Sec of State to Senator DeLuca: RESIGN!

Friday, June 22, 2007
Time: 3:55 PM

(What was I thinking not posting this post I did for My Left Nutmeg yesterday on this site? I mean our local trashman James Galante helped bring down this disgraceful senator...)

Today, Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz called upon disgraced former Minority Leader Louis "Lonney" DeLuca to resign as senator by July 5th in order to allow for his constituents to elect a new State Senator on Nov. 6th and avoid a special election.


From Bysiewicz's press release:

“Sen. DeLuca has violated the public trust and his oath of office,” said Sec. Bysiewicz. “Not only did he break the law by conspiring to threaten someone, he also apparently lied to Federal investigators, and promised his associates that he would use his considerable influence in the General Assembly to help them. Connecticut voters have seen this type of influence peddling before and it has no place in government.”


According to Connecticut General Statute 9-215, if a seat in the General Assembly is vacated anywhere between 49 and 125 days before the next November general election, the election for that seat is held on the date of the general election and a separate special election is avoided. Considering this year’s General Election will be held on Nov. 6th, a separate special election for Sen. DeLuca’s seat can be avoided if he resigns between July 4th and September 18th.


Sen. DeLuca represents the towns of Bethlehem , Bridgewater , Middlebury, Oxford , Roxbury, Seymour , Southbury, Thomaston, Watertown , and Woodbury.


“Sen. DeLuca can spare his constituents in 10 towns the considerable cost of holding separate special elections if he does the right thing and resigns before September 18th,” said Sec. Bysiewicz.


According to state statute, “When any member or member-elect of the General Assembly resigns, the member or member-elect shall resign by notifying the Secretary of the State of the member's or member-elect's decision…” Sec. Bysiewicz urges Sen. DeLuca to consider what’s best for his constituents and the electoral process, “It is my hope that Sen. DeLuca will send the Secretary of the State’s Office his letter of resignation now, and make it effective July 5th to give voters – and potential candidates - adequate time to prepare for the Nov. election.


“As Connecticut ’s chief elections official, I travel across the state urging people to vote and to resist being cynical about their government,” said Bysiewicz. “My task is much more difficult everyday that Lou DeLuca remains a State Senator. It is my responsibility and obligation to speak out.”


As a follow-up to this post, here's a report from WTNH on the pressure DeLuca is receiving at the State Capitol.


More shakeups at the News-Times?


Time: 10:08 AM


Are more people leaving the Danbury News-Times?

According to the latest buzz on the street, Online Editor and future on-air personality Elizabeth Putnam and programmer Sean Clarke are taking off to greener pastures. If true, you could add these two resignations to the ever-growing growing list of reporters, photographers, and staff that were either laid-off or decided to jumped ship since MediaNews took ownership of the News-Times.

I'm beginning to wonder who will be left to report on anything in Danbury at that place? With the campaign season heading into full gear, will there be reporters that can weed through the local political spin and give us accurate news?

If the reporting and editorial on the so-called parade ordinance are any indication of the type of "accurate" media coverage MediaNews is planning for us, the residents in Danbury are screwed.

Keep the emails coming


Time: 8:28 AM

Just a word of thanks to all the people who have sent me tips and information for me to research. It's pretty obvious that there are nore than a few people who are fed up with the current administration and want a change in the way things are done in Danbury.

Again, if you have any tips, rumors, and informaiton that you think the HatCityBLOG crew should look into, please email us at hatcityblog@yahoo.com.

Take part in the new poll and re-name Elmer's Diner

Thursday, June 21, 2007
Time: 10:26 AM

Since posting on the site will be light today (I'll tell you about it later), I decided to lighten up and have a little fun.

In honor of the most outrageous location for a diner in Danbury, I asking you the readers of HatCityBLOG for you help.

I'm looking for a new name to describe Elmer's Diner in future posts so please take part in my new poll and help this blogger out.

Moral of the poll: Elmer Palma's location of his diner is a shameless, insensitive joke on the residents of Danbury and New Fairfield that commute on Route 37 everyday.

UPDATE: Oh, I love my readers! My inbox has been filling up with people adding their own names to the diner so PLEASE, if you have a different name for the silly place, add it to the comments section so everyone can have a laugh.

