Thank you

With the election over and the holiday season upon us, I wanted to take this time to thank all of you so kindly for your support of my campaign for Mayor of Wallingford.

While it is unfortunate that the goal of winning the election was not reached, it does not diminish the hard work and support that I received from you during the campaign. We accomplished things this past year that haven’t been done in the past 20 years – this cannot be underscored enough. It was a campaign for “the record books” and I am humbled and honored that you were a part of it with me.

I still fully believe that Wallingford’s best days are ahead of us; they will simply develop differently than the vision we all shared.

I have the honor to have served as your Town Councilor for this past two year term and with my final meeting coming up in December I leave those duties and tasks to those nine that were chosen by the electorate this November. They will have the direct charge of fighting for a better Wallingford and they will be responsible to figure out the ways to make the changes that are needed make our town an even better place to live, work, and play, to make it an even better place to raise a family, start and grow a business, and retire.

All of us that are concerned with this as well, as voters, residents, and taxpayers, MUST be present to keep them on OUR task of delivering that future.

While I may be out of office there are still many things to be done. I do not need a chair “up there” to bring these things to fruition; it would be easier but it can still be done. I will spend some time thinking outside the box on how to do just that. I hope that as those times come you can once again support those efforts, in whatever fashion they are, to help move Wallingford forward.

Once again, I am humbled by the help, support, and encouragement that I received; it was an experience that I will never forget.

With deepest gratitude,

With the end of the 2013 Campaign we will shift all topical posts to Wallingford Politico

With the ending of the campaign and the 2013 election cycle we will shift all topical related posts over to Wallingford Politico.

This blog will remain searchable and stay online for the data it contains.

Thank you again for all the support over the past 12 months of the campaign.

Election 2013 - In Wallingford there were no losses

So I am sure I will have some more thoughts in the coming days to post but I would like to say quickly before I go to bed (because the 5:34AM train comes really early) that there are no real losers in this election.

The people of Wallingford were offered different choices and they were offered the information to make them and while I don’t have all the numbers in total (as counts are unofficial) over 11,100 people exercised their right to vote.

The last time this happened was in 2007 (because the showing has been poorer since then). These totals also broke the numbers of the 2001 election as well. At an estimated turnout of 44.2% that is pretty impressive.

27 people stood up and said “I am willing to lead – if chosen” and 13 were.

25,100 people registered to vote and about 11,100 showed up to choose.

For the next two years the 13 will serve the 46,000 – how is there a loss in this?

Thank you to all my supporters for their backing.

Thank you to all my detractors for making me work harder.

Thank you Wallingford for the pleasure – it has been an honor for the opportunity.

And tomorrow is Wednesday.

Wallingford unofficial results Election 2013 (including absentee totals).

We don’t have the final district yet (the sixth) but the race belongs to Mayor Dickinson

I’ll post the final numbers as I get them but I concede the race.

Congratulations to William Dickinson on his 16th term as Mayor of Wallingford.

I’ll be heading up to Gaetano’s shortly to congratulate the winners

District 7 is in

District 5 is in

Wallingford 6PM total turnout number

At 6PM the total Wallingford turnout numbers were 9,259 voted or 37%.

With two hours remaining at that point we have beaten the 35.6% turnout from 2009 (there was no challenger in the Mayoral race that year – Mayor Dickinson ran unopposed).

At this point the best numbers I estimate we could get are about 10,500 but that would put us at nearly 42% and it would be the best local turnout since 2007.

43.1% was 11,036 voters back in 2001 and 11,624 voters in 2007 was a turnout percentage of 45.7%

Again – this was from the totals at 6PM which means there are still two hours to go.

Anything can happen – nothing is off the table as those numbers are NOT out of reach.

Let’s see how the rest of all this plays out.

Total voted count update from District 4 (Dag)

Another example of expected higher than average turnout (based on hourly averaging)

Projections are showing a higher than average turnout as of 1PM

As of 1PM today a little more than 5,100 people voted. This is tracking, based on an hourly average, to be heavier than 2011’s total municipal turnout if tracking maintains.

If a total of 10,000 people show up to vote it will be the highest turnout for a municipal election since 2007 when 11,624 people voted (and that was a three way Mayoral contest).

Don’t be left out - be sure to exercise your right to vote today!

The polls are open until 8PM.

Election Day is underway – CAST YOUR VOTE WALLINGFORD

The results will be published here as soon as we have them after 8PM

 

Election day begins at 6AM

I announced my candidacy basically a year ago (formally on Wednesday November 28, 2012) and I haven’t looked back as we took off running at warp 9 ever since.

I have tried to impress upon the voters many different things but the main thing I have tried to impress is that Wallingford is YOUR hometown – you SHOULD get informed, get involved and VOTE.

Today is election day and here are the turnout statistics for local elections:

Who actually turned out in 2011 http://zandriformayor.blogspot.com/2013/10/generational-choice-local-voter-turnout.html 

2001
Town of Wallingford total number of names on official check list: 25,635    
Town of Wallingford total number of names checked as having voted: 11,036
Town of Wallingford turnout percentage: 43.1%

2003
Town of Wallingford total number of names on official check list: 24,825    
Town of Wallingford total number of names checked as having voted: 12,389
Town of Wallingford turnout percentage: 49.9%

2005
Town of Wallingford total number of names on official check list: 26,718    
Town of Wallingford total number of names checked as having voted: 12,719
Town of Wallingford turnout percentage: 47.6%

2007
Town of Wallingford total number of names on official check list: 25,461    
Town of Wallingford total number of names checked as having voted: 11,624
Town of Wallingford turnout percentage: 45.7%

2009
Town of Wallingford total number of names on official check list: 24,870    
Town of Wallingford total number of names checked as having voted: 8,850
Town of Wallingford turnout percentage: 35.6%

2011  
Town of Wallingford total number of names on official check list: 24,731    
Town of Wallingford total number of names checked as having voted: 9,783
Town of Wallingford turnout percentage: 39.5%

 

I want 2013 to be the year of 50.1% – let’s make it happen today.

