March 27, 2012
Kilbourne is new city Democratic chief
March 15, 2012
Esty calls ethanol 'a disaster' driven by politics
Commissioner Dan Esy said the state is planning better on energy.
It is also looking to ensure the state has enough capacity to generate power.
Shaving the peak loads can save money, Esty said, because it costs a lot to have “dirty, old plants” that can kick in on high use days.
“This state has underinvested in replacing wires, replacing poles,” Esty said. Nearly half the wires in the state are not coated, he said, and some poles undersized.
The new deal with Northeast Utilities will help, he said, to create “a more resilient system.”
The goal is to make sure the next big storm doesn’t have the same impact. One way of fending off the problem is to create microgrids so that at least key institutions and downtowns have power, he said.
Microgrids would be “an island within the greater sea” of the entire grid, he said.
Bristol could be one of the pilot areas, he said, “to isolate and protect those critical infrastructure elements,” he said.
He said the state also has to invest more in energy efficiency. Containing demand is part of the equation, Esty said.
Investing in energy conservation in state buildings is part of the answer, he said.
A lot of older housing stock would really benefit from efficiency efforts, he said, especially among lower income and senior housing where a lot of savings is possible. It’s not just lighting, he said, it’s also air conditioning, heating, windows and more. It can save up to 40 percent of the use.
Esty said a wider power supply would also help protect against cost spikes and changing economics.
“We need to be more diverse in the state of Connecticut,” he said, that includes renewable power. He said the goal is to create a platform “for the entrepreneurial spirit to play out.”
Esty said the state is taking many steps to bring clean, renewable power.
“Fuel cells need to compete with everybody else,” Esty said. Unless they become cheaper, they’ll have a tough time, he said.
“I’d like to facilitate a race” among different sources to bring down costs and deliver scale, he said.
Innovation and bringing down costs is crucial.
Fossil fuels are in the mix, he said, “but they have to become cleaner.”
Nuclear power, too, “could be the winner” if it can solve safety and disposal problems.
Corn-based ethanol “is a joke of a policy,” Esty said. There is almost no benefit, he said, and pushes up the price of food.
He called ethanol “a disaster” that occurs only because of the Iowa caucuses every four years, Esty said.
It is also looking to ensure the state has enough capacity to generate power.
Shaving the peak loads can save money, Esty said, because it costs a lot to have “dirty, old plants” that can kick in on high use days.
“This state has underinvested in replacing wires, replacing poles,” Esty said. Nearly half the wires in the state are not coated, he said, and some poles undersized.
The new deal with Northeast Utilities will help, he said, to create “a more resilient system.”
The goal is to make sure the next big storm doesn’t have the same impact. One way of fending off the problem is to create microgrids so that at least key institutions and downtowns have power, he said.
Microgrids would be “an island within the greater sea” of the entire grid, he said.
Bristol could be one of the pilot areas, he said, “to isolate and protect those critical infrastructure elements,” he said.
He said the state also has to invest more in energy efficiency. Containing demand is part of the equation, Esty said.
Investing in energy conservation in state buildings is part of the answer, he said.
A lot of older housing stock would really benefit from efficiency efforts, he said, especially among lower income and senior housing where a lot of savings is possible. It’s not just lighting, he said, it’s also air conditioning, heating, windows and more. It can save up to 40 percent of the use.
Esty said a wider power supply would also help protect against cost spikes and changing economics.
“We need to be more diverse in the state of Connecticut,” he said, that includes renewable power. He said the goal is to create a platform “for the entrepreneurial spirit to play out.”
Esty said the state is taking many steps to bring clean, renewable power.
“Fuel cells need to compete with everybody else,” Esty said. Unless they become cheaper, they’ll have a tough time, he said.
“I’d like to facilitate a race” among different sources to bring down costs and deliver scale, he said.
Innovation and bringing down costs is crucial.
Fossil fuels are in the mix, he said, “but they have to become cleaner.”
Nuclear power, too, “could be the winner” if it can solve safety and disposal problems.
