After watching Ken Johnson and Mayor Art Ward clash tonight, I can't help thinking that the 2007 Republican mayoral candidate may take on Ward again.
I don't know exactly what caused him to rethink his plans to run this year, but I know people enough to see the fire in the belly that candidates need. And Johnson has that.
Ward could obviously see it, too.
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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Showing posts with label Ken Johnson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ken Johnson. Show all posts
May 12, 2009
This and that from the council meeting
Former Republican mayoral contender Ken Johnson and Mayor Art Ward exhanged some sharp words over the failure of the city to pursue vigorously the $400,000 or more than Connecticut Light and Power may owe the city for back streetlighting overcharges.
They really went at it.
Johnson blamed the city for doing nothing. Ward seemed to know nothing about it and thundered that Johnson should have told him, not just the city attorney's office.
I'll have much more on this after I make sense of it all in the days ahead.
Meanwhile, we've had nothing about the resigning lawyers. Yet.
The council approved a pay cut for the next mayor and City Council. They'll make 5 percent less than the council does this year. They also froze the pay of department heads and other non-union personnel.
More to come.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
They really went at it.
Johnson blamed the city for doing nothing. Ward seemed to know nothing about it and thundered that Johnson should have told him, not just the city attorney's office.
I'll have much more on this after I make sense of it all in the days ahead.
Meanwhile, we've had nothing about the resigning lawyers. Yet.
The council approved a pay cut for the next mayor and City Council. They'll make 5 percent less than the council does this year. They also froze the pay of department heads and other non-union personnel.
More to come.
*******
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
April 28, 2009
Johnson pulls out, others jump in
Republican mayoral candidate Ken Johnson told GOP leaders Monday night that he was pulling out of the race, citing personal reasons. I'll have more on this later, I trust.
Meanwhile, on the Democratic side, three City Council contenders announced their plans.
City Councilor Kevin McCauley announced he would run again in the 2nd District.
Two newcomers also entered the race.
In the 1st District, Kevin Fuller declared his intention to run against incumbent Republican Mike Rimcoski.
In the 3rd District, Terry Parker leaped into the fray, joining Kate Matthews in a bid to hold the seats that Craig Minor and Frank Nicastro are giving up in November. Another Democrat, Gloria Marino, has been calling district leaders and may yet enter the contest there.
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
February 28, 2009
GOP's Ken Johnson rips into "donut mayor"
Republican mayoral hopeful Ken Johnson recently lashed into the man who defeated him in the last mayoral contest over Democrat Art Ward’s handling of a proposal to shift excess pension cash to pay for municipal retirees’ health care.
Johnson said that if taxpayers understood the GASB 45 issue “they would have already run the mayor out on a rail.”
Johnson and other advocates of the idea argue that taxpayers could save up to $2 million annually by tapping surplus pension money to pay for health care for retired city workers.
Ward set up a committee to explore the option. It is expected to make a recommendation Tuesday. The City Council has the last word.
"The cold reality is that this committee is a charade," Johnson told the panel recently. "This GASB 45 Committee serves no purpose, has no authority to make any decisions at all, and is a fraud perpetrated on both taxpayers and city workers by our mayor."
"The mayor created this committee as a 'feel good' for city workers because he desperately wants you to like him. City workers, my message to each of you is this: the mayor is playing you for a stooge," Johnson said.
"Let's put this in context," Johnson said. "The economy is in the toilet. We are looking for ways to run the city without raising taxes. City and state workers across Connecticut are already being laid off."
"While our city struggles to make ends meet without implementing layoffs, the mayor puts out a memo to stop buying food for meetings. So while he polices the $5 box of Dunkin' Donuts, here's millions and millions in tax savings staring us in the eye."
"There's millions to be saved and it hurts no one," Johnson said.
He said that if the "donut mayor" would back it, the change could be made.
Ward said that as he listened to Johnson's speech to the committee last week, he thought that Johnson was giving a political address in the wrong venue.
He didn't want to address the substance of Johnson's comments.
But Ward did say that without the advantage of sitting in the mayor's chair, Johnson's vision is "blurred" on the issues facing the city.
Johnson said, though, that the change in the pension money that he’s urging would produce “immediate tax savings” by simply shifting cash “from Column A to Column B” on a spreadsheet.
It’s more complicated than that, said Ronald Mulvihill, a benefits specialist for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Workers who is based in Washington, D.C.
The city “can’t just do it,” Mulvihill said, because there are many hoops to go through.
Johnson said that Ward --- “the captain of the ship” -- is trying to make people feel good “by personally monitoring donut consumption and fooling you into thinking you have a say on GASB 45, the $5 million tip of a $75 million iceberg” that is “directly in front of the ship.”
John Boi, a retired city worker and former head of the city’s Retirement Board, said he felt “quite disappointed” that Johnson decided to launch his mayoral campaign at at GASB 45 Committee meeting.
He said the panel’s chairman, T.J. Barnes, should have stopped Johnson from delivering the address.
Barnes, who heads the city’s GOP, did tell Johnson to wrap it up but didn’t prevent him from finishing.
In the speech, Johnson commended Barnes for having “the intestinal fortitude” to stick with the assignment he took on to chair the panel Ward created.
He also thanked Barnes for convincing the mayor to undo the first version of the committee – which Johnson called “a laughable mayoral flub” – that was stocked with city workers who opposed the idea from the start.
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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
February 26, 2009
Ward says Johnson's vision "blurred"
Mayor Art Ward said that as he listened to Republican mayoral contender Ken Johnson's speech to the GASB 45 Committee on Tuesday, he thought that Johnson was in the wrong place.
He didn't want to address the substance of Johnson's comments.
But Ward did say that without the advantage of sitting in the mayor's chair, Johnson's vision is "blurred" on the issues facing the city.
*******Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
February 25, 2009
Ken Johnson comes out swinging
I'll have more on this sometime this week, but I figure any Bristol Blog reader would want to know that Republican mayoral hopeful Ken Johnson came out swinging at Tuesday's GASB 45 Committee meeting.
"The cold reality is that this committee is a charade," Johnson told the panel. "This GASB 45 Committee serves no purpose, has no authority to make any decisions at all, and is a fraud perpetrated on both taxpayers and city workers by our mayor."
"The mayor created this committee as a 'feel good' for city workers because he desperately wants you to like him. City workers, my message to each of you is this: the mayor is playing you for a stooge," Johnson said.
Johnson urged the city to take the step of using surplus pension money to fund health care benefits for retired workers -- which advocates say may save millions for taxpayers.
"Let's put this in context," Johnson said. "The economy is in the toilet. We are looking for ways to run the city without raising taxes. City and state workers across Connecticut are already being laid off."
"While our city struggles to make ends meet without implementing layoffs, the mayor puts out a memo to stop buying food for meetings. So while he polices the $5 box of Dunkin' Donuts, here's millions and millions in tax savings staring us in the eye."
