What a beautiful day!

I decided to grab my camera and take a bike ride around the city today. I took a break and stopped by the Danbury Public Library to file this quick update.

* Stopped by the African American Civil War Memorial dedication...stop by and see the memorial when you get a chance and take a moment to think about those men who fought for us.

* Took a trip to Elmer's Diner and checked out the traffic scene...and noticed some interesting developments.

* Noticed that Main Street is all decked out in American flags and ready for the parade.

* I also noticed that I need to get into shape...this bike ride is killing me!

I'm going to spend part of the weekend cleaning up computer. Seems like once again, my harddrive is full and I really need to stop producing videos and do some archiving.

Heck, you shouldn't be wasting your time reading blogs anyway...GET OUTSIDE and enjoy the weekend. Danbury and it's problems aren't going anywhere and trust me, after the holiday, it's FULL SPEED ahead for HatCityBLOG. Between the parade ordinance, the quest to remove Tom Bennett off cable, the insanity at the BRT tax giveaway ad-hoc committee meeting, and the mayor ONCE AGAIN using his "passing the buck" card with the Elmer's Diner traffic nightmare, we here at this site will be very busy bringing you the news that everyone else seems to overlook.

And don't forget the HatCityBLOG video coverage of this years Memorial Day parade (from start to finish).

Be sure to check back often after the weekend.

State Rep. Jason Bartlett gets some positive feedback from one of his constituents.

I wanted to thank my state representative, Jason Bartlett, for his quick response to a recent inquiry I made on HUSKY health insurance.

[...]

In the past, I would have been reluctant to get involved and contact someone in government. But because I am a member of the 2007 Danbury Parent Leadership Training Institute, I took the first step.

The PLTI training encourages parental involvement in improving the community for our children, and Mr. Bartlett's response has encouraged me to become more involved.

Bartlett has been on the frontlines of the health care issue in Connecticut and it's great to see that his hard work is being noticed.

Why is the City of Danbury allowing this dangerous parking on a busy road to take place? Why aren't there any NO PARKING SIGNS in front of the diner? Isn't this just a disaster just waiting to happen?

While I was working on a full background post on Elmer's Diner scandal, since the News-Times did such a poor job with their story on the Diner nightmare, I felt compelled to start rolling on my footage.

The situation is quite simple and everyone knew the drill...with the limited parking space at the location, the high traffic conditions on Padanaram Road (one of the busiest streets in Danbury) and the grumblings from the public since the start of the diner's foundation, EVERYONE who travel the roads in Danbury daily were fully aware about the serious traffic problems the opening of Elmer's Diner would create (including a mayor who lives in that general area and has had an earful from the public for months).

Given this fact, one has to wonder why is it that the traffic conditions at the diner's highly congested location were not addressed?



Think about it.

Elmer's Diner consist of 22 parking spaces for a place that seats 88 people.

Again...the diner ONLY has 22 parking spaces for 88 people.

Now, based on that fact alone, you know you're going to run into some problems. Oh, lets not leave out the fact that there is no stop light present, no crosswalk, and it's only a two lane street.






(click photo to enlarge)
Since the parking is limited and the parking area is extremely tight, customers are opting to do either one of two dangerous things: park on the shoulder of Padanaram Road, (people opening their car doors while not parking properly off the shoulder and are too far into the road, customers leaving the diner AND MAKING AN ILLEGAL U-TURN IN TRAFFIC, customers leaving the parking lot are limited in the amount of traffic they can due to the cars parked an the road). WHAT'S EVEN MORE DANGEROUSLY are the customers who have no regard for the traffic laws (or didn't notice that there isn't a crosswalk in the street) and are parking across the street at the strip mall, taking their lives into their hands, and darting across the busy street.

Note the irresponsible parent rushing across the street to the diner WITH HER KIDS IN HER HANDS.


Now, again, with the limited parking, the major traffic congestion on this stretch of road, and the parking on the other side of the street, EVERYONE in Danbury knew the exact problems we now face were going to happen.

