BRISTOLTODAY.COM

November 3, 2008

Planners back new site for West Bristol school

The city’s Planning Commission, which shot down an earlier school site recommendation, gave its unanimous blessing Monday to a plan to put the school on a 26.4-acre site off Matthews Street.
It’s “a better site” for the proposed 900-student school, said Brian Ewings, a planning commissioner.
School Superintendent Philip Streifer said that three smaller lots that contain houses are also likely to become part of the project. They would add several more acres to the school site.
With the backing of planners, it takes only a majority vote of the City Council to approve the purchase of the two lots. That is likely to come as soon as Thursday since five of the seven council members have already indicated their support for the plan.
The Board of Education is pushing to complete a $132 million project that would include two new kindergarten to eighth grade schools and the closure of four older buildings.
The other site, which has been approved but not yet bought, is the former Crowley dealership on Pine Street.
Streifer said Monday that “some other property” may need to be acquired for the Pine Street site, but it apparently would not be done by eminent domain since the superintendent said he doesn’t want to force anyone out of a home.
Streifer said the owner of a historic farmhouse at the corner of Matthews Street and Clark Avenue, which is part of the larger of the two parcels approved by planners, is willing to sell all but the house and a few acres surrounding it.
The owners of four houses on Matthews Street are willing to sell completely, Streifer said.
A report prepared by Milone & MacBroom, a Cheshire consultant, said that buying the 12- acre lot to the east of the bigger parcel would provide room for future expansion, including perhaps an early learning center and ballfields.
The initial plan calls for a wide swath of meadow along Matthews Street in front of at least some of the school property. The fate of a historic stone wall along the road is unclear.
City Engineer Paul Strawderman, who raised doubts about putting a school at a Barlow Street sand pit because of its distance from city services, said that the Matthews Street site is “a big step up” from a public works perspective.
The city anticipates the state will pay nearly 74 percent of the cost of the new schools, but it won’t pay for infrastructure improvements outside the property itself. So access to water, sewer and other key public works is important to city officials who are looking at the cost to property taxpayers in Bristol.
The current plan calls for hiring architects soon and completing the purchase of both sites before the General Assembly opens in January. A construction contract has to be signed by June 13, 2010 or the project is dead.
Streifer said, though, that serious work on the project could wait up to three more years if the economy requires delay.
Targeted for closure as part of the plan are Memorial Boulevard Middle School and three older primary schools – O’Connell, Bingham and Greene-Hills. The city would take possession of all four buildings. It has had almost no public discussion of what might happen to them.
The Milone & MacBroom report, available in PDF format here, goes into more detail. You can read it for yourself.
Here is a link to a Word 97-03 documbent that shows what the site might look like with a school on Parcel A as well as a plan for using both parcels.
The map doesn't show the smaller parcels -- lots 257, 256-1 and 256-2 -- but Streifer said he'll ask for the OK to buy them as well later on.
He said, though, that a school could be built even if they're not purchased.
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Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Be sure to vote on Tuesday

The Karl Rove & Co. final poll for presidential race is here.
It shows a 338-200 electoral college win for Obama, with seven states going for McCain by less than 4 percent. Only one of Obama's states is that close in the Rove ranking - Florida, which wouldn't make a difference in the outcome.
Here's the daily tracking poll from pollster.com, which aggregates all the polls:

It doesn't look good for John McCain or the Republicans who may have to weather a Democratic tsunami on Tuesday.
On the other hand, strange things happen in politics, so pollsters and pundits could be proven wrong by the time all the votes are counted.
And even if Obama's margin proves as wide as the polls show, there are lots of other important races on the ballot around the country and right here in Bristol.
I hope voters will take the time to consider the merits of all the candidates and not just blindly vote for one party or the other. There are good, solid people who may deserve a vote from the party you don't normally support.
So, please, go vote on Tuesday, but vote with your brain engaged.
A lot of people over many generations have fought -- in war, on the streets, and in the halls of power -- to ensure that all of us have the opportunity to pick our leaders in this great democracy.
That young man from Bristol that I wrote about last week, Corporal Matt Lavoie, who is trying to regain the use of his right hand after a bombing in Iraq that nearly killed him, put his life on the line for this country and everything it stands, or, in short, for us. The least we can do to honor his sacrifice, and those of so many others, is to do our duty and go to the polls to exercise our right to vote with all the wisdom we can muster.
We'll never be happy with everyone who wins, of course, but we can all take pride in our ability to choose the direction our country will take. And we can all try, at the end of the day, to give the winners a chance, to see if they can make good on their promises.
If they can't, there's always next time.
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Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Planning Commission tonight is at 6 p.m.

