Ella Se Va!

24Jan12

Cornish Residence?

After a decade of tumultuous and contentious rule, Irene Cornish has decided that there will truly be an end to her tenure. That day will be January 1 2013. She notes that she will be retiring to a villa in Mexico. Dr. Cornish is well aware that the single biggest driver of property taxes is a municipality’s education budget. If there is no education budget (say, in a Mexican town) then property taxes are very, very, very low. Also the extradition laws are extremely tough.

The BOE must now (let’s hope that they have already started) find a Superintendent that will work effectively with the variety of factions that think they know what is best for students, their own wallets or their egos. Our expectations of our elected officials in Town Hall could not possibly be lower. It is now up to our elected members of the BOE to demonstrate some competence. We can only hope that whatever candidate makes it through the grinder that is Stratford politics, that residents end up with a superintendent that is an effective, persuasive leader who understands that most taxpayers want a high quality and affordable education for their children.

Filed under: Stratford Political Theater   |  Leave a Comment

Stratford Hero

24Jan12

As meager as it is, we would like to express our condolences to the family of Lt. Thomas McCabe and to the entire FD in which he served. Lt. McCabe served the citizens and business of Stratford for 25 years. He dedicated his spare time to the Firefighter’s Burn Foundation and Benevolent Association. He was stationed at Company Three in Lordship and will be sorely missed. Lt McCabe was one of the good guys.

Filed under: Stratford Political Theater   |  Leave a Comment

You Can DO This

10Jan12

So many times we hear about “giving back” to the community on blogs, in letters to the editor and, of course, from politicians. There is no way more valuable to give back to the community on so many levels than becoming an EMT. Every citizen of Stratford needs the services of volunteer EMT’s. Even if you are not in need of medical care, volunteer EMT’s reduce taxes for everyone. Stratford EMS happens to be a very busy emergency medical service handling 6,000+ calls per year. If you don’t think your effort is needed, you are wrong. If you think “Oh, I can’t do this.” you are wrong again. Yes, you can. You can do this. You can make a huge difference for your neighbors and friends.

Stratford EMS will teach you how to make a difference. Here is why; they want you to be an effective EMT and will work with you to get it done.

A new class begins on January 24th. Sign up and be the one who makes the difference in someone’s life.

Classes will be held Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6 to 10 p.m. from Jan. 24 through June 2, with additional sessions Saturdays, Feb. 18, March 24 and June 2, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Classes will meet at Lordship Volunteer Firehouse #3, located at Prospect Drive and Oak Bluff Avenue (Behind Stratford Fire Department Co. #3).

The cost is
$525 for Stratford residents
$625 for non-residents
$325 for full-time students and youths ages 16 to 18
$275 for active members of the Stratford police and EMS Explorer posts.
The cost includes the course fee, books, CPR card,

Information and applications can be obtained by sending an e-mail to webmaster@svemsassociation.com or calling
Bunnie McQuilton at 203-378-5333

Course Application

Oh yeah, and there’s that whole ‘lights & sirens” thing too.

Filed under: Stratford Political Theater   |  30 Comments

Council Agendas

09Jan12

Desperate Taxpayer

With most taxpayers reaching deep into their pockets to come up with the second half of their personal property taxes and sewer use “fees” this month, the new Council is preparing to meet this challenge head on by voting to allow golf carts on Town roads and prohibiting the wanton feeding of wild animals. And politicians wonder why there is always such a low turnout at election time. With an 8 to 2 majority on the Council and an RTC member in the mayor’s office our politicians are taking the bull by the horns and going straight after the overfed wildlife and the anti-golf cart attitude in this Town. (How many people own golf carts? Is this a problem here?)

In the meantime, our Town Attorney seems to be quite content with his $2+ MILLION budget and the Town’s pension obligations just get more and more out of control. Can’t anyone manage to get an actually important item on the Council agenda?

The clock is ticking….the budget process (if any) is about to begin. With such an overwhelming majority of RTC members in control, we expect some serious movement at some point.

Filed under: Stratford Political Theater   |  14 Comments

Best Work Yet To Come?

20Dec11

Town Agenda

The trouble with doing nothing is that you never know when you are finished.

Harkins says his best work is yet to come
Brittany Lyte, Staff Writer
Published 05:20 p.m., Saturday, December 17, 2011

STRATFORD — A week before he was sworn in as Stratford’s second mayor in December 2009, John A. Harkins ticked off the challenges before him: redevelop brownfields, foster bipartisan cooperation, draft a responsible town budget.
Read more: http://www.ctpost.com/local/article/Harkins-says-his-best-work-is-yet-to-come-2409593.php#ixzz1h4p1BznD

After two years as the the most powerful elected official in Stratford, what has John Harkins accomplished for Citizens, Businesses and Taxpayers?