"There's millions to be saved and it hurts no one," Johnson said.
He said that if the "donut mayor" would back it, the change could be made.
Mayor Art Ward was there, but I haven't yet had a chance to ask him what he thought. I will.
And I'll have more on the GASB 45 issue, too, as soon as I can.
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
January 27, 2009
Ken Johnson is running for mayor again
As he promised on Election Night in 2007, after losing to Democrat Art Ward, Ken Johnson is aiming for a rematch this time around.
Johnson told the Republican Town Committee last night that he is going to run for mayor this year.
The GOP's town chairman, T.J. Barnes, said today that Johnson is "a great candidate. He does do the work."
"He gave Art Ward a pretty good run for his money the last time around," Barnes said, and could win this year.
I have a call in to Johnson so there will be more later.
Ward is almost certainly running for re-election but hasn't formally announced any plans.
It's not clear if Johnson will face any opposition from within his own party.
City Councilor Mike Rimcoski, a Republican, said he wouldn't be surprised if former Mayor William Stortz also runs for mayor this year.
Stortz just kind of smiled at me when I asked him about that a couple of weeks ago, then he changed the subject. I'll ask him again, though.
Update: Johnson and I swapped phone calls, missing each other so far, but he did send along via email a statement about why he's running again:
I spoke during the '07 municipal campaign about the need for the Bristol Republican Party to become 'relevant.' We needed to provide people with a reason to come to the polls so the Democratic Party didn't have defacto appointment power. We sought to give people the opportunity to have a say in their local government. I think we made significant strides towards relevance in '07 with the re-election of Mike Rimkowski and the election of a new councilman, Ken Cockayne. And I like to think I ran a spirited campaign and gave Artie Ward a scare he could not have anticipated from a 'no-name' candidate.
As Bristol Republicans, our charge now is to pick up where we left off in '07 and bring it to the next level. It is 2009 and nothing has changed. Bristol still needs leaders who possess vision and recognize their responsibility to the taxpaying citizens. Running in '07 was a very enjoyable experience for me and I am energized to lead the ticket again in 2009. Therefore, I announced my intention to seek election and serve as your next mayor.
I am running because I intend to win. We are going to get back to basics: the Republican Party will speak for the taxpayers of Bristol and hold our government accountable for the spending of our money. My ticket will be running as a team, committed in writing to a common set of core principles. We will run a full slate and a strong slate of council candidates - I believe the strongest slate the Republican Party has fielded in many years. I am committed to victory and a clean Republican sweep in November. My one promise is this- when you get involved with my campaign,you'll have fun, a great experience and get to be part of a winning team.
As Bristol Republicans, our charge now is to pick up where we left off in '07 and bring it to the next level. It is 2009 and nothing has changed. Bristol still needs leaders who possess vision and recognize their responsibility to the taxpaying citizens. Running in '07 was a very enjoyable experience for me and I am energized to lead the ticket again in 2009. Therefore, I announced my intention to seek election and serve as your next mayor.
I am running because I intend to win. We are going to get back to basics: the Republican Party will speak for the taxpayers of Bristol and hold our government accountable for the spending of our money. My ticket will be running as a team, committed in writing to a common set of core principles. We will run a full slate and a strong slate of council candidates - I believe the strongest slate the Republican Party has fielded in many years. I am committed to victory and a clean Republican sweep in November. My one promise is this- when you get involved with my campaign,you'll have fun, a great experience and get to be part of a winning team.
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
October 20, 2008
Union takes the lead in fight against COO
A public employees union that represents cafeteria workers and others is leading the fight to block a controversial plan to create a chief operating officer to oversee City Hall.
Though “there’s always a threat there could be a loss of union jobs” if the new administrative post is created, “this is a taxpayer issue” first and foremost, said Chad Lockhart, president of Local 2267 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.
A letter sent out by the union to “union brothers and sisters” in Bristol says it is “putting together a committee to fight against” the Nov. 4 charter change referendum that would add the chief operating officer to the city government’s structure.
“A chief operating officer,” the letter explains, “will not prove to be a friend to unions.”
“What is that implying?” asked Republican city Councilor Ken Cockayne. “That implies that the labor leadership has their hands in City Hall.”
Cockayne, who supports the referendum, said the letter shows the public “who’s behind the vote no organization” that has started putting up lawn signs against the proposal.
In the letter, the union says it is placing signs to express opposition to the idea on members’ lawns around town.
“We really need to show strong opposition for what would surely prove to be a costly mistake for the city of Bristol and also for our AFSCME members,” the letter said, adding that anyone who didn’t want a sign should call the union to let it know.
Lockhart said that as a small business owner in town and a night supervisor for a high school, he “can see this whole thing from different angles” and understands why some people might like a chief operating officer.
However, he said, even those who see a need for a type of city manager should recognize that the proposal on the ballot next month is seriously flawed.
Because the city would retain its full-time mayor, it would wind up with “two people to do the same job” at greater cost if the charter revision is approved, Lockhart said.
Since the city already has someone at its helm “who, in my opinion, is doing a great job” as mayor, there’s no need to add another position at even higher pay to duplicate what’s already in place, Lockhart said.
He said that one reason to prefer a mayor to a chief operating officer is that voters can throw out a mayor they don’t like every two years.
To get rid of a chief operating officer, Lockhart said, takes a two-thirds of the City Council” and leaves the public with no role.
“I like the people to have the vote,” he said.
Installing a chief operating officer to oversee the city’s departments, Lockhart said, would “take the power away from the people and give it to the government.”
Former Republican mayoral candidate Ken Johnson, who helped organize the Choose COO group pushing for passage of the plan, said the proposal “isn’t anti-union. It is pro-taxpayer.”
Johnson said that if the public supports the charter change, people “can be assured that they will have a professional in City Hall who will put the taxpayers first and not be beholden to special interests or political whim.”
Lockhart said the plan offered to the public isn’t going to protect taxpayers.
He said that it doesn’t make any sense to add a powerful new administrative position that Mayor Art Ward and the council oppose that would leave a full-time mayor in place “to be a baby kisser and a handshaker.”
But Cockayne said the opposition is motivated by self-interest alone.
The union leadership, he said, “is afraid of accountability at City Hall.”
*******
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Ken Johnson defends COO from union attack
Former Republican mayoral contender Ken Johnson, a leader in the effort to create a chief operating officer position at City Hall, sent this along:
Bristol’s taxpayers have the right to decide on creating the Chief Operating Officer position. They earned that right when over 3,600 of them signed a petition demanding so. If taxpayers are satisfied with the status quo, they can vote ‘No.’ If taxpayers think it’s time for a change in our city government, then they can vote ‘Yes’ to question #5 on the November 4th ballot.