I wrote earlier that it was at 6:30 p.m., but I was half an hour off the mark. So anyone who's thinking of going, get there by 6!

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Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

If Central's students are any indication, Democrats should stock up on champagne

At Bristol Central High School's mock election today, Barack Obama and the Democrats buried their Republican challengers.

With nearly 1,000 students voting, Obama garned 76 percent of the vote while Republican John McCain trailed with less than 20 percent of the tally.

Here are the results, courtesy of Lawrence Covino, Advanced Placement Instructor and Social Studies Department Coordinator at Central:

Bristol Central High School Student Vote Results

Vote taken: Monday, November 3, 2008

- President/Vice President

Rebublican --- John McCain/Sarah Palin ------------197

Democrat----- Barack Obama/Joe Biden - -----------761

Independ.----- Ralph Nader/Matt Gonzalez -----------29

Representative in Congress

Rebublican --- Joe Visconti ----------- 219

Democrat ---- John Larson ----------- 682

Green---------- Stephen Fornier -------76

State Rep. 77th

Rebublican--- Jill Fitzgerald---------- 350

Democrat----- Chris Wright----------- 641

State Rep. 78th

Rebublican--- William Hamzy-------- 389

Democrat ---- Jacqui Denski--------- 583

State Rep. 79th

Rebublican --- David Norton---------- 209

Democrat-----Frank Nicastro--------740

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AFL-CIO urges Bristol to vote no on COO and state constitutional convention

Press release from Council 4 of the AFL-CIO:

Council 4 Union Urging Bristol Members to Vote “No” on COO and Constitutional Convention Questions

New Britain, CT – Council 4, Connecticut’s largest AFL-CIO union, is recommending that its members who live in Bristol vote “No” on two ballot questions:

· Create a Chief Operating Officer position (Question 5).

· Hold a convention to amend or revise the state constitution (Question 1).

According to Kevin Murphy, Council 4’s Director of Collective Bargaining and Organizing, “We represent more than 800 members who live and pay taxes in Bristol. Our members understand that you don’t throw good money after bad. Funding a well-paid bureaucrat with no accountability would only squander precious tax dollars better spent on education, economic development and public services.”

Council 4 also opposes the constitutional convention ballot initiative that has been championed by anti-union extremists.

“Supporters of this ballot question want to open up our constitution to undermine workers worker protections and force their extremist agenda on the citizens,” said Council 4 spokesman Larry Dorman. “A constitutional convention would be wasteful. How can you justify spending $13 million on a convention when there’s budget deficit approaching $300 million?”

Council 4 of the American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO, represents 35,000 workers in state and local government and the private sector. To learn more, go to www.council4.org.

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Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

City labor leader blasts COO backers

The president of the Greater Bristol Labor Council said he “quite ticked off” at the signs erected by supporters of the chief operating officer proposal that portray the referendum as a showdown between unions and taxpayers.

Mike Petosa said that the signs “really show the ignorance” of the charter change backers “about what we are and who we are. We are taxpayers also.”

Petosa said the proposal to create an administrative chief at City Hall is “so full of holes that it’s not funny,” including any provision for paying the expected $250,000 tab to hire an experienced professional to do the job.

“If they think they’re helping the city, they’re not,” Petosa said.

He said that Bristol “is in a lot better shape than a lot of other cities” because its leadership has done a good job over the years of protecting its financial standing and balancing the service needs of residents with their ability to pay.

