Chamber has a new blog

Though Lord knows the world doesn't need more blogs, the Central Connecticut Chambers of Commerce started one anyway. Here's the link.
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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Dem chair may be interested in running himself

The city's Democratic Party chair, Elliott Nelson, told me he is weighing his options in terms of a possible campaign for something this year.
That's as much as he would say.
But there are rumors he's eyeing a possible primary against state Sen. Tom Colapietro, a Bristol Democrat.
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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.
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Wright says no more borrowing

State Rep. Chris Wright, a Bristol Democrat, joined a handful of fiscally conservative Democratic lawmakers recently to demand that legislative leaders deal realistically with the state's budget meltdown.
In a letter that Wright signed, the legislators say the state can't afford to borrow more to cover budget gaps. Read it for yourself here.
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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.
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Greenwich in a landslide?

You have to love it. In the midst of the worst recession in decades, when Connecticut's jobless rolls are swollen and populist anger supposedly sweeping the landscape, we might wind up with an all-Greenwich ticket in the general election.
Some of the most likely contenders for governor and U.S. Senate hail from the tony town in Fairfield County, including Republican gubernatorial hopeful Tom Foley and Linda McMahon, a GOP Senate possibility.
On the Democratic side, Ned Lamont, who's eyeing the governorship, and Richard Blumenthal, who wants to claim U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd's seat, are also from Greenwich.
On the other hand, working class Bristol has not a single prospective candidate for statewide office.
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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.
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Rosenthal has a track record

Here's a little story about Jonathan Rosenthal.

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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

City workers need evaluations, councilors say

Thirty years ago, the city decided to create a merit pay system that would allow high-performing department heads to earn up to $1,000 extra every year for doing a stellar job.
What happened instead, perhaps predictably, is that everybody who could earn the extra cash got it after performance reviews showed they were uniformly terrific at their jobs.
When somebody got shortchanged one year, a political firestorm erupted, and officials agreed in the late 1980s to resolve it by dropping the evaluations completely while continuing to hand out the bonuses. 
Read the whole story here.
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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Welch backs Sunday liquor sales

Press release issued today by Jason Welch, the Republican state Senate candidate in the 31st District:

Welch for State Senate Addresses Sunday Liquor Sales

BRISTOL, CT – Welch for State Senate released the following statement on the state ban of liquor sales on Sunday:   

Any time a prohibition is imposed by the state one should always ask why, and the absence of a sufficient justification should be disconcerting.  When the state ban on Sunday liquor sales is put to this test, its proponents struggle to articulate a rational basis.

Some contend that the ban is an issue of morality.  Yet the state allows us to purchase alcohol on Sundays in any number of restaurants and bars.  Thus, morality is not the state’s real basis for the ban.  Others claim that it is an issue of safety.  However, consuming alcohol at home is safer than consuming alcohol and then driving home.  A few argue that small business liquor stores should get a legislated day off.  But by that argument we should shut the whole state down on Sundays so other small retailers can get a break too.

Finally, some say it is too expensive to keep businesses open in Connecticut seven days a week.  This is true, which is why last year 4000 business closed their doors and 65,000 jobs were lost (making Connecticut the worst state for job losses after Michigan).  That is not, however, a reason for banning liquor sales on Sunday everywhere in Connecticut except for bars and restaurants.  High taxes, state employment mandates, high energy costs, and excessive regulations and fees make any day you are open in Connecticut too expensive to stay open.  The answer to those problems is lowering taxes, reducing mandates, streamlining state permitting, offering job creation tax credits, removing laws that make it more expensive to employ people in Connecticut and getting state spending under control – not banning liquor sales on Sunday everywhere except for bars and restaurants.   

The argument to maintain the Sunday liquor ban is a straw man argument.  Legislative resources ought to be focused on those things that will get the economic engines in Connecticut moving again and creating jobs today that will remain here into tomorrow.

Jason Welch seeks to be the Republican nominee to the State Senate race for the 31^st District, which includes Bristol, Plainville, Plymouth and parts of Harwinton.

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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Charter panel hears suggestions

A handful of residents turned out last night to urge revisions to the city government’s century-old charter.
Those who spoke at the hearing told the Charter Revision Commission their thoughts on expanding the number of city councilors, stripping sexist language from the charter, extending the terms of elected officials and more. Here is the story.
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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.
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Nicastro backs Ward

Former Mayor Frank Nicastro said today that city councilors had no business trying to micromanage Jonathan Rosenthal, the city's economic development director.
The city's day to day operations, Nicastro said, are the responsibility of the mayor.
"In fact," Nicastro said, "I had to remind Mayor Ward of that when he was a councilor. And now I'm sure he understands."
Nicastro, who's a state representative now, said Ward's comments at the council session Tuesday "were 100 percent right."
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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.
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Farmington Avenue's congestion targeted

Route 6 may be widened in a few years. See the story.
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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com

Council mum on Rosenthal

The showdown story...
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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.
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Executive session slated to talk about Rosenthal

Tonight's City Council Revised Addenda includes an executive session to talk about the negotiations with Renaissance Downtowns, as expected,and another "to discuss personnel matters regarding Ex. Director of Bristol Development Authority.
The BDA boss is Jonathan Rosenthal, who's been a political pinata for several years.

It seems that at least some politicians are ready to take another whack at him.

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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com