June 23, 2009

Ward to give state of city speech next week

Press release from chamber of commerce:

BRISTOL -- The State of the City and Town breakfast meeting and beautification awards will be held on Tuesday, 8 a.m.. at Chippanee Golf Club on Marsh Road in Bristol.

Mayor Art Ward of Bristol, First Selectman Kathy Zabel of Burlington, Town Manager Robert E. Lee of Plainville, Mayor Vincent Festa of Plymouth, Town Manager Kathleen Eagen of Farmington, and Mayor Thomas Dunn of Wolcott have been invited and will give a briefing on the past year.

Also, Bristol Chamber’s Beautification Committee and the Men’s Bristol Garden Club will present their 2009 Beautification Awards.

For more information, please contact Cindy Scoville at (860) 314-2101, or the front desk at (860) 584-4718.

What do you think of the state of the city? What would your address say?

*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

47 comments:

Anonymous said...

I sincerely doubt that Ward will be honest and candid, especially 5 months prior to the election.
The streets are a mess, blight, much city caused, is horrendous, and while there is no tax increase, the games that he and the BOF palyed with the budget will come back to haunt us.

Anonymous said...

HELP!

Anonymous said...

Its KLOCKO THE COO THAT WILL BE WRITING THE SPEECH NOT WARD !!!!!!

Anonymous said...

If you work for the city or state of CT or have a relative who does, the state of the city is great. If you don't, then it's grim.

Anonymous said...

Timing for Ward before November - could you get anymore fake? Hopefully he will be honest (if he knows how), and not sugar coat everything.
This city is more messed up since he took office. Ssure taxes didn't go up this year - wait until next year. Ward is making the same mistakes Nicastro did. We will be hit hard next time out - trust me on that one. Hey Ward get a clue.

Billy

Anonymous said...

All in all compared to a lot of other cities during this recession, we're doing pretty well!

Anonymous said...

Steve who picks up the tab for this breakfast Bristol taxpayers?

Steve Collins said...

Chamber members pay to attend. I know, I know, it seems hard to believe people would pay to listen to a mayor -- or many mayors -- talk, but they do.

Anonymous said...

8:32
And we would have done even better if Ward mortgaged the future even MORE!

Leave the problems for the next watch.

Anonymous said...

Who cares?

Anonymous said...

Sorry 8:30, but I have a lot of trouble seeing the viewpoint of someone over the age of 10 who calls himself "billy."

Anonymous said...

Great...I can use a good nap.

Anonymous said...

I wonder if he will explain the concessions he got from the unions is raises he gave months ago.

A true leader would not have given raises in the first place. Everyone knew the economy was going down except Ward.

Ward....Moving Bristol Back-Ward

Anonymous said...

8:30

Why didn't Ward do more, sooner?

He knew, or should have known, that the city was facing tough times!

And he bragged about his 14 years experience.

Anonymous said...

Ward likes to brag, but has no meat of substance.

Anonymous said...

Heh... I love how you invited the comments on this one, Steve... as if they need an invitation to give their versions.

I see some occasional interesting stuff come across here, which is why I come here, but by and large it's government haters. The anti-government crowd exists in literally EVERY city and town... there isn't a single place in America where people will say "yeah wow, taxes are so low here, and the streets are beautiful, the kids are well-behaved, all the Town employees do their jobs..." No place.

Is it that 100.0% of governments are lousy by design regardless of who's running them? Or is it that people will always resent government for collecting money "against their will?"

There's no nation without government, unless it's uninhabited. Even tribes have government, because there are matters of public interest whenever groups of people are involved. The world doesn't run solely on market exchanges. You are all adults so you know full well what government does and why it's important.

But I think you want the impossible. You want smooth fresh pavement on every square inch of road, brand new sidewalks, cops on every corner, the best and brightest professionals money can buy in City Hall, and low taxes that never go up.

Yeah. I'd like 50 beautiful faithful wives, a fully-staffed mansion and a yacht and never have to work a day of my life. Not happenin'. Get over it.

Anonymous said...

You couldn't pay me enough to listen to Ward whine all morning.

Anonymous said...

Golly the anti-Ward folk (who seem to be all the same guy) are/is upset today. I guess the fact that Ward's doing a great job is getting them/him in a tizzy!

Not a rocket scientist said...

"You couldn't pay me enough to listen to Ward whine all morning."

I know. All that boring stuff and oh boy, all those big words. You'll be much better off at home scratching your butt and watching cartoons like usual!

Anonymous said...

Lies dont make for a great job.

Anonymous said...

To bad the bristol press doesnt print bristol news anymore. We need to buy another news source to here about bristol.

Anonymous said...

