Friday, July 31, 2009

Going off the Beaten Path

Senator Chris Dodd has been diagnosed with prostate cancer . This is a disease which can be easily treated, but which will kill you if you ignore it.

My thoughts and prayers go out to Senator Dodd for a full recovery...for everyone else:

Guys, If you can remember voting for or against Reagan (either time), GET CHECKED ASAP! The test sucks, but it's a cakewalk compared to the disease.



And Away We GO....


Well...it's started already.

An "anonymous" pamphlet has been circulated...making some extremely nasty comments about certain elected officials. (As much as I hate to admit this, I first found about this by reading the local party paper).

I haven't actually seen the letter, but I have had parts of it read to me. If what is alleged is true, the subjects should go to jail; but if these are just vicious lies, the writer is in a HEAP of trouble -- both criminally and financially.

This is (as they say) a "teachable" moment:

  • My blog name is "West Haven Bob". My real name is Bob Symmes (as anyone who looked at my Blogger profile could see). I don't hide my opinions; nor do I filter the information - good or ill for my chosen candidates or opponents. Those who screen the news - or who hide behind "anonymous" screen names - toss away 90% of the power of their opinions.
  • When ANYONE gets a flyer in their mailbox, and it doesn't have a "PAID FOR BY" disclaimer on it, TOSS IT OUT! I have made many flyers personally in the past, and they always say "PAID FOR BY ROBERT J SYMMES NOT APPROVED BY ANY CANDIDATE"...etc. Anonymous flyers aren't worth the paper they're written on.
  • If you get an offensive flyer or mailing, call the City Clerk or the number on the flyer! If it proves to be a fake, call the State Police. This is a SERIOUS crime...and it is OUR job to bring to justice those sicko's who are messing with OUR democracy.
Folks, we've got a lot of people wanting to spread false rumors about public officials. The TRUE rumors are bad enough.

Make sure you're getting the REAL dope on the political dopes before you accept "anonymous" / faked information.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

A picture is worth....

...a thousand tears.

What was the point of last week's "As the Picard Turns"? Did John Picard really need to hear he's got a lot of support amongst the voters? Was he just teasing the voters by threatening to drop out? Did he truly have moments of doubt just as he was being endorsed?

The entire net results of John Picard's actions is that he gave energy to the Republicans and the members of A Better Future party (really, guys, GET A BETTER NAME!)...and royally screwed up the organization of the Democratic Party.

All in all, when everything is said and done, it's ALL ABOUT JOHN.

Hold On....She's BAAAACK!

(Oops, my bad -- that's really a photo of my ex-wife)

The word is out - Nancy Rossi has taken out petitions to get on the ballot for Mayor.

Now the big question is whether she could garner the 1,000 or so signatures by August 12th. As a matter of full disclosure, I will be circulating petitions for her. And, yes, I am Frankenstein.

Voices from "The Other Side"


Last night, the West Haven Republicans held their endorsement caucus...and just as you can be sure Lucy will pull that football away, you can be sure they have learned nothing from their string of losses. Read the Register's article here.

The GOP selected the same-ol' group of tired retreads and has-beens; they (once again) couldn't even field a complete slate! This is why they no longer have any elected officials in West Haven (Jo Ann Calegari doesn't count, as her office is mandated by state law).

I have the utmost respect for many of their candidates, such as Sal Arminio (running for Council-At-Large) and Art Hubbard (City Council - 9th).

But would it have killed you guys to have endorsed some fresh faces, like Stephanie Williams? Especially since you apparently don't have a candidate for the 10th.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

In Other News...


With all the noise coming from the Democratic party (honestly, are those guys double-pounding the shots at Randall's - or should they?), it would be easy to overlook the other parties.

The Republican Party (yeah, there really is such a thing, at least in name) will hold their endorsement tonight. I thought their endorsements had to be in by the close of business today, but that's someone else's problem.

Word is that besides Jack Lawlor, there's a surprise dark horse in the running. This mystery candidate ran for mayor in the past, and has proven to be a man of honesty and integrity (we can't have that in West Haven! Really!).

Also out in the ozone, A Better Future Party is setting up their slate....and be prepared for some surprises from that direction.

UPDATE - BREAKING NEWS: We just heard there might just be a FOURTH slate in November....with some VEEEEERY EEEENTERESTING names...more as soon as the horse's mouth speaks.

Monday, July 27, 2009

Breaking (the) News!


The latest is that John ("I'm out, I'm in") Picard has been annointed the endorsed candidate by the Democratic State Central Committee and by the Secretary of the State's office.

And everyone thought Johnny Boy couldn't work with the state! Boy, he really showed US, huh?

Details, Details....


As was reported yesterday, the Democratic Town Committee will try again tonight to endorse a candidate for Mayor. However....

The rules of both the local and the state Democratic Parties clearly require that a legal notice be placed in a local newspaper, inviting the public to attend. This was done for last Wednesday's meeting, but that was adjourned without a specific continuance date. This means the public notice cannot cover this new meeting; and therefore any endorsement coming out of that meeting is invalid.

SIGH......When will it all end?

