The best way to predict the future is to create it

As found on the internet…

“MOVING WALLINGFORD FORWARD”

The rights of the Wallingford voters and the general public are trampled and your Republican Councilors could care less and are the direct cause of it

As the political cartoon depicts below, as published in the Record Journal on Sunday January 27, 2013, the Republican majority here in Wallingford has found a way to reach new lows.

In years gone by, they would at least shown the pretense of listening to their fellow Councilors and the public regarding an agenda item before voting along party lines as they would have at 6:30PM.

Now they have gotten so arrogant that they cannot even be bothered to listen.

Cases in point of this occur when the “Call the Question” option is made and it’s happened twice now in critical fashion (and I’ll get to that in a moment) and there are times when the Chair isn’t even following the rules and stretching / breaking his right to use “chairman’s discretion”.

So I’ll start with the motion on the floor at the past meeting (and if you want more back ground please see my prior post on my other blog - Generator Plan and Microgrids: there is more to the story).

I will also state that the procedure is allowed, however, what is allowed and permitted and what is the right thing to do are often two very different things.

When Councilor Laffin made the motion and called the question and it was seconded by Councilor Fishbein, Chairman Parisi indicated “I have a motion on the floor and we have to vote on it” (paraphrased) as if he was hamstrung by the action on the floor.

A year ago when discussing the use of the Wallingford Showmobile by the Wallingford Veterans, a motion was made by Councilor Fishbein and seconded by Councilor Letourneau (if I am remembering correctly, but it was two republican Councilors). The vote never occurred because Chairman Parisi never called the vote. Forget the obvious reasons why not, the simple fact remains – the Chairman either didn’t follow Parliamentary procedure and Robert’s Rules or there is enough wiggle room in the procedure to actually permit the action (as any lawyer will tell you – there are generally multiple ways to interpret things).

So back to the current action.

If Chairman Parisi genuinely felt hamstrung he could have taken the same action and allowed further Council discussion. He did not.

Additionally, Chairman Parisi votes last and all six votes are required to call the question. He voted to call it as well.

Calling the question stops the debate at the Council table but Chairman Parisi could still allow for public comment. He didn’t bother to allow it.

Calling the question also occurred a few weeks ago, stopping the debate regarding the decorative period lighting being replaced downtown.

At that meeting a resident asked during public question and answer period about the lights as was told by Chairman Parisi “we are discussing that topic later and you’ll be able to comment on it then; during Question and Answer we don’t comment on current agenda items” (paraphrased).

The public and Councilor Sullivan never got the chance in that situation because the question was called as well.

So as a public service reminder to all the Wallingford voters out there – these are the representatives you voted into office; I hope that if you voted for these Republicans you feel properly served.

It seems more important to them to get things over with and go out to dinner, which is where the majority of them went after they abruptly ended the meeting.

This wasn’t about the “lateness of the hour” either as it was barely 9PM when this occurred and speaking as the person who has to be up the earliest the next day (4:30AM) to go to work in the city – we can debate into the wee hours of the morning for all I care so long as the public is represented, heard and served.

But that is the difference between us and them and that is all this is coming down to right now.

What has been going on in Wallingford for some time is nothing short of a dictatorship and they aren’t even being bashful about it anymore.

Editorial - Teaching tablets in Cheshire

As published in the Record Journal Friday January 25, 2013

Cheshire Town Council is behind the times in criticizing Board of Education members for utilizing iPads during meetings.

Recently, Cheshire’s BOE commenced a paperless initiative in a commendable effort to modernize and better implement contemporary technology throughout the education district. Replacing bulky meeting packets with digital tablets also represents savings in paper and manpower costs, though iPad prices assumedly negate much of that.

Still, government officials sound out-of-date in questioning use of handheld computerized gadgets. BOE members would be doing Cheshire great disservice if, as one councilman suggested and editorial cartoonist John Grabar depicted on today’s page, they employed iPads leisurely amidst meetings. We see no reason to suspect that Hulu or Angry Birds will prove so distracting that academic business becomes ignored.