It takes less time to vote than getting a cup of coffee to go.

You owe it to yourself to control “this much” of your future.

Make it so – let’s roll.

If you need a ride to the polls on November the 5th give us a call

It's your town - get informed, get involved and VOTE Tuesday November 5, 2013

 

 

So how are we doing in Wallingford’s District 9? Not too bad from the cross section of calls made.

A couple of students from Notre Dame High School in West Haven got in touch with me as the school requested that they choose a campaign to volunteer for in order to help a candidate campaign for the upcoming election.

As they put it to me, this is done “in hopes of gathering a better understanding for the electoral process. The school asks that we complete ten hours of campaign volunteer work. As a Wallingford resident, I've noticed many signs stating that you are running for Mayor, and my hope is to help you campaign. If you are interested, please considering responding and hopefully we can set up a possible schedule.”

So I got in touch with them to let them know I could use the help calling in the 9th District and they called as much of it as they could over the past three weeks as time allowed.

While the results are not “scientific” it was a wide cross sampling of the people they reached.  As one of the two students indicated in the email follow up to me:

”I've attached a folder that contains the survey results, the survey voting tally, and concerns that were mentioned during the survey process. I was quite surprised by the number of people that answered their phones, or rather the number that didn't. Regardless, It appears it's going to be a close race. You've done a fantastic job campaigning, good luck!”

Here is the data they were able to supply from the calls. Lots of room for error and a lot undecided but I am encouraged regardless. 

 

The Friday Evening Sign Rally was a huge success

Zandri for Mayor signs on all four corners as well as all of the other candidates for Board of Education and Town Council.

Thank you everyone who came out tonight in support for myself and all the Democrat candidates – see you all on Tuesday November 5th.

With the Republicans also out for a sign rally as well uptown, one of our supporters counted the total number of Dickinson signs; there were 6 (like the one to the below left).

Friday Evening Sign Rally – RAIN OR SHINE (Looks to be more SHINE than rain)

Friday November 1 at 5PM

At the corner of Main and Center Streets. 

Join us to rally for the Democratic Candidates.

Please make every effort to attend! Bring your signs from your yards if you can (we will have some on hand).

Zandri leads in donations

This is very defining in the amount of support I am receiving in my run for the seat of Mayor in Wallingford – thank you all for your commitment of time, money and personal effort. Please see the full story in the Record Journal - Zandri leads in donations

Five days remain to Election Day and we will be pushing every single day to get out that vote.

The goal is 50.1% voter participation – 25,100 residents were registered to vote in town according to the recent article in the Record Journal and that is pretty much par for the course so the effort now is to get at least 12,575 out to the polls.

It’s your town – get informed, get involved and VOTE November 5th.

Let’s roll.

Time for a change - Eric Cotton’s PERSPECTIVE piece in the Record Journal

Nothing more needs to be said on this – I cannot improve on it.

Time for a change - Eric Cotton’s PERSPECTIVE piece in the Record Journal

FINAL FUNDRAISER - LUNCH FUNDRAISER at Zandri’s Stillwood Inn SUNDAY OCTOBER 27, 2013 at 1PM

LUNCH FUNDRAISER at Zandri’s Stillwood Inn
SUNDAY OCTOBER 27, 2013 at 1PM

 

Scheduled Special Guest

Third District

Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro

 

Assorted light Lunch items.

Suggested Donation - $25.00

 

Please make all checks out to “Jason Zandri for Mayor Committee”

The maximum PAC contribution is $1500. The maximum individual contribution is $1000.

 

 

Paid for by Jason Zandri for Mayor Committee, Nicole Consiglio, Treasurer Approved by Jason Zandri, candidate for Mayor of Wallingford

Working with the SEEC regarding the Wallingford Extra

While getting the second drop of the Wallingford Extra ready we discovered an issue caused by my campaign funding being used to show the entire slate of Democrats running on the back page. According to the explicit election rules we cannot use the funds meant for my campaign to promote the entire slate even when I am included in the advertisement.

With that, I called them today to work with them on the issue. It was unintentional but it didn’t comply with the rules so we need to move into compliance on that.

Once they have reviewed the issue and let me know what needs to be done to correct it, I will do so immediately.

The WALLINGFORD EXTRA digital copy is now online

An open letter to all the voters of Wallingford – Democrat, Republican, Other and Unaffiliated

Let’s be mindful of the fact that serving the public is in itself a daunting task; the hours are long and the work is generally unrewarding (except for personal satisfaction in most cases) but each of us does it for our own reasons.

The desire to run for public office is expensive in both real money and personal time.

At the end of the day WE, those of us that are running and / or presently serving, are the ones that should be in focus.

If you don’t like our policies and our plans then come take issue with them – come to a public meeting, raise us on the phone, or send us a letter or an email and bring up your comments and concerns.

This morning the sign below was vandalized by someone that acted on a “crime of opportunity”. I am not excusing it but that’s what it was - “hey look a sign” – car jumps the curb and takes out the sign. With the number of signs and locations that I have and with them being up for the past seven weeks I am honestly surprised I got this far without incident.

The Police were called but there is little they can actually follow up on and the most one could hope for is some front end damage to the car that hit it. The most unfortunate part of this damage is the impact to the unsuspecting homeowner for doing nothing more than supporting their candidate.

 

This one below is the one that bothers me actually. It bothers me because it was NOT a "crime" of opportunity but rather a targeted, premeditated and calculated effort which in my book makes it FAR worse.

Someone took the time to plan their trespass on my mother’s property specifically, remove the sign and intentionally put it in front of her car at the car port – blocking her in.

Neither situation is acceptable but this is 100 times worse than the prior.

