At the end of Tuesday’s City Council meeting, Republican mayoral candidate Ken Johnson watched with growing anger as Mayor William Stortz nominated someone to fill Johnson’s seat on Water Board.
When the council went along with the mayor’s request, Johnson suddenly leaped to his feet.
"I'm outta here," he exclaimed loudly, hustling to the door, which he proceeded to shove open with a resounding bang before vanishing, to general astonishment.
Today, Johnson explained, at least a little.
“You can only tolerate having somebody jab a stick in your eye for so long,” Johnson said, before deciding he better have something to eat before weighing in with more detail.
He just recently sent along a written comment that explains a little more. Here it is:
First of all, let me apologize to anyone who was offended by my abrupt departure from last night's council meeting. But, like so many of my fellow citizens, I've had enough of this foolishness. I left that meeting because the stench of 'politics as usual' was overwhelming. I'm sorry my wife, who sat with me for those four hours, had to witness our Mayor abuse the good office to carry out his personal vendetta against me. After last night, do you wonder why more good people aren't anxious to volunteer for Boards and Commissions?
Tuesday's Council meeting was a microcosm of all that is wrong with Bristol politics. And, ironically, it perfectly illustrates all the reasons I've felt so compelled to run:
I want the people to be able to expect honesty and integrity in their elected officials. We need leaders who are willing to listen to the public and seek out the alternative point of view. And we desperately need to restore civility to our politics and public debate. I saw none of that last night.
That council chamber was a pretty hostile environment. Do you think people think twice before stepping to that podium to speak wondering if they'll have to deal with insults hurled their way or if they'll be the butt of some politician's inappropriate joke?
Is it any wonder that citizens feel no one is listening and, further, that they feel powerless to affect any positive change? I believe we must hold onto the hope that we can affect change. With my candidacy for Mayor, I'm offering to be that catalyst for change. We must put Bristol first.
That means we must have a leader who is ready, willing and able to put your best interest above any competing personal or political agenda.
I'm willing to give it a try, with your help.
*******
Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
55 comments:
By the way, the council meeting is on Numeg TV now (I believe) so feel free to tune in.
Joe Geladino just sent this out:
This was the worst council meeting I have attended in four years. The people of Bristol should have input on where their money is going. This mayor and council show their lack of business experience by not listening to their “stockholders,” the taxpayers.
Control of the meetings is the responsibility of the Mayor. When he does not respect others’ rights, or when he makes false accusations, he will lose the respect of the public, and they will use the public participation as a protest.
If I offended anyone my outburst, I apologize, but my frustration level is at a point where I felt it necessary to speak up for the public’s right to know.
What is Johnson talking about?
Stortz has not mentioned, commented on him, or anything else that I am aware of.
Surely Johnson did not expect to be reappointed, unless his friend McCauley led him down the gravy path.
Actually, I feel that Stortz has been and was patient with all speakers.
Keep in mind that the Council, unanimously and properly voted to go to the school issue. legal and practical, but of course, Geladino does not understand that.
He was lucky that he was not removed from the meeting.
Heaven help us if he is elected.
Why does Mr.Stortz have such a problem with Mr. Johnson? I think Mr. Stortz should should stop with his issues against Mr. Johnson. At least Johnson is somebody new and somebody with some sence of the public's right to know. Mr. Stortz did not want to seek re-election so he show be happy Mr. Johnson is there.
Yeah, I know how Ken must feel but he has to tone it down. Also, how come no attention is being paid to the relatively obnoxous people like that woman who was sitting in the front muttering and yelling out comments all night? She was sure showing Bristol at its best. She is the same one who talked for 20 minutes last month on a civil neighbor matter in her neighborhood. She should have been thrown out.
Ken you are right if Stortz does not like you watch out! Keep up the good work. I just hope the voters of Bristol are willing to give you a second chance.
