(bumped to the top)

Such a classic girl...
Pauline Basso's true feelings about HatCityBLOG and the press, Common Council Meeting 11.08.07. photo by ctblogger

About that "so called" apology...

When asked why she apologized in an October letter addressed to the Rev. Ivan Pitts of the New Hope Baptist Church, Basso said, "Because the minister wanted me to."

-Danbury News-Times 11.07.07

Good riddance...and take that jackass (a.k.a Joel Urice) with you.

When asked if he had any regrets about the e-mails, Urice didn't exactly offer an olive branch to Danbury's minority communities.

"Oh, I don't know," Urice said. "I think it's best just to put this thing to bed."

We'll put the whole thing to bed once Mayor Boughton refuses to appoint you back to the Planning Commission.

Don't forget this tidbit from the Democratic caucus back on October 19th.

We call on Council President Joseph Cavo to clearly and publicly denounce the conduct of Councilwoman Basso. By her actions she has ceased to be an effective leader and should resign her majority Republican leadership position immediately and while she refuses to resign from office it will be the voters in November to determine her future. However, Mr. Urice is an appointed official and should step down for the good of the Planning Commission and, if he refuses, the Mayor should not reappoint him at the end of his current term.

...and in case you missed Minority Leader Tom Saadi's interview on WLAD demanding that Urice not be re-appointed at the end of his term.





Remember, what people like Basso and Urice do in private mirrors their public actions. The fact that Basso and Urice STILL think that the emails were a "joke" and no big deal speaks volumes about their character.

Oh my...is this for real?!?

Sory about the lack of posts today. My internet service has been on and off today and I'm sure it's going to go down again soon.

I'll be back once things are more stabilized. I have lots to share with you...

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Is Danbury this man's second home?

Congressman Chris Murphy's "Congress on Your Corner" campaign will be making a stop in Danbury this Sunday. Pay a visit to Stop and Shop on this Sunday between 10 and 11 AM and ask your Congressman any question on your mind.

TONIGHT from 6:30 to 7:30, you can join Congressman Chris Murphy in a telephone town hall meeting.

To join in the conversation, all you need to do is call in at 866-447-5149, access code: 13348

The telephone meeting will be streamed live here at HatCityBLOG as it happens (audio only).


The live event is over but you can hear the re-broadcast of the telephone town hall meeting by clicking play.

they wrote a song about it.

Hat tip to a HatCityBLOG reader for providing the link.

• Since the election is over, I'm doing some minor changes to this site. I noticed that the blog was loading slow so I reduced the number of posts on the front page and I'm in the middle of re-organizing the links section.

• I'm working with designers to change for format of this site altogether. The blog will stay the same (for the most part) but what I'm aiming for is an online news source that focuses on Danbury. I'm in the process of getting more writers on board as well as more graphic artists to help out with the load.

Basically, I'm in the process of taking the small steps to transform hatcityblog.com from a blog, to an full-fledge online newspaper and eventual bi-weekly newspaper, which will focuses on all the stuff that goes overlook in the traditional media. For an example of what I'm talking about, check out my favorite reporter Paul Bass' site The New Haven Independent.

• You'll notice more ads on the site. That's because I'm going to start an ad campaign and attract more businesses to advertise here. For information on advertising on this site (it's really cheap at only 10 dollars per week), click here.

• A sincere thanks to those who stopped by to read this site. I'm proud to say that the traffic has peaked at 1,000 for the last two days and is averaging at about 600 hits per day. I hope that you new readers come back and visit often.

• With everything going on, I've been slow in getting the Danbury Live episodes online. Whatever you do PLEASE watch that show, the volunteers who make that show possible work tirelessly going to GOD-AWFUL boring-ass meetings at City Hall as well as go through countless hours of editing just for you.

In due time, I'm going to create a new website for them where you'll be able to watch all the shows but until then, I'm keeping an online video archive of the shows, which you can view over in the links section of this site.

• I had a SPECIAL COMMENT to deliver regarding Mayor Boughton but I with so any things on my plate, I've decided to hold things off until his swearing in ceremony. It will give me more time to add to it as it's a really good piece of writing.

• The money trail continues...in fact, it gets better as more and more people in the know are coming up to me and filling in the dots. Make sure to read my piece on Mark Boughton, James Galante, and the mayor's ticking time bomb. Afterwards, download Mayor Boughton's election and PAC finance statements and do your part to figure out who donated to the last honest man campaign.