I have so many different feelings right now and the writing helped defer some of them but I am going to make three final comments and then go outside in the yard to play with my kids:

1) Unlike how I personally and my supporters were unjustly accused of putting inflammatory paper posters up of the Mayor a couple of months back, I know that these acts were independently executed and not the orchestrated effort of anyone connected directly to any of the campaigns.

2) I do not condone any actions of this nature and will not – proactively or reactively, on me or on my opponents – there is no place for it. I do not expect escalation or retaliation and I will deal with both the same way; I will inform the police and if I catch it in the act I will take immediate actions.

3) I am running for office - I am fair play; my mother, my wife and my kids are neither – keep them clear of it.

I’m out – see you Monday morning from the train.

Wallingford in a changing universe

As published in the Record Journal (page D03) on Sunday October 20, 2013 – by Jason Zandri

The one constant in the universe is change. The greatest danger a business, a municipality or an individual can succumb to is an irrational fear of the unknown.

The CEO of Borders Books embraced technology use as well as the changes in the business landscape of the corporation he led. What he lacked was the true understanding of the depth of the change. Believing that loss leaders like the Nook and Kindle readers, the hardware of his competitors which lose money on every sale, should be something his company should avoid, he made a bet on what he knew best – his historical customer base and what he believed they wanted. They would always want to hold a real book in their hand.

His knowledge and understanding of his customer base and decades of experience would help him and Borders Books weather their financial storm.

Today that corporation is gone because it resisted the direction of their market; they were unable to see the full scope of the future of their venerable business, and the choice of losing money on devices for sales of e-books was not prudent in the short term. Yet that lesson is a core teaching in business and economics – “give away the razor, sell the blades.”

There are times in all our lives when we become so set on how we’ve always done things that we believe there is no better way to do anything and that we have perfected our craft.

Then something in the landscape shifts and all things are not equal. The shift has already occurred in Wallingford’s landscape and as we continue to do the same things we’ve always done, they are becoming increasingly less effective.

Change is inevitable, predictable and beneficial – it is a wave that you can choose to ride on or be drowned under but it is a force that cannot be ignored because it brings the future, a future that will not just happen but one that we will create.

Wallingford has the ability to do more, with less, even in “these trying times,” as that statement ends up being relative; it just depends on how you want to go about it.

Are times today worse than they were in 2007 when things were still booming? I suppose if you are just looking at the early and mid-2000s.

There are times in our country’s history that make the boom of the early and mid-2000s look paltry just as there were times in the 30s that make today look like paradise.

We can better leverage technology to complete more tasks and move projects along; this has the effect to allow us to get started on the next task sooner.

We can offer more services that offset some costs – by going to e-payments and e-billing as options for those that want them, we save postage and handling costs and paperwork becomes reduced.

The less paperwork that people in the offices need to handle, the more they are freed to do other things; this becomes an increase in service for things that must be done manually.

Proper planning for future expenditures via cost analysis allows Wallingford to project what should be deferred for “down the road” as costs look to decline (certain hardware and some technology) and where costs will increase like labor-based jobs such as road paving that also have a petroleum cost in the materials used – both of which increase year over year making it more prudent to review the cost of doing that work now rather than later.

Being more open and providing more access into how and what local government is doing and making residents better aware of what is going on and letting them feel like they can be part of the process fosters and grows that sense of collectiveness and ownership.

This is our hometown; let’s create Wallingford’s future together.

Jason Zandri is the Democratic challenger for mayor of Wallingford.

MY TAKE - Wallingford wins border dispute / Meriden Landfill / 91 N. Turnpike Road

Political cartoon as published in the Record Journal on Sunday October 20th, 2013

On Tuesday October 15th a story titled Wallingford wins border dispute was published in the Record Journal.

In the story the details that were outlined how the city of Meriden was denied a request for a special permit application to create a “disposal cell” on a six-acre portion of the South Meriden landfill, the portion that sits in Wallingford, which was capped in 2006.

Meriden submitted plans to the Wallingford Planning and Zoning Commission to reopen part of the landfill as their officials had hoped to store waste from street sweeping and catch basin remnant materials accumulated by the Public Works Department.

The same type of street sweeping and catch basin remnant materials that Wallingford stored at 91 North Turnpike Road.

Meriden needed approval from the Wallingford Planning and Zoning Commission to move forward but in August 2007, they unanimously to deny Meriden’s application. Officials on the PZC at the time said the project posed dangers to public health, safety and welfare.

According to the article “In 1980, the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection began studying the effects of the landfill on the aquifer. In 1987, dangerous levels of trichloroethylene – a human carcinogen – were found in one of the wells fed by the aquifer under the landfill. State Rep. Mary Fritz, D-Wallingford, said the state spent about $1 million to clean the site in 1989, and that she felt opening up the landfill for further use was not ideal.

Meriden officials said at the time they did not plan on storing hazardous materials at the site.

I would remind everyone that Wallingford fought this very hard because of a prior issue with what was in the materials and how it affected the protected aquifer. It didn’t matter that Meriden assured us that they were not going to store hazardous materials there; we didn’t want to take the risk. The PZC understood that potential risk and they denied the application and when Meriden took us to Superior Court to appeal the court agreed with Wallingford.

Fast forward to 2009 and we have a situation where DEEP and the Wallingford Inland Wetland and Watercourses Commission that it is in violation for it’s continued use of 91 North Turnpike Road, which sits on top of a protected aquifer, FOR THE VERY SAME REASONS WE STOPPED MERIDEN FROM RE-OPENING A CLOSED SECTION OF THEIR LANDFILL WHERE IT SITS IN WALLINGFORD.

And when I asked why we are still using 91 North Turnpike Road, the Director of Public Works tells myself, the remainder of the Wallingford Town Council and the Mayor as follows (as reported from the Record Journal):

The practice continued, McCully said, as a “very large load of sand from street sweepers” remained stockpiled at the site.

“There’s nowhere else to put the sand,” McCully told Zandri. In a given year, McCully said, the town purchases between 5,000 and 7,000 tons of sand mixed with salt. It needs to be kept somewhere, he said, and another location wasn’t found because “I had higher priorities.”