Ken, nice statement but your reaction last night was over dramatic and borderline anger management material. If you can't handle the crap Stortz dishes you, you will have no chance making it past one week of the crap City Hall will hand you.
That is why I am voting for Ward. He can control his emotions, listens to the public and works with any party! Ward is not a hot head, as I am afraid you are Johnson. You have to have thick skin at times and the Mayor position will be tougher. Stop the excuses, you are way over your head!
R. Miller
We all are frustrated with this Mayor, but we all are controlling our out burst. You can say you are sorry over and over but the damage is done.
I understand some citizens may feel frustrated at times and want to "vent" that same frustration.What I witnessed at the Council meeting Tue. evening was, in my opinion, a display of total contempt,disdain and disrespect for the offices of Mayor and City Councilor.Please note my use of the phrase "offices of."When citizens scream from the audience without ever being "given the floor",they violate all protocol,Roberts Rules and civility that SHOULD be normal proceedure at ANY municipal meeting.I would suggest a little restraint and "cooler heads."Remember you're addressing the OFFICE, NOT the person.
Yes, Stortz is not running, but I would like for someone to point out where he is picking on Johnson.
Seems like Johnson is a hot headed crybaby, looking for sympathy.
what has he ever done for Bristol?
If you can't stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen Ken. If the "stench of politics as usual" is too strong for you, maybe being a politician isn't your strong suit.
It certainly was a sickening meeting. I lost my cookies during the discussion of the school locations.
A man who wants to be mayor(ART WARD) wants to move us BACKwards by pushing the location of a new school on the site of the Roberts Property.
Good Golly Gomer Pyle! What don't you get about OPEN SPACE. It's OPEN SPACE!
And what on God's Green Earth were you thinking with that question about the state statute? No, the state is NOT going to change an open space statute so you can put a school on valuable open space here in Bristol!
Ken,
I can attest that Stortz is a small, vindictive, self-righteous bully. Stortz thinks he is high and mighty enough to pick and choose who is appropriate to lead, and his methodology in doing so is demented.
Unfortunately he was still a better choice that Cootchimantis but Bristol is better off with out him. I think you're a better choice than the Democrat alternative this year, even though you didn't handle this situation well. Everyone deserves a break once in a while.
Tim Gamache,
I think before you voice your opinion on Johnson, you should explain that you are a volunteer for the Ward campaign.
Art Ward is most definitely NOT the example you want to be using for civility and good judgement.
At least someone was thinking of alternatives rather than just disregarding the potential for the future.
Bill Stortz not only has a vendetta against Ken Johnson, he has a vendetta against all Republican candidates. Let's face it, the party basically said you can run Bill but you don't have the votes.
For all of you that don't know the vendetta, Stortz has been trying to replace Johnson for almost a year, and for that entrie year, Ellen Zoppo and Art Ward have voted agaist Johnson's replacement.
Why all of a sudden at the last council meeting of the term did Art Ward change his mind?
The reason Art Ward supports putting a school on the Robert's property is because Tom Ragaini his crony is an ardent supporter.
Art Ward doesn't have a mind of his own or a clue about how to govern a city.
The Council meeting on Tuesday night demonstraed why we need a City Manager form of government.
Just look at the last few Mayor's we had...A guy who took a vibrent store (Dorothy's) and ran it into the ground(Stortz)..A guy that flipped Hamburgers for a living(Couture)...a trauant officer(Nicastro), a police officer (Leone)...a bus driver(Werner)..a factory worker (Wojtusik)
None of these guys has had business experience prior to being elected Mayor.
I agree with Tim Gamache that the citizens were out of line at Tuesday's meeting, however, how much more of Stortz disrespect can a person take? He has disrespected almost every segment of our society.
How come a member of the City Council didn't say "Mayor this is no way to treat the public?" They were all at fault both parties (Dems and Republicans.)
Hopefully voters will take note of this behavior.. But they should also remeber that Art Ward has been thier for 14 years and he has been part of this discourse and has not done a thing to stop it what makes you think he will stop it if he becomes Mayor?