Corn-based ethanol “is a joke of a policy,” Esty said. There is almost no benefit, he said, and pushes up the price of food.
He called ethanol “a disaster” that occurs only because of the Iowa caucuses every four years, Esty said.
Esty touts progress on energy, environment
BRISTOL -- Speaking this morning to a business group in Bristol, state Commissioner for Energy and the Environment Dan Estay said, “We are working in Hartford to really transform how government does business."
He said it is a partnership, especially with municipal leaders. “We are trying to conduct a partnership with Washington, and that’s a lot harder,” he added.
Esty said government has to operate under restrained resources “and this is not going to go away.”
He said people are always upset when changes are required.
Domestic natural gas “is a huge opportunity,” he said, because shale gas extracted from rock is now possible through fracking. He said it will ultimately provide us with a huge quantity of natural gas and prices are consequently at an all-time low.
“For those who have natural gas, you are seeing a real” reduction in costs, Esty said. Those using oil, though, are seeing high costs.
“We are thinking hard about how to manage in those circumstances,” Esty said. He said Connecticut is “very serious” about thinking through these changing times to take advantage of the situation.
“We are making progress,” Esty said.
On the environment side, we are focused on environmental standards. We can lighten the burden and speed up the process, Esty said.
Esty said the department is trying to strip away unnecessary time, burden and other measures that delay permitting.
He said that permits were issued in one day during storm emergencies.
“It doesn’t mean we walk away” from environmental concerns, Esty said.
But “our focus on speed,” Esty said, is now a goal. “Speed, clarity, predictability” are things that matter, he said.
Permits used to sit for months or years, but now they are usually done in 60 days. Even a faster “no” helps, he said.
On the energy front, he said, state is focused on cleaner, cheaper and more reliable energy.
Esty is speaking before about 50 people at an Eggs & Issues breakfast sponsored by the Central Connecticut Chambers of Commerce at the Clarion Hotel.
Mostly, it’s the usual crowd of city business leaders, city officials and the sorts of folks who show up for most everything, such as former Mayor Bill Stortz. Among those here are Mayor Art Ward, city economic development chief Jonathan Rosenthal, city Councilor Henri Martin, state Rep. Whit Betts, former state Rep. Bill Hamzy, former Burlington First Selectman Ted Scheidel and Police Chief Eric Osanitsch, who can keep everyone else in line if the need arises.
The first order of ducks for the duck parade was just put in for 27 ducks “scattered throughout the region,” said Mike Nicastro, the president of the chamber. He’d like more people to buy a duck for the second round of orders. It’s all a fundraiser for a business incubator program pushed by the chamber.
You’ll be glad to know the chamber will have its duck done soon, with “all sorts of vignettes of the city” painted all over it, Nicastro said.
Ward said Esty promised accessibility and “getting rid of the red tape” before taking office. He said he’s actually followed through.
“The commissioner has delivered,” Ward said.
When the mayor saw Stately Floors hanging into the river the morning of the first flood last summer, he called Esty’s office and got through to him directly. “Never once did he shy away from the phone,” Ward said. He said the commissioner came out and walked “from one end of Bristol to the other” and hit all the worst-hit spots.
“For this community, that was so uplifting,” Ward said, because it showed he cared and would be looking out for the city.
Ward said Esty is also on top of the issues related to the Bristol Resources Recovery Facility Committee, which oversees the Covanta trash burning plant in town.
Copyright 2012. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Esty said government has to operate under restrained resources “and this is not going to go away.”
He said people are always upset when changes are required.
Domestic natural gas “is a huge opportunity,” he said, because shale gas extracted from rock is now possible through fracking. He said it will ultimately provide us with a huge quantity of natural gas and prices are consequently at an all-time low.
“For those who have natural gas, you are seeing a real” reduction in costs, Esty said. Those using oil, though, are seeing high costs.
“We are thinking hard about how to manage in those circumstances,” Esty said. He said Connecticut is “very serious” about thinking through these changing times to take advantage of the situation.
“We are making progress,” Esty said.