UPDATE: As of noon, the State Central Committee has ruled the meeting to be legal...but no word as yet from the Secretary of State (who has to certify the endorsement.)

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Hold On....He's BAAAACK!



Just like THAT....John Picard is back in the race.

After a wild and woolly weekend, several new names surfaced for the potential Democratic nominee for Mayor. Just as things were settling into place, word came out tonight that Picard has reconsidered his refusal of the nomination.

On Wednesday night, Picard told Channel 8 news:

“Most people ask me to reconsider,” said Mayor Picard. “I’m pretty sure my mind is made up.”

He also told the New Haven Register:

"... Picard said his mind is made up, and though he loves being mayor, he is looking forward to spending more time with his wife, 2-year-old daughter and the baby when it arrives."

Now we can see what "made up" means to John Picard's mind.

Was this all an act? Was Picard play-acting in front of West Haven voters? Or is this little farce a harbinger of darker problems?

Is Picard stable enough (or committed enough) to provide the leadership West Haven needs?

LET THE GAMES.......BEGIN!

Friday, July 24, 2009

NOW where do we go?



Now that John Picard has declared he "will not run for election," the West Haven Democratic Party is in a bind.

The Town Committee is split 50-50 between the Picard supporters and the Morrissey side (with help from the remnants of the Borer group).

It is likely that no one will get the requisite 31 votes for endorsement for Mayor, so no endorsed candidate will emerge. In fact, I'm nearly sure that will be the case.

You see, Sandy (or "lotsoluck") tipped their side's hand on the Register blog the other day:


The "ole' timer", by the way, is none other than our old "friend" WAYNE TALAMELLI, who thinks this is a good time to go back into the game (though I think Brett Favre has a better chance).

Wayne-o, for those of you too new to this area, tried to be the political "boss" of this burg. If you wanted your street paved (or for that matter, plowed), Wayne tried to be the, um, "go-to" guy for such services. He got his butt sliced and served back by the voters 10 years ago. But now, "He's BAAAAACCK!!!"

On the night of the "North Courtroom Massacree", Lame-o Steve-o took the podium and announced a meeting for the next night (Thursday) at the Picard headquarters ("and EVERYONE is invited!"). Except that "EVERYONE" evidently doesn't include Debbie Collins (the party's endorsed candidate for City Clerk), Fran Withington (the endorsed candidate for Tax Collector), and apparently James Morrissey (the Party Chair), to name but a few. "EVERYONE" does include Wayne-o and more than a few Republicans.

Hmmmmm.
..MUCH MORE COMING TOMORROW!

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Ka-BOOM!

The North Courtroom after the Picard announcement

The announcement last night by John Picard that he would NOT accept the Democratic nomination for re-election as Mayor was a MAJOR bombshell. While we've certainly been no fan of his administration, the office of Mayor in West Haven -- especially in these trying economic times -- is a thankless and stressful job.

However, his withdrawal leaves the majority party in something of a bind. According to state law, the Democratic Town Committee has to reconvene before July 28th to nominate a candidate...which is a pretty tall order.

There is the real possibility that the Democrats may have no endorsed candidate. This would be real egg on the face of Jim Morrissey, the DTC Chair. This possibly is what was intended: there's no secret that Morrissey and Picard aren't exactly BFF anymore, and there's an undercurrent movement afoot to have him and his supporters kicked off the DTC in March.

So, this is how I see this soap opera playing out:

1. Nancy Rossi (who will probably petition to force a primary) will get her primary against someone else - like Stevie D; then

2. Picard (or a surrogate) will run in November as an independent with an entire slate.

Remember, Picard threatened to refuse the nomination if certain incumbents were endorsed (read: Debbie Collins, Fran Withington). These two were endorsed...you can guess the rest.

UPDATE: The Register reports that the DTC will meet Monday, July 27th -- one day before the deadline -- to try to come up with a nominee. You can bet there'll be names tossed up (and out) between then and now....Stay tuned.



Monday, July 20, 2009

Keeping an eye on things


The recent kerfluffle over the role and status of the Building Oversight Committee and its chair, Ken Carney, has several angles and issues to it. I highly recommend you read the comments attached to the Register article, as there are many informative posts....some of which I'll run with later.

First of all, I have to say I know Ken Carney's family well: his family and mine were neighbors for almost 50 years. They are without exception honest and hard-working people. His father is a person everyone I know respects; I looked up to him as a child, and have the utmost respect for him to this day. The entire family is an example of the "old West Haven" families we need more of. I knew (and babysat) Ken until he was about 10.

That being said, my main problem with this Committee is that this issue is most properly the domain of the City Council, and not of the Mayor's office. It does appear that in the waning years of the Borer administration, matching grant monies for projects were not applied for. I applaud Ken and the BOC for finding these opportunities, thereby saving West Haven taxpayers. However, why didn't the City Council (under Council Chair John Picard) create such a committee?

Had the Council (under Picard or subsequent chairs) done its required duty by creating this committee, perhaps we wouldn't have needed such a drastic RAISE IN PROPERTY TAXES.