Before talking to the police, GET AN ATTORNEY

Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Time: 3:23 PM

Today's article on the incident at the Danbury Fair carnival sounded the alarm bells at HatCityBLOG central.
A police investigator said Tuesday that several "independent witnesses" have contradicted allegations that police officers used excessive force in breaking up a brawl at the Danbury Fair mall carnival that resulted in the arrests of eight young people earlier this month

Lt. Edward Lopes, who is conducting an internal review of officers' actions during the incident, said that written statements from a half-dozen carnival employees and people who were at the mall back up the officers' version of the events.

"Quite to the contrary of the complainants, police were not the aggressors," Lopes said. "One person clearly saw a female spit on a police officer."
This quote knocked the alarm bell off the wall...
Lopes said he is committed to "using every resource available" to find out what happened.

In addition to taking statements from witnesses, Lopes said he has even been checking YouTube to see if anyone posted footage of the brawl on the Internet video site.

"If someone has something, I want to see it," Lopes said. He urged anyone with information about the incident to contact him at (203) 797-4504.

Whoa there, put that phone down!

NOTE TO ANYONE WHO WAS A WITNESS WHO HAS FIRST-HAND KNOWLEDGE INFORMATION SURROUNDING THE EVENT AT THE DANBURY FAIR CARNIVAL AND/OR WAS ARRESTED BY THE POLICE: Before going to the police (or talking to the media), I beg you to please, please, please TALK TO AN ATTORNEY.

• If you were arrested, the LAST thing you should be doing is issuing statements to the police and/or media without legal representation offering you some solid advice.

• If you were a witness with first-hand knowledge, it's best that you seek the defense attorney with your evidence especially if you evidence supports the defendants' claims. This is not to say that you SHOULDN'T go to the police, it's just that you want to make sure that everyone sees the same information especially if your information supports the defendants' claims

For example, I hope these people had a lawyer with them when they talked to the media.
"It was crazy. People were just walking to their cars. Police were pulling girls by the hair and throwing them to the ground," said 16-year-old Katherine Caban, whose brother, Ben Mejias, was charged.

Mejias, 20, of Bethel, charged with breach of peace and criminal trespass, was a participant in the fight that preceded the other arrests, police said, and was also the person who uttered a series of racial slurs while being processed in the department's booking room.

Mejias said he didn't start the fight, and was only defending himself after being attacked by two or three other individuals.

"They ran away and the police grabbed me," he said. "I felt like everything that happened was uncalled for."
Trust me, you do yourself no good issuing comments to the media before consulting with an attorney when there is a case pending against you. You do yourself no good if you were a witness to the event and are issuing comments to the media before consulting with an attorney.

Remember what we're talking about here. This isn't a traffic violation case...we're talking about a case in which it is alleged that the police department used racial slurs and used excessive force on people while breaking up a fight at the carnival. This is a very serious matter so if you were arrested, it would be in your best interest to treat it as a serious matter and not do or say anything that can come back to haunt you at a later point.

Forget about public opinion, the anti-immigrant bigoted idiots who pollute the News-Times boards, forget about the idiotic News-Times poll on the incident. The ONLY thing that matters in a criminal trial is evidence and statements and if your one of those who were arrested ANYTHING that you say or do CAN be used against you in a court of law.

Last night, I had the opportunity to interview Attorney Caryn Mullin, one of the lawyers representing several of the defendants in the case, to get her opinion on why witnesses and defendants should first seek the advice of an attorney.

If you are a witness to the events at the Danbury Fair Carnival incident AND have first hand knowledge or information (i.e. cell phone video/audio) AND/OR you are someone who was arrested, you can call Attorney Caryn Mullin at 203.798-8434.

Know your rights before you open your mouth.

Chris Murphy chastises President Bush for stem cell veto


Time: 2:42 PM

Once again, reinforcing that he's the worst President in the history of the United States, President Bush vetoed a bill that would have expanded federal funding of embryonic stem cell research.

On the heels of President's veto, Congressman Chris Murphy issued the following statement:
"The President's veto of legislation that could potentially hold the key to curing debilitating or life-threatening diseases is dumbfounding. Once again, just like with his stay-the-course policy in Iraq , the President is stubbornly defying the will of the American people.