On the environment side, we are focused on environmental standards. We can lighten the burden and speed up the process, Esty said.
Esty said the department is trying to strip away unnecessary time, burden and other measures that delay permitting.
He said that permits were issued in one day during storm emergencies.
“It doesn’t mean we walk away” from environmental concerns, Esty said.
But “our focus on speed,” Esty said, is now a goal. “Speed, clarity, predictability” are things that matter, he said.
Permits used to sit for months or years, but now they are usually done in 60 days. Even a faster “no” helps, he said.
On the energy front, he said, state is focused on cleaner, cheaper and more reliable energy.
Esty is speaking before about 50 people at an Eggs & Issues breakfast sponsored by the Central Connecticut Chambers of Commerce at the Clarion Hotel.
Mostly, it’s the usual crowd of city business leaders, city officials and the sorts of folks who show up for most everything, such as former Mayor Bill Stortz. Among those here are Mayor Art Ward, city economic development chief Jonathan Rosenthal, city Councilor Henri Martin, state Rep. Whit Betts, former state Rep. Bill Hamzy, former Burlington First Selectman Ted Scheidel and Police Chief Eric Osanitsch, who can keep everyone else in line if the need arises.
The first order of ducks for the duck parade was just put in for 27 ducks “scattered throughout the region,” said Mike Nicastro, the president of the chamber. He’d like more people to buy a duck for the second round of orders. It’s all a fundraiser for a business incubator program pushed by the chamber.
You’ll be glad to know the chamber will have its duck done soon, with “all sorts of vignettes of the city” painted all over it, Nicastro said.
Ward said Esty promised accessibility and “getting rid of the red tape” before taking office. He said he’s actually followed through.
“The commissioner has delivered,” Ward said.
When the mayor saw Stately Floors hanging into the river the morning of the first flood last summer, he called Esty’s office and got through to him directly. “Never once did he shy away from the phone,” Ward said. He said the commissioner came out and walked “from one end of Bristol to the other” and hit all the worst-hit spots.
“For this community, that was so uplifting,” Ward said, because it showed he cared and would be looking out for the city.
Ward said Esty is also on top of the issues related to the Bristol Resources Recovery Facility Committee, which oversees the Covanta trash burning plant in town.
Police union votes down proposed contract
Details of the deal remain uncertain, but the fact that police voted it down is both unusual and a sign that Mayor Art Ward may be pushing for reforms that might well impact other municipal unions.
March 14, 2012
Dolan defends Board of Ed on lacrosse funding
I thought that it was a very interesting exchange. In fact the Board of Ed did include lacrosse in its budget for 2012-2013 even knowing that our entire budget would likely be cut. The mayor's comments regarding his side of the budget implied that he placed a higher priority on city services than the education of our children. If anyone believes that football, baseball, soccer or lacrosse doesn't contribute to the educational experience of a scholastic career, they are grossly misinformed. I don't believe that the mayor truly listened to the lacrosse advocates.
One concern that I have is that we will not be competitive with our surrounding towns. Bristol is a sports minded community. We are, after all, the home to ESPN.
I believe that the appearance of the lacrosse people were there to make the community aware of their desire to make lacrosse a varsity sport to be on a parity with our neighbors and to promote a good standard of sportsmanship, morality and citizenship. They were drawing attention to their plight.
The last thing that I want is to create a controversy between the City Council and other departments
within the municipal structure and the Board of Education. We all have our place in the community
and are necessary to create a cohesive and attractive place to raise our families. So let's not undercut the value of education to the market value of a community. A good reminder of that is not many of the employees of ESPN live in Bristol. Ask the mayor why.
I speak for myself not the Board of Education.
March 6, 2012
Ward seeks to bury Zoppo
 |
| Ellen Zoppo |
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| Art Ward |
March 2, 2012
Educators Not On The Same Page
Note from Board of
Education member Genard Dolan on Friday morning:
Steve, you write that
the members of the BOE are in conflict with the City Council. Do not confuse the public by equating the
Supt. with the BOE Commissioners. The
Supt. is speaking for himself on behalf of the Administration not the elected
BOE. The BOE members have been unaware
of the discourse described in your article.