Regarding the letter: What is the union leadership afraid of? The COO “will not be a friend to the unions” the writer says. Implying what? That the current city government is? Come on. This proposal isn’t anti-union. It is PRO-TAXPAYER!
Craig Yarde and I have formed a committee to promote the COO/City Manager concept. 65% of our sister cities of similar size across the entire country have already adopted a similar change. I believe this decision about the form of city government is too important a decision to be left to the politicians and special interest. This decision should be made by the people. They can vote with the confidence that a bi-partisan Charter Revision committee studied this, recommended the COO and wrote the job description. If the people of Bristol vote ‘Yes’ to Question #5 on Nov. 4th, they can be assured that they will have a professional in City Hall who will PUT THE TAXPAYER FIRST and not be beholden to special interests or political whim.
I encourage every taxpayer to exercise their right and take back City Hall by voting ‘Yes’ to question #5 on November 4th.
Anybody got a copy of the union letter? I haven't seen it.
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
September 10, 2008
City claims that CL&P owes it $606K
Connecticut Light and Power owes the city at least $606,000 for past overbilling of streetlight charges, city officials said.
Ken Johnson, a consultant from Municipal Energy and former GOP mayoral contender, said that his company and city employees have found scores of mistakes that cost the taxpayers big bucks.
In one case, he said, the power company including charges for a streetlight on Get High Way, a non-existent street. Johnson said the name likely described what the utility crew was doing at the time.
Under orders from the state Department of Utility Control, CL&P offered two years ago to pay Bristol $86,839 for billing errors.
Mitch Gross, spokesman for the power company, has said the company had “some shortcomings” in its billing but fixed them after digging deep into its records to bring the issue to a close.
Bristol is one of 50 Connecticut municipalities challenging the state-ordered payment levels. City leaders are meeting Monday with the officials from the attorney general’s office to review their case.
City councilors this week unanimously backed the effort to collect more than $606,000 from the utility after hearing what Johnson reported his firm had found.
“We finally got this thing off the dime,” city Councilor Mike Rimcoski said.
Rimcoski said that given the “poor management” by CL&P over the years, he’s confident the city will collect much more than the $86,839 initially offered even if Bristol winds up with less than it is seeking.
It’s likely to take at least a couple of years to complete the appeal, Johnson said.
Municipal Energy was hired a year and a half ago for $10,000 plus 15 percent of whatever the city earns above $86,000 originally offered by the utility giant.
If the city were to get $$606,000, Johnson’s firm would collect about $87,000 for its services.
Johnson ran for mayor last year, but lost to Democrat Art Ward. His company was hired by the city, which has long been controlled by Democrats, before he entered the race.
Johnson had a rocky relationship with former Mayor William Stortz, but Johnson and city officials said that since Ward took over, there has been a cooperative spirit between the consultant and the city.
*******
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
August 19, 2008
Ken Johnson addresses successful petition drive
A note that former GOP mayoral candidate Ken Johnson sent out this evening to supporters of the chief operating officer petition drive:
Dear friends:
It’s official! The City Clerk’s office reports that they have completed the signature validation process and we’ve succeeded! Therese Pac stated that her office validated 3661 signatures vs. the 3176 required to put the City Manager/COO question onto the ballot. Congratulations to each and every one of you who helped collect signatures. Please help me extend a generous thank-you to other supporters not on this distribution list and to everyone who signed the petition.
You have all participated in a process that has given voice to the citizens of Bristol. Your effort has paid off and the result is an historic reversal of Bristol City Council action. I ask you to join me, too, in acknowledging the efforts of every member of the City Clerk’s office and the Registrars office. You know the hours we expended in gathering these signatures. Imagine the enormous undertaking of going through thousands of signatures, one at a time, cross checking names and addresses against the voter rolls. An interesting aside that Therese shared with me is that our petition drive helped clean up the voter rolls a bit. Over 100 people gave addresses that were different from their address on the voter registration list. Once each name and address was validated, the Registrars were able to correct their list to reflect the new addresses.
If you’re interested in the math, here’s a little analysis of the numbers. When we set out to collect signatures, we knew we had to get nearly 3200 validated signatures. Anecdotal information shared with us indicated that we could expect 15% to 20% of the signatures we’d collect to be invalidated (for a variety of reasons from ‘can’t read their handwriting’ to ‘they said they’re a voter but they’re not’). For that reason, we felt we needed a 25% ‘cushion’ to be safe. So, instead of aiming for 3200 signatures, we aimed for 4200 in hopes of creating that ‘safe’ margin.
In total, we turned in 4378 signatures. Of that number, 717 were invalidated which works out to 16.4%. So the 15% - 20% estimate turned out to be very accurate. Based on the signatures turned in, 27.5% would have had to be rejected for the petition drive to fail. As it turns out we had a very comfortable and IMPRESSIVE 485 signature cushion.
So, you ask, what happens next? My understanding is that the council will convene to vote to place the question on the ballot. According to Therese, the council can choose to put the question on this November’s ballot or next November’s ballot or on a special ballot. You all know what the correct answer is and I expect the council will be able to figure that out, too. The next step after that isn’t quite as clear to me. The question must be crafted – but by whom? Therese stated that it does not appear to fall under her office in this instance. I’m supposing that perhaps it would be written by Corporation Counsel or the City Council. I’d like to see Tim’s Charter Revision Commission write it. (Or maybe we, the people, get to write it! …any submissions?) Ultimately, absentee ballots including the COO question must be available by Oct. 3rd.
The next step for our group is clear. I’m thrilled that the people will get the opportunity to vote on this very important question about the form of their municipal government. I’m thrilled irregardless of a ‘YES’ vote or a ‘NO’ vote in November. But we must now turn our attention to educating voters on the subject and making a persuasive case for the City Manager. So, you see, we’ve still got lots of work to do… any volunteers?
Ken
*******
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Dear friends:
It’s official! The City Clerk’s office reports that they have completed the signature validation process and we’ve succeeded! Therese Pac stated that her office validated 3661 signatures vs. the 3176 required to put the City Manager/COO question onto the ballot. Congratulations to each and every one of you who helped collect signatures. Please help me extend a generous thank-you to other supporters not on this distribution list and to everyone who signed the petition.
You have all participated in a process that has given voice to the citizens of Bristol. Your effort has paid off and the result is an historic reversal of Bristol City Council action. I ask you to join me, too, in acknowledging the efforts of every member of the City Clerk’s office and the Registrars office. You know the hours we expended in gathering these signatures. Imagine the enormous undertaking of going through thousands of signatures, one at a time, cross checking names and addresses against the voter rolls. An interesting aside that Therese shared with me is that our petition drive helped clean up the voter rolls a bit. Over 100 people gave addresses that were different from their address on the voter registration list. Once each name and address was validated, the Registrars were able to correct their list to reflect the new addresses.
