back to Saputo and forwarded to the other original recipients, was short and angry: "This e-mail makes baby Jesus cry."

Full header information from the e-mail is reprinted at the end of this article for veracity.

To: Marty Black mblack@ci.venice.fl.us
Subject: The Executive Group
Date: Sun, 07 Jan 2007 3:20 PM EST
From: ssaputo@aol.com
Cc: jpatten@veniceflorida.com, paul.quinlan@heraldtribune.com,
bmudge@venicegondolier.com

Dear Martin,

I was so relieved to see that the U.S. Justice Department had finally made the statement that no charges would be filed against any individuals from the Executive Group.

Perhaps you may think this relief comes because a dark cloud no longer lingers over our heads, or that we no longer need to have attorneys on retainer. It is actually brought on by knowing that justice is still alive and well, it's just extremely slow and sloppy.

Wow... almost five years of turmoil gone. You may not share our enjoyment of the news, as this most certainly makes the City of Venice look quite foolish. I would imagine that you feel responsible for this, as you are, completely. You should find some solace in knowing that your City Attorney guided you down this path with his awesome legal expertise.

I am truly hopeful that the citizens of Venice start to do some math. No criminal charges were filed because no crimes were committed. You chose not to stand behind the employees that for many years dedicated themselves to protecting both the environment and the City. You chose to terminate these employees and accept guilt on their behalf.

Had you supported these people, or even talked with them, you would have recognized the truths from the lies and determined this outcome was inevitable. You could have fought for the truth and won. Instead, you used public funds to an amount far exceeding what was needed to clear the employee's names and restore the City's reputation.

May the New Year bring justice to the current city administration and a wiser public that will demand the City Council remove you and the City Attorney from your positions.

You have no doubt left a Black eye on the City of Venice forever.

Sincerely,

Shane Saputo

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John Patten is the editor and publisher of Venice Florida! dot com and had previously worked in broadcasting for over 12 years. He can also be incredibly rude at times.