Unfortunately it gives your readers the misinformation of the Supt.
speaking for the Board of Education. You
should correct this misinformation with a retraction or a corrected version of
events. Chris Wilson's quote regarding
the cost per student seems unrelated to the conflict between Supt. Streifer and
the Council. In fairness to the
Commissioners, you should explain the difference between the elected Board
members and the Central office of the Supt.
Note from Board of
Education Chairman Chris Wilson on Thursday afternoon:
Education reform is swirling all around the
country, in CT and in Bristol. All of
this talk of reform causes anxiety and uncertainty for all those involved in
education-students, parents, BOE members, staff and the community at large. I am not sure about a rift. We are all trying to do our best. We may becoming at it from a different
perspective. 137 cities and towns spend
more $ than Bristol per student. It
seems that the city council wants to erode that position further. I and some other board members support what
we have accomplished over the past 8 plus years. We do not want the quality which has been
built here decimated. WE have attracted
a quality teacher staff and administrative staff which has delivered excellent
results. Since we have been level funded
by the city for 3 years the fiscal constraints are significant.
We as BOE members have had to tackle
difficult issues-closing schools, redistricting, program changes or
eliminations. All of these are
challenging tasks without the fiscal constraints but the fiscal constraints
make it more daunting.
I am committed to public education. I am committed to all students having the
opportunity to attend college or some other post graduate experience in order
that those 8500 students who pass through our doors have that opportunity. Sometimes as we modify programs and
reallocate resources to accomplish that goal the status quo is challenged.
As far as Ken’s point about the old
guard. 3 incumbents ran for BOE and were
elected so I am not sure what change he refers.
I think our rating within the state is pretty good and I am proud of
that. When one looks at quality schools
systems throughout the state those that have a single minded focus are the
successful ones. Those where the leaders
are not single minded are unsuccessful.
I am hopeful we will have the single minded and non partisan
relationship which existed prior the this past election.
Council, school board rift is growing
The rift between the City Council and Board of Education is growing.
The five
Republicans recently asked for detailed monthly school spending reports and
were turned down cold.
School
Superintendent Philip Streifer wrote Wednesday that “it is the policy of the
school administration to provide the public only those documents requested by
or created for the Board of Education, therefore, we will not be providing you
the detailed request” sought in an email sent to the Board of Education by city
Councilor Henri Martin.
“I don’t
know why the resistance,” Martin said Thursday. “I just want to know some
information.”
For city
Councilor Ken Cockayne, the superintendent’s response only serves to widen “the
disconnect” between councilors and school board members.
“I can’t
help wondering what the Board of Ed is hiding,” Cockayne said Thursday.
Chris
Wilson, the chairman of the school board, said that 137 cities and towns in
Connecticut “spend more dollars than Bristol per student. It seems that the City Council wants to erode
that position further.”
The sole
Democratic councilor, Kevin Fuller, said he is worried the GOP’s effort will
create “a bigger divide between the Board of Ed and the Council, and who does
that hurt in the long run? The students of Bristol.”
Streifer
said Thursday he will gladly turn over any of the financial reports prepared
for the Board of Education but it won’t create ones that don’t exist simply
because city councilors want more detailed data.
Streifer
said he hopes that problems don’t develop between City Hall and the school
administration.
“There is an
established process under the city charter to review and fund budgets,”
Streifer said, pointing out that the Board of Finance reviews budgets and “then
makes a recommendation to the City Council and they jointly vote on budget
appropriations.”
“I would
hope that everyone would respect and honor that process which has worked well
in the past,” Streifer said.
Martin said
the schools spend 61 percent of the city’s budget, a total of $102.6 million
this year, and he would not be doing his job if he didn’t try to understand
where all that money goes.
Fuller said,
“The council in the past has looked at the BOE budget but we cannot control it.