Petosa said there is “a core group” pushing the chief operating officer that includes businessman Craig Yarde, former Republican mayoral contender Ken Johnson and city Councilors Craig Minor and Ken Cockayne.

“These people have their own agenda,” Petosa said.

There’s something they wanted that they couldn’t have” so they claim there’s no accountability at City Hall, he said.

Petosa said he’s upset they decided to make an issue out of the unions, which have traditionally had good relations with mayors and city councilors in Bristol.

“It shows their lack of professionalism,” Petosa said.

He said that Cockayne in particular has been going after municipal unions since day one.

“If he wants to cause labor unrest in Bristol, he may just get it,” Petosa said.

He said that Yarde may be a good businessman, but he doesn’t know anything about how city government operates.

Besides, Petosa said, Yarde demonstrated his commitment to Bristol a decade ago when “he moved his company and 400 jobs out of town” to Southington.

Petosa said he trusts that voters will see through the weak arguments raised by COO supporters and will opt to keep the existing governmental structure in place.

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Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Guess the election results

This is only for bragging rights since I have nothing to give but empty praise, but anyone with an interest in politics always wants to show up everyone else in

predicting outcomes.

Here are the contests you should predict the percentages for:

1. McCain-Obama nationwide

2. McCain-Obama in Bristol

3. Chief operating officer referendum in Bristol

4. 77th District race between Fitzgerald and Wright; and

5. (tiebreaker) Electoral vote in the presidential race.

This is open to anyone who posts comments with his or her own name or 'handle,' but I won't post Anonymous comments in this thread since we don't want Anonymous to win, since everyone can claim the dubious honor.

Here's an example of a response (which is not my guess, by the way):

I predict McCain will win the national popular vote 52-47.

In Bristol, Obama will win 73-27.

Voters in Bristol will pass the COO proposal by a 55-45 margin.

Wright will win in the 77th by 54-46.

And McCain will win 288 electoral votes, leaving 247 for Obama.

Anyone can comment on the predictions of others, even Anonymous posters. But, hey, isn't it time to register? The contest closes as of 1 p.m. Tuesday to preclude anyone from using exit poll data to narrow down the likely national outcome.

By the way, be sure to vote for real on Tuesday. The polls are open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.

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Schools seek both parcels on Matthews Street

In a report prepared for the city's Planning Commission, the school system says it wants the city to buy nearly 30 acres on Matthews Street to house a new 900-student school and an early learning center.

The report, prepared by consultants, says "there are two parcels under consideration for

acquisition. The first is a 17.5 acre parcel (Parcel A) at the southeast corner of the

intersection {of Matthews Street and Clark Avenue]. The second property is a 12.5 acre site (Parcel B) immediately east of the Parcel A."

"While it appears that Parcel A is adequate to accommodate the requisite facilities for the proposed school, Parcel B has been identified as having the desirable characteristics for future expansion of both educational and recreational resources. As such, Parcel B is being targeted to accommodate an Early Childhood Learning Center as well as additional playfields

"Henceforth, when discussing both properties as a single entity they will be referred to as the "total site" or "Parcels A and B." As such, the total site represents 30 acres," the report says.

The report, available in PDF format here, goes into more detail. You can read it for yourself.

Here is a link to a Word 97-03 documbent that shows what the site might look like with a school on Parcel A as well as a plan for using both parcels.

Thank you to Superintendent Philip Streifer for forwarding the report and images to me.

The Planning Commission meets at 6 p.m. this evening in the City Council chambers to consider whether to support the request. A joint session of the council and West Bristol School Building Committee is slated for Thursday.

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November 2, 2008

Check out The Tattoo's Election '08 coverage

As some of you know, I help run a couple of organizations devoted to teen journalism - Youth Journalism International and The Tattoo International Teen Newspaper. They do great stuff and give me hope that in this age of idiot bloggers and lackluster readers, journalism will somehow survive.