Hold on….
Give us a minute…
There must be something…
Let us think…
Two years is a long time, you know….

We’ll have to get back to you on that one.

Filed under: Stratford Political Theater   |  112 Comments
Tags: John Harkins

Tarnishing the Badge

06Dec11

THE STRATFORD VERSION!

Before we begin this sordid & corrupt little tale, some background information should be provided. At the time, we felt this would be handled appropriately and did not spend much webspace on it. How wrong we were. This is Stratford after all and “business as usual” has a different meaning here. But to begin;

No arrests planned in Stratford cop, resident clash
Brittany Lyte, Staff Writer
Updated 10:39 p.m., Wednesday, July 6, 2011

STRATFORD — The Police Department will make no arrests following the criminal investigation of an officer accused of assaulting a town resident.
Detective William Jennings, a veteran officer with 23 years on the force, was accused of assault April 18 by David Fredericks, a 39-year-old landscaping business owner, during a dispute outside Fredericks’ home on Chapel Street about 7 p.m.
Fredericks and three witnesses — his wife, one of his employees and the sister of another employee — told police Jennings refused to identify himself when he approached Fredericks on his property in plainclothes in April and demanded that Fredericks pay up money he said he owed his friend to replace a damaged tree. Jennings was screaming, swearing and threatening to “ruin” him, according to Fredericks.
Fredericks said he did not recognize Jennings and did not know anything about the debt Jennings was trying to collect from him.
Fredericks said Jennings pushed him. He said he became upset and scared, so he threatened to get a baseball bat if the stranger did not leave. Fredericks never got the bat, but called 911.
Fredericks is heard screaming and swearing repeatedly at Jennings to leave his property during several 911 calls he made at the scene during the dispute.
Fredericks’ wife, June Palatiello, said she was eating dinner when a man she did not recognize drove a silver Lexus into their driveway. She ran outside to assist her husband when she realized he did not know the man and the stranger seemed to be refusing to leave.
Read more: http://www.ctpost.com/local/article/No-arrests-planned-in-Stratford-cop-resident-1455295.php#ixzz1flQdzrc7

Let’s stop there. Silver Lexus? You mean the Lexus that was stolen from Fairfield Lexus? It seems the Stratford Police Department stole that Lexus. From what we can piece together from several authoritative sources
1. The Lexus was reported stolen from Lexus of Fairfield.
2. Detective Bill Jennings working for the DEA (see above article) took possession of the car.
3. Jennings was stopped at least at least once by other law enforcement departments and it came back as reported stolen.
4. Lt. Pinto (Jennings’ supervisor)contacted dispatch and told them to send a locate on the car to Fairfield PD stating that Stratford had the car and to cancel the stolen vehicle report.
5. No notification to the insurance company was made that the Lexus had been recovered nor was it mentioned to Lexus of Fairfield.
6. Lt. Pinto claims that it was a “problem” in Wethersfield as to why the car was still reported stolen
7. Lt Pinto then registers the vehicle under a police method for undercover vehicles.
8. The insurance company pays the owner of the car.
9. Stratford PD is still in possession of the Lexus. The insurance company may be getting a little suspicious by now.
10.Jennings succumbs to an undefined illness after the article is published and has been out on sick leave since.

To the civilian observers (like us) this appears to be a case of insurance fraud at a minimum and grand theft and falsification of records plus a host of other charges at the other end. We certainly do not expect that police officers are in the business of stealing luxury cars for their on and off duty use.

Which begs the question: Who is in charge at the PD?

One answer is obvious: Lock your car doors.

Filed under: Stratford Political Theater   |  44 Comments
Tags: Jennings, Pinto

Problems? What Problems?

29Nov11

Administration Flow Chart

“I am so flippin’ tired of the bullsh*t spewed out of the mouths of most of the politicians in this Town!”
- Patricia Clark Sperling, 2011

That struck us as a very observant statement of how citizens and taxpayers feel in this Town. With the singular exception of raising property taxes year after year nothing seems to be accomplished by the mayor, Council nor Board of Education. As far as we can tell, the only time anything is finished is when the Federal or State government requires it or citizens band together and make it happen themselves. Every once in a while an emergency occurs and the Town is literally dragged kicking and screaming to a decision. The borrowing of firetrucks from anywhere on the east coast is an example. Raybestos waste is another. The lack of trust and faith in the leadership of this Town is apparent on every level. From Town and BOE employees to volunteers to citizens who just hope for the best.