In our search of the material, we found another possible bundled contribution from Galante (Apr. 2003), campaign contributions from the Tribuna newspaper, contributions from members of the Democratic Town Committee, contributions from Democratic candidates who were running for office, contributions from lawyers for developers, and other tidbits that make absolutely no sense whatsoever.

• Now that there is more free time, and I'm in the process of transforming this site, I think it's time to go back and take are of some nonsense that flowed out of the mouths (and hands) of certain individuals who need to be held accountable. For legal reasons, I'll just leave it at that for now.

• Thanks for all the positive feedback on the live stream. Again, things were rather wacky and I couldn't do everything I wanted to do but at least I proved that streaming video content was possible and I can't wait to use it again in the future.

Cya.

UPDATE 3:30 P.M.: I just came back from visiting Registrar of Voter Marge Gallo at City Hall and the it will be a few days until I have a complete list of the voter count from the election. You see, I want to know the political ID of those who voted in eac ward and that takes time for City Hall to compile. I'll let everyone know when I get my hands on the info.

VERY IMPORTANT EPISODE! Keep an eye on the developments happening at Bear Mountain.

Board of Education chair resigns.

The chair of the city's Board of Education resigned Wednesday to take a job in New Hampshire, the day after she was returned to the 11-member board in the municipal election.

Susan Podhajski, a Democrat, resigned by letter after four years on the board, including last year as its chairman.

The election process calls for the Democratic Town Committee to nominate a resident to replace Podhajski and the school board to vote on the appointment, which will stand until the next election.

Podhajski said she enjoyed her work on the board and thought the re-election of five incumbents showed the work it has done for the school district is valued.

[...]

A combination of the regulations governing the city charter and state statute called for the election to return three Democrats and three Republicans.

That's because an 11-member board elects six members in one municipal election and five members in the next election. Only every four years can the board's party leadership change.

So this year, three incumbent Democrats -- Rachael Austin, Gladys Cooper and Podhajski -- held their seats. Republicans Irving Fox and Louis Alosco, both appointed to the board earlier this year, were returned to the board along with Republican Thomas Scozzafavo, a former board member.

The board retains a Democratic majority of six members.

I wonder which Democrat will take over the board? This should be a very interesting to watch.

The Fairfield Weekly documents the dolts on the News-Times board who work tirelessly to keep the image of Danbury being the "Armpit of Connecticut" fresh in everyone's minds.

We've always considered many posters on the Danbury News-Times's website xenophobic nutbags, or worse. Recently, their xenophobic nutbaggery was acknowledged in a court of law, and may have had an effect on the trial.

An attorney representing the daughters of Ivan Patricio Tenecela, an undocumented immigrant who was electrocuted to death in 2004 due to a faulty set-up at a Newtown historical house that his company was hired to repair, motioned for a change of venue because "many of the prospective jurors in the Danbury district were insensitive to this claim because of Mr. Tenecela's undocumented status," basing this statement directly on comments on the News-Times's site.

The defendants—the Town of Newtown, the Heritage Preservation Trust of Newtown and Tenecela's employer Campbell Quality Painting—settled out of court, paying $300,000 to Tenecela's two daughters, who live in Ecuador and were sent money from their father in the states until his death.

The responses on NewsTimes.com:

- "Rewarding criminals, I am sure the liberals will chime in and say how this was a good thing." The "criminals" being 8-year-old Digna and 10-year-old Jennifer?

- "I hope the family will be paying the standard 40% in taxes." The "family" being two fatherless children?

UPDATE 11.08.07: The insanity continues...

I am disgusted with The News-Times' agenda. You would think we were in the Netherlands with the radical Muslims gunning for their latest victims (Pauline Basso and Joel Urice) and The News-Times is right in front with the ammunition fueling the fire!

My God certainly isn't the same God that these liberal, support-those-illegal-alien-law-breaker clergy, is. What were Jesus' words? Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's and unto God what is God's. These misguided preachers are supporting people who are stealing from (Caesar) the United States of America.

I am sick of it. Let those "generous with other people's money" "preachers" support the lawbreakers who did not stand in line and wait their turn legally.

I got hit head-on by an illegal alien with no English, no license and no insurance, and she walked away with a ticket! I had to re-mortgage my house to replace my totaled car. Real fair, there.