"Nothing is more basic and important than our health, and I came to Washington to work with people from across the country and across the political spectrum to fix our broken health care system. We passed the stem cell bill for the millions of Americans who could benefit from a federal commitment to this type of research, and its passage was one of the most meaningful moments in my months in Congress.

"But today, the President chose to deny access to medically justifiable and ethical stem cell research for millions of Americans in search of a cure. Lost in the President's ideological reasons for vetoing this bill is the fact that the House, the Senate, and the American people simply want him to allow the use of embryos that would be thrown away if they weren't used for medical research.

"The push for federal investment in stem cell research will not end with the stroke of his veto pen. In the coming weeks and months, I will work to keep this issue at the forefront of the debate in Washington ."

The real heroes in the local broadcasting of local govenment meetings saga ignored by Mayor Boughton and The News-Times

Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Time: 1:20 PM

Okay, this is simply too much not to comment about. The News-Times has dropped the ball on reporting local news correctly that it's getting annoying.

Let's set the record straight on the whole broadcasting on local government meetings "kiss Mayor Boughton's and Lynn Waller's backside" fluff piece in today's paper.

FIRST OFF, if there is ONE person who's been the biggest roadblock in making this happen over the last two years, it's been Mayor Boughton and if this wasn't an re-election year, TRUST ME, this whole change of heart from Danbury's ruler would not have happened PERIOD.

SECOND, Lynn Waller was ONLY ONE piece of this movement as there were MANY OTHER people who worked tirelessly to make government meetings on Channel 24 a reality and it's not surprising that the mayor "overlooked" this as it would require him to acknowledge people who aren't his biggest fans.

Lets thank the real heroes who busted their ass to make broadcasting the meetings a reality:

• Councilwoman Lynn Taborsak and the Democratic Town Committee: for creating a petition, door-knocking throughout Danbury, and getting over 200 residents to sign their request to broadcast the meetings.

• Ivon Alcime and John Neumuller: who took time out of their personal lives to bring the residents of Danbury coverage of the meetings. As someone who has videotaped these meetings well before they came on the scene, I know what it takes to record these events and it's not easy and they deserve the praise that Mayor Boughton and News-Times "reporter" Mark Langois ignored.

• The editorial board of the News-Times
for their critical editorials that tracked the dishonesty of Mayor Boughton every step of the way in terms of his excuses for not supporting broadcasting the meetings AND the Republican leadership for not allowing the broadcasting ad-hoc committee TO MEET ONE TIME. It wasn't for their editorials outlining the stonewalling from Boughton and company, the mayor would have swept this entire situation under the carpet.

• FINALLY, well, ME and the readers of this site who read my posts on this subject from day one and supported my efforts by watching Danbury Live, signing the petition, and emailing me and asking me what more can be done to bring attention to this issue. The power of the public is something that should never go underestimated in a city such as this one where misleading the public is a common practice among our elected officials.

Now, since that is out of the way, Let's go back in time and recap the original argument.

As I stated on this site since day one, ALL local government meetings need to be broadcast on Channel 24 which includes the IMPORTANT ad-hoc committee meetings where the real city business takes place. As someone who has been to too many of these meetings, the Common Council meetings are basically a show as the gritty work in done in the Caucus (BTW: the Republicans CLOSED their caucuses to the public last year...but that's another story). If you really want to know what's going on in Danbury, you NEED to see the ad-hoc committee meetings. Now, in terms of developmental issues, Planning, Zoning, and EIC is the place to be and those are important meetings to view and in the unknown future, these events will be broadcasted (although by that time, it might be too late).

Unlike the over-the-top wiring of the Common Council chambers, as I (and several other activists) stated on several occasions, this ENTIRE situation could have been done on the cheap with the simple use of a couple of digital video cameras, a tripod, and either a direct wire to the audio system in the Common Council chambers (which is used by WLAD), and an external mic hookup for the instances where meetings are done in other rooms. Under any scenario, the city could have reached out to the Danbury High School's audio/visual department and Western Connecticut State university's A/V department and simply created an internship program where students could gain experience taping the meetings and broadcasting them on Comcast for a fraction of the cost that Mayor Boughton shelled out JUST FOR THE PURCHASE OF THE VIDEO EQUIPMENT he bought for City Hall.