Tuesday Night was a sad day in Bristol political history on both sides of the equation.
To "whoever" made the 10/10 11:10 PM post: You did not see me mention ANYONE by NAME in that post.My remarks were directed at ALL those who were yelling from the audience "WITHOUT THE FLOOR!" That would include the woman up front AND the candidates.My remarks(which SHOULD have been obvious) were never intended to be in support of any candidate but rather to hopefully make a valid point in regard to showing SOME semblance of respect for the OFFICES of Mayor/City Councilor.I guess I'm talking about the old "Golden Rule",treat others as you would have them treat you.
Anonymous said...
Tim Gamache,
I think before you voice your opinion on Johnson, you should explain that you are a volunteer for the Ward campaign.
October 10, 2007 11:10 PM
Tim Gamache's comments stated nothing about Ken Johnson....so what difference does it make that he is an Art Ward supporter?
He is challenging all people that go to the meetings to be respectful of the offices that are present.
While I was not at the meeting, I did hear about a person who regardless of being allowed the floor to speak or not kept having outbursts over the K8 School issue.....from what I am reading Tim is addressing that as one of the issues for challenging all of us to have "cooler heads" and practice a little restraint.
What difference does it matter who someone is going to vote for in November, when they are challenging ALL of us to be respectful??
Steve, why didn't you do an article about this for the press? I think that the rest of the voting public that wasn't there and doesn't read your blog has the right to know what Ken's reaction was when the Mayor didn't reappoint him.
One more thing - not everyone has Nutmeg TV to watch the council meetings. Those of us with Dish don't have Nutmeg.
There will likely be a story in the paper.
ok, since there seems to be a number of people that actually read this stuff here goes, ive only recently started going to town meetings mainly because of the new school issues. ive attended a few west end bldg committee meetings a few board of ed and a few city council meetings and here is an opinion. its really great that the public can call the outgoing mayor a liar to his face and when he answers a question that the person doesnt like this person can call him dishonest. nice! how would johnson handle that?
The members of the board of education must be banging their heads on thier 90 year old schools floors. a quick comment for Mr.Rimcoski your rejection of the scalia site was both irresponsible and ludicris. Any zoning board experiance should have told you to get the phase plans first then use judgement also there is a new invention called asphalt its a dark hard substance you might have seen it around town, but then again if you thought you could imagine buses driving on sand to get kids to school you probably havent.
my next comment is for one of the last speakers at the council meeting who tried to explain that the lot count for the divinity/park street site was off. his explanation that the iga site was 7 sites with 4 empty lots and then only 4 owner occupied lots was a great piece of slight of hand. i will now try to expose what wasnt said. people live in those homes. working people with families live there. lets just call them "renters". these "renters" are now living where they can now afford to live and, i was once one of these "renters". as a matter of fact before i was fortunate enough to get my own home just last year i was a "renter". these people are not being considered at all and they should be. there is no reason to talk about obtaining property when there are unoccupied lots available
Maybe Frank Johnson gave Ken Johnson a special permit to storm out and act the way he did.
I think a modification of the old adage is appropriate here. "If you can't take the heat in the kitchen then don't apply for the chef's job."
Ken if you were to win this thing you will be jabbed, poked, insulted and you name it 100 times a day, every day of the week for two years. And there's not a thing you can do about it. The Supreme Court years ago in NY Times vs. Sullivan (and subsequent cases) basically protected first amendment speech with regards to political and public figures to a point where the comments made regardless of media or content don't even have to be true. You seem like a pretty smart guy so I'm sure you know this, which make your outburst even more surprising.
I was very much considering you as an alternative to Ward. While I recognize that might not mean much and I'm just one vote, I do know many others like me that were giving you serious consideration as well. We had some concerns, especially in light of how meekly you have come out against your opponent. You couldn't have a better situation to run in. Big issues in play, a splintered democratic party and a weak democratic mayoral candidate. If you can't capitalize on these then maybe you’re just not capable or you really don't want the job. If that's the case then drop out and move on. Otherwise let's see some focused passion and not just a bruised ego. There is still time and many in this city are thirsty for a change.
