And in black and white:
Showing posts with label Republicans. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Republicans. Show all posts
October 29, 2014
Mailings turn negative in Senate race's final days (Updated at 11 a.m.)
October 16, 2014
Democrats: Republicans should stick to facts
DEMOCRATS RESPOND TO REPUBLICAN LEADERS
There they go again – the Republican Town Committee leaders
are on the blog with negative attacks on our Democratic elected officials and
candidates. What would be more
beneficial to the readers and to the voters are actual ideas and plans. Answers that include: what would you do, and
how would you accomplish your goals.
Voters on all levels, local, state and federal are tired of
partisan politics. Stop the bickering and
the negative campaigning and put a plan into action.
If the Republican leaders are not able to put forth their plans
for the City, then, at the very least, they have an obligation to write with
some semblance of a factual basis.
First, as to Rob Michalik – let’s look at the facts:
From 1999 to 2009, Plainville had the 11th lowest
annualized effective tax increase in the state (out of 169 towns). Rob was on the council for six of those
years. Also, while on the town council,
Rob spearheaded various efforts to save the town money. For instance, Rob pushed the town to purchase
its streetlights from CL&P, thereby saving the town approximately $50,000 per
year in maintenance costs. He advocated
that an Ebay-like auction procedure be implemented for the sale of bonds, which
saved thousands of dollars in interest costs.
In addition, Rob championed an aggressive delinquent tax program, which
has led to hundreds of thousands of dollars in back taxes being collected and
reduced the tax burden on those who pay their taxes on time. At DEDC, Rob worked primarily on efforts to
help small businesses. He worked on the
Small Business Express program, which assisted more than 1,000 small businesses
in Connecticut (including several in Bristol) and created or retained thousands
of jobs across the state. Rob proudly
worked extensively in helping to establish a new Manufacturing Innovation Fund
in the state, which will assist small manufacturers in making the investments
in equipment, technology and job training to remain competitive, win new
businesses and grow jobs.
Rather than focus on the upcoming election of our state
candidates, the Republican leaders attack our three Democratic Council members
who all have taken a stand on some very difficult issues; slinging mud and
calling them hypocrites. In particular,
they politicize the downtown/
Renaissance issue.
Ellen Zoppo-Sassu has offered a compromise agreement that
does not involve handing over city money to a private entity, but still gives
the City a stakeholder position in the development. Council member Zoppo-Sassu has moved a
substantial amount of business forward for the City in her eleven months back
on the City Council.
They twist Mary Fortier’s statement about Renaissance being
the preferred developer and point out that there is now new proposals at Ten
Main Street and other sites. These
proposals are not on the seventeen acres and Renaissance is not the preferred
developer of those new projects, yet it proves Council member Fortier’s point
that private development may stimulate what is being proposed on the seventeen
acres.
Lastly they criticize Calvin Brown for describing this as an
emotional issue for the City and characterize his stance as absurd. Calvin is 22 years old. He was the highest vote getter in Council
District 1 and city-wide. Voters
identified with his idealism. It is
Calvin’s generation that we need to retain and attract in order to maintain our
middle class with young families choosing to live here, buy homes here, and put
their children in our schools.
The Republican leaders conclude by stating that we cannot
afford more of this “leadership.” That
is the key word – leadership. Our
elected officials and candidates take a stand on the issues. They make their positions known. We welcome and encourage public participation
and input. We are willing to engage in
meaningful debate. There is too much at
stake for negative politics and sitting idle.
It’s time to put words into action!
October 6, 2014
GOP takes aim at Democrats on issues
 |
| Derek Czenczelewski |
August 11, 2014
Betts predicts Foley, Bacchiocci as GOP primary winners
Here's what state Rep. Whit Betts, a Bristol Republican, predicts for Tuesday's GOP primary:
"Turnout for the primary on Tuesday will be low. A lot of folks are on vacation this
week, and they will not be here to cast a vote (although they could with an absentee ballot).
"My guess is a low turnout helps [John] McKinney while a large one will likely be good news for [Tom] Foley.
"Whichever campaign gets out their targeted supporters to vote will win. Based on what I have hear and been told there is more support for Foley because a lot of folks are upset with McKinney over his support for the new gun law. Further, I believe Foley beat [Dannel] Malloy in Bristol in the last gubernatorial race in 2010. So I expect Foley will win in this area.
"Personally, I think both Foley and McKinney will support Bristol because of the good working relationships they have with many of the Republicans leaders in Bristol and Plymouth.