Take a look here at what teens in Jamaica, South Africa, Afghanistan, Italy, Germany, Australia and the US had to say about the election. They still have plenty of youthful idealism to share.

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If the COO proposal loses...

Mayor Art Ward wants to get a part-time assistant if the COO plan loses -- and add another part-timer for the City Council as well, if necessary.

Want to guess who several political insiders say is likely to get the job working for Ward?

Ed Krawiecki, Jr, the former city attorney that city councilors have refused to consider hiring as one of Bristol's part-time lawyers despite Ward's pleas that the city could use Krawiecki's knowledge and experience.

Krawiecki is a former state House minority leader and served as city attorney for two years during Mayor William Stortz's administration.

It could get quite interesting.

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Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

November 1, 2008

Overview of the chief operating officer issue

Whether the city needs a chief operating officer or not comes down, in the end, to something akin to faith.

Those who support the measure on Tuesday’s ballot say that putting an experienced professional in charge of city administration will lead to savings that far exceed the position’s likely cost.

Those who opposed the charter change say that adding a post that’s likely to cost taxpayers about $250,000 a year – for salary, benefits and sundry – doesn’t make sense in the middle of a recession unless there is hard proof that it will produce savings.

Since only time can answer the doubts with proof that one side or the other is correct, it is virtually impossible to prove that adding a kind of city manager-lite to the structure of city government would have much impact. But voters still have to make a choice on the controversial plan Tuesday.

The Choose COO organization pushing the idea – headed by businessman Craig Yarde and former Republican mayoral contender Ken Johnson – said Friday that Bristol’s “present system is laden with cronyism and lacking accountability” and called on taxpayers to “get the professional leadership we need” by voting in favor of the proposal.

But Mayor Art Ward, a critic, called the move a “last minute push by a small group of political proponents who want you to believe that all of the ills of our community will be resolved by the presence of yet another level of government, a COO.”

Though the plan got the unanimous backing of the bipartisan Charter Revision Commission, the Republican Town Committee and the Greater Bristol Chamber of Commerce, city councilors gunned down the proposal in June on a 5-2 vote.

The losing side opted to fight on, gathering more than 3,600 signatures from registered voters in order to give the public the last word on whether to make the change or not. That’s why it is on the ballot Tuesday as Question #5.

“It looks like a classic fight,” Yarde said. “The taxpayers who are looking for more efficiency and cost containment in our city government and the union looking not to change the status quo.”

The Choose COO group has put up large signs in town describing the vote as one between taxpayers and unions, which critics say is unfair given that most city workers live in town and are both union members and taxpayers.

Still, a letter sent out to members by Local 2267 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees warned them that a chief operating officer “will not prove to be a friend of the unions.”

Officials who oppose the charter change say that the city runs pretty well now and there’s no need to add a vague new position that might muck things up.

City Councilor Mike Rimcoski, a Republican, called the proposed chief operating officer “another layer of bureaucracy” that would cost taxpayers too much.
City Councilor Frank Nicastro, a former Democratic mayor, said that the strong mayor form of government in Bristol has served the city well for nearly a century and there’s no reason to revise it. He said that arguments that department heads are out of controland need supervision is “garbage.”

Critics argue that Bristol has managed to create a healthy rainy day fund, fully fund its pension trusts and provide a solid school system without socking taxpayers over the years. They say there’s nothing a COO add.

But city Councilor Ken Cockayne, a freshman Republican who favors the change, said, “People seem to be living in the past. We have to be looking to the future.”

Democratic city Councilor Craig Minor, who favors the position, said that asking how much the new slot will cost is fair.

“I personally think that in the long run the COO will save us a lot more than he costs, but a better way to look at it is to think back to when desktop computers were just starting to become common in the workplace. Everyone wanted to know how much money would they save,” he said. “Well, as it turned out, they probably didn’t save a penny.”

“But they made it possible for us to provide much better service to our customers, and to do many things we never thought possible. They make us more productive. That’s what the COO provides,” Minor said.

Yarde said a COO “will help in the continuity needed to maintain a long term vision for this community,” which he said is needed because mayor and councilors can change every two years.

