Just to show that emails never seem to vanish, here's one from April 25, 2000 that city Councilor Art Ward send to Mayor Frank Nicastro:
Thanks for the support Frank; to my face you support the tireless efforts of the Public Works budget committee, you support the proposed increase through your vote @ the Public Works meeting and then, when my back is turned, you attempt to allow Mayor Klocko to initiate the budget process.
The Public Works Budget Committee listened and abided by your pleas of waiting until eevaluation was completed to initiate a Sewer Usage Fee increase but you still persist in ignoring the pleas of the Public Works Budget Committee in meeting the needs of this community. The facts have been presented to you via requested rate increases over the past three (3) budget seasons, this isn't something new!
I understand the essence of compromise and I CAN ACCEPT THE SUGGESTED 5% INCREASE versus the requested 7% increase; what I can't accept is your, less than admirable, political ruthlessness. You are, quite aware that the Sewer Department does not have a 3 million dollar surplus and is faced with, nearly, 15-20 million dollars of, known, future expenditures, mandated and otherwise, but you insist on, wrongly, infusing that number into the equation.
Reevaluation is over but the operational costs are still with us and must be addressed. We have an equal responsibility to deliver the best budget possible; coupled with the least amount of taxes to the citizens of Bristol but not at the cost of ignoring future encumbrances. To follow your path is totally unacceptable!
I don't know about you but I do plan to continue to live in Bristol when my political days are over; I want the comfort of knowing that I handled my duties with foresight and diligence!
At least the Finance Board has taken the responsible position of hearing our pleas, realizing that we should be addressing the known obligations of today and tomorrow, immediately, and acting accordingly.
Am I going to be happy with everything that is approved/disapproved in this budget process; probably not, but all that I ASK FOR IS THE COMMON DECENCY OF MUTUAL RESPECT for the efforts and concerns of those responsible for tending to the future of our great city-because they care!
*******
Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
22 comments:
I can understand why Art was upset. Frank was notorious for not spending any money, not increasing funds when it was obviously necessary all because he wanted to be the Mayor that never raised taxes, which put EVERYONE in a bad spot when we had to make up for 10 years of Frank playing with out tax dollars so he could get his fat pension and we would get a collapsing city.
Art obviously had all his numbers and facts needed to get the increases needed at that time and Frank pulled a behind the curtain stunt that cost everyone money, time and community improvement.
Frank cost us a lot of money while he was in office just because he didn't want to raise taxes. But hey, he thinks he looked good doing it!
Just goes to prove to everyone the type of councilman Ward was to come out fighting for what is right! The year was 2000! Ward did it for the right reasons, not because he was running for Mayor!
Zoppo gets a 21% increase in PW and why is that, Brow beat the dept. heads? So when Ellen complains Art did nothing in PW I guess we should say - "NO FRANK DID NOTHING, ART WARD TRIED TO DO SOMETHING!
Thanks Frank for nothing! You dance around Bristol like the all-mighty and the fact is when you left office WE all were hit hard with taxes. Our parks suffered, PW suffered, and now you sit "teamed" together with Zoppo and want to point fingers at Ward. Shame on you!
My vote is for Ward. I hope you a new council is voted in this year because I know Ward can work with anyone for the betterment of this city no matter the party label.
K.C.
Good point.
Is this the Bristol Blog or the Art Ward Campaign Blog? I can't tell anymore.
There has been no equality in the old stories being reported. This Ward email is supposed to give the impression of balanced reporting, but it clearly aids Ward.
Why the resistance to publishing the details of Ward's attempt to get out of his DUI charge by blaming the police officer just for doing his job? There have also been other emails from Art Ward that don't present him very favorably, let's see some of those.
I think the Bristol Press is hoping Art Ward wins because he will provide far more entertaining news than Ellen would. Incompetence makes for better news.
saul,
I can't find a copy of the old DUI story. Anybody have it?
Hey Saul did read the next article, about the department head and Ms. Zoppo sounds like Ms. Zoppo is someone I want to work with it. Again and it is getting old but it is her way or the highway.
Think twice, our taxes will soar through the roof if MS. ZOPPO gets in.
the Ward DWI and legal maneuver is somewhere around July 22-24 1997
the Hartford Courant used to show an abstract of this case in it's archive, but now the abstract has mysteriously disappeared and all it shows is the headline and the date, so to get any details you have to pay for it.