Let's just bring in more illegals and continue to choke our streets, schools, social services and hospitals with "good, hard-working people who just want to support their families." Let's just take all the "little" jobs away so that high school kids, moms, some disabled and retired legal residents can't find living-wage-paying jobs, part or full time.

This is a witch hunt against the average American worker. All you do is pick on people who believe as I do. You don't know the difference between witch-hunting and news. The News-Times is nothing but a scandal rag that's got the credibility of the Enquirer.

[...]

This "newspaper" sure is working overtime on this issue. I wouldn't be surprised if it backfired on you. The voters are smarter than you give them credit for. Shame on you.

Yes, the voters are smart...they gave Basso the boot.

Just received this from the Secretary of State's office regarding the new optical scanning machines, recounts, and audits.

Hartford: One day after Connecticut ’s historic general election – the first since lever machines were decertified in July 2007 – Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz is announcing that her office will help coordinate three post election procedures to ensure that every vote is counted.

“The new optical scan machines performed well across the state, with only minor glitches reported,” said Bysiewicz. “ Connecticut voters should feel confident that every vote was counted. Still, I’m not asking anyone to simply take my word for it: that’s why these post election procedures are so important. We want to shine the light on the electoral process, before and after all votes are cast.”

Recounts: The Secretary of the State’s office will advise local election officials who are conducting mandated recounts. Under state law recounts are required when the margin of victory is one-half of one percent - or 20 votes or less. Hand recounts must be conducted within five business days after the election and must be done with representatives from each party present.

The partial list of towns conducting recounts include: Newtown , Middlefield, New Britain , Brookfield , Bethlehem , East Haven, Chaplin, North Branford, Washington , Eastford, Trumbull , East Lyme, Southbury, and Norwalk . In the town of Bethlehem the margin of victory in the 1st Selectman’s race was just four votes. (575 – 571)

Audits: As part of Connecticut ’s new audit law, believed to be the toughest in the U.S. , Secretary Bysiewicz will hold a public ceremony on Tuesday November 13th in order to publicly and randomly select the polling precincts which will have their election results audited. Under state law, ten-percent of all precincts (approximately 750) used in the election will be subject to an audit. Such audits consist of hand counts of all paper ballots for selected races and then a comparison of those results with the tally from the optical scan machines. Audits are conducted in public with representatives from all parties invited. Results will be analyzed by UCONN, made available to the public, and sent to the State Elections Enforcement Commission.

Memory card analysis and audit: The Secretary of the State’s office has formalized an historic partnership with the University of Connecticut ’s Voting Technology Research Center that will help protect the state’s elections from computer hackers, and programming errors. Under the agreement before and after the election, scientists will test a sample of all memory cards used in the optical scan voting machines to ensure that each card is programmed correctly. The pre-election scans will also detect evidence of tampering, and any irregularities that might affect election results. Before the election UCONN tested more than 300 memory cards and a similar number is expected to be analyzed after the election.

WTF!?! There is a chance a Democrat will wina Republican First Selectman will lose in Brookfield. Matt Grimes will have a heart attack.

Bethel had an over 50 percent turnout for First Selectman?

Newtown...what happened Herb?

I think the whole optical scan machine thing needs work. If the machine can get screwed up by someone's hands being wet, then we have problems. There were machine problems in Brookfield and there will probably be an audit done in that town and possibly Bethel.

I'm waiting on word from the Secretary of State's office on which towns will be audited but if Gov. Rell has anything to say, keep a close eye on Brookfield.

"It's not just a question of whether Mark Boughton has done enough for people to want to fire him...it's whether he's done enough bad things that people want to hire someone else."

-Common Council 6th Ward member Paul Rotello remarks on Mayor Boughton's win, News-Times Nov 7 2007.

Oh man, I'm I tired.

Here's the deal. It was next to impossible to get any information last night at the Democratic Headquarters. I was mainly on the phone calling sources and attempting to crunch numbers (the final numbers didn't come in until well after midnight), which is why things soundsd so frantic on the live stream. Hell, it was only an experiment and for the most part, it worked well. Next year, we'll have things more ironed out.

Now, THE RESULTS.



Yes, Mayor Mark won. Yes Helena lost...but there is more to Mark's victory than meets the eye.

I'm really exhausted so I won't go into any detail about the results but it isn't as bad as it seems.

Think about it:

• None of the Common Council Ward representatives lost their seat.

• If Lynn Taborsak stayed at-large, she probably would have been re-elected…and don’t think you seen the last of her.