Ken's statement still doesn't explain why it was so important for him to receive the re-appointment to the board when he would have to relinquish it in a month anyway - if he wins.
People have asked what has Ken Johnson done for Bristol???? See what Art Ward says:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: ARTW47@aol.com [mailto:ARTW47@aol.com]
Sent: Monday, January 08, 2007 5:54 PM
To: williamtstortz@ci.bristol.ct.us
Cc: joel_b_wulff@sbcglobal.net; leonard.valentino@sbcglobal.net; pvalerio@snet.net; robertbadal@ci.bristol.ct.us; munienergy@comcast.net; nyy1948@sbcglobal.net; KevinMcCauley@ci.bristol.ct.us; CraigMinor@ci.bristol.ct.us; franknicastro@ci.bristol.ct.us; mikerimkoski@ci.bristol.ct.us; EllenZoppo@ci.bristol.ct.us
Subject: Reappointment
Mayor, I am advocating for the reappointment of Commissioner Ken Johnson for another term as a member of the Board of Water Commissioners.
The rules of attendance for appointees to city boards and commissions are a very valuable tool in monitoring and maintaining due diligence in the functioning of these entities, but in effect serve as guidelines for this purpose.
Mr. Johnson's contributions and positive input at the meetings which he was able to attend were exemplary in every facet addressed. These reasons, coupled together with the extenuating circumstances, as were explained to you by Mr. Johnson, warrant compassion, understanding and appreciation for his commitment and dedication to the Bristol Water Department and the City of Bristol.
Looks like Art Ward appreciates Ken's dedication to Bristol. Unfortnuatly he chose not to listen to his own advise Tuesday night.
This isn't the only issue where Art Ward has flipped-flopped.
this sheds whole new light on the situation. i guess the whole story is finally comming out.
Gee, I wonder who leaked that email about Ward flip flopping about Johnson.
As poster 3:36p stated...this email from Art Ward begins to sheds a whole new light on what might have been happening behind the scenes.
Why did Art Ward send an email like that, then not speak up at the Council meeting?
Is Art Ward rewriting our City Ordinances without Council approval?!?!?
His email as published in this blog states:
"The rules of attendance for appointees to city boards and commissions are a very valuable tool in monitoring and maintaining due diligence in the functioning of these entities, but in effect serve as guidelines for this purpose. "
Our City Ordinances regarding attendance at meetings are NOT guidelines. They are factual, enforceable rules and laws on how our City intends to govern itself.
While the attendance rules do not preclude being reappointed, they are clear in the expectations and in the ramifications for poor attendance.
I do not like the fact that Art Ward is trying to say our City Laws....are nothing more than "guidelines"
Earlier this week he suggested that we use The Robert's Property which is controlled as OPEN SPACE for a school....now he is saying that our City ordinances are just "guidelines".
We ALL deserve EQUAL treatment under our City Ordinances (Laws), that are enforced fairly and equally and not based on one person's view and concept that City Ordinances (LAWS) are just guidelines.
The part of our City Ordinances about attendance is below:
Sec. 2-9. Boards commissions and committees; members and alternates to attend meetings.
Members and alternate members of each board, commission and committee shall regularly attend meetings. Unless otherwise provided by law, if a member or alternate shall fail to attend sixty (60) percent of regularly scheduled meetings in a year or shall have failed to attend three (3) consecutive regularly scheduled meetings, such member or alternate shall be deemed to have resigned from such board, commission or committee, and the appointing authority shall promptly thereafter make an appointment to fill such vacancy created.