Ken Carney, I believe is an honest man, and an honest businessman. But he keeps his eye on the ball, so he's a businessman first. A businessman must look after his own best interests first; otherwise, he's not going to be in business for too long. Our elected officials, on the other hand, are supposed to counter this by looking after OUR interests.

Maybe we need new elected officials.


Maybe, WE are the ultimate Oversight Committee. And maybe we haven't done our job.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Out of the Closet


Well, I've finally been officially "outed"...after seven months in the blog closet.

Apparently, the techno-wusses (or is that "whizzes") who kneel daily before the politicians in this town finally noted my snarky little corner of the "series of tubes" (I'm gonna miss ya, Ted - ya betcha!) - and they either don't like or don't understand what I've written.

I'm told that they managed to read back ALL the way through this year's archive - a
s if THAT ain't political hell! I'm only sorry I tossed last year's postings - they were just as boring; THAT would've certainly been political hell!

Of course, Political Hell is precisely where I'd wish them to go.



Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Soldiering on

It just gets interestinger and interestinger, don't it?

Today's New Haven Register tells of a "poll", paid for by the Mayor's campaign, trying to put the City Council, A Better Future Party, and Nancy Rossi (D-7) in a bad light. This is called in political terms a "push poll": the politician doesn't really care what you think (GASP!), he (or she) is making an advertizing "robo-call" in the guise of a poll.

I was one of the lucky few who received this call. I was asked such probing questions as:

  • "Do you think Nancy Rossi is controlled by the Borers?"
  • "Do you think Rich Borer destroyed West Haven's finances?"
  • "Do you think John Picard has made the tough decisions to correct the damage done by the previous administration?"
Hmmmmm....I guess this is West Haven's version of "fair & balanced".

The best part of the article, though, is hidden in the middle:
"According to campaign finance disclosure statements filed July 10, Picard’s committee, JP ’09, paid $4,000 to Direct Media Marketing in Bethel. The company’s Web site says it specializes in telephone interviewing. It also does public and political opinion polling.

Picard could not be reached for comment about the poll, but his personal secretary, Dorothy Chambrelli, said Picard had nothing to do with the poll."
So, what we have here is a spin gone terribly wrong: Picard's campaign committee paid for the poll, but our "proven manager" had nothing to do with it".

Sounds like JP '09 needs more managerin'.



(By the way, the picture really has nothing to do with this post; I just went with the time-honored blog rule, "If you have goosestepping Nazi clowns hanging around, always run with it.")

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

3 little West Haven Piggies



This is an ugly story, and it's only gonna get uglier and uglier...until it gets costly (and costlier and...).

The Board of Education has long been a cesspool for political patronage, and it only got worse under the current administration.

A BoE employee wants to cash in some of her vacation days, but was denied by newly-installed Superintendent of Schools Neil Cavallaro (who cashed in his own vacation days). The employee claims this refusal is retribution for her supporting the Mayor's primary rival, but Cavallaro claims he hasn't been influenced by the current administration ("hear no evil").
See Here and Here for the Register's reports to date (plus - like "dinner and a show" - the comments).

Cavallaro, by the way, used his first days in office to force out the principal of the High School, Ron Stancil. Most independent viewers thought that Ron was doing the best with what he had; but he was tossed only because "he wasn't a team player" (translation: he didn't kneel before the Mayor & his lackeys on the Board of Ed). By the terms of his contract, Stancil was able to take another job as principal of Seth Haley School, at his current rate of pay. So now we have an elementary school principal paid at the rate of a high school principal. Anyone else see a problem with that?

Board of Ed Mark Palmieri has had nothing to say about this matter ("say no evil"). Of course, he's hitched his re-election boat to the, um, rear of the mayor.

The Mayor himself (our personal version of Dubya) says that he sees no problem in this entire issue (thus, "see no evil").

Some quick points:
  • If the employee is entitled to cash these in, then let her. Change the contract the next time around.
  • If he did the same thing, how could Mr. Cavallaro deny this request?
  • If there are good reasons for this denial, the Board should insist Cavallaro repay his own reimbursement.

Friday, July 3, 2009

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!


Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so g
allantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er th
e towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and t
he battle's confusion,
A home and a country should leave us no more!
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and
the home of the brave!

Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made
and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

Francis Scott Key, 1814

Enjoy the Fireworks tonight, everyone! But we must never forget the price others have paid for our ticket to the show:

Excerpts:

"When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bonds which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security."

....

We, therefore, the representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the name, and by the authority of the good people of these colonies, solemnly publish and declare, that these united colonies are, and of right ought to be free and independent states; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as free and independent states, they have full power to levy war, conclude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, and to do all other acts and things which independent states may of right do. And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.


To quote my old Latin teacher: "nunquam alieno preteritus; usquequaque vultus ut posterus" ("never forget the past; always look to the future"). The cost for the War of Independence, begun 233 years ago, hasn't as yet been paid in full. Nor can we pay that bill: we can only make our payment toward the cost we inherited, then carry the benefits of our freedom on until the next generation takes up the burden and make their installment payment in turn. And so that the War of Independence shall be won, the struggle for freedom goes on...