• If illegal immigration is SUCH an issue, why did Pauline Basso lose 10 percent of her vote from 2005 (in '05, Pauline received 6414 votes, '07, she received 5806 votes)?

• If illegal immigration is SUCH a big issue, why didn't the Republicans GAIN seats in the wards and get rid of those so-called pesky illegal immigrant-loving Democrats?

• If the Republicans were SO strong, why did Pudgie Delohery get LESS votes than '05 Town Clerk candidate Joseph L. Scozzafava (in 05, Scozzafava received 5821 votes, in 07, Delohery received 5776).

Republican domination…whatever. It’s more like a mayor with a long coat tail in a city where people are generally happy with the status-quo.

This election really comes down to a few factors:

1. People generally don't boot out incumbents unless they REALLY screw up.

NOW you better believe that over the last four weeks, the alarm bells were sounding in Mark's head. The email fiasco and Galante were a MAJOR bump in the last honest man's road, which was evident by Boughton's robo-call Sunday (something we've never see Mark do with days before an election in prior years). In the end, it all comes down to how much the city is taking out of your wallet and if your overall happy with the state of the city. In that case, OVERALL most voters were okay with the status-quo and elected everyone back in office.

2. The Democrats MUST (and I repeat MUST) analyze this race carefully and learn from it.

It's about your MESSAGE reaching the public and you can't do that without MONEY. Helena is a great person but her message didn't reach enough people in enough time. Her campaign made a blowout race look VERY interesting in the last few weeks but ultimately, it's about getting the message out there early and often...and there lies the problem. When you face someone who has the advantage of the bully pulpit, you have to come out the gates like gangbusters and that simply didn't happen in Helena's campaign.

Helena's a great person with a great message but it simply didn't reach enough people...especially the people who are okay with the city as is, which is evident because everything is basically the same as it was before the election.

There are great candidates in the party, who have a great future if they choose to pursue public service. A newcomer in Ken Gucker received 50 less votes than the top Democrat who ran in the second ward in 05. If Mayor Boughton wants to make a difference and appoint someone to a land-use commission (such as planning...cough, get rid of Urice, cough), I can't think of a better person for the job than Gucker as he really cares about the development of the city.

3. If you want to make a difference, you need to reach people and get them to come out and vote.

If you have a low turnout, Dems lose. If you can get a high turnout, Dems have a better chance. GOTV is critical in any election and this one is no different.

4. Again, most people are such so-so with the city and GENERALLY like things the way they are.

Now, that doesn't mean that they're not PISSED OFF over a seven-year tax break to BRT (they're very pissed about that), or elected-officials who forward stupid emails (they were PISSED OFF ABOUT THAT), it's just that Danbury is the kind of place where you can get up in the morning, drive out of the area to your job, come back home and the place is GENERALLY in one piece.



FINALLY, a big round of thanks goes out to Rev. Ivon Pitts, the NAACP, and the countless amount of outraged voters who sent a message to Pauline Basso (you know, that person who gave an arrogant VICTORY SPEECH on WLAD last night) and Joel "cowboy" Urice. Remember, Pauline REPKO Basso, an individual who's been on the council for a LONG TIME, and someone who received the THRID highest votes among at-large candidates in 05, was just shown the door in a big way by losing about 10 percent of your vote form 05 to 07.

Hell, the fact that she jump on the radio and started babbling about her victory, while TOTALLY ignoring the fact that she PISSED off 10 percent of her voters who ripped up her lawn signs and bailed on her speaks volumes about her TRUE character.

On the other hand, Joel Urice is just a joke and deserved everything he got. The people rejected his nonsense when he ran for the 6th ward in 05 and they showed him the door in 07. Happy trails! Look on the bright side, now Urice and Basso have al the time in the world to attend the Elise "deer in headlights" whack pack show down at the American Legion Wednesday nights. Heck, now, they can be the opening act and tell old stories about their hey day like Jake LaMotta did in the closing moments of Ragin' Bull.

The effectiveness of the NAACP and the religious leaders, who took a stance against Basso's outrageous behavior, were vindicated with last night’s booting of Basso and this administration better respond to this wake-up call. If elected-officials keep buddying up to the like of Elise Marciano and mirror her sick mentality, they could be the next who receive a pink slip from the public.
People want less rhetoric and more results (e.g., closing the shops on Main Street that provide phony documents to illegal immigrants, addressing the day labor situation on Kennedy and moving it to a new location, being level with the residents of Danbury, not just hyping illegal immigration up during the election season).