Zandri pointed out that McCully has had four years to address the issue. McCully said he looked into using the resident drop-off area for storage, but the material was not suitable to the area. Asked by Zandri if it was a fair assessment that “no effort was made over four years to find another location,” McCully agreed.

It wasn’t the intention to keep the material stored at the “dog pit” long term, McCully said, and the plan was to remove it after 2009, but “obviously it never got to that and I accept responsibility for that.”


So I ask the residents of Wallingford, if Meriden simply started using their landfill area again, the portion that rests in Wallingford, and “got away with it” for four years with the excuse of “there is nowhere else to put the sand” and backed that up with “we accept responsibility for doing that” would we be as forgiving and willing to just say “OK – well…. just don’t do it anymore”?

I do not believe so.

This Tuesday, October 22nd, there is an item scheduled to be on the Council agenda titled “Questions and answers of the department head of Public Works and the Mayor regarding the activities, total costs, and accountability to the taxpayers of Wallingford for town property located at 91 North Turnpike Road.  Activities to include, but not limited to, street sweepings, disposal of catch basin materials, discharge from the Vac Truck, and street millings” – I encourage you to attend the meeting or at the very least watch it on GTV once it is available for viewing; it will show that this is much more than a four year problem and it will show just how aware the administration was of everything going on.

Thank you regarding tonight's fundraiser at the Portuguese American Club / LAST EVENT is NEXT Sunday 10/27

Thank you everyone who attended tonight's fundraiser at the Portuguese American Club. It was a great event and it was effectively "sold out" with the room filled to capacity (A little over 100 people).

Special thank you to Peter Gouveia for setting everything up and the folks at the Portuguese American Club for an awesome meal.

The next and final fundraiser is NEXT Sunday (eight days from now) on 10/27 at Zandri's Stillwood Inn - see you there.

Wallingford Headquartered International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers LOCAL 90 Endorses Jason Zandri for Mayor

REMINDER - DINNER FUNDRAISER at the Portuguese Club THIS SATURDAY October 19, 2013

DINNER FUNDRAISER at the Portuguese Club

51 SOUTH COLONY ROAD, WALLINGFORD

SATURDAY OCTOBER 19, 2013 at 7PM

Pork Loin, Baked Chicken, Seafood Rice, Oven Roasted Potatoes, Salad and Rolls

Dessert and Cash Bar

Dinner cost - $25.00 donation

Please make all checks out to “Jason Zandri for Mayor Committee”

 

MAYORAL FORUM - Wallingford Candidates forum – Election 2013

WALLINGFORD — The Wallingford Community Women’s Club held the 2013 candidates forum on Tuesday, Oct. 15 in the Town Council Chambers of the Wallingford Town Hall.

Reporters from local newspapers, in addition to students from Sheehan High School, addressed questions to the candidates.

This session was the Mayoral discussion between Republican Mayor William Dickinson Jr. and the Democratic Challenger Jason Zandri.

Generational choice / Local Voter Turnout

Below is a letter to the editor published on October 11, 2013 in the Record Journal.

After that is the content from a blog post I published on Wallingford Politico titled “The most impactful voters are the ones that show up”.

Both indicate the importance of getting out the vote especially locally.

It’s your town – get informed, get involved and VOTE.


Editor: In 2012, Wallingford voters turned out and voted in the presidential election at an 83 percent rate. In 2011 for local elections it was only 39 percent. One of the differences nationally was that the younger age demographic increased in voting percentage. In 2011 local voters 18 to 25 came out at a 15.5 percent rate, age 26 to 35 17.5 percent, and age 36 to 45 came out at 30.5 percent for the election. In this election Wallingford faces a generational choice. We have a veteran mayor who has served since the days of Ronald Reagan. When the current mayor was elected computers were just beginning to be used by a wider populace, the Internet was an idea and cell phones were in their infancy. Wallingford has integrated as time has gone by but its leader remains rooted for better or worse in a previous time. His challenger comes from a generation that is comfortable with technology and quick to embrace its’ advantages.

This brings us back to voter participation. Will all of our registered voters (25,759) come out and make this a real choice? Will Wallingford’s younger demographic step up and voice its preference on how Wallingford meets the future? Can this election be the one when a new generation makes its choice for a generational change in leadership?

Laurence Morgenstein, Wallingford

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The most impactful voters are the ones that show up.

Different ages of people ask me why it seems (to them) that “the government” (and this could be federal, state or local depending on the conversation at the time) always seems to favor [THAT AGE GROUP] over theirs and the [GROUP] always seems to be an older age group.

The bottom line is – the squeaky wheels get the grease.

When you look at total number of registered voters, the older the bracket, the more they tend to be registered. At the same time too, when you look at the percentages of who turns out from those brackets, the older brackets turn out with a larger percentage as well.

The following is the information lifted from the last municipal election (2011) of a total of about 25,000 registered voters:

18-24 year olds – total registered 1,869 and of that 193 (10.5%) showed up to vote. You expect this bracket to be less in total number of voters as it contains only seven years of voters and all the others are ten but the 10.5 percentage across just those registered is very low.

25-34 year olds – total registered 3,051 and of that 456 (14.9%) showed up to vote. Nearly 50% more percentage wise on the turnout, nearly twice as many total registered and more than double the number in turnout which is all better than their counterparts in the 18 to 24 bracket but still low overall as you compare the older demographics.

35-44 year olds – total registered 3,433 and of that 913 (26.6%) showed up to vote. With nearly 3,500 registered voters, this block comes in with less than 1,000 total voters showing up to vote locally. When you consider this group (along with a portion of the prior demographic and the next) to be the main segment of the population that uses the largest portion of the municipal budget (education budget for those with children) you would hope to see higher turnout numbers.