Concerns about confidentiality of wireless devices also are unfounded, as these tablets are perfectly secure as long they’re not misused. (We partially allude, of course, to the dreaded misclicked “Reply to all” email button).

While long-term savings on switching to expensive iPads are dubious, the value is in hands-on understanding of tablets’ educational potential. Town councilor Andy Falvey claimed no difference between bringing them to a BOE meeting versus a laptop. He has missed the point.

Current and future students likely will not use laptops in classrooms. Those computers are bulky compared with small, thin tablets. iPads and similar models provide pupils enormous learning possibilities — interactive lessons and all of history’s information— without being so big that they block views or become unwieldy.

Moreover, it’s important for the BOE to experience personally what tablets can offer. This board will make decisions as to what extent tech is applied throughout town schools. Cheshire High School already has begun encouraging learning through technology, with Dodd Middle School set to proceed similarly. It’s a “natural progression,” aptly observed School Superintendent Greg Florio of such modern measures (R-J, 1-19). For that progression to be as smooth and effective as possible, BOE representatives must grasp thoroughly what they are permitting students use of in classrooms.

While not as anti-iPad as his colleague, council member Tom Ruocco stated that he simply prefers working with paper. That’s a sentiment many of us can comprehend, particularly readers who favor tactile books over e-texts.

But regarding classrooms, the future is undeniably digital. Students and teachers have much to gain in this tech-and-academic evolution. And for Cheshire schools to keep pace with industry advancements, BOE officials must be conversant with the operational and educational aspects of the latest handheld technology.

FROM CHESHIRE - Construction to begin in March on 20 units of affordable housing

Building more affordable housing is something we should be doing in Wallingford to get beyond our current 6% of the housing stock with the goal of meeting then exceeding the 10% target goal as set by the state.

Some of this effort can be kick started by supporting the said development in the planned Incentive Housing Zone in Wallingford Center.

As you can see from the article Cheshire was able to do this work with funding from the State:

”The project is completely funded by the state. In April, the state Bond Commission approved $3,350,000. State Rep. Mary Fritz, a Wallingford Democrat whose district includes part of Cheshire, was instrumental in bringing the new development into town.”

It pays to investigate what monies are available to the town for projects and then go after them aggressively.

The below is as published in the Record Journal Friday January 25, 2013

By Andrew Ragali
Record-Journal staff
aragali@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2224
Twitter: @AndyRagz

CHESHIRE — The construction of affordable housing off West Main Street will begin in March, with hopes that 20 units on Rumberg Road will be completed early next year. Housing Authority Chairman Bruce Klein said the units will differ from those in the Beachport housing complex on Rumberg Road. He explained that Beachport is a Section 8 housing development, reserved for the elderly and disabled. The new development will be affordable housing for “working people who do not have the means to afford housing” in Cheshire.

“The two pieces of property are contiguous, but it’s a separate facility with separate management,” Klein said.

The project is completely funded by the state, according to Klein. In April, the state Bond Commission approved $3,350,000. State Rep. Mary Fritz, a Wallingford Democrat whose district includes part of Cheshire, was instrumental in bringing the new development into town.

Cheshire spent $200,000 on submissions to the state Planning Board in 2010, and submitted an application to the state’s Department of Economic and Community Development. The town was then told the application process had changed, delaying the development. Fritz then appealed to DECD Deputy Commissioner Ronald Angelo, who resolved the issue. “I’m so glad,” Fritz said. “In my mind it was totally unfair.”

Fritz said affordable housing units are needed in Cheshire for retired residents who don’t want to leave their hometown.

“Mary has been very helpful in our project,” Klein said.

Three two-floor buildings with four apartments each will be built on Rumberg Road land that was recently cleared.

Two buildings on Rumberg Road will be renovated and converted into housing units, Klein said. One, the historic home of Cheshire politician Samuel Foot, who was born in 1780, now contains four apartments. Klein said the house is in disrepair and is being renovated to bring it back to “somewhat historic condition.”