---

Blah. blah, blah, I could go on and on but I'm really tired and there is more work to be done. Those who really know inside political baseball who I talk to last night took a look at these numbers and generally come to the same conclusion as I outlined.

Trust me, no one (besides maybe the mayor) is really doing a happy dance over last night. One side got rid of Taborsak while the other got rid of Basso. In other words, it’s a wash and no one gained or lost anything. Things are still the same and neither party gained a political advantage…in fact, quite the contrary…the people who spoke out in force against Basso sent a CLEAR message to the status-quo…there is a limit to the anti-immigrant madness and people DON’T like seeing Danbury portrayed as the armpit of Connecticut.

For those who voted, thanks. For those who didn't vote, you have nothing to bitch about for the next two years.

Hold your elected-officials accountable for every move they make and keep them in check. Remember, Danbury is YOUR city...and now, I'm going to find MY bed. YES, I still have one more parting shot for the mayor...but that's for later. Now, I need to switch gears and get back to other issues facing this city. The job is never over and there are many things that are flying under the radar.

The story never stops and someone needs to fill in the blanks left by the local media; therefore, HatCityBLOG (and the soon-to-be birth of HatCityMedia) will keep going, and going, and going...

...never underestimate the power of People-Powered Media

This is a HatCityLIVEBLOG thread

If you need a ride to the polls, PLEASE call Democratic Headquarters at 203.778.3661. REMEMBER, if doesn't matter what political party you favor, just call and they'll come to your residence and bring you to the polls.

10:46: WELCOME TO HatCityBLOG's live coverage of Election 2007.

If you have any voting stories, please email them to hatcityblog@yahoo.com and we'll post it for everyone to read. Make sure to tell us which ward your reporting from.

Throughout the day, I'll post some of my best video clips from following the Boughton administration for the last two years. I made it a point to keep a close eye on things from the day Boughton beat 2005 Democratic candidate Dean Esposito and I think I'll find my videos interesting.

This thread will read from top to bottom which means in order to read the most updated post, you'll have to scroll down the screen.

As I promised, I'm going to BLAST Mayor Boughton once and for all over his last ditch attempt to use illegal immigration for political purposes in his shameless robo phone call Sunday night but that's for later. For now, here's a small list of feedback from readers who already voted:

1st WARD Rain notwithstanding, an unusually large group (primarily seniors) at DHS (approximately 9:30am). Seniors did not seem to be having any trouble with the new ballots. BTW if it's a test of IQs, the Dems outside had the good sense to be standing under a tent.

4th Ward? 3rd WARD I think the new voting system was confusing. I voted, and screwed up the ballot the first time around. The vote for any 7, vote for any 9 thing, was what was confusing. But, I voted democrat, all the way.

I knew from day one that the new machines would be somewhat confusing because it's very easy to over-vote. Please read my post below and watch the videos on how to use the new optical scan machines.

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10:55: One of the things that drives me nuts about Mayor Boughton is his uncanny ability to mislead the public at a drop of a dime. One of the reasons I started this blog was because there would be occasions when I heard the mayor say or make a comment about something that I knew was misleading. Here's a perfect example of what I'm talking about...back in May, Mayor Boughton was a guest on Ideas at Work and Beyond and in his interview with a smart Elizabeth Putnam (then reporter for the News-Times), the mayor uttered a laundry list of lies and misleading statements.

Back in May, I promised to take each one of the mayor's misleading statements and show how he routinely misleads the public. Well, I wasn't the only person keeping track of the Boughton's comments...in fact, the person Boughton mislead became so upset with the state of Danbury that he decided to run for office.

Here, for the first time, is 2nd Ward Common Council candidate Ken Gucker exposing one of Mayor Boughton's misleading statements about the BRT/Crosby project and the subject of contamination.

...if only the press did factchecking like this.

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11:30: If you already voted, send us your report. Email us at hatcityblog@yahoo.com and when you do, make sure to tell us which ward you're reporting from.

I'm about to head out and hit all the wards now for my afternoon report. Be back soon.

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1:50 P.M.: Okay...just got back from touring the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd wards. I'm processing the video now and I'll have photos up in a second. While you wait, here's another field report.