1) Ward
2) Zoppo
3) None of the above
I'll be picking number "3".
It is so entertaining to see the clowns a.k.a. Art Ward supporters rewriting history. I bet not a one of them made a sound when their taxes didn't go up for years. Let's face it Art is one of culprits for the most incompetent use of tax dollars ever conceived. The purchase of the Centre Mall. He can try and run and hide from his record of the Cout-Mantis-Ward administration but every one knows better. If any of you so called experts can read a financial statement just take a look at the debt mess that the Cout-Mantis-Ward administration got us into. That bill is coming due. Maybe we can have Art see if he can get some of the money back from the "special assistant" to the mayor role that he voted for and the taxpayers financed. We will be paying for the Cout-Mantis-Ward years for a long time. How three guys could wreck a city so fast is beyond comprehension.
Can you say "obnoxiuos blowhard" (Ward)?
Steve has FOI'd emails. I'm sure if he found any of substance he would post them as well.
This isn't the Ward/Press blog. The problem isn't Steve being bias to one candidate.
The problem is that Ellen has repeatedly done things that she wasn't caught in before. If you have relevant Ward stuff that relates to City Hall, city employees, under the table deals, political power plays, threats, etc. then hand it to Steve.
Ellen's problems and skeletons are just too easy to find. These are all very relevant to the kind of person she is and the kind of leader she would be.
If all you have is Arts DUI from 10 years ago, that isn't an indication of how he has been a councilman for the past 14 years. It shows a personal indiscretion that his lawyer tried to get him out of (you know, doing his job like a lawyer does). It didn't work, he went through his sentence, did what he was supposed to do and it hasn't happened since.
So if you want to throw that forward, go ahead. It will just make you look desperate and foolish.
Steve, the DUI story was bannered across the top of the front page. I think people in your business would say it was a six column headline. Very big splash. Art wasn't happy about it then, and he wasn't happy when it was brought up again years later when he ran for re-election. The Press has not given Art a free ride, that's for sure. This stuff about Ellen hasn't been reported in the past, which makes it news now, if it shows something about character or a pattern of governing, which it seems to do. Keep up the good work, Steve, and don't listen to the nayslayers.
This stuff about Zoppo never surfaced before. The Ward story was big front page news. It ain't news anymore, and too bad for Zoppo if she doesn't like it. What's fair is fair, and it's fair to let the truth come out.
Ellen also had a "DUI" with her scripting:
D = Done
U = Under
I = Influence/Interference/Indifference/Indiscrepencies/Irresponsible and Incomprehensible...whatever word you choose...I want a Mayor who has "Integrity"...Art Ward.
Art Ward=Joe Lieberman
opportunist
only cares about his own political future
won't respect his party's decision in the primary election
If Ward was a man of integrity he would have taken his DUI punishment like a man instead of try to use a loophole to escape by blaming a rookie cop who was just doing his job.
If Ward was a man of integrity he would admit he made a mistake in voting to buy the mall, and he would apologize for missing so many downtown committee meetings that they had to kick him off.
If Ward was a man of integrity he would have made these junk FOI charges against Ellen himself instead of getting his pals to do it.
If Ward was a man of integrity he would not have chickened out on debating Ellen before the primary. But its not surprising since Ward doesn't care about Democratic primary voters.
Ward did do what you a claiming he didn't do - SO GET OFF IT! We as citizens have more to worry about like Zoppo parading around town attacking dept. heads, scripting and breaking down communication issues in all depts.
Oh my... such divisiveness among you poor ole democrates...you voted these people in and now you are about as fed up with both of them as the rest of us are. Don't forget...your other two who nixed the deal the mayor had to get Ocean State Job Lot out of the mall by May 1st. Nicastro and Minor are at fault for that blunder. The rest of them feel in line like sheeps to slaughter. Minor is arrogant, uninformed and needs to be replaced, and Nicastro is just a political blowhard who can't read or understand anything on his own. Time to retire Frank ...again.
Ellen's been caught threatening, being deceitful, condescending, and don't forget that FOI she's got dangling over her head, and all you people keep harping about is Art Ward getting a DUI 10 years ago. Nice try.
Clean Sweep!
Both Ellen and Ward need to go...
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