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

 

 

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).

A few photos from the July Fundraiser. Next and final formal fundraiser is scheduled for Thursday October 17th

We are in 3rd gear right now; we raised a really solid amount for two reporting periods but we’ll need more for all the direct mailers and media advertising that we have to undertake to push this race forward and get us to 4th gear and then overdrive.

While we may have small events that will be used to raise some small amounts of additional donations and funds for the overall effort, the last hurrah is going to be the final, formal fundraiser on Thursday October 17th at 6:30PM – there will be more on that soon but in the meantime block that night on your calendars.

The photos below are just a few from our July Fundraiser – I will add some more in a future post.

Speaking with Lieutenant Governor Nancy S. Wyman

 

With Lieutenant Governor Nancy S. Wyman and Wallingford Democratic Town Committee Chairman Vincent Avallone

 

With Lieutenant Governor Nancy S. Wyman and Connecticut State Comptroller Kevin P. Lembo

 

With Lieutenant Governor Nancy S. Wyman, Connecticut State Comptroller Kevin P. Lembo, Attorney and former Secretary of the State of Connecticut Susan Bysiewicz and Democratic Town Council Candidate Dana Camp

Participation - Letters to the editor of the Record Journal

This letter to the editor appeared in the July 26, 2013 edition of the Record Journal

Editor: The political season in Wallingford has begun with both parties declaring their candidates. The question now is whether or not the voters of Wallingford will participate. In 2003, 49 percent of all registered voters came to the polls to vote in the local election in Wallingford. Sadly, this is considered a high turnout for a local election. In 2005 and 2007, the voting percentage declined even more and reached a new low in 2009, with only a 35 percent turnout. In our last election we saw a slight increase to 39 percent. This still represents a 20 percent decline from the high-water mark of 2003.

Our candidates will be watching the voting population and will act accordingly. As citizens, we need to play our part — and using recent history, we are not pulling our weight. Demand more from our candidates. They are asking us for our votes and we should hold them accountable for a past record (if applicable) and demand an answer as to how they will serve the whole town’s needs in the future, if elected. Our government will be as good as our participation. Accepting 25 percent of all registered voters as sufficient to elect a mayor (and even less to be on town council and board of education) is a failure on our part as an electorate.

Be informed (attend town meetings, watch the rebroadcasts on public access, read the paper, meet your candidates). Get engaged (talk to your neighbors, candidates, ask questions, participate at meetings because it is your right, and most of all come out and vote). Your voice, your opinion will be heard if you vote.

LAURENCE MORGENSTEIN, WALLINGFORD

Jason Zandri will lead Wallingford Dems in fall

As published via MyRecordJournal.com Wednesday, July 17, 2013 11:44 pm by Jeff Gebeau

Party members proceeded to make their nominations. Before each one, the nominator testified to the nominee’s commitment to family, service, party and Wallingford. Each nomination was met by a chorus of “seconds.”

The party nominated Jason Zandri for mayor. Zandri is surrendering his council seat in order to challenge Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr., a 30-year incumbent

For the full story please see “Jason Zandri will lead Wallingford Dems in fall” on MyRecordJournal.com

No grant for Simpson Court in Wallingford

As published online at MyRecordJournal.com Thursday, July 11, 2013 11:07 pm

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

WALLINGFORD — Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced Thursday that 14 municipalities across the state were awarded a share of the $5 million Main Street Investment Fund. Wallingford, seeking $500,000 from the fund to renovate the Simpson Court parking lot near the intersection of Center and North Main streets, was left off the list.

“We knew it was a competitive grant,” Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr. said after learning the town will not receive the money. “Everyone was not guaranteed money, and I guess quite a few towns did apply. That’s the nature of the process.”

In all, 64 towns submitted projects worth a total of $26 million to the program, but the state only authorized spending $5 million. Not making the cut is “disappointing,” Dickinson said, “but certainly our concerns about the downtown and the needs for improvement here as well as the other facets and locations in town will continue.”