What will it take for Mayor Boughton adn those who are in charge in keeping our roads safe will show some noticeable amount of leadership and get this situation taken care of before someone gets hurt?

• Will a MAJOR accident do the trick?

• Will someone getting hit by a car to get City Hall to deal with the situation?

Unfortunately, the city HAS done nothing about the TRAFFIC DISASTER that everyone knew was coming. According to the News-Times, Mayor Boughton hasn't gotten around to addressing the EASIEST traffic problem that should have been addressed months ago...sending a formal request to the state to post NO PARKING SIGNS IN FRONT OF THE DINER.

Nearly 25,000 motorists drive on Padanaram Road between Hayestown Avenue and Golden Hill Road each weekday, according to city traffic statistics.

Capt. Robert Myles said even though police haven't handed out tickets for parking on Padanaram Road, vehicles could be towed if they jut out into the road.

"There is a wide shoulder, but you can see where it could be a hazard," he said.

Myles said the police are talking with the state Department of Transportation about putting up three "No Parking" signs along the state road.

Judd Everhart, a DOT spokesman, said a formal request for signs from the city had not been filed as of Tuesday.

Once it's filed, a state worker will check out the scene. Everhart could not set a timetable for the process, but said it would be "weeks compared to days."

To give you a real idea of just how bad things are over on Padanaram right now, I present to you this following video footage of the location. While your watching the trainwreck, take note of the following situations:

• AN ELDERLY WOMAN CROSSING THE STREET WITH THE USE OF A WALKER.

• A customer leaving the diner in a SUV, after parking on the shoulder of Padanaram Road, and MAKING A U-TURN.

• A woman making a ill-advised left hand turn out of the parking lot which could have resulted in an accident.

• Customers having problems turning in and out of the diner parking lot due to cars on the street, which are blocking the view of the road.

• The sound of brakes locking up on a truck that is driving too fast, which during the winter would certainly hit the set of cars pulling out of the parking lot.

After almost being a victim of an accident while videotaping on the sidewalk, and watching a senior citizen crossing Padanaram Road (using a walker) to a parking spot that was not designated for the diner, and incident after incident of diner customers causing traffic violations, it's my sincere opinion that the current administration has once again failed the residents of Danbury by not taking the necessary steps to keep one of the most heavily trafficked road in the area safe.

In other words, this whole traffic situation should not have happened in the first place because the city should have addressed the issue (at the very least). Seeing that the city hasn't requested that the DOT place NO PARKING signs in front of the diner (which would at least solve the problem with cars parking in the shoulder and being in the way of emergency vehicles) speaks volumes about the foresight of this administration.

Again the problems stemming from the opening of the diner is NOTHING new to anyone who has been keeping an eye on the construction of the site. This very blog has commented several times on the traffic conditions in that area of Danbury/New Fairfield going as far as posting a videos of the traffic near the stie of the diner late last year. When the mayor addressed the diner in the media, he felt it better to use the overused political card of placing the blame on the past administration for the conditions in which Elmer's Diner came into existence instead of maybe addressing the matters the diner is creating under his own watch.

Again, this portion of the News-Times article speaks volumes about the foresight of this administration.

Judd Everhart, a DOT spokesman, said a formal request for [NO PARKING] signs [in front of the diner] from the city had not been filed as of Tuesday.

I guess the mayor was too busy playing the role of the immigration czar (here, here, and here), to address real issues in Danbury that people are up in arms about. I guess Mayor Mark didn't get the memo that his immigration well is just about all dried out.








Well keep an eye on things and let you know when the first person is hit by a car, someone pulls a stupid traffic move that causes a major accident, when parks on the side of the road, opens a car door and it gets ripped off by a passing car, or any other host of traffic problems that even Stevie Wonder could see happening months ago.

If anyone gets hurt, you know which way to point the finger...

If you had the pleasure to attend the BRT tax giveaway ad-hoc committee fiasco, you'd understand why Democratic Mayoral nominee Helena Abantes' is so upset.