1st Ward: I voted at 8:00 this morning. Very light turn out. I was in and out in less than five minutes. The new system is very easy…just scribble in all the Democrat dots, turn it over, do it again...feed the little copy machine and poof! We’re in!!!

Got my “I Voted “ sticker too!

Helena and the gang were there keeping dry. Saw a couple or Republicans running for council...don’t remember their names...J they were standing in the “mud”.

Go COTTER GO!!!

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2:20 P.M.: Notice all the lovely ILLEGAL campaign lawn signs on public property! So annoying...



NOTE: As usual, of the three wards I visited thus far, the third ward had the highest turnout thus far. Parking lot was packed (12:00 PM). Second ward was light but steady (12:30) and the second had a decent turnout (1:00 P.M.) For the most part, the rain probably had an impact on the turnout but the sun came out around 12:00 so things should pick up (and remember, most people are still at work right now).

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3:00 P.M.: Just talked to a few sources and the second ward had a MASSIVE turnout from 6 A.M. to about 11:30 P.M. It seems like I missed the surge by about 30 minutes. We might have a new Common Council member in Ken Gucker.

I'll post my pictures and video from wards 1, 2, and 3 soon.

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3:20 P.M.: CAMPAIGN SPOTLIGHT: Brian Cotter

The last interview I conducted before election day was with Brian Cotter, candidate for treasurer. We talked about his campaign, his feelings about Election Day, and his vision for Danbury if elected.

Here's my report:

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3:30 P.M. Here's a tip for those who plan to email me reports. When you vote and you place your ballot in the machine, take a look at the digital counter. IT should read TOT=XXXX. When I voted this morning (11:15 A.M.), the counter was at 1030. This should give you some type of idea of the turnout and the real political junkies (those who really track this type of stuff) should be able to analyze the turnout compared to previous years.

I've talked to more people in the 2nd Ward and it's basically confirmed that they had a really impressive turnout this morning. Things were light but steady when I arrived there (12:30) but I think this is a ward to keep an eye on. I'll try and get in touch with someone from the 2nd who wants to do an interview. Since it's stopped raining, expect the turnout to increase as the day goes on. Email your election report at hatcityblog@yahoo.com. Make sure to indicate which ward your reporting from and if possible, give us a report on the total amount of votes casted (you'll see it when you place your ballot in the collection machine).

3:50 P.M.: Here's WLAD noon report.







WLAD news at noon.

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5:20 P.M.: I was hoping to get these videos process faster but I'm running out of disk space. I'll still do my rebuttal to Mayor Boughton's insane robo call from Sunday as well as give a parting shot at racist email author Joel Urice regarding his anti-immigrant/Democratic smear he made last Friday. I can only hope the people of Danbury act as smart as they did in 2005 and not vote an idiot like Urice to ANY elected position in OUR fine city (DOUBLE GOES TO HIS EMAILING BUDDY PAULINE BASSO).

Here's another report from the field. Remember, after you vote, share your experience at emailing us at hatcityblog@yahoo.com. Don't forget to tell us your ward and the count on the voting machine when you cast your ballot.

7th WARD: I voted in the 7th ward around 2:30PM today. The parking lot was very full. While checking in, it appeared that almost everyone on my street had voted already. I had to wait about a minute to get into the private area to vote. I believe the vote count was around 1200. Stready stream of people going in on my way out.

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5:50 P.M.: VIDEO REPORT:

Okay, it seems like I have things in order now...here's my video report from wards 1, 2, and 3. I didn't do any interviews since it just finished raining and the conditions weren't the best for conducting interviews.

Hope you like the video...



6:15 P.M.: Hello to those who just arrived at the site. The traffic here has spiked to 100-110 visits per hour with aprox. 800-900 people checking out the site so far today. If you voted already, please email hatcityblog@yahoo.com and tell us how everything went. Make sure to provide which ward you voted in as well as the couunt on the collection machine when it collected your ballot.

That's to those who complemented me on the site during my walk around the polling places. It's really funny to see Republicans say "I love your site BUT..." It's even funnier when several of them came up to me and laughed at something I wrote about one of their colleagues (the Jean Natale/skinhead photo always gets a laugh as well as the Gregg Seabury State Rep./Common Council post).

I'm putting the finishing touches on my post for Mark Boughton as well as my slap in the face post for racist email author Joel Urice. Off to wards 4, 5, 6, and 7. Be back soon.