The only vote the council has is to approve or deny the total amount of the budget,”
and cannot deal with particular line items.
“We
understand that we don't have the power to line item the BOE budget and
determine where money should or shouldn't go,” said city Councilor Derek
Czenczelewski
“However,
that doesn't mean the city shouldn't be able to see where the money is going on
a monthly basis. We are looking for transparency, plain and simple,” he said. |”Unfortunately,
some administrators and officials believe that the BOE doesn't need to report
to the taxpayers in any way.”
Cockayne
said that voters showed last year they don’t want officials to tread along the
same old path.
“The
citizens of Bristol are fed up with the Board of Education,” Cockayne said, and
they very much want change.
Though
Republicans took control of the school board for the first time ever in
November, Cockayne said they failed to shake up its leadership.
“The old
guard is still in charge,” Cockayne said, and its members don’t believe there’s
a need to do things differently.
“The Board
of Education needs to open its eyes,” Cockayne said.
Fuller said
he is curious what the Republicans are looking for.
In his email
to Streifer, Martin sought detailed monthly reports on these accounts: central administration, principals and
assistants, supervisors, psychologists, other instructional, improvement for
instruction, instructional services, other professional services, rentals and
leases, and staff transportation.
“Give me
additional information,” Martin said. “Let’s break it down.”
Streifer
said the reports Martin asked for “are much more detailed than what we have on hand
or which the Board of Education has asked for, thus we will not create them for
him. “
Martin said
he did not understand the resistance to providing councilors with the
information.
Cockayne
said in a Thursday email to Streifer that he “can't believe the BOE doesn't
have a detailed expenditure report run every month. This is something at even a basic business
would do.”
“How then do
you do accounting on $100 million?” Cockayne said. “You must have more internal
detailed reports than you give out to the public.”
Copyright 2012. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
December 6, 2011
Gingrich socked with 'most severe penalty' as Speaker by ethics panel
With former House Speaker Newt Gingrich rocketing to the top of the polls in the Republican presidential race, it may be a good time to look back on a story that consumed the area's GOP congresswoman for a couple of years during his tenure as a congressional leader.
Copyright 2011. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Here is a story that ran in The Bristol Press and New Britain Herald when U.S. Rep. Nancy Johnson, a New Britain Republican, got the House to sanction and fine Gingrich over an ethics violation:
January 21,
1997
By STEVE
COLLINS
After a plea
from Rep. Nancy Johnson to put aside ''the crippling partisanship and animosity
that has surrounded us,'' the House Tuesday overwhelmingly backed her ethics
committee's reprimand and $300,000 fine for Speaker Newt Gingrich.
''It is the
most severe penalty ever against a sitting speaker,'' said Johnson. ''It is
also appropriate. No one is above the rules of the House of Representatives.''
Her colleagues
voted 395-28 to sanction Gingrich for his admitted ethical lapses. But the move
won't force the speaker to give up his post.
The bipartisan
decision Tuesday capped a two-year battle over Gingrich's conduct that often
dissolved into political feuding of startling dimensions - including
bare-knuckled battles in Johnson's northwestern Connecticut district.
Johnson, a New
Britain Republican, called on lawmakers ''to learn and grow from this solemn
occasion'' and ''end the partisan rancor that has come to surround this case
and this House.''
Though other
charges against Gingrich remain on the ethics committee's agenda, Johnson will
no longer have to deal with them. She finished up her service on the panel
Tuesday.
Johnson said
her panel ''found that Rep. Gingrich brought discredit to the House by failing
to get appropriate legal advice to ensure that his actions would be in
compliance with tax law and to oversee the development of his letters to the
committee to insure they were accurate in every respect.''
''Each member
of Congress, especially those in positions of leadership, shoulders the
responsibility of avoiding even the appearance of impropriety,'' she said.
''Rep. Gingrich failed to exercise the discipline and caution of his office and
so is subject to penalty today.''
Johnson
pointed out that the ethics panel has never before reprimanded a member for
making false statement to it unless it found an intent to mislead. In Gingrich's
case, it stopped just short of saying he knowingly lied.