The Republican Town Committee has placed 8 out of 10 members on the Council and a formidable majority on the Board of Education. They are beside themselves with giddiness. They should enjoy the victory…for another week. Already there is conflict about who gets to sit in the big seat in the middle of the Council. There is even talk of swapping elected positions. It makes you want to shout “HEY! Remember us? We are the residents that voted for you! Do you think you can take a minute and do something?” Sadly, 2012 is not an election year so our taxes will undoubtedly rise again. In 2013, the Republican Town Committee will rightly bear the blame for everything. We are sure that the Democratic Town Committee will remind us of that quite often. (If only they could somehow make us forget Miron).

While problems abound there are no real goals set by anyone (see chart above) to accomplish anything. And who bears the responsibility and authority to set those goals?

John Harkins and Irene Cornish.

Raise your hand if you feel good about that.

Filed under: Stratford Political Theater   |  31 Comments
Tags: Harkins, Patricia Clark Sperling

How Much For That Mayor?

16Nov11

We are posting this by popular request. It seems that there are more than enough outraged taxpayers to go around. We have heard arguments on both sides. Perhaps the silliest one is comparing a small town mayor to a CEO. It’s a Town, not a business. A CEO’s primary responsibility is to make a profit or increase share value. That is not a mayor’s function at all. A mayor’s primary responsibility is the safety and well being of residents and businesses.

The other silly argument we’ve heard is that the salary needs to be higher to attract quality candidates. Really? Is this a civic position or a career? It is a choice to run for this office, not a job interview. How much does Michael Bloomberg care about his New York City salary of one dollar per year? If you won’t run for mayor because the salary is $90,000 but would if the salary was $110,000 do we really want you as mayor?

It is our position that the highest level of Town Administration has gone from $140,000 per year (1 Town Manager plus 1 Secretary) to $534,500. We have CAO’s, Chiefs of Staff, aides and secretaries. If a mayor’s job is that difficult with such a staff and deserves a raise, that is fine. But pay for it by eliminating a position or two. Say, Chief of Staff. (It’s Town Hall, not the White House).

Filed under: Stratford Political Theater   |  34 Comments
Tags: John Harkins

Democratic Town Committee Rejected….Again.

09Nov11

That would be a "no".

This is embarrassing, isn’t it? DTC candidates were only able to hang on to two seats in districts in which they were unopposed or nearly unopposed. Now we have to ask the question: why do we have a Democratic Town Committee at all? It’s not like the Republican Town Committee had any particular message. They certainly didn’t indicate any desire to lower taxes. In fact, none of the Republican candidates had any particular plan or purpose at all other than being “civil”. So what gives? The DTC has the majority of voters compared to the RTC. Turnout was even fairly high, given that it was an off-year election.

As has been painfully pointed out on these pages so many times, the DTC has failed to distance itself from the purging of the Committee by the Mirons. It simply has no credibility and will not until it rejects the Mironistas in its midst. Or…it can go on losing election after election.

Filed under: Stratford Political Theater   |  67 Comments

Jezebel’s Election Picks

26Oct11

Voting procedure in Stratford

With less than 2 weeks remaining (it’s on November 8th) until the Council and Board of Education elections, time is growing short for voters to make up their minds. This year we are particularly insulted by the lack any information by either Town Committee detailing their candidates’ background or position. In some cases, the districts they are running in are not listed (RTC candidates). In other cases, not even their names are listed (DTC candidates). If you are a plain old voter it is possible for you to drive around town with a memo pad and jot the names down that you see on lawn signs or perhaps wait for your doorbell to ring and a candidate appears.

So what kind of information can we use to make our picks? The answer is “not much”. Whoever gets elected will have a considerable say in what our mortgage and rent payments will be, not to mention our children’s education. Statements like “Move Stratford forward” or “Caring about this Town” are, well, hogwash. Who would say ” Move Stratford backward” or “I Don’t care about this town”? Those comments are insulting and unacceptable. Based upon the utter lack of information we are forced to limit our picks:

1st District: Nobody
2nd District: Stephanie Phillips
3rd District: Nobody
4th District: Nobody
5th District: John Dempsey
6th District: Nobody
7th District: Nobody
8th District: Nobody
9th District: Robyn Greenspan
10th District: Nobody

Board of Education: Nobody. But, particularly NOT Immacula Cann.

Filed under: Stratford Political Theater   |  67 Comments