"With respect to Lt. Governor's race my guess is [Penny] Bacchiocci will win in a tight contest. Of the 3 candidates my sense is she has the experience and organization for getting out her base of supporters to vote. However, if the voter turnout in Fairfield County is heavy than [Dave] Walker may end up winning. I don't see [Heather] Somers winning based on the aggressive ad she just put out against Walker. This type of negative ad suggests she had to do something dramatic to counter low ratings that she internally may have discovered from a poll survey."
July 10, 2014
GOP stakes an awful lot on privatizing school cafeterias
February 23, 2014
New city GOP chairman in the wings
When the new Republican Town Committee takes office in March, the GOP's city chairman, TJ Barnes, won't be at the helm. He has long vowed to step down this year after leading his party from an era of near total defeat to capture City Hall, the Board of Education and even the city's sole state Senate seat.December 30, 2013
Want to join the GOP's town committee? This is your chance.
Press release:
The Bristol Republican Town Committee will hold a caucus on January7, 2014 to elect 42 members to the 2014-2016 Bristol Republican Town Committee. The caucus will be held at the Bristol Board of Education Auditorium at 7pm.
A snow date has been set for January 9th at the same time and location.
Anyone interested in becoming a member of the Bristol Republican Town Committee is asked to call T.J. Barnes at 860-314-0423 or Gary Schaffrick at 860-806-0609.
Only registered Republicans are allowed to participate in the caucus.December 16, 2013
Bristol Republicans in driver's seat for first time ever
For the first time in the city’s history, the GOP controls both City Hall and the Board of Education.
It’s a stunning reversal for Democrats who have traditionally held power and never before been so completely shut out.
Political insiders point to a series of reasons for the shift in control that include a bitter rift in Democratic ranks and an aggressive and professional Republican effort to capture ground.
But some of them also see something potentially more profound for the long run: a change in the political attitudes of city voters, who had lined up with the unions and the Democrats for generations but may be backing away from them in search of lower taxes.
Democrat Allen Marko, who lost two City Council races, said that Bristol “for the most part does not embrace Democratic Party ideals, viewing them as too liberal.” For full story, follow this link.
Frank Kramer, an independent who ran unsuccessfully for a City Council seat, weighed in with a much fuller explanation of his view of what happened than I could include. Here it is:
1. In-fighting in the democratic party yielding a spectacularly unsuitable mayoralty candidate chosen by an acutely and politically instinct deficient DTC leadership ( and you know who " they is "---and it ain't a she ). This also yielded a garbled, bland, and diffuse message at best.
2. The above drama unfolding in a year when the Republican message was focused ( low, low taxes and blight, blight, blight--and that's it--what else do you need to know? ) and their party unified. You also had a stronger Republican mayoralty candidate that despite what some thought of his politics and style, they were attuned to the fact that what you saw was what you got -- to the extent you can with any politician.
3. Money. That is a dynamic little talked of when and if you get the final tallies in. Just look at the mailings ( frequency and individual pieces ), campaign signs especially for mayor and 2nd district candidates ( just sayin' and not because it was my contest--I was amazed at how many signs Henri told me he already had and had coming while at the Rotary breakfast ) though, admittedly you had two well known candidates there with one sporting an already decent track record, imo. In addition to it being the strongest Repub. district despite the statistics. And, oh yeah, one Dem. candidate who didn't show up.
4. I think the reason the Dems did as well as they did, council-wise, was because they won against the weakest of the Republican lot. And if I recollect, Derick didn't lose by that big of a spread. And Albert might have won if he came in sooner.
5. So going forward, the Republicans with their mayor being able to engineer the agenda, it looks like : I have no idea.
One more thing. The economy and Bristol population''s struggle to keep their heads above water ( not to put to fine a point to it but we are one of but 8 towns in CT where 25%+ of us go to bed with the fear of hunger on our minds ), those who would naturally vote Democratic were too busy surviving to pay attention to the election. This struggle naturally puts politics on the back burner when you're out of work, finding money to pay the rent or save your home, or keep the lights on. When those with the most to lose and the most to gain have the leisure and wherewithal to put politics into their forward thrusters.
Copyright 2013 All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
It’s a stunning reversal for Democrats who have traditionally held power and never before been so completely shut out.
Political insiders point to a series of reasons for the shift in control that include a bitter rift in Democratic ranks and an aggressive and professional Republican effort to capture ground.
But some of them also see something potentially more profound for the long run: a change in the political attitudes of city voters, who had lined up with the unions and the Democrats for generations but may be backing away from them in search of lower taxes.
