2007 Town Election

[oldetowne]

Here's an article from today's Courant on the Democratic candidates:

Democrats Nominate Slate For Fall
By ANN MARIE SOMMA | Courant Staff Writer
July 24, 2007

WETHERSFIELD - The local Democratic town committee last week nominated a slate of incumbents to the town council and the board of education, certain their wealth of experience will secure majorities on both panels in the November election.

"We are very excited about this team. With this ticket and what has been accomplished under former Mayor Russ Morin and Mayor Andy Adil, the town is moving forward in many areas," said Democrat Town Committee Chairman Shirley Steinmetz.

Steinmetz said the party will continue to fund education adequately, maintain town buildings, improve roads, which are currently being paved, and continue on economic development, all initiatives led by the Democratic majority.

For the town council, Democrats nominated incumbents Adil, Matthew Forest, Jeff Kotkin, Martin Walsh and Paul Montinieri. The newcomer is Gerri Roberts, a former council member who has served on the board of education as both chairman and vice chair.

Council member Christine Fortunato chose not to run because of family obligations.

For the board of education, Democrats nominated incumbents Julie Montinieri, Raul Rodriguez and Janis Malec.

Marie Massaro, a parent and president of the Emerson-Williams school parent-teacher organization and the Wethersfield parents council, is running for Roberts' vacant seat.

Massaro "brings a wealth of background knowledge in education," Steinmetz said. Massaro was involved in education initiatives in the 1990s in Hartford while she served as program officer for Aetna's Corporate Public Involvement, Steinmetz said.

Contact Ann Marie Somma at [e-mail].

[cruzrt]

I'm a registered Democrat and have been that for many years. Yet, I never was notified that a meeting was just held to nominate the slates. Let's face it: Democrat nomination is almost a sure thing in being elected. I wonder how many other 'ordinary' folks like me never knew this was going on? We effectively have NO say in who are elected councillors and BOE'ers are.

[oldetowne]

Cruzrt - I hear you, but do you really think Shirley & Co. want your input? And we do have elections every two years, usually with a full slate of opposing candidates and a petitioner here and there too. Too many people sitting at home and complaining instead of voting is what has guaranteed the Democratic victory almost every time for the past 30 years.

[Dr.Ken Sokolowski]

OT,
Got any wind of who the Republicans are running? (I understand that they held a caucus recently in the parking lot of town hall because "there was no room in the inn.") Also listening to the rails, I think I heard the sounds of a grass roots effort to squash the $10 Million redevelopment referendum in November. Heard anything along these lines?

[standish]

I am not so sure that all citizens understand just how things run in Wethersfield (and most towns), nor to whom "Shirley & Co." refers. "Shirley" is Shirley Steinmetz, the Democratic Town Committee Chairperson. Town Committees select electoral candidates and propose nominations for boards/commissions, etc., at their meetings. Council, for all intents and purposes, rubber-stamps the Town Committees' nominations. In a town with heavily Democratic registration, such as Wethersfield, the real election takes place at the Town Committee meeting. Those meetings and committee memberships are dominated by trial lawyers and others who benefit from public expenditures and policies, such as school and public employee unions, engineers, developers, etc. Thus, those who feed at the public trough choose "our" representatives. There appear to be unspoken agreements among these entities not to upset the apple cart (or feeding trough). Thus, we rarely see issue- or platform-based slates. The outside party runs against the errors of the incumbent party, but, it's all lovingly gentle, because they all have to work with each other later. And so it goes with nominations (nearly always unanimously approved) and most other issues after the election and until the next. Don't rattle the cage so it doesn't get rattled when it's your turn (at the trough). All in all, a recipe for larger, costlier government by insiders. Would you have it any other way?

[cruzrt]

Republicans don't even try anymore. The 3 councillors are completely ineffective, that is when they even show up for meetings.

[cruzrt]

The reply today by 'standish' has a serious error in it (maybe he just mistyped). The Council does not select the council members, we vote on them in the election. Of course, he is right that the council rubberstamps the town committees appointments to boards and commissions. A more important point: I for one would like to actually see the process where the town committee (or maybe the party members present) vote on who to nominate to run for council. I know that one little insignificant taxpayer (that's me) would not make a difference, but maybe if several of us little taxpayers were at the nominating meeting and spoke up, just maybe then something might happen.

[standish]

Dear Cruzrt,
I re-read my post and didn't see where I stated that Council selects council members. Rather, Town Committees select electoral candidates. This selection is when the real "election" transpires, given the high proportion of Democratic registrations in town: Whichever candidates the Dems select are almost invariably elected, unless incumbent cronyism and incompetence is so intolerable as to cause a protest vote and upset election of Republicans (or is that Demicans and Republicrats? I get confused.).

[cruzrt]

The Republican candidates for Council are: Cascio, Drake, Hemman, Rich Roberts, John Console, Kevin Rogers. The BOE candidates are: P.Stanziale, Milvae, DeAngelo, and Munroe. Most of these are the same tired old faces. Kevin Rogers is a new name, anybody know who he is?