Yarde said that he’s also convinced the position will bring savings for taxpayers.

“Believe me, there are millions of dollars of low hanging fruit that a COO can pick without sacrificing service or jobs,” Yarde said.

“We’re not the little town of Bristol anymore. It’s time for professional oversight,” Johnson said.

There are other questions on the ballot as well, including a controversial state referendum about whether to hold a constitutional convention to consider rewriting Connecticut government’s blueprint.

There are also four non-controversial charter issues in Bristol that haven’t received any opposition, including a move to extend the registrars’ terms to four years.

The polls are open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.

What would a COO do?

The COO would supervise and evaluate the city’s 21 department heads, make recommendations to the mayor and the City Council, and ‘provide leadership and direction’ to city government on a range of issues, including the budget, technology initiatives and customer service.

Who hires the COO?

A hiring committee consisting of the mayor, one city councilor, the Board of Finance chairman and two citizens, one from each party, would pick the COO.

What qualifications would a COO have?

To apply, a COO prospect would need at least a bachelor’s degree in public administration or a related field and have at least four years of experience as a city manager or its equivalent.

At least four city councilors said the standards ought to be higher.

How would a COO lose his job?

At any time, a vote by two-thirds of the City Council would end a COO’s term, which means that five of the seven council votes would be needed to fire someone in the job.

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GOP lashes The Hartford for political email backing Democratic congressman

Press release today from Republican congressional hopeful Joe Visconti:

"The Hartford" CEO Leans on Employees to Support Larson Stockholder Reaction Sharp and Critical

The President and Chief Operating Officer of The Hartford insurance company's life division, is recommending that employees of the insurance firm support Democratic incumbent 1st Congressman representative John Larson, according to recently obtained internal documents.

However, an email from John Walters, president and chief operating officer of Hartford Life, Inc., praising Larson for supporting the Wall Street 'Bailout,' and urging employees to thank Larson in writing on his website, has drawn a sharp retort publicly and privately from shareholders and employees. Questions also have been raised as to whether Walters coerced employees of The Hartford to donate money to Larson's campaign.

The Hartford Financial Services has donated more than $15,000 to Larson's re-election campaign according to recent financial disclosures while individual employees at The Hartford have donated more than $12,000. The top insurance industry donor to Larson's campaign was AIG which has donated nearly $20,000

In an email to employees, COO John Walters said, "Connecticut First District Congressman John Larson was among the House members who stood tall last week by voting in favor of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008.

Congressman Larson backed this legislation from the very beginning. His support never wavered, even after it failed to gain approval the first time it came up for a vote in the House.

I have already thanked Congressman Larson and as a 1st District resident I thought you might like to do the same. If you believe, as I do, that passage of this legislation was absolutely necessary to stabilize the financial markets, please take the time to thank

Congressman Larson. "

Executives at The Hartford privately have criticized Walters' email and say many employees consider it an infringement on their political beliefs.

Republican nominee Joseph Visconti, who is opposing Larson, has privately been approached by executive level employees of The Hartford who have told him they are supporting his candidacy.

In addition, Arthur Mocabee, a shareholder at The Hartford, and Visconti supporter, responded to Walters in a critical letter that stated in part, "While the Hartford Insurance Company lies in shambles due in part to a poorly managed national credit crisis caused largely by the Democrats in Congress, especially the lack of leadership by John Larson, it is extremely improper to use corporate email to solicit political persuasion for anyone, let alone John Larson.

"You as President and COO have probably violated your own corporate email policy.

The 1st District is in the middle of a severe economic crisis that threatens jobs at The Hartford as well as many other major employers in the district. … To single out a single politician smacks of favoritism and insensitivity to others who may feel differently, but have no choice in receiving your solicitation. …

"You have used The Hartford as a 'Big Brother' in suggesting that employees should "thank" John Larson."

Mocabee also noted that individual employees at The Hartford "Contributed financially to Mr. Larson. Your actions raise the question if they did so under your request or of their own free will."

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