Democrat Allen Marko, who lost two City Council races, said that Bristol “for the most part does not embrace Democratic Party ideals, viewing them as too liberal.” For full story, follow this link.
Frank Kramer, an independent who ran unsuccessfully for a City Council seat, weighed in with a much fuller explanation of his view of what happened than I could include. Here it is:
1. In-fighting in the democratic party yielding a spectacularly unsuitable mayoralty candidate chosen by an acutely and politically instinct deficient DTC leadership ( and you know who " they is "---and it ain't a she ). This also yielded a garbled, bland, and diffuse message at best.
2. The above drama unfolding in a year when the Republican message was focused ( low, low taxes and blight, blight, blight--and that's it--what else do you need to know? ) and their party unified. You also had a stronger Republican mayoralty candidate that despite what some thought of his politics and style, they were attuned to the fact that what you saw was what you got -- to the extent you can with any politician.
3. Money. That is a dynamic little talked of when and if you get the final tallies in. Just look at the mailings ( frequency and individual pieces ), campaign signs especially for mayor and 2nd district candidates ( just sayin' and not because it was my contest--I was amazed at how many signs Henri told me he already had and had coming while at the Rotary breakfast ) though, admittedly you had two well known candidates there with one sporting an already decent track record, imo. In addition to it being the strongest Repub. district despite the statistics. And, oh yeah, one Dem. candidate who didn't show up.
4. I think the reason the Dems did as well as they did, council-wise, was because they won against the weakest of the Republican lot. And if I recollect, Derick didn't lose by that big of a spread. And Albert might have won if he came in sooner.
5. So going forward, the Republicans with their mayor being able to engineer the agenda, it looks like : I have no idea.
One more thing. The economy and Bristol population''s struggle to keep their heads above water ( not to put to fine a point to it but we are one of but 8 towns in CT where 25%+ of us go to bed with the fear of hunger on our minds ), those who would naturally vote Democratic were too busy surviving to pay attention to the election. This struggle naturally puts politics on the back burner when you're out of work, finding money to pay the rent or save your home, or keep the lights on. When those with the most to lose and the most to gain have the leisure and wherewithal to put politics into their forward thrusters.
September 11, 2013
Party ties don't mean all that much nowadays
May 23, 2013
Republican council contender emerges in 1st District
A Bristol native, Tom Hick, announced on the Bristol Republicans Facebook page that he plans to see election in the 1st District this year. Here's what he wrote:
 |
| Tom Hick |
About me
Born and raised in Bristol
I married my wife Michelle in 2008 and we have a daughter Emily that is 15 months old
I have worked at Aetna since December 1999, I have held multiple positions since joining Aetna as a temporary employee in 1999 including claim error correction analyst, trainer, team Lead and I am currently a project lead. Prior to working at Aetna, I was employed at CT Spring and Stamping in the maintenance department from 1994 – 1999.
Hobbies – Along with spending time with my Family, I enjoy maintaining, driving and showing my classic cars and currently have a 1965 Pontiac GTO and 1955 Chevy pickup. I also enjoy riding my motorcycle with my friends and hopefully finding a new coffee shop while we are out.
The widening of RT 6 – this should assist with the constant congestion in our area and provide our current and future businesses/customers easier access for the main artery into our city.
Creating and retaining businesses in our city - there are currently some exciting projects to market the city of Bristol, we need to make it a priority to open our doors to new businesses and ensure our current businesses have the support they need. I intend to work with our city and state representatives to make sure this happens.
Continued improvements to our public housing complexes and senior activities - I believe our senior citizen community is more active than ever and we need to ensure we provide an affordable, safe, secure and interesting environment for them.
The Depot Square development (mall Site) – there are lots of exciting things that will be happening with this property, I heard the ground breaking will be taking place this year and the city’s leadership will have to be very involved to make sure the community’s voice is heard.
Public involvement – I think there are some awesome people in this city that would be willing to volunteer their time, personal and professional experiences if the process was explained and shared with a larger audience.
If you have any questions, suggestions or time to help, I can be reached at the below email address and through my Facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/
Hickforcouncil@gmail.com
If you would like to make a donation please contact Gary at gklemyk@yahoo.com
Thanks
Tom
December 12, 2012
Video of Cockayne's mayoral race announcement
Here's a video I shot of city Councilor Ken Cockayne announcing his bid for mayor at last month's Republican Town Committee meeting:
Copyright 2012. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
November 26, 2012
Cockayne: 'The right person at the right time'
Here are the prepared remarks that city Councilor Ken Cockayne spoke to the Republican Town Committee tonight:
Today I am announcing that I
am running for Mayor of Bristol in 2013.