45-54 year olds – total registered 5,167 and of that 1,995 (38.6%) showed up to vote. This group is the second largest in total number on the registration side but at just 38.6% in turnout (while better than their younger counterparts) they impact about the same as the 65 to 74 demographic but less so than the 55 to 64 group. With its sheer numbers matching, they could have more presence if they could move their turnout numbers higher.

55-64 year olds – total registered 5,211 and of that 2,350 (45.1%) showed up to vote. This group is the largest in total number on both the registration side and the turnout number. On the percentage side at 45.1% they turnout at the third highest percentage as well but because of their total numbers of registered, this group’s turnout numbers have the highest impact regarding total vote tally.

65-74 year olds – total registered 3,329 and of that 1,876 (56.3%) showed up to vote. This group is the third largest group with 3,329 registered. Their turnout percentages are very good locally at 56.3% which generated 1,876 voters at the polls. They are the second highest impacting group because of this.

75-84 year olds – total registered 1,958 and of that 1,146 (58.5%) showed up to vote. As people age onward and pass away it impacts the demographic. This group has the highest percentage of local voter turnout at 58.5% but as their total numbers dwindle their voter impact lessens. Despite the handicap, they are still a very impactful group.

85 and older – total registered 1,292 and of that 547 (42.3%) showed up to vote. At just a hair shy of 1,300 registered voters and 547 turning out, this group nearly singlehandedly outstrips the impact of the 5,000 registered voters in both the 18 to 24 and the 25 to 34 demographics combined as in both those groups only 649 people voted locally.  

It’s your town – get informed, get involved and VOTE

Mill rates and your taxes

Recently Mayor Dickinson’s campaign mailed out a flyer on Wallingford’s mill rate and the mill rate of surrounding towns trying to make it seem like the lower mill rate was something to be all excited about. It is and it isn’t and it depends on what you’re looking at.

First – a definition of what the mill rate is: (http://www.ct.gov/opm/cwp/view.asp?Q=385976)

A mill is equal to $1.00 of tax for each $1,000 of assessment. To calculate the property tax, multiply the assessment of the property by the mill rate and divide by 1,000. For example, a property with a assessed value of $50,000 located in a municipality with a mill rate of 20 mills would have a property tax bill of $1,000 per year.

In the state of Connecticut, all towns use 70% factor to reach the assessed value.

So you have the apprised value of a home and for the sake of simplicity let’s say that is $100,000.00 and let’s assume a mill rate of 30.00 mills.

The you use the 70% factor to reach the assessed value which is $70,000.00; that is used for the purposes of taxing the owner.

Then you have the mill rate and this is used as follows:

Assessed value of $70,000.00 divided by 1,000 = 70.

70 times the mill rate of 30 equals $2,100 – those are your taxes.

So how do the towns compare?

Meriden estimated median house or condo value in 2011: $192,738
70% value to calculate taxes = $134,915
Meriden mill rate 34.99 (outer district); taxes = $4,720
Meriden mill rate 37.09 (inner district); taxes = $5,003

http://www.city-data.com/city/Meriden-Connecticut.html

Wallingford Estimated median house or condo value in 2011: $275,514
70% value to calculate taxes = $192,860
Wallingford  mill rate 26.22; taxes = $5,056

http://www.city-data.com/city/Wallingford-Connecticut.html

Meriden has more services; part of the city has trash pickup and all of the schools have full day Kindergarten.

More services and the taxes are STILL less for the same MEDIAN priced home.

The lower mill rate means nothing in this situation; you are paying MORE in Wallingford.

The argument will be made that the home in Wallingford if more expensive than the one in Meriden but it is a relative cost of a median priced home. The old saying is “if I could pick up my house and drop it in Meriden is would cost less to buy” and this is reflected in the differences is the cost for the “same” median priced home between the towns.


There are many additional arguments to have; someone or a family chooses a given town for one reason or another, for a set of services one town offers over another, the relative safety of one town over another, the ability to buy more of a home in one town over another for the same amount of money and so on.

At the end of the day the actual discussion is “how much have the taxes changed” NOT “what is the mill rate” because the mill rate WILL go up and down based on the changes in property values.

I will maintain what I have said prior in my Wallingford Taxes – MYTH and REALITY post – from the prior revaluation (2005) residential properties went up more than commercial / industrial so when the mill rate was adjusted downward to offset that, the burden shifted to the residential homeowner and has stayed there.

Between that shifting and the annual changes / increases to the budget the residential home owner is paying, on average, 40 percent more now than in 2005.

As I have also stated prior and will continue to maintain that you can check for yourself – call the tax office at 203-294-2135 and get the taxes for where you live, even if you didn’t live there in 2005, and you will see the changes for yourself.

 

Wallingford mayoral candidates file financial reports / upcoming fundraisers

Thank you everyone that has supported the campaign to date – while the donations have exceeded my expectations I am still in need of more so if you can come to the dinner and lunch fundraisers and have something to eat (with the cost of your meals as a donation) I would greatly appreciate it. (More on that at the end of this post).

In one filing period the Republican machine raised 60 percent of the totals we have since the start of the campaign.

As reported in the Record Journal story by Andrew Ragali – back in July Mayor Dickinson hadn’t started fundraising. As of Thursday October 10th (three months later) he had contributions totaling $17,623. Mayor Dickinson spent $6,802.89 during the three month reporting period, leaving him with $10,820.11 on hand. Dickinson spent $216.44 out of his own pocket, and as of Thursday, he had outstanding expenses of $263.

By the July reporting period we had recorded $10,107.20 on hand. Over these past three months we have been able to bring in $12,025.22 in additional contributions thanks to your support. I have just about $3,000 of my own money into the campaign and I plan to continue to personally fund about 10 percent of all the expenses. In the past three months, the campaign has spent $9,281.97, leaving us with $12,850.45. (I presently have about $1,595.60 in outstanding expenses).

In total, our campaign has brought in $28,294.79 to date; that is only possible because of all of you. Thank you.

As I mentioned – as much as I hate to keep going on about it, we need more help.