Monetary
sanctions have never before been slapped on a member who was not personally
enriched by his actions, said Johnson, adding that no findings indicated
Gingrich made any money from his political dealings.
Johnson said
her committee never lost sight of the need for ''full and complete disclosure
of every fact in this case and a bipartisan recommendation. We accomplished
both, even though it would have been easy for Republicans or Democrats to walk
away from the process at many stages. We didn't because we believe in this
institution and in the ethics process.''
The ethics
committee ''was forced to conduct its work against a harsh backdrop of
political warfare,'' said Johnson.
''It's the
first time ever that members of the ethics committee have been the target of
coordinated partisan assaults in their districts. Coordinated political
pressure on members of the ethics committee by other members is not only
destructive of the ethics oversight process but it is beneath the dignity of
this great institution and those who serve here,'' Johnson said.
Johnson has
come under withering criticism from two potential opponents in 1998 for her
handling of the case. They say she delayed proceedings and sought to help
Gingrich survive the probe.
But Johnson
has frequently praised her committee's work and taken credit for pushing the
case to completion despite the atmospherics surrounding it.
Johnson called
on legislators before Tuesday's vote to reject ''the partisanship and animosity
that has so deeply permeated the work of the House'' and back the ethics recommendation.
''We cannot
afford the harsh partisanship that has become too much a part of our lives,''
Johnson said.
Johnson,
elected in 1982, represents the sixth district, which includes Bristol, New
Britain, Torrington, the Litchfield hills and the Farmington River valley.
Here's an earlier story that lays it out a little more:
Here's an earlier story that lays it out a little more:
January 17,
1997
By STEVE
COLLINS
The
surprisingly cohesive House Ethics Committee displayed on national television Friday
agreed on a deal with Speaker Newt Gingrich that will almost certainly lead to
his reprimand and a $300,000 penalty.
The sanction,
considered harsh by lawmakers, will allow Gingrich to remain as the top
congressional leader for another term if the rest of the House endorses it
Tuesday.
U.S. Rep.
Nancy Johnson, the New Britain Republican who heads the ethics panel, said
there had been ``some serious misunderstandings'' before the hearing but her
eight-member panel came together for its finale.
``The speaker
of the House must be held to the highest ethical standards,'' said a
stern-looking Johnson. ``No one is above the rules of the House.''
The ethics
panel voted 7-1 to recommend the reprimand and fine to their colleagues. The
only dissenter, Republican Lamar Smith of Texas, was a last-minute addition to
the committee who likened the speaker's conduct to running a yellow light.
Gingrich
admitted he created tax-exempt foundations to fund programs aimed at advancing
his political agenda. He also confessed to providing ``inaccurate, incomplete
and unreliable'' information about his activities to the ethics committee.
Johnson said
she found it ``deeply disturbing'' that Gingrich's extensive letters to her
committee contained ``glaring, even stark, contradictions of fact.''
The speaker's
lawyer, Randy Evans, blamed Gingrich's busy schedule and his other attorneys
for the errors. But Johnson said she is stunned the speaker exercised ``such a
casual degree of oversight.''
Special
counsel James Cole said the bipartisan, four-member investigatory subcommittee
believed the proper penalty for Gingrich's conduct fell somewhere between a
reprimand and censure. A censure would force the speaker from his powerful
perch.
It opted to
support a reprimand with the additional requirement of $300,000 reimbursement
from Gingrich to cover a portion of the tab for the costly ethics
investigation. Cole said misinformation from the speaker delayed the probe and
added to its expense.
Cole said
Gingrich ``should make sure he pays it in an ethical manner. It is up to him to
do it in the right way.'' He said if the speaker fails to raise the cash
properly ``there's a chance of being back here.''
Johnson called
the penalty ``tough and unprecedented compared with past cases.''
``We have come
up with a fair result and a fair resolution of the matter,'' said Cole. He said
if proof exists that Gingrich lied, he would urge censure or more.