I am asking for your support in this endeavor and feel I am the right
person at the right time for this job.
I am the senior member of the
Council and have spent the last five years fighting for change and fighting for
you, the taxpayers of Bristol. We are on
the precipice of significant change and new leadership for Bristol. In the last local election, the people of
Bristol spoke and elected leaders to fight for them. Leaders, who are truly, fiscally
conservative, who understand that voters are not ATMs. The sitting Mayor controls the agenda, so
while the voters spoke, loudly and clearly, there is one more crucial
step. We need a mayor that will listen
to the people of Bristol and set an agenda that puts their interests first. We
need a true leader to drive the change that must occur and I believe I am that
type of leader.
I believe I am the right
person at the right time for Bristol. These
will be challenging times. We need someone
who can lead from the front. I have
spent the last five years doing just this.
I have never hid from an issue or avoided one. I have worked steadfastly for the people of
Bristol, even when it met that I stood alone. When we needed change in leadership
with our Police Department, I was the only elected official willing to attach
his name when asking for this change. When
our community was in danger of having no say in group homes for troubled
adolescents moving into established residential neighborhoods, I stepped up
immediately to fight. We wanted a voice for Bristol, and I was that
voice that brought this practice to light.
At times I have been the lone voice of dissent when voting on contracts,
for I refused to be a part of a rubber stamp council. I was voice for the West End, an often
overlooked section of our community, and called for increased police presence
and was an advocate for the formation of the West End Association.
I believe that I am not only
a person who leads from the front, but also the person with the right
experience to do the job well. In the
last five years, I have served on 21 separate boards, including the Bristol
Development Authority, the Bristol Downtown Development Corporation, the Board
of Public Works and the Salary Committee.
I have fought the tough battles and have an intimate understanding of
our municipal government.
These last five years have
been arduous, but the foundation is in place.
The current City Council is ready to work for responsible change to benefit
you, the taxpayer. The next step is to
put a person in the Mayor’s Office who will set an agenda to facilitate this
change. With my willingness to take on
challenges and embrace the fights that need to occur, coupled with my
experience as your senior councilman, I believe I am the right person at the
right time. I humbly as for your
support.
I may have a video to add sometime Tuesday for those who want to see it all in high def.
April 29, 2012
Carlson keeps the trains running on time
From Facebook:
On friday afternoon I went to shop, Henry said a tree had fallen across tracks. I took picture, and went back to see if we could call train company to tell them. while looking for phone number, the train came and had to stop. The noise of the engine brought out all the folks at the American Legion barroom. The train engineer was on the radio with dispatch,who said it would be a few hours before they could send someone out to remove the tree.
I walked up there with a chain saw running, cut up the tree and folks from the bar removed the pieces. the train was on its way in less than fifteen minutes.
Proof that Republicans will do whatever necessary to keep businesses and the economy moving.
April 27, 2012
Ward challenges GOP to take the lead
Fed up by
Republican complaints that he is moving too slowly to consolidate government
departments, Mayor Art Ward recently offered to let the GOP-controlled City
Council spearhead the process.
| Bristol Mayor Art Ward |
“It is quite
evident, based upon the City Council’s level of frustration and suggestions of
the consolidation efforts not being done readily enough, that the members of
the City Council seem to possess more expertise on this project than I, or
anyone else involved up to this point,” Ward recently wrote in an email to the
council.
Ward said he
would “graciously entertain nominations for the names of any City Council
members who wish to volunteer their experience, time and wisdom to become the
chairperson of this effort,” Ward wrote.
The mayor
said that nobody has yet expressed interest in taking up the position.
The move
followed complaints by two GOP councilors – David Mills and Derek Czenczelewski
– about the slow pace of consolidation efforts.
Ward said
the initial push has been to try to consolidate the computer divisions of City
Hall and the Board of Education. He said it probably wouldn’t save money but it
would improve efficiency.
Mills asked
the personnel director in an April 11 email obtained through a Freedom of
Information request how come nothing has been mentioned about other potential
areas for consolidation, including “vehicle maintenance, putting all buildings
under one department and all public grounds under another.”
“Has this
even been discussed yet? It has been five months since it was proposed to the
mayor,” Mills said.
Ward wrote
back to Mills, “Patience is a virtue.”