Now, since I'm pressed for time, I'll go into greater detail on this subject and explain why one should question the historic flip-flop from Mayor Boughton and Common Council President Joe Cavo later. I did have time to dig up this oldie but goodie video post from Dec 2006 which somewhat outlined some of the dishonesty from our folks at City Hall.

Enjoy .

(originally posted Dec. 2006)

Okay, now they're just insulting our intelligence folks.


For those who think this site is only about going after Republicans in the area (which is laughable), here's a topic that everyone should be able to agree and find common ground regardless of your political views.


When it comes to your local government at work, I can not stress to you how important it is for people to know what's happening in Danbury. It's simple...people NEED to see their the people they voted into office at work and see how things are done at City Hall. For a area the size of Danbury NOT to have their government meetings on television is downright embarrassing given that smaller surrounding towns such as Bethel and Ridgefield seem to have no problem providing their citizens with government broadcasts.


Instead of just hearing about the passing of bills and ordinances, the public would be better informed about the pros and cons surrounding any issue if the meetings were simply broadcasted. That way, the public would be allowed to see their local government at work and make a better-informed opinion on any topic. Unfortunately, because of a local newspaper that historically hasn't done a great job covering local government news, many people in the area are unaware of what's happening behind the scenes at City Hall which results in people making uninformed decisions on topics that they actually know little about.


After many months of watching this situation unfold in Danbury, it is this blogger's honest opinion that Mayor Mark Boughton and the Republican majority of the Common Council is simply stonewalling the public and offering any excuse that comes to their mind when it comes to broadcasting local government meetings on public access and enough is enough. Form day one, the Republicans in power have gone out of their way to block the ability for City Hall to simply broadcast local government meetings on public access and enough is enough.


To illustrate just how bi-partisan this topic is, I'm going to do something that will make locals in Danbury who know both of these individuals fall off their chairs: present a issue that Democrat Lynn Taborsak and Republican Lynn Waller agree on (for the most part).


Although I don't agree on many things Waller raises on her public access show, I do respect her for not drinking the kool-aid when it comes to the excuses receiving regarding the problems with putting the meetings on television. She's been doing her Friday night public access show for too long to know that broadcasting anything and placing it on cable television shouldn't be that big of a deal and definitely shouldn't cost the outrageous estimates coming from the Mayor's office (figures ranging from 60,000 to 90,000 dollars). She's been on her show for the last five months alerting the public about this issue and recently had a pretty heated exchange (for her standards) with Common Council Republican President Joe Cavo where he basically she told every ridiculous excuse in the book.


Now, Lynn Taborsak has been a political figure in Danbury for quite some time and she's another person who you can't fool. Taborsak doesn't have a hard time cutting right to the chase and calling it like she sees it and when it comes to the nonsense surrounding the Republican's excuses, she doesn't fail to disappoint. Calling the broadcasting excuses from Boughton, Cavo, and the Republican majority a classic case of stonewalling; Taborsak echoes the opinion of many including myself who have had enough of the excuses and political dishonesty.


For those of you shaking your head and saying, "CTblogger has to be kidding," here's what I'm going to do just for you.


From now until either the meetings are broadcasted or election day (whichever comes first), I'm going to devote a good chunk of my time alerting the public to the endless list of excuses the Republican-majority is putting the citizens of Danbury through regarding this silly issue.


Broadcasting meetings on public access should be a no-brainer. Shouldn't we all know exactly what's being said at City Hall?


As usual, I've created a video that will somewhat get people up to speed surrounding the nonsense those who want local government meetings on television are being put through by a Republican majority which has given every indication that they want to keep the public in the dark when it comes to their decision-making. Trust me, when you watch the video, you'll better understand why this issue is driving so many people in Danbury nuts.




Okay, if you just watched the video, please pick your mouth up off the floor and site back in your chair. Everything presented in the clip is strictly from current public access shows on the air right now. This is only the beginning in a LONG SERIES of videos exposing the hypocrisy and outright arrogance the Republican majority are displaying to the public.


