CTMirror.org, the new news site for state Capitol info, has a solid report that the legislature can override Gov. Jodi Rell's veto and keep several courthouses open, including the one in Bristol. Here's the story.
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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
March 5, 2010
March 4, 2010
Welch takes aims at mandates
Press release from state Senate hopeful Jason Welch, a Republican in the 31st District:
BRISTOL, CT – Jason Welch unveiled today his plan to relieve burdens placed on municipalities by state unfunded mandates. He referred to his plan as “the Three Bucket Plan”.
Welch said: “The solution to the problem of unfunded mandates is common sense. We do not need a task force. We need action. A lot good people have already done the heavy lifting here, such as the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities, which made the case for eliminating or postponing unfunded mandates back in February of 2009. Hartford not only failed to act on CCM’s recommendations, legislators proposed more than 40 new unfunded mandates last year, all the while our towns and cities suffered.”
Welch groups unfunded mandates into three categories or “buckets” as he calls them. The first bucket gets filled with those mandates that we keep. He proposes no changes to municipal requirements to comply with those mandates, but rather seeks to reform them. In this bucket go the state’s prevailing wage law for which he wants to raise the minimum threshold to $5 million. Also in this bucket falls the binding arbitration system, which he wants to streamline and provide municipalities with increased abilities to reject certain awards.
The second bucket consists of good mandates that are not necessary. A municipality’s requirement to comply with mandates in this bucket is suspended for 2010 and in following years until the economic climate changes. Into this bucket, Welch places a number of mandates such as, in-school suspension, property revaluation, state prequalification, municipal web postings and continuing education.
The final bucket consists of mandates that ought to be eliminated such as health coverage for adult children and the requirement that municipalities store the belongings of evicted tenants.
Welch reminded that “eliminating mandates does not mean municipalities will no longer provide a particular service or process. It simply means they have the freedom to do what they think is best for their residents. If they get it wrong, I am sure the residents will let them know.”
Welch called for action on his plan now, rather than waiting until November 2, 2010, when the election will be held. Welch seeks to be the Republican nominee to the State Senate race for the 31st 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
BRISTOL, CT – Jason Welch unveiled today his plan to relieve burdens placed on municipalities by state unfunded mandates. He referred to his plan as “the Three Bucket Plan”.
Welch said: “The solution to the problem of unfunded mandates is common sense. We do not need a task force. We need action. A lot good people have already done the heavy lifting here, such as the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities, which made the case for eliminating or postponing unfunded mandates back in February of 2009. Hartford not only failed to act on CCM’s recommendations, legislators proposed more than 40 new unfunded mandates last year, all the while our towns and cities suffered.”
Welch groups unfunded mandates into three categories or “buckets” as he calls them. The first bucket gets filled with those mandates that we keep. He proposes no changes to municipal requirements to comply with those mandates, but rather seeks to reform them. In this bucket go the state’s prevailing wage law for which he wants to raise the minimum threshold to $5 million. Also in this bucket falls the binding arbitration system, which he wants to streamline and provide municipalities with increased abilities to reject certain awards.
The second bucket consists of good mandates that are not necessary. A municipality’s requirement to comply with mandates in this bucket is suspended for 2010 and in following years until the economic climate changes. Into this bucket, Welch places a number of mandates such as, in-school suspension, property revaluation, state prequalification, municipal web postings and continuing education.
The final bucket consists of mandates that ought to be eliminated such as health coverage for adult children and the requirement that municipalities store the belongings of evicted tenants.
Welch reminded that “eliminating mandates does not mean municipalities will no longer provide a particular service or process. It simply means they have the freedom to do what they think is best for their residents. If they get it wrong, I am sure the residents will let them know.”
Welch called for action on his plan now, rather than waiting until November 2, 2010, when the election will be held. Welch seeks to be the Republican nominee to the State Senate race for the 31st 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
Don't forget to watch TV tonight
You can see a well-crafted, interesting and enlightening documentary on the Bristol Press and the fate of newspapers for one hour on CPTV at 8 p.m. (it airs again at 10 p.m. Friday).
Watch it and you'll see my editor, Bill Sarno; my wife, Jackie Majerus; City Planner Alan Weiner; Chris Bailey from the American Clock and Watch Museum; state Rep. Frank Nicastro; me and a cast of thousands, including cameo appearances by the city assessor and his staff, some familar Korean War vets and even former Mayor Bill Stortz.
I met a guy who put me to music. And another who edited out my ums and ahs.
These are strange times.