Four apartments will remain in the Foot house. A garage, part of the Foot house, has two apartments upstairs. The lower-level garage area will be renovated into two apartments that will become handicapped-accessible units.

Klein said there has been a push for more affordable housing throughout the state. Cheshire now has eight units scattered around town — not counting the Beachport complex.

There is a “crying need for housing which is cheap enough for people who work for a living and need to be able to afford rent,” Klein said.

Rent for the new units has not been established, Klein said. Rent for affordable housing is based on annual median income in the area.

The apartments will be advertised for rent as soon as they are finished. Klein said DeMarco Management Corp., of Hartford, will be managing the property.

Town Council Chairman Tim Slocum aid his only concern about the new development is pedestrian access. Recently, a resident was hit by a car and killed on West Main Street. Town Manager Michael Milone said he’s in the process of applying for a grant that would provide $500,000 for additional sidewalks on the north side of West Main Street. Giving people a safe way to access shopping on the street is “a big priority for the council and all of us,” Milone said.

Both Milone and Slocum see the new development as an important step for Cheshire.

“One of the things that’s apparent is we as a community are aging,” Milone said. “It’s important that you have an opportunity that gives people away to stay in town.”

“Obviously, we have a food pantry,” Slocum said, “so it’s not a town without issues and a need for housing that’s affordable.”

Letter to the editor of the Record Journal - Forward vision

Editor: “Moving Wallingford Forward” is going to take many things. Understanding where we’ve been, what we’ve done well, and if it is still relevant to do so to keep doing it. Accepting what we’ve done incorrectly or inefficiently and to not repeat those efforts. We need to understand the changes in the landscape in order to navigate the terrain that is in front of us.

Technology will offer more ease of access, open government, more services and allow us to streamline work that needs to be done and make our government more efficient. We will find ways to do more with less and by attrition through retirements and promotions we will shrink the cost of Wallingford government and some of the tax burden on the taxpayer. The Incentive Housing Zone will rejuvenate the Wallingford Center; that means more businesses, a growing grand list, and more people from out of town spending money in Wallingford. The New Haven-Hartford-Springfield (NHHS) Rail project will put a commuter train through town and allow people to get to this new and rejuvenated Wallingford Center that will develop over the next 10 to 20 years without the need to bring a car and park it. Affordable housing will develop in the zone which allows for good housing for young adults that would use that commuter rail-line to get to and from work anywhere from Springfield to New York City. This would allow young adults to return back home after college and allow them to afford to live in the town they grew up in as well as attract young professionals from out of town to discover Wallingford and to call it their new home.

“If you build it, they will come.” But we must have forward vision and strategic planning in place for it to happen.

JASON ZANDRI , WALLINGFORD TOWN COUNCIL

D-CANDIDATE FOR MAYOR

Enjoying more Record Journal political humor on a Sunday morning

As published in the Record Journal Sunday January 20, 2013

Incentive Housing Zone – Sunday editorial in the Record Journal

This editorial was in the Sunday January 20, 2013 edition of the Record Journal; I couldn’t agree more with the topic and the content and while I was going to write my own letter to the editor about it I am no longer going to as I cannot improve on it.

As published in the Record Journal Sunday January 20, 2013

Establishment of an Incentive Housing Zone around lower downtown Wallingford could help revitalize an area potentially facing stagnation.

As proposed, an Incentive Housing Zone would allow developers to build high-density, mixed-use structures three-to-four stories tall. In reasonable exchange for town officials upping Wallingford’s normal density parameters in this district, builders must design and designate 20 percent of home units as affordable. These less-expensive dwellings will be for people earning 80 percent or less of the median area income.

Despite cheaper prices, “affordable housing” should not be confused with low-income or government subsidized units. This incentive zone is intended to provide more cost- effective options for (among others) young residents or older people on fixed incomes, and any professionals in between those ages. Connecticut is an expensive place to live in and thus is losing recent graduates and retirees to other states. Our workforce and economy weaken as result.