If you’re interested in the math, here’s a little analysis of the numbers. When we set out to collect signatures, we knew we had to get nearly 3200 validated signatures. Anecdotal information shared with us indicated that we could expect 15% to 20% of the signatures we’d collect to be invalidated (for a variety of reasons from ‘can’t read their handwriting’ to ‘they said they’re a voter but they’re not’). For that reason, we felt we needed a 25% ‘cushion’ to be safe. So, instead of aiming for 3200 signatures, we aimed for 4200 in hopes of creating that ‘safe’ margin.
In total, we turned in 4378 signatures. Of that number, 717 were invalidated which works out to 16.4%. So the 15% - 20% estimate turned out to be very accurate. Based on the signatures turned in, 27.5% would have had to be rejected for the petition drive to fail. As it turns out we had a very comfortable and IMPRESSIVE 485 signature cushion.
So, you ask, what happens next? My understanding is that the council will convene to vote to place the question on the ballot. According to Therese, the council can choose to put the question on this November’s ballot or next November’s ballot or on a special ballot. You all know what the correct answer is and I expect the council will be able to figure that out, too. The next step after that isn’t quite as clear to me. The question must be crafted – but by whom? Therese stated that it does not appear to fall under her office in this instance. I’m supposing that perhaps it would be written by Corporation Counsel or the City Council. I’d like to see Tim’s Charter Revision Commission write it. (Or maybe we, the people, get to write it! …any submissions?) Ultimately, absentee ballots including the COO question must be available by Oct. 3rd.
The next step for our group is clear. I’m thrilled that the people will get the opportunity to vote on this very important question about the form of their municipal government. I’m thrilled irregardless of a ‘YES’ vote or a ‘NO’ vote in November. But we must now turn our attention to educating voters on the subject and making a persuasive case for the City Manager. So, you see, we’ve still got lots of work to do… any volunteers?
Ken
*******
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Controversial charter issue will be on the Nov. 4 ballot
For the first time, a charter change that city councilors rejected is going to wind up on the ballot anyway.
After the city clerk certified this week that supporters of a proposal to create a chief operating officer at City Hall who would handle administrative oversight of the municipal bureaucracy had collected enough valid signatures, the only question is when the public vote will take place.
It appears, though, that city councilors next week will agree to put the controversial measure on the November 4 general election ballot.
“It’s time to put it to bed,” said Councilor Mike Rimcoski, an opponent of the idea. He said the public vote is likely to be close.
City Clerk Therese Pac certified that 3,661 of the more than 4,300 signatures submitted last month were valid, nearly 500 more than supporters of the proposal had to collect in order to force the referendum.
“I’m very happy. Ecstatic. Jumping for joy,” said former Republican mayoral contender Ken Johnson, one of the leaders of the effort to overturn the council’s rejection of the Charter Revision Commission’s unanimous recommendation to create the post.
Had the council favored the suggestion, it would have reached the ballot without the need for a petition drive.
But because councilors gunned it down in a 5-2 vote in June, supporters had to gather certified signatures from at least 10 percent of the city’s registered voters in order to get the measure on the ballot.
The council has scheduled a tentative meeting for 5 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 27 in order to pick a date to hold the referendum.
But since a majority of the council said Tuesday they prefer to put it on the November ballot, it doesn’t appear that alternatives will be seriously considered. They could wait as long as the 2009 general election to hold the vote.
Mayor Art Ward, who opposed the plan, said there is no reason to “belabor the issue” by delaying the public vote.
“The most people are out in a general election,” he said, particularly in a presidential year.
Ward said he is “not really surprised” that supporters got the signatures they needed because people sign petitions for lots of reasons. Not all of them actually back the proposed change, he said.
In any case, Ward said, he anticipates there will be an intense campaign between now and November as both sides try to sway the electorate.
The winners will be the ones who do best in getting their message out to the voters, Ward said.
Critics say the position will wind up costing hundreds of thousands of dollars annually, intrude on the mayor’s ability to lead the city and contribute little to greater efficiency in government.
Supporters argue that a chief operating officer will find ways to streamline the bureaucracy and deliver services cheaper, easily justifying the added expense of the new position.
“I believe it will pass,” Johnson said. “It’s the right move at the right time.”
“We’re not the little town of Bristol anymore. It’s time for professional oversight,” Johnson said.
Johnson said that Pac and her staff, along with the registrars’ office, deserve credit “for tackling a really monumental task” in checking over all of the signatures gathered thi summer.
“It was an enormous undertaking,” Johnson said, and it was handled professionally.
More information:
Councilors who want the issue on the Nov. 4 ballot include Ward, Frank Nicastro, Rimcoski, Ken Cockayne andCraig Minor. For all I know, Kevin McCauley and Cliff Block also back it. I couldn't talk to everyone today.
I'll add some links below that go into more detail about the proposal, which will obviously absorb a great deal of attention in the weeks ahead as well.
Here are the draft Charter Revision Commission reports, which I believe were never changed:
Draft report - Final report of the Charter Revision Commission
Draft report - Citing major changes eyed by the commission
Draft Report - Showing entire charter with changes indicated throughout
*******
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
After the city clerk certified this week that supporters of a proposal to create a chief operating officer at City Hall who would handle administrative oversight of the municipal bureaucracy had collected enough valid signatures, the only question is when the public vote will take place.
It appears, though, that city councilors next week will agree to put the controversial measure on the November 4 general election ballot.
“It’s time to put it to bed,” said Councilor Mike Rimcoski, an opponent of the idea. He said the public vote is likely to be close.
City Clerk Therese Pac certified that 3,661 of the more than 4,300 signatures submitted last month were valid, nearly 500 more than supporters of the proposal had to collect in order to force the referendum.
“I’m very happy. Ecstatic. Jumping for joy,” said former Republican mayoral contender Ken Johnson, one of the leaders of the effort to overturn the council’s rejection of the Charter Revision Commission’s unanimous recommendation to create the post.
Had the council favored the suggestion, it would have reached the ballot without the need for a petition drive.
But because councilors gunned it down in a 5-2 vote in June, supporters had to gather certified signatures from at least 10 percent of the city’s registered voters in order to get the measure on the ballot.
The council has scheduled a tentative meeting for 5 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 27 in order to pick a date to hold the referendum.
But since a majority of the council said Tuesday they prefer to put it on the November ballot, it doesn’t appear that alternatives will be seriously considered. They could wait as long as the 2009 general election to hold the vote.
Mayor Art Ward, who opposed the plan, said there is no reason to “belabor the issue” by delaying the public vote.
“The most people are out in a general election,” he said, particularly in a presidential year.
Ward said he is “not really surprised” that supporters got the signatures they needed because people sign petitions for lots of reasons. Not all of them actually back the proposed change, he said.
In any case, Ward said, he anticipates there will be an intense campaign between now and November as both sides try to sway the electorate.
The winners will be the ones who do best in getting their message out to the voters, Ward said.