If you can make an additional donation please do so:

Donations:    Jason Zandri for Mayor Committee
                         c/o 23 Cardinal Drive
                         Wallingford CT 06492

I would much prefer that you come and make a donation, have some food, and spend some time with friends so rather than just considering cutting a check please think about possibly attending one or both of the upcoming fundraisers:

DINNER FUNDRAISER at the Wallingford Portuguese Club

51 SOUTH COLONY ROAD WALLINGFORD
SATURDAY OCTOBER 19, 2013 at 7PM

Pork Loin, Baked Chicken, Seafood Rice, Oven Roasted Potatoes, Salad and Rolls
Dessert and Cash Bar

Dinner cost - $25.00 donation
Please make all checks out to “Jason Zandri for Mayor Committee”

 

 

 

 

LUNCH FUNDRAISER at the Zandri’s Stillwood Inn

1074 SOUTH COLONY ROAD WALLINGFORD
SUNDAY OCTOBER 27, 2013 at 12:30PM

Scheduled Special Guest

Third District Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro

Lunch cost - $25.00 donation
Please make all checks out to “Jason Zandri for Mayor Committee”

 

Once again – thank you for all the help and support; I am going to get this done and it will because of the support from all of you.

Thank you

 

More support and Letters to the Editor

Time for change
Editor: Wallingford needs a change. Jason Zandri is our man. He’s wise, intelligent, young, energetic, knowledgeable about issues, community- minded, a watchdog of the Town Council, a man of the people and for the people and, especially, a family man. Yes, Wallingford — Jason Zandri is our man for mayor, 2013.

Ben F. Klimczak, Yalesville

Wallingford taxes
Editor: I moved to Wallingford in 2007. My taxes were $3,860.00. They were $4,300 in 2011. Mayor Dickinson and the Republican block tout how they are holding the line on “expensive” employee salaries (you know, the people doing the actual work). They brag about 1.4 percent average annual salary increases over three to four years of a contract (after additionally paying arbitration costs because they don’t negotiate fairly). So tell me — why have my taxes gone up 12 percent in those same four years? Salaries are barely 5.5 percent of that. The other 6.5 percent? What are we spending it on?

Michael Cicarella, Wallingford

Deferrals
Editor: Regarding the elderly tax deferral program and Republican commentary (R-J letters, 9-18) “Does somebody making $71,000 need tax relief ?” It depends on the individual. Someone at $55,000 may, and that person is currently excluded from the current program despite being more than 20 percent below median income. “If more people have property taxes deferred, the rest of us would have to make up the difference.” Overall, that isn’t true; in the short term, while there are more deferrals taking place than settlements, it is possible, but the entire point of “deferral” is that the town is made whole over time.

Charlotte Ayers, Wallingford



GOP spin machine
Editor: The Republican spin machine is at full RPM. A letter-writer (R-J, 9-18) indicated Jason Zandri wanted to “expand the elderly/ disabled tax deferral program to people with incomes up to $71,000. No reason, except that Durham and Guilford do it” — couldn’t be further from the truth as those towns were examples. The reasons are in his blog, “I don’t want to have anyone move from family and the town that they grew up in or have called home because they can no longer afford the taxes in Wallingford.” My vote on 11/5 goes to Zandri for Mayor.

Patricia F. Mills, Wallingford

More voter support via Letters to the Record Journal

Since the screen shot above is a little difficult to read here is the text of that letter from Christopher Regan:

October 8^th, 2013

Jason Zandri via jason@zandri.net

Subject: My original submission to the Record Journal / Op-ed (unedited)

Editor: Jason Zandri's campaign slogan "Moving Wallingford Forward" is exactly why I endorsing him for Mayor in this community. As a CEO with a national business headquartered in Wallingford and also as a resident I was stunned at the lack of any type of economic development incentives for business for when I moved my organization into town. Eight years later -- Wallingford hasn't advanced forward in any appreciable means as far as business owners are concerned.  We are not close to Wallingford Center, although we appreciate the work and support the efforts to beautify our town and make frequenting downtown businesses an enjoyable experience.

Jason has proven to me that he has fiscal responsibility, wants to take advantages of integrating modern day solutions to receive efficiency gains, gives full thought about impact to the community, and solicits opinions using tools that the modern day business executive has as its disposal (email, blogging, social media, etc.) in order to effectively communicate with the people he works for.  I like the fact that I can talk to him every day any day or read his views and opinions openly and honestly.

We recently became frustrated with the town's lack of response to a residential street issue.  We reached out to the Mayor's office, to the Town Council at large, and to the Department of public works.  The only response we received was when Jason came out, on a weekend and on his own time, with a video camera and documented our issue.  It was only until then that we then received a call from public works informing us to what was going to be done.

I applaud his work in the past, for the fireworks fund, and for this town's forward momentum.

Christopher J. Regan

President & CEO

MY TAKE - Wallingford council rejects union contract

As reported in the Record Journal article, during the Town Council meeting where seven of nine Councilors voted down the negotiated contract the sentiment that was echoed a few times was “there was no zero percent wage increase” as well as “we’ve been negotiating across the three years (with the zero in the mix) at about 1.8 percent average on the wage increases” (this one came to 2.07 percent so it was .27 percent too high for some people’s tastes.)

Allow me to stop the spin on the “there was no zero percent wage increase” – the last contract had one; I asked the question twice for the record.

Arbitration over this tiny amount could cost up to $20,000 in legal fees and we could be compelled to pay this out anyway but the big sticking point was that last year – that 2.25 percent wage increase even though in bargaining unions of similar size across the state, an increase close to 2.25 percent is normal.

Linda Winters, business manager - $127,079
Sharlene Wong, food service director - $90,594
Randall Backus, director of information technology services - $104,005
Mark Deptula, supervisor of buildings and grounds - $105,245

So what is the difference of .27 percent in wages?