Summarizing
the panel's findings, Cole said, ``Over a number of years and in a number of
situations, Mr. Gingrich showed a disregard and lack of respect for the
standards of conduct that applied to his activities.''
Cole said that
while ``bells and whistles'' of warning were going off, ``Mr. Gingrich ran a
very lot of yellow lights, some orange lights.''
Rep. Steve
Schiff, a New Mexico Republican, said the subcommittee succeeded in ignoring
``the political currents swimming around us.'' He said the ``reprimand plus''
penalty is appropriate.
But Schiff
added that Gingrich's friends will think the panel's recommendation unduly
harsh and the speaker's foes won't be satisfied unless the Georgia Republican
``is drawn and quartered after being boiled in oil.''
The six-hour
hearing featured lengthy statements by Cole and lawyers for Gingrich presenting
their respective takes on the case, then short comments by members of the
panel, then a period of questions and answers. After retreating behind closed
doors briefly, the panel voted on sanctions late Friday.
It represents
the culmination of a case filed in Sept. 1994 and in the hands of a special
counsel for more than a year. In the past month, the ethics committee almost
splintered, with its members holding competing press conferences and dueling
almost daily about the proper procedures to follow.
Johnson, who
had come under harsh criticism, diplomatically called it ``a difficult
environment.''
``We've had
our storms,'' said Rep. Ben Cardin of Maryland, the ranking Democrat on the
panel since a Washington congressman resigned this week amidst allegations he
turned over an illegally obtained tape recording of a cellular phone
conversation to two newspapers.
Rep. Porter
Goss, the Florida Republican who led the investigatory subcommittee, praised
Johnson for her ``extraordinary perseverance, patient and commitment'' in
bringing the ethics panel through its troubles.
Schiff
complimented Johnson simply ``for getting us here.''
Rep. Nancy
Pelosi, a California Democrat, criticized Johnson and the GOP for preventing a
full hearing where Cole could present witnesses and explain the case in detail.
But she also thanked Johnson for the cooperative spirit on display Friday.
Johnson
appeared relieved to have the hearing behind her. Her service on the ethics
panel ends Tuesday.
Another story, focused on Johnson:
Another story, focused on Johnson:
January 10,
1997
By STEVE
COLLINS
In her two
decades of political life, U.S. Rep. Nancy Johnson has never attracted the kind
of attention she's getting these days.
And she surely
wishes it wasn't so.
Two potential
rivals for the New Britain Republican's congressional seat are already on the
attack - and Democrats across the country have Johnson in their crosshairs.
Plainville
professor Charlotte Koskoff, who nearly upset Johnson at the polls last year,
called her leadership of the badly split House Ethics Committee ``very, very
sad.''
``She's really
blown it,'' said Bristol businessman Jim Griffin, who lost to Johnson in 1988
but hopes for a rematch in 1998.
Johnson has
guided the ethics panel the past two years as it maneuvered through a political
minefield to issue rulings on a series of complaints about House Speaker Newt
Gingrich's conduct.
Most were
settled unanimously behind closed doors after much wrangling, which Johnson
insists is evidence of her strong, fair
leadership.
But one last
complaint remains - and history may hinge on it.
The pace of
the assault against Gingrich has quickened as the stakes have risen. Now the
partisan rancor that has long infected the House has publicly riven Johnson's
10-member committee as well.
Paul Gigot, a
conservative commentator for The Wall Street Journal, called it ``a public
blood feud.''
``What you
have is total, global, nuclear war. It's impossible to overestimate the
poisonous air in the Ethics Committee,'' Gigot said.
At least three
Democrats among the five serving on Johnson's ethics panel have sharply
criticized her in recent days.
Rep. Jim
McDermott of Washington said Johnson's willingness to buckle to Gingrich's
needs indicate she is ``throwing herself on a hand grenade for the speaker.''
Rep. Nancy
Pelosi of California charged Johnson with abusing her power when she canceled a
week-long hearing into the case after Democrats griped about details.