Critics say the position will wind up costing hundreds of thousands of dollars annually, intrude on the mayor’s ability to lead the city and contribute little to greater efficiency in government.
Supporters argue that a chief operating officer will find ways to streamline the bureaucracy and deliver services cheaper, easily justifying the added expense of the new position.
“I believe it will pass,” Johnson said. “It’s the right move at the right time.”
“We’re not the little town of Bristol anymore. It’s time for professional oversight,” Johnson said.
Johnson said that Pac and her staff, along with the registrars’ office, deserve credit “for tackling a really monumental task” in checking over all of the signatures gathered thi summer.
“It was an enormous undertaking,” Johnson said, and it was handled professionally.
More information:
Councilors who want the issue on the Nov. 4 ballot include Ward, Frank Nicastro, Rimcoski, Ken Cockayne andCraig Minor. For all I know, Kevin McCauley and Cliff Block also back it. I couldn't talk to everyone today.
I'll add some links below that go into more detail about the proposal, which will obviously absorb a great deal of attention in the weeks ahead as well.
Here are the draft Charter Revision Commission reports, which I believe were never changed:
Draft report - Final report of the Charter Revision Commission
Draft report - Citing major changes eyed by the commission
Draft Report - Showing entire charter with changes indicated throughout
*******
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
August 15, 2008
Bristol moves to take on CL&P over past billing errors
The city is angling to overturn a state ruling in hopes of nabbing more than $300,000 beyond what regulators agreed that Connecticut Light & Power owes Bristol for past billing mistakes.
To get the cash, city attorneys and consultants will have to convince Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, the state Department of Public Utility Control or a state court to reopen the issue and allow it to make the case that the $86,000 offered by CL&P for streetlight billing errors is inadequate.
“It’s not going to be a quick fix,” said city Councilor Cliff Block.
Municipal Energy, the consultant hired by the city to handle the issue, says it has found more than $400,000 in past billing errors – money it says the taxpayers should get, plus interest that could swell the total.
Mitch Gross, spokesman for the power company, said that after “a very thorough process” that met with the approval of the attorney general and the DPUC, the company issued checks to municipalities that had been overcharged, including Bristol.
Because there had been “some shortcomings in our process” for billing on streetlights, Gross said, “We did what we had to do to clarify the situation.”
“We dug deep into our records to bring this to a conclusion. Regulators were satisfied with our accounting. When we issued checks, we closed the books on this issue,” he said.
What Bristol is aiming for is to convince authorities to reopen the books.
City Councilor Mike Rimcoski said that CL&P demonstrated “very poor bookkeeping and mismanagement” over the years.
The utility “is not a friend of the people” in the way it has handled the entire issue, he said.
“Mike Tyson went to jail for what CL&P is doing to the citizens of Connecticut,” Rimcoski said.
Tyson, a former heavyweight boxing champion, served three years in an Indiana prison following his 1992 conviction for rape.
Gross said he didn’t want to respond to Rimcoski’s comments.
Rimcoski joked that he’ll have to keep a close eye on his electricity bills in the future.
Ken Johnson, president of Municipal Energy, said that the city “has been absolutely wonderful” in its cooperation with his firm to nail down past mistakes on the streetlight billing.
Johnson’s firm represents 50 cities and towns that are challenging CL&P’s refunds. Bristol is one of the first to reach the point where it is ready to make a formal appeal to change the ruling.
Block said that any extra money won’t come for a long time.
The first step, he said, is to convince Blumenthal to side with the municipalities that believe they were shortchanged by the DPUC decision.
“Ultimately, we need to make a very convincing case” that can sway Blumenthal and others to the belief “that CL&P has not provided a full and fair settlement.”
It’s likely to take at least a couple of years to complete the appeal, Johnson said.
Municipal Energy was hired a year and a half ago for $10,000 plus 15 percent of whatever the city earns above $86,000 originally offered by the utility giant.
Bristol has been in the forefront of the fight over streetlight billing because its public works department kept old billing records that showed in detail when lights were installed or removed and how the billing took place.
Few municipalities have anything close to the detail available in Bristol’s records.
Here are a number of reports from Municipal Energy that lay out in detail what's at the root of the controversy. The company's president, Ken Johnson, kindly provided them at my request.
Municipal Energy Report to the Streetlight Committee (April 3, 2008)
Energy's Bristol's Refund Calculation Summary
Municipal Energy New Found Report on March 2, 2008
Municipal Energy New Found Lights (March 7, 2008)
Municipal Energy's New Found spreadsheet
*******
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
To get the cash, city attorneys and consultants will have to convince Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, the state Department of Public Utility Control or a state court to reopen the issue and allow it to make the case that the $86,000 offered by CL&P for streetlight billing errors is inadequate.
“It’s not going to be a quick fix,” said city Councilor Cliff Block.
Municipal Energy, the consultant hired by the city to handle the issue, says it has found more than $400,000 in past billing errors – money it says the taxpayers should get, plus interest that could swell the total.
Mitch Gross, spokesman for the power company, said that after “a very thorough process” that met with the approval of the attorney general and the DPUC, the company issued checks to municipalities that had been overcharged, including Bristol.
Because there had been “some shortcomings in our process” for billing on streetlights, Gross said, “We did what we had to do to clarify the situation.”
“We dug deep into our records to bring this to a conclusion. Regulators were satisfied with our accounting. When we issued checks, we closed the books on this issue,” he said.
What Bristol is aiming for is to convince authorities to reopen the books.
City Councilor Mike Rimcoski said that CL&P demonstrated “very poor bookkeeping and mismanagement” over the years.
The utility “is not a friend of the people” in the way it has handled the entire issue, he said.
“Mike Tyson went to jail for what CL&P is doing to the citizens of Connecticut,” Rimcoski said.
Tyson, a former heavyweight boxing champion, served three years in an Indiana prison following his 1992 conviction for rape.
Gross said he didn’t want to respond to Rimcoski’s comments.
Rimcoski joked that he’ll have to keep a close eye on his electricity bills in the future.
Ken Johnson, president of Municipal Energy, said that the city “has been absolutely wonderful” in its cooperation with his firm to nail down past mistakes on the streetlight billing.
Johnson’s firm represents 50 cities and towns that are challenging CL&P’s refunds. Bristol is one of the first to reach the point where it is ready to make a formal appeal to change the ruling.
Block said that any extra money won’t come for a long time.
The first step, he said, is to convince Blumenthal to side with the municipalities that believe they were shortchanged by the DPUC decision.
“Ultimately, we need to make a very convincing case” that can sway Blumenthal and others to the belief “that CL&P has not provided a full and fair settlement.”
It’s likely to take at least a couple of years to complete the appeal, Johnson said.
Municipal Energy was hired a year and a half ago for $10,000 plus 15 percent of whatever the city earns above $86,000 originally offered by the utility giant.