Steve do we have one educated politian in the group.

Anonymous said...

Will all the union leaders be with him.

Anonymous said...

Great Job???

What has he done, except ride on the backs of others?

He borrowed to keep taxes down, borrowed what others had saved.

Even Nicastro didn't raid the fund balance.

Anonymous said...

Ward is making Nicastro look good!

Anonymous said...

Steve,

"Mens" Garden Club???????

Anonymous said...

1:18 PM: Thank you for your cogent and thoughtful observations. Seriously.

Anonymous said...

4:55pm - gee Mayor nice language.

Anonymous said...

8:34 ~ As per your usual posts - WRONG! But we all know that won't stop you. It never does.

Anonymous said...

I wonder if Ward will try to explain why he is the first mayor to draw down from the fund balance to address a situation that was predictable, a situation that he was warnd about, a situation that his financial guru should have prepared him for.

But then, perhaps not.

Anonymous said...

10:14 - I wonder if you can explain why the greatest financial minds in the Country could this recession coming and were totally powerless to stop it. The economy hasn't been this bad since the great depression...and you think that somehow in the year and a half Ward has been in office, he should have been able to single-handedly stop it from coming? You've got to be brighter than that...

but then, perhaps not.

Anonymous said...

Hopefully it will be his last.

Anonymous said...

4:18

Nice try!

No one expected Ward to STOP the recession, but we expected him to take steps to mitigate the impact on Bristol taxpayers, and he DIDN"T!

He was warned early on, and the recession started in his first month or two. but he did nothing to cut costs, make changes, and now we are paying for it.

Suggestions have been made, he has done nothing.

I read about double street lights on N. Main street: they are still on. I rad about elaborate lighting at the old ND, still on. I read about the airators at the boulevard, still going.
Doesnt Ward read the papers too?

Clearly he could have done something, but he hasn't!

Anonymous said...

No one said single handily, but that is just how Ward operates.
Then maybe, no one can or wants to work with him.

Sad, sad for Bristol.

Bring back Couture.

Concerned Constructive Conservative said...

1:18:

Your government-groupie rhetoric is an insult to our country. You should be ashamed of yourself and leave to be in a land in which you will be happy...Venezuela or Iran for instance

Anonymous said...

Will Ward have a plan to get the city back on a positive financial track?

Or will he continue to rob Peter to pay Paul?

Anonymous said...

Is it true that Krawiecki will be running Wards campaign?

Anonymous said...

Heard his speech what a crock of BS

Anonymous said...

It is not my fault, it is somebody, anybody, elses fault said the mayor.

Anonymous said...

6:41, If you honestly think that turning off a few lights and some pumps on the boulevard would make a difference in the failing economy, I've got a bridge I want to sell you. Once again, the entire country was warned that a recession was coming. NO ONE could "mitigate" it's impact. Saying that Ward somehow could have done what the economists couldn't is ridiculous. 1:18 PM hit the nail on the head.

verbal viagara said...

10:47 - if you heard his speech, I am thinking that you were present at the function - why didn't you have the balls to stand up and state your concerns when the opportunity was given to all?
Nevermind, question was already answered with your demonstrated lack of oral stamina.

AnonymousWestconnStudent said...

Concerned:

There are times that I take pride that you think my liberalism is sending the country to a hell. It makes me think I'm doing something right.

But since your so inclined to give the standard "love it or leave it" bs, let me just respond by saying: You First!

Anonymous said...

8:57

There is a certain respect that the mayors office warrants: the breakfast was not the place to get into it, as there were many people there that were from out otf town.

And to the one that doesn't think much of saving electricity, even a few dollars, tell me, where do we start?
There is no magic bullet, but every little bit adds up, if Ward would take advantage of those opportunities.

Anonymous said...

"There is a certain respect that the mayors office warrants"

Seems like the office deserves respect only when you need an excuse to hide behind. When you're an anonymous blogger, all bets are off, huh?

Anonymous said...

4:18

You sound like a person that when told a tornado is coming, says I can't stop it so I'll just sit at my kitchen table til it is over.

There were many things that could have and should have been done, but Artie sat on his hands and now the results are in.

Are YOU satisfied?

Anonymous said...

8:36,

You sound like a person who sees someone trying to plug a hole in the dike and when the dike lets go, you want to hang the guy who was trying to plug it.

There was nothinng that could have been done to stop the deluge.

Yup, I'm satisfied.

Anonymous said...

8:48

You seem to have the same mind set as the mayor.

Sad for Bristol.

How about the huge raises?

The mayor has been given some suggestions, why doesn't he ask for more input?

The cops gave him some examples: did he give them any thought?

Ward is not a manager, and does not understand city finances.