Dimple Desai, community development coordinator for the state’s Office of Policy and Management, said it was “the nature of the application” sent in by Wallingford that prompted the denial. Desai said the application was for maintenance and upkeep of the parking lot. But according to state statute, Desai said, any renovations that are solely the result of a lack of ordinary maintenance can’t be funded by the Main Street Investment Fund.

“It has to be maintained,” Desai said. “This should have been part of ordinary maintenance.”

Desai said a letter penned by three town councilors discrediting the town’s application for the grant had nothing to do with the denial.

“No, those letters were submitted after the application deadline,” Desai said. “Any documentation after the deadline will not be considered.

“To be fair to all, once the deadline was done, that was it,” he said.

Republican Councilor Craig Fishbein joined Democrats Jason Zandri and Nicholas Economopoulos in sending the Nov. 1 letter to the OPM. The town applied for the grant in late September.

“Components of the application do not appear to comply with the grant specifications and should be taken into consideration when reviewing the town’s application,” Fishbein wrote.

After learning why the state denied the town’s application, Zandri said, “That was a lot of the argument we made originally in the letter. ... Craig indicated that.”

Fishbein, in his letter, argued that elements of the Simpson Court project, such as repaving, restriping and new drainage, amount to normal maintenance and should be excluded.

A plan to renovate the parking lot backed by Dickinson, a Republican, and others was defeated in a 2011 referendum. That plan was similar to the one stalled by Thursday’s announcement from the state, but would have been funded through money the municipal Electric Division transfers to the town for capital projects, rather than from a state grant.

In past months, councilors have indicated their concern over the letter sent by Zandri, Fishbein and Economopoulos. In early June, Democrat John Sullivan said, regarding the letter, “I can’t help but feel it’s damaging” to the town’s chances of receiving grant money for the project. In January, Republican Councilor John LeTourneau, a supporter of the grant application, said the councilors are entitled to their opinions but felt the letter was misleading. Councilors found out about the letter in late January. Fishbein said he never intended for the letter, written in October, to be kept private and believed fellow councilors were aware of it when it was sent. But most councilors said they weren’t aware of the letter until the end of January.

“You have to assume it’s not helpful if there’s controversy over a project,” Dickinson said Thursday.

“I stand by my decision to sign that letter,” said Zandri, who is opposing Dickinson in the upcoming mayoral race.

“I had a good feeling about it, but I had no special reason to feel that way,” Town Council Chairman Bob Parisi, a Republican, said of the town’s chances of getting the grant. “The project was needed, well thought-out and well planned. I couldn’t see any reason why we wouldn’t be selected.”

In regard to what happens with the parking lot next, Parisi said, “I think we need to have a chat with the mayor.”

“I’m very disappointed,” LeTourneau said. “If it’s something we should be maintaining, they’re telling us we didn’t maintain it properly. That’s really not good, to lose a grant because we didn’t do what we were supposed to be doing.”

“It’s unfortunate,” Fishbein said, “but certainly I wouldn’t be pointing at the letter. I think the people have spoken through referendum.”

The future of the property may now come down to litigation, in LeTourneau’s opinion.

“It’s not going to go down a good road,” he said. “It’s all going to end up in litigation. That’s the long and short of it.”

“Could it end up in litigation?” Zandri asked. “Absolutely.”

Through a contractual agreement with business owners, upkeep of the lot was the town’s responsibility, Zandri said. “And it’s questionable if that work was done.”

“I don’t know,” said Dickinson when asked if litigation was possible. “Clearly the private property owners there have options that they can pursue.”

From here on out, Dickinson said, the town will have to wait and see what the next step is for the parking lot.

“If everybody can’t sit down and can’t negotiate some peaceful means of repairing the parking lot,” LeTourneau said, “well, then a judge is going to decide.”