[cruzrt]

Cascio running for reelection is an affront to the citizens. During his current term in office, covering 1 1/2 years, he has been absent for 15 Council Meetings.

[oldetowne]

I have two questions/comments.

First, with the pre-scripted outcome already determined by the six Democrats on the Council, I question why any Republican Council member or member of the public would even waste their time playing "Where's Waldo", trying to find the time and location of the Council meetings.

Second, that's a number, but it's entirely out of context. How many meetings have there been in that period of time? 20? 30? 70? Also, how many have other people missed?

Thanks.

[cruzrt]

The absence figures for the 9 councillors for 2006 and 2007 are: Cascio 17; Kirsche 7; Fortunato 6; Forrest 6; Walsh 4; Drake 4; Adil 1; Montinieri 1. Kotkin 0. (Kirsche and Fortunato are not running for reelection). Including the annual budget meetings, there are about 60 meetings since January '06.
SORRY: 17 is far too many and they are spread thruout his term. If he cannot attend (for whatever reasons) he should not be running for another term.

[SyZyGy]

From the Manager's report of 8/17/2007 -"High School and Hanmer Renovations: Fred Bushey, Interim Supervisor, Maintenance and Operations, for the schools has researched the new law concerning State school renovation grants. The Town's portion of funding for school projects must now have the funding in place before the School District submits an ED049 grant request. Previously, funding was sought after the ED049 grant forms were approved by the State."

To "have the funding in place" means that the Town has to go to referendum on one or both of these BOE's plans, the Hanmer School proposal (a gut rehab!), estimated to require $8-10 MILLION, and the WHS (rehab/rebuild(?)), estimated to require between $25-30 MILLION, and the over taxed citizens of Wethersfield would have had to approve one or both of those referendums!

Let's see, that would have to be put on the ballot very very soon, after an introduction and a public hearing and a vote to go to referendum by the "it's ok to spend and tax the current and future generation of Wethersfield" Democrats on Town Council. Is there time for them squeeze in special meeting in the next couple of weeks?

Let's see, that would mean that those two might be on the same ballot as the $10 MILLION redevelopment agency give-away (to entice business to come to town to build the grand list so that the Council can continue to do nothing about controlling their supporters-friendly spending and for their politically-favored unions in town).

Then, guess what, folks, revaluation of your property is coming up too. Yes, it’s that time again. All of us know how those spend & tax Democrats feel about revaluation - it's another chance to grab a little more from our collective pockets, by not fully adjusting downward the mill rate to evenly balance the rise in the collective property values.

The spoiled children - now Town Councilors - of the Greatest Generation, are now in the process of taking all they can before their elder generation dies off or is driven out of house, home, town and state by the taxes and politically inspired, unfunded mandates of questionable value. (Oh, the real estate people (Hodges) just love this time of transition, just like morticians and undertakers (Cascio).

Too bad there isn't young blood and synaptic energy in the now decrepit Wethersfield Taxpayers Association.

When will the people of Wethersfield fling open their windows and collectively yell 'We are mad as hell and we won't take it any more' and then vote for meaningful change?

The arrogance level of the power brokering Democrats has reached a level which at least equals that reached with the Sassano Affair. What are Steinmetz and Fannelli to do if the silent majority (of Dem's) ignores their instructions for how to vote?

[oldetowne]

Sy - You haven't even mentioned the $12MM proposal to switch out the Ambulance Building and Fire Station 2; the $3.5MM expansion planned for Fire Station 1; the $7MM bond proposed for Millwoods Park; the $1.1MM bond for the truck garage at physical services.....

[oldetowne]

From yesterday's Courant:

GOP Sets Its Slate, Agenda
Taxes, Grand List Among Key Issues
By ANN MARIE SOMMA

Courant Staff Writer

August 21, 2007

WETHERSFIELD

With the November election drawing near, the Republican town committee is looking to shake up the current majority that the Democrats hold on the board of education and the town council.

Rich Roberts, chairman of the Republican town committee, said his party will campaign against the tax increases and the town's stagnant grand list under the current council and board of education during the past four years.

"The Republican candidates will focus on the core objectives of town government: ensure fiscal responsibility, increase the commitment to maintain our infrastructure, and attempt to restore an open and constructive dialogue between town government and the residents," Roberts said.

The committee's slate of endorsed candidates for the town council includes incumbents John Cascio and David Drake. Also running are Donna Hemmann, a previous council member, John Console, Joseph Soja and Richard Roberts.

Running for four-year terms on the board of education are incumbent Penny Stanziale and newcomer Brad Milvae. Running for two-year terms are Gina DeAngelo and Geraldine Munroe.

Roberts said all of the candidates have dedicated many years of service to the town on boards or commissions, parent-teacher organizations, the fire department, youth sports, and church and civic organizations.

"We are concerned that the current council and [school] board are not listening to what the residents are saying," Roberts said. "Most residents have experienced a 40 percent tax increase over the past four years ... and the town hall and library project appears to be out of control."

Contact Ann Marie Somma at [e-mail].

Copyright © 2007, The Hartford Courant