Bristol has been in the forefront of the fight over streetlight billing because its public works department kept old billing records that showed in detail when lights were installed or removed and how the billing took place.
Few municipalities have anything close to the detail available in Bristol’s records.
Here are a number of reports from Municipal Energy that lay out in detail what's at the root of the controversy. The company's president, Ken Johnson, kindly provided them at my request.
Municipal Energy Report to the Streetlight Committee (April 3, 2008)
Energy's Bristol's Refund Calculation Summary
Municipal Energy New Found Report on March 2, 2008
Municipal Energy New Found Lights (March 7, 2008)
Municipal Energy's New Found spreadsheet
*******
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
July 17, 2008
Organizers seek to "blow the lid" off the chief operating officer with push this weekend
The petition drive to force a referendum on whether to create a chief operating officer at City Hall is only a couple of hundred signatures short of what’s needed, one of the chief organizers said Thursday.
After last weekend’s “petition blitz,” former Republican mayoral contender Ken Johnson said the drive has gathered more than 3,000 signatures. It needs a little less than 3,200 by the July 25 deadline.
“The naysayers said they’ll believe 3,000 when they see it. Well, they’re seeing it,” Johnson said in a note to supporters.
If those seeking a referendum on the chief operating officer position are successful in gathering enough valid signatures, voters will have the final say on the issue at the polls on November 4.
The City Council last month rejected the Charter Revision Commission’s recommendation to create the new post to provide greater administrative oversight of city government. A majority of councilors said it was too costly and unnecessary.
But the two councilors who supported the idea – Democrat Craig Minor and Republican Ken Cockayne – announced a plan for a bipartisan push to force a referendum on it. The city’s GOP has been heavily involved in gathering the signatures needed.
Minor said Thursday he has “no idea” how many signatures have been collected so far.
“I’m one of the worker bees on this project,” Minor said.
City Clerk Therese Pac said her office hasn’t received any petitions yet. But, she said, the city attorney has ruled that the petitions have to be submitted all at once rather than piecemeal in order to meet the legal requirements for pushing charter changes that the council has turned down.
Johnson, who fell short in last year’s mayoral contest, said that organizers are aiming “to give ourselves plenty of breathing room” by collecting 20 percent more signatures than they must.
Leaving a margin of error, he said, allows room for some of the signatures to be disqualified because the people who signed are not registered voters in the city.
The petition drive is going on this weekend at the two Stop & Shop grocery stores in town from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon.
Johnson said those promoting the drive are hoping for a strong showing in the final days of the effort.
“With your help, we will blow the lid off this thing this weekend and send a strong message to City Hall,” Johnson told supporters.
*******
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
After last weekend’s “petition blitz,” former Republican mayoral contender Ken Johnson said the drive has gathered more than 3,000 signatures. It needs a little less than 3,200 by the July 25 deadline.
“The naysayers said they’ll believe 3,000 when they see it. Well, they’re seeing it,” Johnson said in a note to supporters.
If those seeking a referendum on the chief operating officer position are successful in gathering enough valid signatures, voters will have the final say on the issue at the polls on November 4.
The City Council last month rejected the Charter Revision Commission’s recommendation to create the new post to provide greater administrative oversight of city government. A majority of councilors said it was too costly and unnecessary.
But the two councilors who supported the idea – Democrat Craig Minor and Republican Ken Cockayne – announced a plan for a bipartisan push to force a referendum on it. The city’s GOP has been heavily involved in gathering the signatures needed.
Minor said Thursday he has “no idea” how many signatures have been collected so far.
“I’m one of the worker bees on this project,” Minor said.
City Clerk Therese Pac said her office hasn’t received any petitions yet. But, she said, the city attorney has ruled that the petitions have to be submitted all at once rather than piecemeal in order to meet the legal requirements for pushing charter changes that the council has turned down.
Johnson, who fell short in last year’s mayoral contest, said that organizers are aiming “to give ourselves plenty of breathing room” by collecting 20 percent more signatures than they must.
Leaving a margin of error, he said, allows room for some of the signatures to be disqualified because the people who signed are not registered voters in the city.
The petition drive is going on this weekend at the two Stop & Shop grocery stores in town from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon.
Johnson said those promoting the drive are hoping for a strong showing in the final days of the effort.
“With your help, we will blow the lid off this thing this weekend and send a strong message to City Hall,” Johnson told supporters.
*******
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Petition drive claims more than 3,000 signatures gathered so far
Note sent a few minutes ago by former Republican mayoral contender Ken Johnson to backers of the petition drive to force a referendum on the chief operating officer positition:
Dear Friends:
First, I wish to congratulate you all for an unbelievable effort!
With our petition blitz this past weekend, we have passed the 3000 signature mark!
So what do we do now? WE GO OUT AND GET MORE!! The nay-sayers said they’ll believe 3000 when they see it. Well, they’re seeing it. I expect each of you as volunteers saw the same thing I saw – an overwhelmingly positive response! I noted at times we were collecting as many as 50 signatures per hour last Saturday.
So, “Why continue?” you ask. The most fundamental reason is this:
· We need 10% on the registered voters in town to sign (approximately 3000 signers). When we turn in the signatures (the deadline is the 25th), the City Clerk’s office must certify that each signature is from a bona fide registered voter in the City of Bristol. To give ourselves plenty of breathing room (because believe it our not, there are people who DON’T want the voters to have a say in their form of City government!) we are going to factor in a 20% margin for error. Let me illustrate: If we collect 4000 signatures, even if 20% (800) are disallowed, we will still have 3200 signatures – enough to force the ballot question. So…
The petition drive continues this weekend at the Bristol and Forestville Stop & Shops. Note the change in schedule from last weekend: We are looking to cover Friday afternoon/evening to pick up a block of voters we haven’t spoken to yet. Plus, we a starting at 8:00am on Saturday and Sunday at both Stop & Shops to pick up the early morning shoppers. Henry Raymond tested this last week and found it very successful.
We are looking for volunteers for this final push. Please e-mail me at abuyersmarket@comcast.net or call me at 796-6635 if you can lend a hand.
For those of you who have petitions to turn in, please bring them to me or Ken Cockayne at the Bristol Stop & Shop or to Henry Raymond at the Forestville Stop & Shop this weekend. If you have suggestions for other locations where you know people will be gathering this weekend, let me know that as well.
Thank you to all! With your help we will blow the lid off this thing this weekend and sent a strong message to City Hall.
Best,
Ken
*******
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Dear Friends:
First, I wish to congratulate you all for an unbelievable effort!
With our petition blitz this past weekend, we have passed the 3000 signature mark!
So what do we do now? WE GO OUT AND GET MORE!! The nay-sayers said they’ll believe 3000 when they see it. Well, they’re seeing it. I expect each of you as volunteers saw the same thing I saw – an overwhelmingly positive response! I noted at times we were collecting as many as 50 signatures per hour last Saturday.