Between the Mayor's disregard of the will of the Council at May's Common Council meeting, and the squelching of dissent at the BRT ad-hoc committee meeting (complete with hand gestures, Common Council President Joe Cavo passing notes to the committee, and a chairman who allowed the supporters of the development present their information THAT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE PURPOSE OF THE COMMITTEE versus silencing the opposition who attempted to raise VALID POINTS), Abrantes is taking the gloves off and directing her anger directly at the person at the center of the problem: Mayor Boughton.

Abrantes had this to say about the mayor's political moves in regard to the parade ordinance.

In attempting to personally defeat amendments to the parade ordinance, Mayor Boughton has once again not abided by the City Charter and has not followed the democratic process on which this country was founded. The initial proposal for this ordinance was for the purpose of stopping sporadic parades which interfere with the normal function of our city. The city streets cannot be blocked in a manner which could hamper the safety of the residents of Danbury. The Mayor and Corporation Counsel knew or should have known that the Charter only allows the Mayor to vote in the event of a tie vote. The Mayor’s actions were not only wrong, they were a blatant attempt to subvert the bipartisan majority of the Common Council.

In no way will this ordinance aide the city in the safety issue of our residents and tax payers with regards to sporadic parades. This is a form of headlining for press once again without accomplishing anything. The city already has a parade ordinance that in fact will provide the Police Department with the ability to follow through with the laws of our City.

The new ordinance specifically states in Sec. 11-15 (Definitions) (d):

Public assembly means any meeting, demonstration, picket line, rally or gathering, which the parade permit applicant believes will consist of more than twenty-five (25) persons, held on the streets, sidewalks, parks or other public property owned by or under the control of the City of Danbury.

This ordinance also states that a requirement of 3 days is necessary to obtain a permit. This ordinance can interfere with the homecoming for Danbury High School . The Homecoming parade, which would require a permit if this ordinance is enacted and cause the tax payers once again to foot the bill for a fee which is required at this point of $100.00. This does not impact anyone except for the wallets of the taxpayer. This would no way stop a sporadic parade. This would interfere with a strike, a possible rally. That is not what the residents asked for.

I believe that we need to start truly caring about this city and do what is necessary for the safety of our community and educate people. Education is the most important form of communication. If someone is living here, they need to learn the laws already in existence and abide by the laws of this City. If the individuals do not want to abide by the laws of our city then in fact there are consequences which arise and the matter needs to be addressed in our court system. I don’t believe in political grandstanding, I believe in the safety and the well being of our community and I do believe we used to have that safety when we had a government that was truly caring and visionary.

Abrantes didn't stop there and we'll bring you more of what she had to say later.

THIS WILL NOT BE 2005.

As I stated in a earlier post, the political situation in Danbury is completely toxic with the partisan fighting at a fever pitch. After months of being ignored, the Democrats are fed up with the status quo and are lashing out directly at Mayor Boughton, his administration, and the Republican leadership on the Common Council for the way they are running the city under a one-party rule.

From several ad-hoc committees that have failed to meet, to dismissing requests by Democrats on the Council, the only thing that seems to be getting done in this city is what the mayor wants to get done and the frustrations on the Democrats is apparent.

For those who are new to the site and need a little history lesson, here's a video report I originally presented back on October using footage I captured of from the August, September, and October DTC meetings. Take note of the ad-hoc committees listed in the video...I'll address this subject later.

At May's Democratic Town Committee meeting, with Democrats visibly upset with Mayor Boughton and his administration, Council members updated members of the DTC with their continued frustrations with the lack of communication from the Mayor and majority, the complete inaction of the City Clerk Jean Natale, and the number of ad-hoc committees that have not met (remember when I said to take note of the meetings in the earlier video clip from AUGUST of last year).



With this being an election year, you can be sure that these concerns will used to educate the public about the actions of the mayor, Republican leadership, and the City Clerk.