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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Watch it and you'll see my editor, Bill Sarno; my wife, Jackie Majerus; City Planner Alan Weiner; Chris Bailey from the American Clock and Watch Museum; state Rep. Frank Nicastro; me and a cast of thousands, including cameo appearances by the city assessor and his staff, some familar Korean War vets and even former Mayor Bill Stortz.
I met a guy who put me to music. And another who edited out my ums and ahs.
These are strange times.
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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Frank Johnson gets mad
The day after the Bristol Downtown Development Corp.'s last meeting, where board members held a long executive session, the nonprofit's leader felt the need to lecture his colleagues about the need for secrecy.
In a Feb. 23 email he sent to the entire board and its lawyers, Johnson said that "certain representations and characterizations were passed to outside parties regarding conversations that took place in confidence."
Johnson said the breach of secrecy caused "certain members of the city staff" to become "very upset" and the loose lips exacerbated "the aready complicated" negotiations between the BDDC and the city about the terms that should be offered to Renaissance Downtowns.
Johnson said he felt "very disheartened" about the leak, which he did not detail.
"We may disagree inside the room, we may offer strong opinions, we may even comment on the other parties involved in the negotiations; but what is said in the room should stay in the room," Johnson said.
Johnson called the breach "totally unprofessional."
"I ask that this email remain CONFIDENTIAL and not be forwarded to any other parties," Johnson concluded.
To be fair, nobody leaked it. I received a copy as part of a Freedom of Information Act request for information that I'll probably still be sorting through when the project is done.
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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
In a Feb. 23 email he sent to the entire board and its lawyers, Johnson said that "certain representations and characterizations were passed to outside parties regarding conversations that took place in confidence."
Johnson said the breach of secrecy caused "certain members of the city staff" to become "very upset" and the loose lips exacerbated "the aready complicated" negotiations between the BDDC and the city about the terms that should be offered to Renaissance Downtowns.
Johnson said he felt "very disheartened" about the leak, which he did not detail.
"We may disagree inside the room, we may offer strong opinions, we may even comment on the other parties involved in the negotiations; but what is said in the room should stay in the room," Johnson said.
Johnson called the breach "totally unprofessional."
"I ask that this email remain CONFIDENTIAL and not be forwarded to any other parties," Johnson concluded.
To be fair, nobody leaked it. I received a copy as part of a Freedom of Information Act request for information that I'll probably still be sorting through when the project is done.
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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Democrats promise action on mandate relief
Democrats vow action on mandate relief. See the story.
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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Not goners yet!
Thanks to YourCT.com for the write-up about our surprising success in saving the Press a year ago.
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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Schools seek $1.8 million more next year
The Board of Education is seeking another $1.8 million for the coming year in order to keep the school system operating as it is, minus Bingham School. For details, see today's Press story and yesterday's story in the Hartford Courant.
There overall city budget picture remains bleak, with revenues well short of the money needed to keep everything humming along as it has been.
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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
There overall city budget picture remains bleak, with revenues well short of the money needed to keep everything humming along as it has been.
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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
City switching insurance administrators to save $1 million
There is a special Board of Finance meeting at 5:30 today to consider whether the city should dump Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield as the administrator of its health care spending. The move is expected to save nearly $1 million annually. For the story, click here.
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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
March 3, 2010
Hamzy says GOP has championed unfunded mandates issue
Press release from state Rep. Bill Hamzy, a Plymouth Republican whose 78th District includes northwestern Bristol:
The Bristol Press yesterday published a front-page article titled, “Legislators under gun for mandate relief,” which asserts none of Bristol’s state legislators, “champion the idea of lifting expensive requirements forced on cities and school systems across Connecticut.”
This is simply not true. Allow me to set the record straight.
The truth is, unfortunately, unfunded state mandates on municipalities have become a partisan issue in Hartford. In this day and age of budget deficits at the state and local level, there is simply not enough money to send what is requested to municipalities. Fortunately, our local leaders understand this. Unfortunately, the state continues to demand of local governments that they be required to do certain things and then doesn't pay the cost for these services. This is what is called an unfunded state mandate. In the last two years I, along with the rest of the House Republican caucus, have submitted more than a dozen proposals to either suspend or eliminate some unfunded mandates to give towns more flexibility to spend the money we do send them. These bills and amendments have either been ignored by the Democrats or voted down by them. In fact, during the 2008 legislative session, the House Republican Caucus proposed that any new unfunded or underfunded state mandate on municipalities require a two thirds vote of the legislature, a proposal which I specifically supported and was mentioned in the article.
Speaker Donovan could allow debate on current municipal relief proposals, but chooses not to. Instead, he creates a “legislative commission,” thus scoring political points this session without any meaningful legislative action.