So, “Why continue?” you ask. The most fundamental reason is this:
· We need 10% on the registered voters in town to sign (approximately 3000 signers). When we turn in the signatures (the deadline is the 25th), the City Clerk’s office must certify that each signature is from a bona fide registered voter in the City of Bristol. To give ourselves plenty of breathing room (because believe it our not, there are people who DON’T want the voters to have a say in their form of City government!) we are going to factor in a 20% margin for error. Let me illustrate: If we collect 4000 signatures, even if 20% (800) are disallowed, we will still have 3200 signatures – enough to force the ballot question. So…
The petition drive continues this weekend at the Bristol and Forestville Stop & Shops. Note the change in schedule from last weekend: We are looking to cover Friday afternoon/evening to pick up a block of voters we haven’t spoken to yet. Plus, we a starting at 8:00am on Saturday and Sunday at both Stop & Shops to pick up the early morning shoppers. Henry Raymond tested this last week and found it very successful.
We are looking for volunteers for this final push. Please e-mail me at abuyersmarket@comcast.net or call me at 796-6635 if you can lend a hand.
For those of you who have petitions to turn in, please bring them to me or Ken Cockayne at the Bristol Stop & Shop or to Henry Raymond at the Forestville Stop & Shop this weekend. If you have suggestions for other locations where you know people will be gathering this weekend, let me know that as well.
Thank you to all! With your help we will blow the lid off this thing this weekend and sent a strong message to City Hall.
Best,
Ken
*******
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
July 7, 2008
More than 1,000 petition signatures in hand, Johnson says
Here's a note that former GOP mayoral candidate Ken Johnson sent out this afternoon to supporters of the chief operating officer initiative (minus the time slots to sign up for):
Dear Friends:
The drive continues to get the City Manager/Chief Operating Officer question onto the November ballot. We had another successful week with a large number of people signing the petition at the Bristol and Forestville Stop & Shops and at the Headmaster’s Salon. As a result, we now have more than 1000 signatures in hand! Plus, with the additional petitions in the hands of circulators (Thank You Circulators!), we have at least 1500 signatures total and we are clearly past the half-way point. Thank you to all our volunteers this past week!
Our goal is to hit the 3000 mark this coming weekend. Therefore, we are conducting a petition blitz this Saturday and Sunday at the Bristol and Forestville Stop & Shops. Please lend your volunteer support to our effort so we can push the campaign over the top.
Please help! With one more big volunteer push, we can accomplish our goal!
Look at the schedule below. Please write back or call me and let me know when you can work a one or two-hour time slot. [Note: time slots removed. Contact Johnson for more information if you're interested in helping out.]
City Manager Petition Drive
Stop & Shop, Bristol
Saturday, July 12, 2008
10:00am - 5:00pm
Remember to tell your Republican, Democrat and Unaffiliated friends to come sign the petition and help us reach our goal. For those of you who have petitions to turn in, please bring them to either Stop & Shop this weekend so we’ll have an accurate count by the end of the weekend. You can also return your completed petitions during the week to Ken Cockayne’s office at Brokers Advanced Concepts, 52 Race St.
Please e-mail me at abuyersmarket@comcast.net.
Sincerely,
Ken
*******
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Dear Friends:
The drive continues to get the City Manager/Chief Operating Officer question onto the November ballot. We had another successful week with a large number of people signing the petition at the Bristol and Forestville Stop & Shops and at the Headmaster’s Salon. As a result, we now have more than 1000 signatures in hand! Plus, with the additional petitions in the hands of circulators (Thank You Circulators!), we have at least 1500 signatures total and we are clearly past the half-way point. Thank you to all our volunteers this past week!
Our goal is to hit the 3000 mark this coming weekend. Therefore, we are conducting a petition blitz this Saturday and Sunday at the Bristol and Forestville Stop & Shops. Please lend your volunteer support to our effort so we can push the campaign over the top.
Please help! With one more big volunteer push, we can accomplish our goal!
Look at the schedule below. Please write back or call me and let me know when you can work a one or two-hour time slot. [Note: time slots removed. Contact Johnson for more information if you're interested in helping out.]
City Manager Petition Drive
Stop & Shop, Bristol
Saturday, July 12, 2008
10:00am - 5:00pm
Remember to tell your Republican, Democrat and Unaffiliated friends to come sign the petition and help us reach our goal. For those of you who have petitions to turn in, please bring them to either Stop & Shop this weekend so we’ll have an accurate count by the end of the weekend. You can also return your completed petitions during the week to Ken Cockayne’s office at Brokers Advanced Concepts, 52 Race St.
Please e-mail me at abuyersmarket@comcast.net.
Sincerely,
Ken
*******
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Ken Johnson says "good ol' boy network is alive and well"
Press release issued a few minutes ago by former, and possibly future, Republican mayoral candidate Ken Johnson:
While Ed Krawiecki’s nomination for appointment to a Corporation Counsel position has played out in public, another intriguing appointment has played out behind the scenes at City Hall.
It is expected that Republican Paul Tonon will be appointed by Council on Tuesday evening to the Board of Finance to replace Republican Dan Soucy. Not much controversy here- the mayor is replacing a Republican with a Republican. However, there’s more to the story…
Mr. Tonon was not the Mayor’s first choice. Mayor Ward initially nominated Robert Dunlap, an Unaffiliated voter, on June 26 to replace Soucy. I must admit, I was among those who found it curious that Mr. Dunlap was listed as ‘Unaffiliated.’ Why? Well, Mr. Dunlap was Art Ward’s campaign treasurer. Mr. Dunlap is the one, you may recall, who was fined earlier this year by the State Elections Enforcement Commission for breaking election laws during last year’s mayoral race.
Upon checking with the Office of the Registrar it turns out that Mr. Dunlap had been a registered Democrat until June 24 when he changed his party affiliation from ‘Democrat’ to ‘Unaffiliated.’ After this was brought to the Mayor’s attention, the nomination of Mr. Dunlap was withdrawn.
I will leave it to the reader to put together the rest of the story but suffice to say the good ol’ boy network is alive and well in Bristol.
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
While Ed Krawiecki’s nomination for appointment to a Corporation Counsel position has played out in public, another intriguing appointment has played out behind the scenes at City Hall.
It is expected that Republican Paul Tonon will be appointed by Council on Tuesday evening to the Board of Finance to replace Republican Dan Soucy. Not much controversy here- the mayor is replacing a Republican with a Republican. However, there’s more to the story…
Mr. Tonon was not the Mayor’s first choice. Mayor Ward initially nominated Robert Dunlap, an Unaffiliated voter, on June 26 to replace Soucy. I must admit, I was among those who found it curious that Mr. Dunlap was listed as ‘Unaffiliated.’ Why? Well, Mr. Dunlap was Art Ward’s campaign treasurer. Mr. Dunlap is the one, you may recall, who was fined earlier this year by the State Elections Enforcement Commission for breaking election laws during last year’s mayoral race.