Caucuses will fill November ballot

As published in the Record Journal Friday July 12, 2013

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

WALLINGFORD — Candidates for mayor, Town Council and Board of Education will be endorsed at party caucuses Wednesday night.

At 7 p.m., the Democratic Town Committee will meet on the second floor of 350 Center St, said committee Chairman Vinnie Avallone. The Republican Town Committee will meet at the same time at Dag Hammarskjold Middle School on Pond Hill Road, said Chairman Bob Prentice.

Six Democrats, including two incumbents — Nick Economopoulos and John Sullivan — have announced that they are running for the council next term, Avallone said. Jason Zandri will give up his council seat to run for mayor. Other council candidates include former councilor and mayoral candidate Vinnie Testa, as well as Debbie Reynolds, Dana Camp and Larry Russo. Avallone said the four current Democrats on the Board of Education will seek endorsement, as will newcomer Patricia Mills.

Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr., a Republican, has announced he will seek re-election. Prentice said Republicans will end up running seven candidates for Town Council. With the exception of Rosemary Rascati, who has announced she will not seek reelection, all the incumbents will run. In addition, former Councilor Ray Rys and current Board of Education member Christine Mansfield will be seeking council seats, Prentice said. The four Republican Board of Education incumbents, minus Mansfield, will seek re-election, he said, adding that the committee is still looking to add two candidates to the Board of Education ticket.

“It’s not official till the caucus is over,” Prentice said.

On the Republican side, a single ballot is normally cast to endorse the entire slate of candidates during the caucus, Prentice said.

Since only six Democrats are seeking council seats, that can happen, on the Democratic side as well, Avallone said. The alternative would be for a nomination and vote for each candidate, he added.

Candidates must file financial registration with the town clerk’s office by 4 p.m. July 29, said Town Clerk Barbara Thompson. This paperwork includes reports on campaign finances. Candidates must file with the office “even if they’re not going to raise money,” Thompson said. If they don’t file in time, they will be subject to a $100 fine, she said.

As of Thursday, Zandri, Dickinson, Camp and Rys have filed paperwork with the office. Zandri is the only candidate to have raised money for his campaign so far.

Zandri has raised $14,335, with $10,107 still unspent. According to paperwork filed with the town clerk’s office, Zandri has spent his campaign money on office supplies. He also spent $200 on three occasions for the services of What’s Next, a political consulting firm based in Wethersfield. Zandri said the firm is developing walking routes so he can efficiently campaign door-to-door, because “you need to knock on the right door,” he said. Zandri also spent $980 in campaign money for the services of The Vinci Group, a Manchester consulting firm that organizes fundraisers, Zandri said, including the July 24 event at Zandri’s Stillwood Inn on South Colony Road. The event will be hosted by local state Reps. Mary Mushinsky and Mary Fritz. Lt Gov. Nancy Wyman will be a special guest at the event, Zandri said.

“It’s generating a lot of interest at the state level, too,” Avallone said of Zandri’s campaign. “There’s a lot of energy.”

Zandri said he has already begun his door-to-door campaigning. Support so far has been positive, he said, with the only negative being that people are upset he won’t be a town councilor anymore.

Dickinson said he will look to begin fundraising in the coming weeks.

“It’s putting the plans together,” he said. “I can’t do a lot of door-to-door, but I try to do some.”

A lot of the work is behind the scenes putting literature and mailings together.

“That’s what most of the campaign money goes into,” he said, adding that there is a lot of assistance from the Republican Town Committee, as well as non-committee members in town.

Prentice said Dickinson’s run for mayor is “usually a pretty simple campaign.”

“He never takes any credit for anything, he said. “That’s what kills me.”

Both mayoral candidates said they support their parties’ Town Council and Board of Education candidates, and view them as teammates in the race for mayor.

Thompson said Prentice and Avallone must file their certificate of endorsement with her office by July 24. This paperwork officially lists whom each party endorses. Throughout the state, all candidates for election must be endorsed between July 16 and July 23.

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.