I agree with Mayor Ward that, “decisions about how best to use limited amounts of revenue should be left up to city leaders rather than being dictated from Hartford.” We in Hartford are not elected to determine how best to run the City of Bristol; the Mayor, City Council, Board of Finance and the Board of Education are.
As the article mentioned, it is true that municipalities have long complained about unfunded mandates. Yet it is also true the House Republican caucus has time and again championed their cause and represented their voice in Hartford. Hopefully, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle will decide to offer real substantive relief to cities and towns immediately. It is way past due.
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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Rep. Hamzy Response to The Bristol Press, March 3rd article “Legislators under gun for mandate relief”
The Bristol Press yesterday published a front-page article titled, “Legislators under gun for mandate relief,” which asserts none of Bristol’s state legislators, “champion the idea of lifting expensive requirements forced on cities and school systems across Connecticut.”
This is simply not true. Allow me to set the record straight.
The truth is, unfortunately, unfunded state mandates on municipalities have become a partisan issue in Hartford. In this day and age of budget deficits at the state and local level, there is simply not enough money to send what is requested to municipalities. Fortunately, our local leaders understand this. Unfortunately, the state continues to demand of local governments that they be required to do certain things and then doesn't pay the cost for these services. This is what is called an unfunded state mandate. In the last two years I, along with the rest of the House Republican caucus, have submitted more than a dozen proposals to either suspend or eliminate some unfunded mandates to give towns more flexibility to spend the money we do send them. These bills and amendments have either been ignored by the Democrats or voted down by them. In fact, during the 2008 legislative session, the House Republican Caucus proposed that any new unfunded or underfunded state mandate on municipalities require a two thirds vote of the legislature, a proposal which I specifically supported and was mentioned in the article.
Speaker Donovan could allow debate on current municipal relief proposals, but chooses not to. Instead, he creates a “legislative commission,” thus scoring political points this session without any meaningful legislative action.
I agree with Mayor Ward that, “decisions about how best to use limited amounts of revenue should be left up to city leaders rather than being dictated from Hartford.” We in Hartford are not elected to determine how best to run the City of Bristol; the Mayor, City Council, Board of Finance and the Board of Education are.
As the article mentioned, it is true that municipalities have long complained about unfunded mandates. Yet it is also true the House Republican caucus has time and again championed their cause and represented their voice in Hartford. Hopefully, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle will decide to offer real substantive relief to cities and towns immediately. It is way past due.
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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Legislators under fire on mandate relief
City leaders are growing increasingly irritated that Bristol’s legislators haven’t done more to remove costly unfunded mandates.
Mayor Art Ward said he can’t seem to find anyone in the General Assembly to champion the idea of lifting expensive requirements forced on cities and school systems across Connecticut. Click here for the story.
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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Mayor Art Ward said he can’t seem to find anyone in the General Assembly to champion the idea of lifting expensive requirements forced on cities and school systems across Connecticut. Click here for the story.
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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
I'm never going to be a star
Here's my conclusion after watching myself on the big screen at the Mark Twain House's auditorium last night: It's a good thing I never dreamed of hitting it big in Hollywood.
But I give the makers of "On Deadline: Is Time Running Out for the Press?" credit for making all of the people I knew in the CPTV documentary look better and sound more eloquent than they usually are in real life. Filmmakers John and Rosemary O'Neill certainly did that for me.
Anybody who cares about The Bristol Press should make sure to watch this solid, interesting and professional hour-long special on Connecticut Public Television this week. It airs at 8 p.m. Thursday and again at 10 p.m. Friday.
The panel discussion about the future of newspapers and news outlets that followed the documentary last night, which included both the Press owner, Michael Schroeder, and me, wasn't bad either. I think you can hear highlights from it on WNPR's always excellent "Where We Live" radio program at 9 a.m. Thursday.
I am sure that time is not running out for the press, or the Press, but what the future will bring, I have no idea. The days of newsprint are, clearly, drawing to a close, whether it's two years from now or 10. But that doesn't signal the demise of the press because I'm equally sure we'll be pushing ever more news online and searching out ways to get our work to readers however they want to receive it.
There's still this touchy issue of how we get paid, of course, but that will ultimately get sorted out. As I've said lots of times, we're in a time of rapid change. The trick is to survive the rocky period so that we can share in whatever the future brings.
For Bristol, that's what important.
And I'm so glad that the efforts we made to keep this newspaper alive in its darkest days made it possible for it to survive, if not yet to thrive.
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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
March 2, 2010
A life cut short
Why do we need a community newspaper? Read Jackie Majerus' story today about Jeff Dziob, who was killed in his home when a pickup truck crashed through it two days after Christmas. Read her blog entry about the story, too.
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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
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Copyright 2010. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
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