Rep. Ben
Cardin of Maryland joined Pelosi in telling Johnson he was ``particularly
troubled'' by her abrupt decision to cancel the hearings.
Whatever the
merits of the Democrats' arguments, Johnson has certainly failed to keep her
committee from falling apart. Its five Democrats and five GOP members have been
dueling in public for days now.
Journalist
John Barry, who wrote the definitive book on the downfall of former Democratic
Speaker Jim Wright, once described the ethics panel as possessing ``vast
power.''
It serves, he
said, as ``investigator, grand jury, prosecutor, jury, judge and appeals
court.''
With the kind
of clout, Johnson's committee holds Gingrich's political fate in its grasp.
Soon, probably
next Sunday, the panel will recommend a penalty
for the misconduct the speaker admits he engaged in. There may a public
hearing Friday and perhaps Saturday.
It is likely
the committee will urge a reprimand that would let Gingrich retain his
position. But it can urge censure or ouster and thereby toss Gingrich from the
nation's third highest political office.
Griffin said
the ethics hearing on Gingrich this week and the subsequent decision on
sanctions ``may be Nancy's last chance to salvage respectability for her
chairmanship, but I don't think she's up to the task.''
He said he
expects ``a grotesque finale'' to a case Johnson has mishandled from the start.
``There will
be no redemption for her,'' said Griffin, ``because she's made up her mind. You
have to be an idiot or Nancy Johnson to believe what Newt is saying.''
Koskoff said
Johnson has been on ``the wrong side'' of the Gingrich case all along and won't
switch now.
She said her
former foe's refusal to extend the ethics committee's deadline despite a
request from most of its members and the special counsel it hired is ``frankly
unfathomable. It's all mind-boggling.''
Johnson has
perhaps shown too much haste.
But she only
agreed to stay on the panel into the new year, when her term expired, because
Democrats agreed the matter would be over by Jan. 21. At that point, Johnson
could finally quit.
Any delay and
the case could go on forever, as Republican ethics panel member David Hobson of
Ohio said.
What happens
next in the tangled matter is, of course, impossible to predict.
Johnson could
yet shock everyone with her ruling on Gingrich. Or perhaps she can break
through the political fog and convince the mainstream of America that a
chastened Gingrich deserves no more than a reprimand.
But one thing
is sure: that Johnson will be mighty happy to leave the ethics committee
behind.
She said there
are plenty of more pressing issues her constituents would like to have her
working on, from tax policy to health care. The Gingrich case is, for her, just
a terrible distraction.
Johnson has
represented northwestern Connecticut's sixth district since 1982. The district
includes Bristol, New Britain, Torrington, the Litchfield hills and the
Farmington River valley.
November 15, 2011
Photos from Bristol's Inauguration
Alford: 'Bristol is a special place'
Election 2011 is over and the
citizens of Bristol
First, I would like to congratulate
Mayor Ward on his re-election and thank Gary Lawton and Jason Flores for their
participation.
Congratulations to all who have
been elected or re-elected to serve the City of Bristol
To my campaign team, my family and
friends and my “family” on the Bristol
Republican Town
This was a longer campaign for me
than the on in 2009 and it has afforded me the privilege to get to know even
more of our citizens. What a pleasure that has been for me. Bristol
For those of you who cast your
votes for me, thank you seems an inadequate response but it’s the one we’re
given to use so - Thank You! Your faith in me will not be forgotten.
I am looking forward to the future
of Bristol Bristol
Thank you all, once again.
Sincerely,
Mary Alford
Copyright 2011. All rights reserved. Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
November 9, 2011
Election Night photos in Bristol
 |
| Checking the count at the American Legion polling place, just after the polls closed Tuesday. |
 |
| Mayor Art Ward waiting for results, at a time when it appeared he might lose. |
 |
| Mayor Art Ward watching results come in at the Polish Club. |
 |
| Republican Mary Alford gives Mayor Art Ward a congratulatory hug. |
 |
| Mayor Art Ward and Republican challenger Mary Alford, who nearly beat him and led the GOP to its most successful municipal election win in years. |
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