“There’s a lot of young people who grew up in Wallingford who can’t afford to move back,” perceptively stated Democratic Town Councilor John Sullivan (R-J, 1-12). Many individuals naturally want to start an adult life in their hometown once they grow up. But cost-of-living expenses in Connecticut can price this goal out of the budgets of first-time renters and owners. An Incentive Housing Zone would address this problem.

Moreover, this zoning modification could commercially boost lower downtown Wallingford. Unlike upper sections of town center, some may view this sector as more affected in recent years by various forms of blight and business turnover. A sizeable increase in clientele would provide more routine customers for shops and restaurants.

Municipal benefits would be widespread. New residents in this incentive zone would mean more foot traffic for businesses throughout Wallingford. And perhaps with successful implementation of affordable housing downtown, developers of similarly conceptualized units at Simpson Village will finally launch that inert project.

Only about six percent of Wallingford housing stock is considered affordable. Connecticut has set a goal for all towns to maintain that figure at 10 percent — for good reason. Affordable housing would attract more retirees and young professionals, people with tighter budgets who might otherwise relocate to a state where cost-of-living is less daunting.

Wallingford leaders and residents should support the proposed incentive zone, and grant lower downtown the uptick in local consumers required for economic revitalization. The town has abundant character and nuance upon which to ever-improve its draw as a destination of choice in which to live and work.

Cheshire school board’s iPads draw criticism from Town Council but the savings is “right there”

An article in the Cheshire Citizen titled “Cheshire BOE’s iPads draw some cavils” outlines a perfect example of the cost of new technology and the minimal time to return on the investment (ROI) and the savings generated.

In the article the following gross savings were outlined:

The Board of Education saves about $100 per meeting by using the iPads, Florio said. Normally, a police courier must be paid overtime to deliver meeting packets to board members. The packets often contain confidential information, which is why a police courier is used. Savings are also realized through the cost of paper.

“For the most part, we’ve cut down on copying and binders,” Florio said. “We certainly spend some money preparing and delivering packets.”

The cost of the units was also outlined:

Florio said each device costs about $400, slightly discounted from retail price

But let’s skip that and figure the cost of fully, brand new devices. Let’s look at iPads rather than any other models (yes those might be less expensive but I am going for market mainstream for this example).

Apple - iPad 2 with Wi-Fi – 16GB - $399.99 (at the time I searched this link down) – mind you; I would only suggest this model as a “paper document replacement” device as I feel that 16GB is too small for doing other things with it but as a base model for this use it is perfect.

In an example where 10 would be needed that is $4,000.00 spent. The units are good for three to five years (or longer but let’s call it four).

So let’s use the example of Wallingford Town Council meetings because I think it is fair to assume the costs would be relative.

In 2012 there were over 30 meetings between the regular session meetings, special meetings and the budget meetings. For the sake of argument and being conservative in our cost analysis let’s say there were only 25 meetings for the year.

Given the above that would be a cost of $2,500.00 so in a year and a half (basically) you have gotten the full return on the investment (ROI) and you are generating a net savings beyond that.

Even if the devices lasted only an additional 18 months (for a total of three years only) that is still about $3,700.00 in savings

Also, there is asset recovery at the end of their lifespan. They might only fetch $50.00 a unit used but that would still be $500.00 recovered to the town.

So in 36 months (years one, two and three) you save $3,700.00 and then you sell the used devices for $500.00 for a total of $4,200.00 in cash.

When you go to buy 10 new devices (for use in year four) to replace the 36 month old ones retired and sold, the cost of $4,000.00 is totally negated by the dollars as shown above.

So the 36 months following (years four, five and six) it is all 100% savings that is perpetuated going forward. The total cost of savings in those 36 months, all things being equal, would be $7,500.00

So when people ask “how is spending on technology going to save us money” this is one simple, base use example as already shown by Cheshire (using similar Wallingford examples). 