Man, these Republicans and anti-immigrant fanatics in Danbury keep me busy.

I'm running into a harddrive problem, which will require me to do a bit of DVD archiving and since I'm pretty busy covering meetings at City Hall, it will a little while until I can roll out my new video footage.

Here's a small sample of things to come.

1. If Democracy was thrown out the window by the mayor's actions at May's Common Council debate on the parade ordinance, history repeated itself at last night's ad-hoc committee meeting on the BRT tax giveaway meeting. You'll be shocked when you see the footage.

2. The Elmer's Diner scandal is reaching critical mass as I saw YET ANOTHER close call from a person who darted into traffic. Will it take someone getting hit before the mayor steps in and do something? I'll bring you the outrage from residents in that area as well as document why the traffic problems should have been addressed months ago.

3. Of course, I have more silliness from Elise Marciano's whack-pack anti-immigrant group. She and her band of goons have to be the dumbest people in Danbury.

4. We're STILL working on all the lies misleading statements which flowed out of Mayor Boughton's mouth during his filibuster interview on Ideas at Work and Beyond. We'll start rolling out the footage and show you how the mayor didn't do his homework.

5. The issue in this election will be O-V-E-R-D-E-V-E-L-O-P-M-E-N-T and we'll start showing highlights of citizens in the area who are fed up with the status quo at City Hall.

6. Seems like Danbury's most foul-mouth citizen, Tom Bennett is losing his mind over the efforts to remove him and show, BigT Talk & Variety, off the air for repeated public access violations. Not only is he throwing a slew of racial slurs at me, he now took things to a new level by making an on-air statement hoping that someone would burglarize my house. I think someone from the Danbury P.D. should give Mr. Bennett a phone call.

Finally, I have to say thanks to all the new readers who found their way to the site. May is turning out to be the highest traffiked month in the history of the site.



Although keeping stats on a site in not an exact science (most of my readers use RSS readers that are not picked up by the stat counter), it's estimated that aprox. 4900-5,200 people have visited the site this month (and May isn't over yet). Thanks for your readership and emails of encouragement.

Well, I'm off to get the story...be back soon.

The response to Tom Bennett's profane-laced show has been overwhelming. Here's another email sent to Comcast.

Dear Mr. King,

I am writing to you to request that Comcast remove Big-T’s Talk and Variety show from the local access channel. The show airs at 9-10 pm on Fridays. While I defend the right to free speech and expression, there should be no space on your station for those who spit on the first amendment. His verbal sexual assault on a young girl last week is what finally prompted me to write a letter to you. While I do believe that the girl’s parents should have prevented her from calling the hate filled show, I do not feel that Big-T should have conducted himself in the manner that he did. His actions on other matters and topics have also upset me. The manner in which he conducts himself and what he proclaims is suitable for television is sickening. I feel that it is in poor taste for Comcast to air his show.

[...]

I thank you for taking the time to read my concern. I have never taken the time to write to any company complaining. Other than Big-T, keep up the great services you provide.

PLEASE keep sending emails to Comcast and help bring an end to Tom Bennett's show.

Dave King: Comcast Head Coordinator:
Phone: 203-792-1265
Email: Dave_King@cable.comcast.com

Candiann Roswell: Comcast Coordinator:
Phone: 203-792-1265
Email: Candiann_Roswell2@cable.comcast.com

When emailing Comcast, please CC: hatcityblog@yahoo.com and we'll post your message on the site (privacy will be honored).

If you haven't noticed, I'm doing a bit of upgrades on the site.

First, it's time to get involved and debunk the misinformation over the parade as the new parade ordinance resource is now online and new material will be added shortly.

The amount of email I've receiving on the BigT Talk & Variety Show is overwhelming and I'll post more letters sent to Comcast very soon.

The latest round of things that will make you scratch your head happened tonight at the BRT ad-hoc committee meeting. We'll break everything down as well as bring you video footage of the entire meeting later this week.