The term "in a year" shall mean the twelve (12) month period of each appointee's term on such board or commission, next preceding his or her most recent absence; and each such twelve-month period shall include portions of the current term and portions of his or her term immediately prior thereto as the case may be. Each person appointed hereafter to any board or commission shall be deemed to have accepted and shall be subject to the absentee provision and restrictions hereof, as a condition of appointment. Each member shall be responsible for keeping a record of his or her own absences. The secretary of each board and commission shall provide a written reminder to any member who has been charged with his or her next-to-last absence. No board or commission shall accept or grant requests to be excused for any reason. However, reappointment shall not be precluded to any such person if such person provides a written statement to the city council containing a persuasive explanation for said absences.
This just proves once and for all that Ken Johnson is the only candidate with Bristol's intrests at heart and that Ward is just another flip-flopping politician tyring to get elected. Art put Bristol's concerns before your own!
Anonymous said...
Gee, I wonder who leaked that email about Ward flip flopping about Johnson.
October 11, 2007 4:04 PM
Does it realy matter?
Emails to city accounts are ALL public information....
We ALL should know that by now...based on the information that was being let out prior to the democratic primaries....and Steve's FOI requests for emails...
lord knows....you can't expect to have it both ways....
It's discouraging to pick up the Bristol Press and see the lop-sided bias in favor of the Democrats. I'm sure the newspaper-reading customers would be interested in reading some of the articles that are in the blog. Newspapers should report news equally and unbiased.
It's fascinating to me how many complaints I hear about either the blog or the newspaper favoring either the Republicans or the Democrats. I'm especially intrigued when people say that the blog should be as unbiased as the paper or vice versa, given that I write most everything that has to do with Bristol politics on both the blog and in the paper.
Though it won't mean much to some of you, I have no political allegiances to either party on the local level.
I am a registered Democrat, but I vote for candidates from both parties routinely.
I certainly have lots of opinions on issues, which I try to keep to myself, but I bend over backward to be fair in print to those who have differing viewpoints.
If there are specific things that you think are not fair, please tell me about them. I might even agree with you.
NO one knows if Stortz didn't have the votes or couldn't have gotten them if he wanted to.
All you have is Ken Johnson's opinion.
The mayor has the right to nominate or nominate: it is not a guarantee that one will be appointed or reappointed. Missing 5-6 meetings out of 13-14 is not good, and that was before his father becamee an issue.
What else, if anything, has he done for Bristol.
Attended meetings, contributed in any other way?
Bu, he has made money off the taxpayers of Bristol.
Stortz is not vindictive, he is demending of results and expects people to do their job, as well he should.
I work in city hall, and by far, he has done a good job.
And, he has worked in industry, in responsible jobs,
By the way, how come Johnson got "laid off", a lay off of one?
Anonymous 6:32-
if you would actually read the e-mail Art sent to Mayor Stortz you would realize that those meetings missed that are being refereed to, were excused absences for problems clearly explained to the mayor and council. The situation concerning Kens father as it was explained to me happened later. He missed those meetings for more than one issue. Tuesday's vote was nothing more than Bill Stortz's personal vendetta against Ken Johnson.
Excused or not, absences are absences, and rules are rules.
I would only point out that NO laws are "cast in stone."Democracy DEMANDS that laws be rewritten all the time.Democracy has been,is now and ALWAYS will be a "work in progress."Extenuating(sp.?) circumstances will always be a part of these sort of decisions and "good" leaders will take them into consideration before making any final decision.Compassion is also a part of leadership as well.
Admit it, Steve. You can't stand any of them.
Poster at 6:32 or should I say Bill Stortz.
If you truly work at City Hall than you are probally the only person there who thinks Stortz has done a good job.
He is VERY vindictive and his actions not only against Joel Wulff and Ken Johnson on tuesday night were vindictive but how he treated every other resident who got up to the mike.
Maureen Carter may be crazy, but she is a tax paying citizen and has the right to address the council, and I say good for her not backing down from Stortz.