Town of Southington to accept more credit card payments

As published in the Record Journal Tuesday January 15, 2013

By Andrew Ragali
Record-Journal staff
aragali@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2224
Twitter:@AndyRagz

SOUTHINGTON — Town Manager Garry Brumback announced during Monday’s Town Council meeting that a credit card company has been contracted to expand and connect card payment services to several departments in the town, moving residents a step closer to experiencing a totally digital Town Hall.

The change will allow residents to pay bills online using credit cards. Currently, credit cards can only be used in the Sewer Department, and at the town clerk and tax collector’s office, and each office uses a different point of sales vendor.

“Town Clerk Leslie Cotton has chaired a committee that has consolidated credit card function throughout town,” Brumback said during Monday night’s meeting.

The town has hired PayGOV to extend credit services to the Building Department, Planning and Zoning Department, Engineering Department and Parks and Recreation Department. The change will allow all departments to use the same vendor.

Cotton said that members from several town departments assisted on the committee that she chaired. Cotton said that the committee initially found nine companies, before narrowing its search to four “to bring in and make a presentation.”

After almost six months, Cotton said the committee chose PayGOV “because this is their specialty.”

The company specializes in providing point of sales services to municipalities. Cotton said PayGOV has clients in 30 states, but is just now expanding into the Northeast. “We would be the first in Connecticut,” Cotton said.

PayGOV is offering to install services free of charge. Cotton said the company will be in town beginning the installation process next week.

According to the company’s website, PayGOV “facilitates electronic payment for government and utility payments.”

“Our system allows for use of your card to pay government or utility obligations,” the company’s website states. “With our payment solution, you are able to make a payment for: taxes; utility bills; tuition; licenses; fines and fees.”

“We felt this was a really good choice for us,” Cotton said of choosing PayGOV.

The company’s services will be phased into six new departments, but current services at the tax collector’s office will remain for the time being. Cotton said the department will install the new credit service “in a couple months.”

Residents who chose to pay the town through this service will be charged a convenience fee, Cotton said. Currently, residents are charged either 3 percent or $3 per transaction in the town clerk’s office, and that fee will only go down with the PayGOV. Cotton said the fee per transaction for the company will either be 3 percent or $2. Fees in the Tax Collector and Sewer Department offices are lower, at 2.54 percent, and that lower fee will be honored with the new service provider. The company’s services are “renewed on a monthly basis,” Cotton said.

Town Councilor Dawn Miceli commented that the service will help move Southington closer to Brumback’s goal of a digital Town Hall.

“This seems like such a convenience to residents,” she said.

In other Town Council action, Brumback announced the timeline for the budget process. He said he received budget requests from department leaders on Friday. On Feb. 18, the Board of Finance will receive and review requests before holding a public hearing on March 4. After the public hearing, the Board of Finance will adopt a budget and submit it to the Town Council on April 1. The Town Council will have until May 31 to adopt the town’s final budget for fiscal year 2013-14.

Notes from the campaign kickoff meeting and the road ahead

We had a good week of planning for the race to the seat of Mayor here in Wallingford; with 20+ people in attendance to the campaign kickoff meeting and the input received on top of my own personal ideas of where we all want to see Wallingford end up over the next 10 to 20 years.

We have a great platform to solidify and run with as part of the effort of “Moving Wallingford Forward”.

Yes, technology is going to be part of the platform but I am far from laying all of my bets on that; leveraging technology for more ease of access, more open government, more services available will come as part of a calculated effort to streamline work that needs to be done and make our government more efficient. We will find ways to do more with less and by attrition through retirements and promotions we will shrink the cost of Wallingford government as that end result limits some of the tax burden on the taxpayer.

The Incentive Housing Zone will rejuvenate the lower downtown area – that means more businesses, a growing grand list, and more people from out of town spending money here in our Wallingford Center.

The currently ongoing rehabilitation of the rail line through Wallingford as part of the construction for the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield (NHHS) Rail program to put a commuter train onto our rails through town is going to be a huge boon to all of this; it will allow people to get to this new and rejuvenated Wallingford Center that can develop over the next 10 to 20 years without the need to bring a car and park it to enjoy Wallingford Center.