Don't think we forgot about Mayor Boughton's interview on Ideas at Work and Beyond. We'll analyze every misleading point the mayor made VERY SOON.

Finally, I'm going to expose the nonsense surrounding the Elmer's Diner scandal from every angle. I'm in touch with state officials as well as looking at mountains of paperwork on the history of this project and I will present my case soon.

Danbury is a hotbed of politcal activity and HatCityBLOG is working to cover everything that the mainstream media refuses to report on.

READ, WATCH, AND LEARN.

The line of complaints on Tom Bennett's profane-laced public access show, BigT Talk & Variety Show, continues.

Here's another letter which was sent to Comcast recently

Dear Mr. King,

Big T, and his disgusting talk show which broadcasts from 9-10 pm, is a blight upon this city, and upon your network. A man who propogates, and who values such hateful opinions about almost everyone else with the exception of his own cronies, is certainly not the sort of person who I want my cable dollars to go and support.

[...]

Big T has a disgusting mouth, and bigoted, closed mind. And in an age where we fire Imus for the atrocious comments he made on the radio regarding the Rutgers Basketball team, I cannot for the life of me figure out why the likes of Big T is still on the air, since he crosses the line every bit as often as Imus, with his foul mouth, and hate speech.

Comcast appears to endorse this sort of behavior by it's continual offering of the platform on which Big T rants and raves.

I urge you to remove Big T from your listing of public access shows. This is not a representative of Comcast's great work in the community, or of it's services to the Danbury area. In fact, this show is a disservice to the community.

PLEASE continue to place pressure on Comcast to enforce their rules and regulations regarding programming content on public access, terminate Tom Bennett's contract, and cancel the BigT Talk & Variety Show.

I'm receiving a great deal of feedback from the community who are equally as offended with Bennett and are alarmed that he is allow to continue to spread his profane and obscene language on the PUBLIC'S airwaves. We'll roll out more instances of Bennett violating Comcast rules including the infamous "FIREBOMB THE HISPANIC CENTER" episode, which alone should have resulted in disciplinary action.

CONTACT COMCAST
Dave King: Comcast Head Coordinator:
Phone: 203-792-1265
Email: Dave_King@cable.comcast.com

Candiann Roswell: Comcast Coordinator:
Phone: 203-792-1265
Email: Candiann_Roswell2@cable.comcast.com

When emailing Comcast, please CC: hatcityblog@yahoo.com and we'll place your complaint online (privacy will be honored)

Help send a message to Comcast that the PUBLIC does not want individuals like Bennett abusing the PUBLIC'S airwaves and to enforce the public access rules and regulations.

All of Danbury is up in arms with the traffic concerns created by the opening of Elmer's Diner. This weekend, my inbox was full of complaints from angry residents fuming over the foreseen traffic nightmare the diner has created due to it's idiotic location on Padanaram Road.

I've been working hard on the case and I'll provide a full report on the latest developments, including people leaving the diner who are making U-turns in the middle of Padanaram Road, very soon.

SOMEONE HAS A GREAT DEAL OF EXPLAINING TO DO.

UPDATE 5/22: The situation gets worse. I personally witnessed two accidents almost happen (including one where a truck locked up its brakes right to the side of me) and I have it all on videotape. The place should be shut down based on the saftey concerns alone.

I'm working very hard on this story from many angles including the origins of the approval of thie property, (which isn't as black and white as the mayor would have you believe). My heart goes out to those who live by this nightmare and if something is not done soon, it's only a matter of time until someone gets hit by a car.

Okay, if you're looking for a easy way to read the new immigration bill (you know, the immigration proposal that local xenophobe Elise "anti-immigrant" Marciano whined about before reading ONE LINE), do yourself a favor and bookmark this site and get to reading.

A HUGE debt of thanks to the great site "The Truth Laid Bear" for doing all the work in breaking the bill down into easy to read portions. It doesn't get any easier than this.

Now, whenever a local anti-immigration official or activist tries to mislead the public, you'll know better...