You add the salaries together from the above and the total is $426,923

If the contract had been passed, wages in the contract would increase expenses by $26,502 over the three years. The contract would have saved $5,573 by removing the insurance premium cap so the overall cost increase impact was $20,929 on the school board.

That is $6,976 each year.

So let’s go back to the “big issue” – that 2.25 percent wage increase. “I could get on board with this if that last year was 2 percent”. Two Councilors effectively said that.

The difference in cost of $426,923 at .25 percent for that final year?

$1,067

Wallingford in now going to spend in the neighborhood of $20,000 in arbitration for the matter of $1,067.

Vote for change (thanks Mom).

Editor: Wallingford has a new “Son” that’s full of vision, determination, and enthusiasm. He stepped forward saved our fireworks celebration, then became a council member and now he’s a mayoral candidate, so much done in so little time. He can be counted on to listen to concerns, he invites input, and he loves a challenge. Just by what he’s already accomplished, you can see the momentum, and Wallingford needs this expansion, this change. Vote for Change, a New Direction, and Jason Zandri for Mayor of Wallingford. Voting is a privilege and a way to be heard, go out and vote.

Lorraine Zandri, Wallingford

MY TAKE - THE NATURE OF PROPERTY TAXES (FROM WALLINGFORD written by Mike Brodinsky)

This morning in Record Journal (Sunday October 6, 2013) the FROM WALLINGFORD column addressed “The nature of property taxes” in the op-ed piece that was written by Mike Brodinsky.

I would encourage you to read the whole article as it goes into some detail about just how you property taxes are calculated.

At the same time – it reinforces my argument from my Wallingford Taxes – MYTH and REALITY blog post:

Because of the change in the property values of residential properties being different than the rate of that of the commercial and industrial counterparts the burden has shifted to the residential property owners.

From this morning’s column:

”Using the fiscal year ending 6/30/06 as a base , according to the most recent data available, non-education spending has gone up about 10 percent over the following 6 years. This equates to almost 1.8 percent per year”

So with the revaluation changes from 2005 and the lack of additional growth of the Grand List (no real measure of additional homes, businesses or other developmental growth to add to the tax base) all of that has shifted to the residential homer owners.

Don’t take Mike’s word for it.

Don’t take the word of the Republicans who are trying to spin this “Wallingford is terrific place to live and raise a family. As a result, property taxes have risen slightly, but are still the envy of most towns in the state” (because we’ve risen on average at about 40%).

Don’t take my word for it and the data I have supplied prior.

The Wallingford Tax office is 45 South Main Street, Room #209 and the phone number is 203-294-2135.

Call and ask for your own taxes as paid from before the prior revaluation. If you didn’t live at the property ask for what it was anyway – it is public information.

“If you think education is expensive, try ignorance” is a favorite saying of mine; 20 years of doing things “quaintly” and “old school” have cost the tax payer more money than needed to be spent. It’s one thing if you’re good with that, it is another if you are unaware.

It’s your town, get informed, get involved and VOTE.

Local 478 of the International Union of Operating Engineers endorses Jason Zandri for Mayor of Wallingford

PRESS RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

I received a letter today from Local 478 of the International Union of Operating Engineers endorsing our campaign efforts for the seat of Mayor in Wallingford.

Speaking on behalf of the local, Business Manager Craig Getz wrote in the endorsement letter “I am writing on behalf of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 478 to inform you of our decision to endorse you for the office of Mayor of the Town of Wallingford.”

Craig added “Throughout your years as President of the Wallingford Fireworks Fund and as a member of the Wallingford Town Council, you have a proven track record of assessing the needs of the town, engaging the residents and leading viable discussions about the changes and improvements that need to take place.”

The endorsement continued “As an organization that respects the input of every member, we applaud you for the way that you reach out to the residents of Wallingford as you seek to insure that their voices remain an integral part of the town’s vision.”

The endorsement finishes with “Your commitment and passion for the Town of Wallingford is rivaled by few. Therefore, without qualification, we endorse your candidacy and promise to work diligently to see that the hard working families who reside in the Town of Wallingford benefit from your leadership as Mayor.”

MY TAKE on Zandri, Dickinson disagree on using contractors to get through storms

On Monday in the Record Journal, there was an article titled “Zandri, Dickinson disagree on using contractors to get through storms”

At the end of the day, the options are "wait until the work is done by the staff we have" (which doesn't always work well in critical situations like blizzards and hurricanes), hire more people permanently by adding head count (which is a long term salary and benefits cost and can be impacted when there is less work to get done) or continue to use your existing workforce and have people contracted at a locked in bid rate to augment them and offer assistance during emergencies and “as needed”.

I choose the latter option and by working with the union members and management, we can come up with the right solution for all; a solution that gives Wallingford the flexibility to have staff augmentation at a known contracted rate for emergencies and if planned for correctly and with a well negotiated contract, you can have some of the hours roll over to a new year (allowing you to buy a smaller future contract). Also, knowing that bad spring storms are rare, remaining hours may all the town to get caught up on or ahead of schedule on planned projects by consuming contract hours before they expire.

You buy insurance, such as home, life, long term disability, or automobile, with the hopes of never using it; it is a hedge against an unforeseen problem or catastrophe. You expend the money on the policies, and effectively throw it away in most cases, for the security of being able to “pull the rip cord” on it if necessary.

Planning and working in advance of an emergency to correctly procure a well negotiated contract of support hours to augment existing staff for extraneous circumstances and emergencies when they occur is an insurance policy against being shorthanded during those emergencies.

If those emergency situations never occur during a contract period, you have the ability to leverage that support contract proactively near the end of the term to consume those support hours and get a direct benefit in having the “insurance” of the contract when no emergency ever occurred.

It is the best of all worlds.

Wallingford seeking FEMA grant to buy Sheehan generator

This morning the Record Journal is running the story from of last night’s (Tuesday September 25th, 2013) meeting of the Town Council regarding Wallingford seeking FEMA grant to buy a generator for Sheehan for emergency use.