The BOE candidate crazy or not, was drumming to a different beat, b/c the city council cannot effect the K-8 change or stop it, and sometimes I wonder what it will take to get these people to understand that. It is the sole discreation of the BOE.
Just like Carter thought Stortz should be more active in zoning matters and he can't by law. However Stortz failed to mention that he lobbied behind the scens to screw Chevy's from having outdoor concerts.
He was seen prior to the meeting talking with all the Commissioners.
Can you image how Mae Palmisano felt when she stood up to the mike and Stortz said "name address and telephone number..wait a minute your husband is here forget the phone number?"
This jerk is our Mayor? Does he treat other women in City Hall the same way. Thank God he is leaving or Chief Divinere's sexual harrassment lawsuit would be nothing compared to Stortz's.
Again, he was way out of line.
I think the best thing Stortz can do for the next three weeks is clean out his office and stay home.
While I agree with what Tim Gamache is saying....
"NO laws are "cast in stone." Democracy DEMANDS that laws be rewritten all the time."
I am calling to issue the fact that Art Ward stated in his email dated 1/8/07 that "The rules of attendance ... in effect serve as guidelines for this purpose."
There are procedures to be followed to rewrite laws. I agree that laws are changed all the time, but they must be rewritten via the proper channels.
Art Ward stating that the "rules" (City Ordinances) for attendance at meetings are "guidelines" in effect states that he willing to ignore that "rule" (laws) as it applies for certain people and instances.
How different would it be, if I were to receive an infraction from one of our Police Officers for speeding? If I went to the Police Department or to our State Courts and tried to say I do not believe that the rule (Law) applies to me for this speeding infraction because the speed limit is only a "guideline"? I would be laughed out of the office.
How about the City Housing Codes? Are the City Housing Codes just "guidelines" that Landlords need to follow or are they rules (laws) that have ramifications for non-compliance?
After 14 years on City Council, I would expect and demand that Art Ward follow our City Ordinances and not try to apply them as he sees fit as "guidelines". If Art Ward does not like a City Ordinance, then he should get the ordinance rewritten through the proper channels. Until the ordinance (s) are rewritten, then Art Ward has a responsibility to uphold the ordinances (laws) of our City.
If Art Ward becomes Mayor, will he decide that other more critical "rules" (ordinances) are nothing more than guidelines?
While as Tim stated, "Democracy demands that laws be rewritten all the time", it also demands that we follow the laws until they are re-written.
I think you KNOW you're comparing"apples and oranges." The last sentence in Sec.2-9 MAKES my point:"However,reappointment shall not be precluded to any such person if such person provides a written statement to the City Council containing a persuasive explanation of said absences."This sentence gives those with authority to reappoint the "room" to consider those extenuating circumstances I mentioned.I WILL say this ONLY applies for reappointment,which IS if I am correct the ONLY issue at hand, NOT all the other examples mentioned prior.
Ken, you're a nice man. You've done your homework, but I feel you are excusing your behavior blaming the actions of the mayor and council for your outburst. Just apologize. Whenever you add a "but" to an apology, what you are really saying is I'm sorry for my actions. You should have accepted full responsibility for what you did. The same goes for Mr. Geladino. He talks about control of meetings being the responsibility of the mayor. How about the responsibility of the public who attends these meetings? Weren't you brought up to respect other people's opinons? You and everyone else there knows there's a time and a place to speak and that time had not come for public participation. Hold your tongue! You just added to the problem, Mr. Geladino and you, just as Mr. Johnson, have tried to pass the buck and explain away your poor behavior. Apologize and stop trying to excuse it otherwise the perception is it will be okay, when someone tries to give a differing opinion, to yell over their comments.
In the previous comment I meant to say when you add a "but" after an apology, you invalidate that apology. My bad, but I think people understand what I was trying to say anyway. An apology should be like taking bad medicine. Just swallow hard and get it over with, but never give the impression you regretted taking it, because it'll help you in the end.
Ken, and others, read the Charter.