Upon checking with the Office of the Registrar it turns out that Mr. Dunlap had been a registered Democrat until June 24 when he changed his party affiliation from ‘Democrat’ to ‘Unaffiliated.’ After this was brought to the Mayor’s attention, the nomination of Mr. Dunlap was withdrawn.
I will leave it to the reader to put together the rest of the story but suffice to say the good ol’ boy network is alive and well in Bristol.
Hey, Ken, the City Council already appointed Tonon - a week ago
Update: I let Ken know. He's changing the appointment to the past tense.
*******Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
June 27, 2008
Petition gatherers and signers sought for Saturday
Note sent out by former GOP mayoral contender Ken Johnson a few minutes ago:
Dear Friends:
This Saturday, June 28, we continue the petition drive to get the City Manager question onto the November ballot. We got off to a great start last week. Thank you for coming down to Sovereign Bank and supporting our effort! We are well on our way to collecting the 3,100+ signatures we need to put this question on the ballot.
On Saturday, we will be collecting signatures in front of the Forestville Stop & Shop from 11:00am – 5:00pm and…
We need more volunteers!
Look at the schedule below. Please write back or call me and let me know if you can work a two-hour time slot.
City Manager Petition Drive
Stop & Shop, Forestville
Saturday, June 28, 2008
11:00am - 5:00pm
Front Entrance Back Entrance
11:00 AM Ken Cockayne
11:00 AM Ken Johnson
12:00 PM Ken Cockayne
12:00 PM Ken Johnson, Craig Minor
1:00 PM Mickey Goldwasser
1:00 - OPEN
2:00 PM Mickey Goldwasser
2:00 PM -- OPEN
3:00 PM -- OPEN
3:00 PM -- OPEN
4:00 PM Gary Schaffrick
4:00 PM -- OPEN
5:00 PM -- OPEN
5:00 PM -- OPEN
Remember to tell your Republican, Democrat and Unaffiliated friends to come sign the petition and help us reach our goal.
Please e-mail me at abuyersmarket@comcast.net or call me at 796-6635.
Sincerely,
Ken
P.S. Please help me by sharing these messages with your friends- encourage them to come down and sign as well!
Kenneth R. Johnson
Broker/Owner
A Buyer's Market, LLC
*******
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Dear Friends:
This Saturday, June 28, we continue the petition drive to get the City Manager question onto the November ballot. We got off to a great start last week. Thank you for coming down to Sovereign Bank and supporting our effort! We are well on our way to collecting the 3,100+ signatures we need to put this question on the ballot.
On Saturday, we will be collecting signatures in front of the Forestville Stop & Shop from 11:00am – 5:00pm and…
We need more volunteers!
Look at the schedule below. Please write back or call me and let me know if you can work a two-hour time slot.
City Manager Petition Drive
Stop & Shop, Forestville
Saturday, June 28, 2008
11:00am - 5:00pm
Front Entrance Back Entrance
11:00 AM Ken Cockayne
11:00 AM Ken Johnson
12:00 PM Ken Cockayne
12:00 PM Ken Johnson, Craig Minor
1:00 PM Mickey Goldwasser
1:00 - OPEN
2:00 PM Mickey Goldwasser
2:00 PM -- OPEN
3:00 PM -- OPEN
3:00 PM -- OPEN
4:00 PM Gary Schaffrick
4:00 PM -- OPEN
5:00 PM -- OPEN
5:00 PM -- OPEN
Remember to tell your Republican, Democrat and Unaffiliated friends to come sign the petition and help us reach our goal.
Please e-mail me at abuyersmarket@comcast.net or call me at 796-6635.
Sincerely,
Ken
P.S. Please help me by sharing these messages with your friends- encourage them to come down and sign as well!
Kenneth R. Johnson
Broker/Owner
A Buyer's Market, LLC
*******
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
June 16, 2008
Ken Johnson lends support to chief operating officer drive
Former -- and future? -- Republican mayoral candidate Ken Johnson just send this along about the chief operating officer vote tonight:
Ken Johnson announced that he is joining forces with City Councilmen Ken Cockayne and Craig Minor to launch a bipartisan petition drive to put the City Manager/Chief Operating Officer issue on the November ballot.
The Bristol City Council voted 5 – 2 on Monday against a proposal to put the question of hiring a City Manager before the people. A Charter Revision Commission, formed in 2007, recommended the City change the form of Bristol’s City government to include a professional city manager with the title of Chief Operating Officer (COO) to oversee the day to day operations of the City.
Said Johnson, “For the mayor and four city councilmen to refuse to allow the people who put them in office the opportunity to choose their form of government is the height of hypocrisy. I congratulate Mr. Minor and Mr. Cockayne for having the courage to stick to their convictions and I am proud to join them in a bi-partisan effort to right this wrong.”
Johnson had proposed a package of government reforms, including the hiring of a city manager, as a key cornerstone of his bid for the Mayor’s chair in 2007. He continued to champion the issue even after he fell short in his election bid.
“People are fed up with the way things are run in Bristol and deserve to have their voices heard.” Johnson said. “Our ballot initiative will give people that chance.”
*******
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Ken Johnson announced that he is joining forces with City Councilmen Ken Cockayne and Craig Minor to launch a bipartisan petition drive to put the City Manager/Chief Operating Officer issue on the November ballot.
The Bristol City Council voted 5 – 2 on Monday against a proposal to put the question of hiring a City Manager before the people. A Charter Revision Commission, formed in 2007, recommended the City change the form of Bristol’s City government to include a professional city manager with the title of Chief Operating Officer (COO) to oversee the day to day operations of the City.
Said Johnson, “For the mayor and four city councilmen to refuse to allow the people who put them in office the opportunity to choose their form of government is the height of hypocrisy. I congratulate Mr. Minor and Mr. Cockayne for having the courage to stick to their convictions and I am proud to join them in a bi-partisan effort to right this wrong.”
Johnson had proposed a package of government reforms, including the hiring of a city manager, as a key cornerstone of his bid for the Mayor’s chair in 2007. He continued to champion the issue even after he fell short in his election bid.
“People are fed up with the way things are run in Bristol and deserve to have their voices heard.” Johnson said. “Our ballot initiative will give people that chance.”
*******
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
January 9, 2008
Ken Johnson's mayoral website gone
Though Republican mayoral hopeful Ken Johnson said within hours of the polls closing after his unsuccessful bid for the city's top job last year that he's already running for the 2009 campaign, his website has vanished.
In its place is a notice saying that the site has been suspended because bills haven't been paid.
*******
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
In its place is a notice saying that the site has been suspended because bills haven't been paid.
*******
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
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