This is a great idea, as a matter of fact, I proposed something similar at the beginning of 2013 – please see the following prior blog post for those details; the Republicans at the time were more than happy to kill the idea and and conversation at the time.

Generator plan divides town council is the first of the two stories.

Wallingford Dems question GOP tactic is the second.

Both articles were written by Record Journal reporter Russell Blair.

 

At the end of the day while this is the proper step in the right direction the whole thing “hangs its hat” on getting that grant – if for some reason the grant monies go to other towns, Wallingford is not prepared to budget for this expense.

Not getting the grant does not make this need for emergency preparedness any less and we should have a back up plan to fund this regardless of our success with this or any other grants we might be eligible for.

The New Haven Building Trades Council today endorsed Jason Zandri for Mayor of Wallingford

PRESS RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

The New Haven Building Trades Council today endorsed Jason Zandri for Mayor of Wallingford.

The Council is working with its direct and affiliate members to get additional endorsements for Zandri’s campaign in Wallingford and to engage its membership to take an active participation in the campaign.

“At this point in time they have called me with their support and endorsement” Zandri said “and they are willing to engage with people and other resources to help the entire Wallingford Democrat ticket to have a successful run for this November 5th election.

Zandri continued “The campaign is honored and fortunate to receive this endorsement and we will continue our efforts to take all 13 seats across the Town Council and Board of Education as well as the office of Mayor in Wallingford. Franklin D. Roosevelt has been quoted to have said “Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves and the only way they could do this is by not voting” and Democrats near and far hold that as a truth. We hope that ALL the registered voters in Wallingford understand how important all elections are, especially this one, which sets the tone for the cost of their local property taxes as well as dictates the services they will receive.”

Zandri finished with his common call to Wallingford voters “It’s your town; get informed, get involved and vote.”

National Voter Registration Day is September 24, 2013

National Voter Registration Day is September 24, 2013

“Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves and the only way they could do this is by not voting.”
- Franklin D. Roosevelt

It's your town Wallingford residents
GET INFORMED, GET INVOLVED
AND VOTE!

MY TAKE - GOP vs. Dems: politics vs. environmental issues

BELOW - Political Cartoon from the Record Journal on Sunday September 22, 2013

Not much more needs to be said than what was reported in the GOP vs. Dems: politics vs. environmental issues story (only available for 30 days online) in the Record Journal on September 18, 2013.

“It’s a strategy I guess,” said Republican Tom Laffin. “They try to poke holes in the administration by attacking public works.”

If you read the Wallingford GOP alleges politics as Dems press environmental issue story, you will see, in black and white “McCully told the council the placement of oily material at the site was “not a spill. It was done under direction and control.””

You will also see in the story titled “Wallingford PZC troubled by illegal waste storage” the following:

McCully admitted Tuesday that the oily substance — runoff from the used-oil collection site at the recycling center — was purposely placed at the North Turnpike Road facility on April 8.

“It was not a spill,” he said. “It was done under direction and control.”

I am not poking “holes in the administration by attacking public works” – I am showing the people the facts of what has been going on for YEARS.

The old saying applies here - “if you’re not outraged you’re not paying attention.”


I will leave you with this from the “Wallingford PZC troubled by illegal waste storage” article:

Unpermitted storage of street sweepings and catch basin materials has long occurred at the site. The town has owned the property since 1910, McCully said Tuesday, and uses it to store pipe and other construction material.

DEEP took notice of the site in 2009 after a complaint from Comerford. In response, the Environmental Protection Agency become involved, McCully said, and DEEP required the town to halt all storage of unpermitted materials at the site, also known as the “dog pit.”

But the practice continued, McCully said, as a “very large load of sand from street sweepers” remained stockpiled at the site.

“There’s nowhere else to put the sand,” McCully told Zandri. In a given year, McCully said, the town purchases between 5,000 and 7,000 tons of sand mixed with salt. It needs to be kept somewhere, he said, and another location wasn’t found because “I had higher priorities.”

The final two campaign fundraisers are set for Saturday October 19th and Sunday October 27th

Save the dates – the final two campaign fundraisers are set for Saturday October 19th and Sunday October 27th.

The Saturday October 19th event will be a dinner held at the Portuguese Club at 51 South Colony Road at 7PM.

The Sunday October 27th event will be a brunch held at the Stillwood Inn at 1074 South Colony Road at 10AM.

While we are still working our efforts of getting donations in through calls and emails to supporters, these social events are our best draws to make large headway into our mailer and newspaper advertising campaign expenses that we are budgeting to get the information out to the voters so that they understand more of what is going on in their town and allow them to make informed decisions on how they want to be governed for the next two years.

If you’re doing any planning and budgeting with respect to which social events you’re able to attend over the next few weeks please keep these dates in mind – we’d love to see you at one or both as your budget allows.

Thank you for all your support to date and over the next few weeks on the road to November 5th.

September Wallingford Democratic Town Committee Meeting - Guest Speaker: Ted Kennedy Jr

Wallingford Democratic Town Committee Meeting

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Time: Meeting starts at 7 doors open 6:30pm

Zandri’s Stillwood Inn

1074 South Colony Road

Wallingford, CT

Meeting Agenda

1)  Pledge of Allegiance
2)  Roll call
3)  Minutes
4)  Treasurer report
5)  Vote for Recommendation for the Seat on Housing Authority
6)  Guest Speaker: Ted Kennedy Jr.
7)  Adjournment

 


We are honored to have as a guest speaker Ted Kennedy Jr. He seems as excited to attend as we are to have him. He’s a dynamic speaker whose appearance alone should energize the entire Democratic Party and help us in the upcoming municipal election. Ted has graciously agreed to hang around after the meeting to meet with members individually and answer any questions.(light refreshments will be served).

This should be an enjoyable event for everyone. See you on the 18th
 

Vin Avallone Chairman, Wallingford DTC