The affordable housing that will develop as part of the Incentive Housing Zone would allow for good housing for young adults that would use that commuter rail line to get to and from work anywhere from Springfield to New York City. This would allow our high school students to return back home after college and be able to afford to live in the town they grew up in.

It can also attract young professionals from out of town to discover Wallingford and all it has to offer, allowing Wallingford to “replenish” her aging population with the next generation of adults that will grow up here and have families and call Wallingford home.

This is a classic case of “if you build it, they will come” but we must have the vision and the strategic planning in place for it to happen.

It will not happen overnight; it will take years, but they go by faster than you think.

Most people have enough history and memory to look back 15 years ago and remember a time in Wallingford before places like Wal-Mart, Home Depot and Lowes existed. A time when there were one or two Dunkin Donuts (and now there are four) as well as a host of other businesses that were not yet established in town like Basil's Pizza Restaurant as well as Jakes and Knuckleheads and Tata's Restaurant.

All these things have come in the past 15 years and most of it has been positive growth for Wallingford; in order to keep that ongoing the momentum must be “forward”.

Greater things are in store for the next 15 if we are willing to commit the strategic planning to make it happen and we as a community want to be “Moving Wallingford Forward”.

Republican for Zandri – awesome

One by one I’ll work on them and capture who I can as I go.

“MOVING WALLINGFORD FORWARD” 

The Windy City Teams with Microsoft on Cloud Strategy

Obviously this is not on scale with anything we could or might do here in Wallingford but it serves as an example to show what can be done when you make a concerted effort to think forward and move ahead and to do so in a way that streamlines efforts, expands services and reduced duplication and in the end, costs.

The Windy City Teams with Microsoft on Cloud Strategy

The following “City of Chicago Adopts Cloud Computing Strategy for City-wide Email and Applications” is from the city’s press release.

You cannot take away the cost savings numbers from the release as they reflect the City of Chicago with nearly as many employees as Wallingford has citizens but (at about two-thirds) but the key take away statements WOULD apply here:

”making our operations more effective and secure and saving taxpayer money”

”leveraging new technologies to streamline and modernize the way we do business in order to provide the residents of Chicago with the best service at the best price”

”The cloud strategy gives City employees the ability to do their jobs more effectively while saving taxpayer dollars, decreasing duplication among departments and streamlining our operations across the board,”

“The cloud strategy is a major step towards our goal of modernizing our information technology. Ultimately, updating the City’s digital infrastructure for the 21st century sets the foundation for innovation that will continue to move us forward.”


Wallingford can have this too – as long as it wants it and wants to keep “Moving Wallingford Forward”

Campaign Meeting – scheduled for Wednesday January 9, 2013 at 7:30PM

Welcome to 2013 everyone. We hope you had a great holiday and New Year’s.

We will be having a planning meeting to kick off the 2013 Mayoral campaign and to extend the invitation publicly to anyone that wants to sit in to listen or offer their input.

It will be held on Wednesday January 9, 2013 at 7:30PM at the Law Offices of Vincent Avallone,130 North Main Street in Wallingford.

The plan for this meeting is to discuss topics for Wallingford – the things on peoples’ minds that they want to see for Wallingford in the future. There are some things we do well and we expect to hear “let’s keep doing them” as much as we expect to hear “we should do this – we don’t currently” as well as “we could improve upon this process.”

The only way we can set forth to see these things through for the people is to hear from them how they are important and to put together the plan to execute and see them through.

Additionally we will want to discuss the upcoming fundraiser for the campaign – planned for Wednesday March 6, 2013 at 6:30PM at Gouveia Vineyards 1339 Whirlwind Hill Rd, Wallingford; we will need volunteers for the event for items such as planning the event as well as selling tickets.

If at anytime you’d like to get a hold of me for additional information or follow email is generally best; feel free to drop me a note at Jason@Zandri.net (Please put in a meaningful subject so the spam filter doesn’t swallow it up “Wallingford - [TOPIC]” is an offered suggestion).

Once again – this meeting is open to one and all and we hope to see you there.