Upon coming home one night last week before Tuesday’s election, I opened my mailbox and guess what popped out at me? A four-color mailer with an adoring picture of Roswell Councilman Rich Dippolito and his wife Kelly on the cover! “Wow, I thought, the Dippolito’s are sending their annual picture Christmas card really early this year!”

Then I read it, only to learn what Dippolito really wanted to tell me, and other Roswell voters: he was stabbing his former friends - Lori Henry and Kent Igleheart - in the back again, on the eve of the election, nonetheless.

Now we all knew Dippolito sold out his political brethren weeks ago. But this time he put it in writing and paid for the pleasure of mailing out his confirmation himself. Apparently that wasn’t enough, so he decided to knife colleague and councilman Jerry Orlans, along with hapless council candidate Alex Fudali in the posterior, too, just for good measure. Dippolito endorsed everybody on the Randy Whatley East Roswell Political Cartel slate but Orlans. Whew!

In reality, the mailing was both silly and foolish. The Tolleson campaign brain trust knew Henry was closing on them fast, so they had to try something to pullout all the stops. But the consequences for Dippolito, once a promising new face on the political horizon, are dire now, especially if his mayoral candidate, David Tolleson loses the run-off. Pollak, Dippolito’s other lackey, already went down at the hands of Igleheart.

In response, I received a copy of a scathing letter from council candidate Alex Fudali to Dippolito, the weekend before the election.

"YOU LIED TO ME, RICH"

“Rich, when you and I met on September 16, to discuss my candidacy for the Roswell City Council, you told me you would not be endorsing anyone in the post 6 elections.  In a recent flyer, you did the exact opposite.  You used the word RESPECT as one of the reasons you were voting for Tolleson, Pollak, & Diamond as a slate.  Is it RESPECTFUL to give your word to someone and do the opposite?  When you first ran for the Roswell City Council two years ago, you said the impact of supporting “factions” or “gangs” in Roswell politics is distasteful and destructive, and I agree, it is.  You said, “I am independent and will not be part of any “faction” or “gang” on the council. My support comes from people.... I pledge to you that I will work equally and fairly with all my colleagues on City Council.”  What impact do you think your flyer leaves on the candidates who prevail despite your endorsements of their opponents? Rich…by advocating your preference for one candidate over another, by supporting “factions or gangs”, you continue to create foundations for dissention and friction that will only spill into the City Council after the elections are over. These factions greatly diminish the ability of candidates to be independent in their thought and how they end up serving the residents of Roswell. They harm our electoral process, as they do nothing to promote dialogue on important issues.”

DIPPOLITO’S VANITY FAIR

The mailer by Dippolito, desperate, vain and egomaniacal, represented the ultimate in self-absorbed political narcissism. Who do the Dippolitos really think they are? JFK and Jackie Kennedy?

Here is the bottom line: who cares what Rich Dippolito has to say, now or in the future? He is a junior two-year Roswell councilman who has accomplished very little since his election. Remember his big promises in 2007? Let’s start with his famous  “Blue Ribbon Committee.” What happened to that? How about his bold promise to Martins Landing residents to address their costly dam issues? He got nothing done; David Tolleson and Lori Henry had to jump in the fray and try and get it resolved. He’s a big talker - and a little doer. His empty promises litter the political landscape like so many discarded campaign yard signs after election day.

Dippolito is just another example of a misguided local political wannabe who sold out his friends for expediency, sold out his word for politics and sold his constituents down the river.

But actions have consequences. He has two nightmare scenarios about to unfold: One happens next month if his mayoral candidate, Tolleson, loses. The other comes in two years, when he runs for re-election. Roswell voters have a history of long memories. He will draw opposition, and it will very likely be fierce. Political weasels tend to have short life spans.

POLLAK: NO MORE MR. NICE GUY

You have to hand it to Tolleson partisan and losing council candidate Jim Pollak, another part of the East Roswell Political Cartel, who Dippolito touted in his mailer, to no avail. Pollak, who launched his election bid under the false guise of “independence,” told most of his supporters he would run a “positive” campaign. But that all went out the window when the smell of a potential electoral victory got the better of him. In the waning days of the campaign, with no issues of substance with which to run on, he launched a blistering blitzkrieg of negative personal attack ads on his opponent, incumbent Kent Igleheart, who defeated him anyway.  Pollak’s ads and mailers accused Ingleheart - who was under fire for his personal financial woes - of missing council meetings because he has to spend time fighting the “GA. Department of Revenue, the IRS, his lawyer and other creditors.” Council meetings are at night. These were lies and falsehoods of the most scurrilous kind.

When contacted after his victory, Igleheart said, “Pollak knows those allegations were not true. He flat out lied and he knew it. The claims he made were ridiculous.”

Is this the type of person Roswell wants representing them on City Council? Evidently not. He lost. His despicable attack ads backfired, blowing up in his face on Election Day.

How Pollak can sleep at night after the personal attacks he’s leveled on his opponent is beyond us. But Roswell voters decided to help him out- by giving him lots of free time to catch up on his sleep – after sending him packing Tuesday night.