There are NO excused absences, clearly stated.
And Johnson got that information from the City clerk, as do all appointees.
More than half the meetings in less than a yearis irresponsible!
I look at this way: Ken Johnson let the Mayor down, the mayor who appointed in to do a job, which can't be done if you are not there.
Tim, we both agree on the topic of attendance and on October 11 at 4:17p, I stated "While the attendance rules do not preclude being reappointed, they are clear in the expectations and in the ramifications for poor attendance."
We both agreed that the ordinance as written does not preclude reappointment.
What I am getting at and trying to express is the fact that Art Ward's email states that he considers the City Ordinance regarding Attendance to be just "guidelines".
What I have said is that City Ordinances are NOT guidelines, but the laws by which we govern our City.
If Art Ward considers the Ordinance regarding attendance to be "guidelines", what other City Ordinances would he consider to be just guidelines also?
Are our Zoning Ordinances just "guidelines"?
Are our Housing Code Ordinances just "guidelines"?
I am concerned that Mr Ward, as a City Councilor for the past 14 years would consider any of our City Ordinances to be just "guidelines".
Considering that the Zoning Commission disregards its own regulations by either breaking them or bending them to suit the desires of developers (see the approvals for the new Walgreens and the whole ugly process related to it) so it's no surprise that some leaders in Bristol consider rules only as guidelines that can be selectively applied.
Yep.. it just goes to show you that after 14 years on the City Council Art Ward does not have a handle on what's going on.
Maybe he'll just put the new school on the Robert's property anyway, becasue he is a Democrat and they can do whatever they want!
Hopefully, if he does Blumenthal will sue him.
I think Johnson is teheone with personal vendetta.
Why else would he have challenged Stortz, since he hadn't expressed any interest in running before?
Anonymous at 8:38pm.....
I do not recall that Ken Johnson is "challenging" Mayor Stortz.
Where do you have your factual information that Ken Johnson has a vendetta against Mayor Stortz?
Mayor Stortz decided that he was not running and announced that. There was no primary or RTC vote to decide to put Ken Johnson up for Mayor against Mayor Stortz, as he had already announced he was not seeking re-election.
The RTC decided to run Ken Johnson as Mayor AFTER Mayor Stortz announced he was not running for re-election.
Stortz has been trying to get Ken Johnson off the Water Board ever since he found out that he appointed the wrong Ken Johnson.
Joe Geladino says "The people of Bristol should have input on where their money is going. This mayor and council show their lack of business experience by not listening to their “stockholders,” the taxpayers."
I'd bet my life that you've never been to a stockholder meeting, Joe.
I take it that when you are on the council you will let anybody say whatever they want, whenever they want, for as long as they want? Your meetings are going to run until 2 in the morning.
Ken Johnson took himself off the Water Board by being by missing meetings. There are no excused absences.
Stortz made no effort to remove him, he just chose not to reappoint him.
Ken, put on your Big Girl Panties and deal with it.
I think the curtain of anonymity is responsible for much of the mindless discussion going on here, and contributes to behavior that does nothing to advance the process. Rather than a free exchange of ideas, we are reduced to potshots and guesswork about who says what (and why). I appreciate people who sign their posts, and who stand up to ask questions or make respectful comments at meetings. We need to encourage everyone to address the real issues that face the city, and for the candidates to respond accordingly.
I should know better than to disagree with Dawn, but I've found the overall tone of the discussion here to have improved markedly in recent weeks, probably because I no longer have to delete hundreds of anonymous variations on "I hate Ellen" all the time.
The problem with the web is that it's so difficult to know who is saying what. Even when names are given as the author in these comments (as opposed to entries that I post), it's pretty tough to know for certain that the name correlates with the actual person.
I despair at finding a way to make every poster responsible.
I do, however, delete the vast majority of the crud that people would like to see posted. Some slips through, of course, because I either miss it or I hit the wrong button in my haste.
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