Mills fired
back: “In other words, it hasn’t started yet.” Link to full story
April 12, 2012
Mayor to Cockayne: "Shut the f*** up"
And God knows that many have privately indicated they wish city Councilor Ken Cockayne in particular would zip it.
But Mayor Art Ward made the mistake of letting the understandable thought slip out of his mouth during this week's City Council meeting. Here's the story, in case you missed it.
Plus, there's the must-see video:
Now newspaper people are famously crass -- the word f*** rolls off some editors' tongues as often as twice per sentence -- so the mayor's words barely registered with me. Until I got a copy of the tape, I really wasn't sure what Ward had said.
But we all recognize the mayor shouldn't curse in a televised, public meeting. That he's never done it before is all the proof anyone needs that he knows better -- and is better, since he's been there a long, long time as a councilor and the city's top elected official.
The Urban Dictionary helps clarify the "shut the f*** up" comment.
It says that people use the phrase "when someone is talking, there is too much noise or when someone is talking shit. It is the upgrade of 'shut up' and is used mainly when you are angry and annoyed to the extent the you could lose it at any moment."
I don't really think Ward was about to lose it -- why would he? he had as much support in that union-filled chamber as he's ever had in his life -- but he was probably pretty angry that Cockayne was leaping in to try to tell him how to do his job.
At its root, what's happening between the GOP-dominated council and Ward is a power struggle.
The mayor runs the city, by charter and tradition, but this council is determined to try to force him to follow its dictates, something he's unwilling to do except grudgingly and slow.
What that moment of frustration when the mayor cursed at Cockayne really shows is how deep the divide between them has become in the last few months.
In a war, after all, you don't usually sweet talk the enemy.
March 27, 2012
Christie's coming to Connecticut
Gov. Dannel Malloy might want to barricade the interstates, but like it or not, his New Jersey nemesis is coming to Connecticut.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is slated to head for Bristol in late April or May for a fundraiser at the home of Wally Barnes and Barbara Franklin, followed by an appearance at a long-postponed Lincoln Day Dinner for Bristol Republicans."Be on the lookout" for solid news of the event, said TJ Barnes, the city's GOP chairman.
Barnes said the logistics are a bit daunting -- apparently coordinating it all with the Romney presidential campaign is less than simple -- but it will all come together. "Chris Christie is worth waiting for," Barnes told the Bristol Republican Town Committee this week.
Copyright 2012. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Barnes said the logistics are a bit daunting -- apparently coordinating it all with the Romney presidential campaign is less than simple -- but it will all come together.
Kilbourne is new city Democratic chief
November 4, 2010
GOP on a roll in Bristol
A decade ago, Bristol Republicans were so down and out that nobody in the GOP held office from Bristol except for a few positions that the law barred Democrats from possessing.The mayor, the entire City Council and the city’s legislative delegation were all Democrats with one exception: Plymouth’s Bill Hamzy held a state House seat that included a portion of northwestern Bristol.
Things have changed.
In the wake of Tuesday’s election, Republicans from Bristol will hold a state Senate seat, Hamzy’s former state House seat and two City Council slots as well.
“We’ve come a long way,” said T.J. Barnes, the city’s Republican leader. “We were able to show we are a viable party in a tough town.”
Capturing the state Senate seat is a particular coup.
Bristol hasn’t had a GOP state senator in four decades, since Wallace Barnes gave it up in 1970 in an unsuccessful bid to gain his party’s backing for a gubernatorial run.
Click here for the full story.
*****
Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
November 2, 2010
Larson: A 'classic confrontation' looms in Washington
For U.S. Rep. John Larson, the apparent Republican takeover of the House is a tough blow.
He said he knows many of the losers well and “your heart just aches” for their defeat.
Larson said he is dismayed by the way "money and negativity" has taken hold of the political process, even in Connecticut.
As the fourth-ranking Democrat in the House, Larson has been a top lieutenant of Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California.
Larson said he expects “to be in the Democratic leadership as the caucus chair” again in the next Congress.
But, he said, “It’s not about the caucus. It’s about the country.”
Larson said the situation is "kind of ugly nationally."
Larson said he is worried the GOP will follow the road map it has promoted and will try to “balance the budget on the backs of the poor instead of the billionaires.” He fretted that efforts to privatize Social Security are likely as well.
Larson said that Republicans “haven’t sugarcoated” their plans. They’ve laid them out clearly.
“President Obama will be Horatio on the bridge,” Larson said. “This will be on the classic confrontation.”
*****Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
October 30, 2010
Republicans getting ready for Election Day
Copyright 2010. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
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