To up the ante, I'm going to create a special section of my blog, which will be devoted exclusively to this topic...but I need your help. Please, send an email to Common Council President Joe Cavo (j.cavo@ci.danbury.ct.us) demanding that the stonewalling stop and broadcast local government meetings on public access. When you email him, PLEASE send a CC: or BCC: to hatcityblog@yahoo.com and I can keep an ongoing list of the public's emails to Cavo on my site for all to see (don't worry, your email address will not be posted). This way, Mr. Cavo cannot say he didn't receive any feedback from the public (which he has been stating for the last couple of months).


I know this sounds silly but Danbury is a silly city, which is controlled by a political party that has gone out of their way to insult our intelligence on so many topics that it's hard to keep count.

Enough is enough.

People-powered media to action!


Be right back


Time: 10:41 AM

I'm currently monitoring the AFSCME Presidential Forum and providing video clips for various national blogs so reporting on local issues will have to be put on hold for a little while.

Things in the works:

• There are still grumblings over Mayor Mark Boughton's "lack of leadership" regarding addressing the community about the incident at the Danbury Fair carnival. The News-Times obtained a copy of a portion of the video from the security cameras but the quality is pretty bad to say the least. I'll explain why it's SO important for everyonr to not jump to conclusions AND why it's important for all witnesses to keep their mouth shut.

• The city charter revision committee meets tonight at City Hall and this should be rather interesting.

• If you think I'm taking a break from my quest to have Comcast enforce their rules on Tom "BigT" Bennett for his long history of profane, indecent, and violent remarks, think again. There are some rather interesting developments in this story, which should play out hopefully in the coming weeks. Stay tuned.

• Oh, there are some elected officials that have to explain themselves when it comes to the so-called parade ordinance. Don't think I'm done with this subject or holding people accountable for their actions.

• With the festival season underway, I'll have to play catch-up and post my video presentation from this year's Greek Experience.

• I'm working on preserving the Danbury Live! episodes and I'll start making their footage available soon.

• Elmer "Fudd" Palma is lucky that I wasn't in a position to call and ask him questions during his "ass-kissing" interview on Ivon "Idea's at Work and Beyond." After watching that interview, I'm one step closer to starting my own public access show and setting the record straight.

• We're going to hit the streets again and start a new door-knocking campaign with our new video material for residents. Since the traditional media has dropped the ball on several subjects (i.e., parade ordinance), we feel that it's up to us to pick up the slack and get the real story behind this god-awful ordinance out to the public as soon as possible.

• Be on the lookout for more guest posts...details to come soon.

Due to advise from several readers, if you have anything that you think HatCityBLOG should look into, please email us at hatcityblog@yahoo.com. We're receiving a great deal of tips and research material so please keep the info coming...and as always, your privacy will be honored.

In Mayor Boughton's twisted reality, this is ALL Gene Eriquez fault

Monday, June 18, 2007
Time: 12:11 PM

(By popular demand, we're going to re-examine the Elmer "Fudd's" Diner disaster...you know, the traffic disaster that Mayor Boughton is too busy to address (but not busy enough to blame the "previous administration" for creating the problem.

Over the next few weeks, we're going to update you on the "progress" our mayor has made in terms of addressing the traffic concerns around this diner as well as how other people took matters into their own hands Originally posted: May 24 2007).


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.

If EVERYONE in the city knew that Elmer's Diner would be a traffic nightmare, why did City Hall drop the ball?

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...

Whaa, she threw me under the bus, whaa!


Time: 10:53 AM

(While I'm reporting on more silly crap happening in Danbury, here's a cross-post I wrote for My Left Nutmeg on another disgraceful Republican)

Oh, come on. He's kidding right?

Former Gov. John G. Rowland says Gov. M. Jodi Rell, his longtime lieutenant governor, sacrificed him in the name of politics when he became mired in scandal.


[...]


Rowland told The Washington Post for a story in Sunday's editions that Rell "threw me under the bus when it got rough," although he also found fault in himself.


"Jodi acted like we weren't even friends," he said. "But that's politics ... It's about survival ... It's the place for the ego-driven, and that was me ... I still have to watch it.


"You know, I get some applause and I start to get those old feelings," he said. "I have to watch out for that arrogance. You're always in recovery."

Oh cry me a river John.


In typical Rowland fashion, he's still thinking about himself over the people we swore to serve when he took the oath of office. As I see it, the PEOPLE OF CONNECTICUT are still in recovery from what you did to this state so I'm sure I speak for many when I say that I have no pity for you whatsoever.


...in fact, I'm still amazed that you're out of jail.


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10.03.18 (PDF):
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2018 (RADIO): WLAD
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04.01.21 (OP-ED): CT-LEAD:
"Why did Sen. Kushner vote against us?"

05.06.21 (VID): Danbury rally to fully fund public schools

10.07.21 (VID): Danbury City-Wide PTO "Meet the Candidates" education forum

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01.21.22 (OP-ED): CT MIRROR
"Lessons from Danbury: Ending the dual process for charter school approval"

02.09.22 NEWSTIMES
"Proposed Danbury charter school won’t open in 2022, governor leaves funding out of budget"

02.18.22 NEWSTIMES:
Danbury residents plead for charter school funds in 9-hour state budget hearing: ‘Just exhausted’

03.05.22 (LTE):
Time has come for Danbury charter school

03.12.22 (OP-ED): TAYLOR
"Why I am excited about the Danbury Charter School"

03.16.22 (LTE):
"Why a Danbury Charter School?"

04.02.22 CT EXAMINER:
"Crowding and a Lack of Options for Danbury Students, But No Agreement on Solutions"

04.04.22 (OP-ED): DCS
"Danbury Charter School plans debut"

04.07.22 (PODCAST): (CEA)
"SENATOR KUSHNER DISCUSSES POINTS OF OPTIMISM FOR DANBURY PUBLIC SCHOOLS"

04.18.22 (VID): CT-LEAD
Protest press conference

04.25.22 (RADIO): WSHU
Latino group call on Connecticut lawmakers to open a Danbury charter school

06.03.22 (OP-ED): KUSHNER:
"Career Academy ‘a great deal for Danbury"

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On September 26, 2007, ten plaintiffs filed suit in response to an arrest of aday laborers at a public park in Danbury, Connecticut. Plaintiffs amended their complaint on November 26, 2007.

The amended complaint states that plaintiffs sought to remedy the continued discriminatory and unauthorized enforcement of federal immigration laws against the Latino residents of the City of Danbury by Danbury's mayor and its police department.

Plaintiffs allege that the arrests violated their Fourth Amendment rights and the Connecticut Constitution because defendants conducted the arrests without valid warrants, in the absence of exigent circumstances, and without probable cause to believe that plaintiffs were engaged in unlawful activity. In addition, plaintiffs allege that defendants improperly stopped, detained, investigated, searched and arrested plaintiffs. Plaintiffs also allege that defendants violated their Fourteenth Amendment rights when they intentionally targeted plaintiffs, and arrested and detained them on the basis of their race, ethnicity and perceived national origin. Plaintiffs raise First Amendment, Due Process and tort claims.

Plaintiffs request declaratory relief, damages and attorneys fees.

CLICK HERE TO READ/DOWNLOAD MAYOR BOUGHTON'S DEPOSITION

CLICK HERE TO READ/DOWNLOAD MIKE McLACHLAN (then MAYOR CHIEF OF STAFF) DEPOSITION

Danbury Area Coalition for the Rights of Immigrants v.
U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security
3:06-cv-01992-RNC ( D. Conn. )

(02.25.08) Court docket

(10.24.07) Memorandum in Opposition to Defendant's Emergency Motion for Protective Order

(09.26.07) Press Release

(12.14.06) Complaint


Barrera v. Boughton, No. 07-01436
(D. Conn. filed Sept. 26, 2007)

(02.25.08) Court Docket

Amended complaint

Defendants' Motion to Dismiss for Lack of Subject Matter Jurisdiction

Defendants' Motion to Dismiss State Law Claims

Plaintiffs' Opposition to Motion to Dismiss

Order on Motion to Dismiss

Defendants' Answer to Amended Complaint

NEW HAVEN REGISTER: Immigrant's 2006 arrest was flawed Danbury mayor testifies

(10.05.07 (VIDEO) Boughton mislead the public about Danbury's involvement in raid

(09.18.07) Yale Law Students expose Danbury involvement in raid

(12.14.06) VIDEO: Interview with Yale Law Students at FOI presser

(12.14.06) VIDEO: Danbury 11 FOI complaint media roundup

City Clerk Jean Natale standing next to skinhead sparks outrage

(10.03.06) VIDEO: Danbury 11 rally

(09.29.06) VIDEO: Danbury 11 case deepens

Word of raid spread across the country

(09/29/06) VIDEO: Danbury 11 protest news conference

(09/29/06) Immigrant newspaper "El Canillita" gives best account of ICE day labor raid at Kennedy Park


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VIDEO: Tereza Pereira's ordeal with ICE agents

VIDEO: Danbury Peace Coalition Immigration Forum (April 2006)
featuring Mayor Boughton and Immigration attorney Philip Berns

VIDEO: 2007 Stop the Raids immigration forum at WCSU

2007: Community protest anti-immigration forum

A tribute to Hispanic Center Director and immigrant activist Maria Cinta Lowe

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2023 MUNICIPAL ELECTIONS

Results:
11.15.23 Recanvass return
(Head Moderator Return Format)

11.07.23: Election night returns
(Head Moderator Return Format)

11.07.23: Initial returns


ESPOSITO FINANCE REPORTS:
Oct 10 2022
Jan 10 2023
Apr 10 2023
Jul 10 2023
Oct 10 2023

ALVES FINANCE REPORTS:
Apr 10 2023
Jul 10 2023
Oct 10 2023

CAMPAIGN SLATE DATABASE
Dem/GOP slate/ballot position

VIDEO: DRTC convention
VIDEO: DDTC conveniton


2021 (ALVES/ESPOSITO)

TOWN COMMITTEES
(VID) DDTC nomination convention
(PDF) DDTC campaign slate flyer

(VID) DRTC nomination convention
(PDF) DRTC campaign slate flyer

FORUMS/DEBATES
(VID) 2021 Danbury City-Wide PTO educational forum

CAMPAIGN FINANCE
First quarter
Alves Apr 10th SEEC filing

Second quarter
Alves Jul 10th SEEC filing
Esposito Jul 10th SEEC filing

Third quarter
Alves Oct 12th SEEC report
Esposito Oct 12th SEEC report

CAMPAIGN MAILERS
Alves "Jan 6th" attack mailer 10.21.21
Esposito "you can't trust Alves" attack mailer 10.20.21
Alves mailer 10.20.21
Alves mailer 09.30.21
Esposito mailer 09.28.21
Alves mailer 09.27.21
Esposito mailer 09.27.21


PAST CAMPAIGN COVERAGE

2005 (BOUGHTON/ESPOSITO)
Danbury 2005 election results
Newstimes Dean Esposito profile (10.25.05)

2007 (BOUGHTON/ABRANTES)
Danbury 2007 election results
(VID) Helana Abrantes TV ad
(VID) BRT tax deferral presser
(VID) Helena Abrantes "Community Forum" interview

2009 (BOUGHTON/GONCALVES)
Danbury 2009 election results
(VID) 2009 Danbury City-Wide PTO educational forum
(VID) 2009 Danbury Chamber of Commerce mayoral debate
(VID) 2009 DDTC nomination convention

2011 (BOUGHTON/TABORSAK)
Danbury 2011 election results
(VID) Saadi/Nero campaign kickoff

2013 (BOUGHTON/NO DTC ENDORSED CANDIDATE/MCALLISTER)
Danbury 2013 election results
(VID) 2013 DDTC nominaiton convention

2015 (BOUGHTON UNCHALLENGED)
Danbury 2015 election results

2017 (BOUGHTON/ALMEIDA)
Danbury 2017 election results
(VID) Al Almeida concession speech
(VID) 2017 Danbury City-Wide PTO educational forum
(VID) Al Almeida nomination acceptance speech

2019 (BOUGHTON/SETARO)
Danbury 2019 election results
(VID) 2019 NewsTimes Editorial Board interview with Mark Boughton and Chris Setaro
(VID) 2019 Danbury City-Wide PTO educational forum
(VID) 2019 Danbury Chamber of Commerce mayoral debate
(VID) 2019 convention endorsement speeches from Mark Boughton and Chris Setaro