7:50 P.M.: Live video stream Re-broadcast from Democratic headquarters.



10:15: Back to typing...had to find a Wifi. I went down to Comcast to hand in some results to the Election 2007 local access crew.

From what I have, the race for At Large is up in the air. I hear that the GOP is claiming that Basso won but from the numbers I saw, she's on life-support. Warren Levy is in striking distance and he was cross-endorsed. We don't know about the absentee ballots so it's really hard to call the At-Large race right now.

What's most disappointing is the low-turnout. Whoever you vote for, it's SO important to come out and vote but I won't know the official numbers until late tonight-early tomorrow.

It seems like nothing has changed in the ward races with all the candidates getting re-elected. Again, the real thing to watch is the at-large race and as of now, although the GOP is claiming that Basso won her spot, I haven't heard anything and the News-Times is not calling it yet for the above reasons I mentioned.

Whoa, did a Democrat win in Brookfield?!? By 8 votes?!?!?

I brought down the live stream and posted the re-broadcast of the footage from Democratic Headquarters. I'm going to see if I can find more numbers from the At-Large race.

10:30: From what I gathered, it's REALLY close between Warren Levy and Pauline Basso. REAL close. I think their might need to be a recount and again, there is the absentee ballots to consider.

IT'S REAL CLOSE FOLKS.

10:40: There is still a great deal of traffic here. Fir the first time ever, HatCityBLOG has crossed the 1,000 hits mark in one day! Thanks to all who visited the site.

I'm working like hell to get more info on the Pauline Basso/Warren Levy race as well as the other races such as Zoning (Joel Urice) and the B.O.E. I'll check back as soon as possible.

Remember that Connecticut has adopted the optical voting scan machines as the new standard and has thrown the old machines to the scrap heap.

It's critical that you understand how to use the new machines since candidates are on both sides of the ballot. To assist you in better understand how to use the new system, here's a series of videos, which will take you through the voting process.

Registrar of Voters Marge Gallo demonstrate new machines.



Marge Gallo demonstrates new machines on Ivon Alcime's Ideas at Work Beyond.




The Helena Abrantes campaign created a interactive map for all the voting locations at their website. At the site, you just place in your address at your ward and the website will kick back to you street by street directions to the voting location in your ward. Make sure to bring a form of identification with you!

IF YOU NEED A RIDE TO THE POLLS...

If you need a ride to the polls, PLEASE call Democratic Headquarters at 203.778.3661. REMEMBER, if doesn't matter what political party you favor, just call and they'll come to your residence and bring you to the polls.

HatCityBLOG will be the place to be for all your election day cravings

The HatCityBLOG team will bringing video reports from every ward throughout the day as well as provide live video streaming coverage from Democratic Headquarters starting at 7 P.M.

For the complete experience, tune into Comcast Channel 23 from 8-11 as local access hosts Ivon Alcime and Kevin Gallagher will be covering election night asn you'll also be able to see footage from HatCityBLOG there (heck, you might even see yours truly on the screen).

...ALSO we're going to comment on Mayor Boughton's shameless phone call from Sunday with a rebuttal that will be talked about for some time.

Eileen, Helena, Lori, Brian

Ignore the SHAMELESS LIES that spewed out of Mayor Boughton and the Republican Party's mouths and read (and watch) Helena's views on the issues and her vision for a better Danbury.

I'll deal with the political attack from last honest man who resides on the third floor of City Hall, as well as others who viciously attacked Helena and the Democratic team with one of the most powerful rebuttal post ever VERY SOON.

This story isn't going away.

Yesterday's roundtable discussion on Beyond the Headlines centered on the growing Galante illegal contribution political scandal.

With Joe Lieberman being the latest in an ever-growing list of elected-officials caught in the politician-organized crime connection, it's becoming more and more clear that the press is particularly interested in the last honest man's involvement with Galante.

As I stated several times before, Boughton's LIES excuses about the contributions aren't passing the smell test...it's only a matter of time.

tick tock, tick tock...

Before I get into my latest installment of CAMPAIGN SPOTLIGHT with Common Council 3rd Ward candidates Jim Kelly and Lynn Taborsak, a little background is in order.

One of the less known fights between residents and developers in 2007 had to deal with Dunkin' Donuts madman Eduardo Batista's dream to have a coffee shop in every ward in Danbury. With the 3rd Ward his last ward not touched by his hands, Batista attempted to place a Dunkin' Donuts on the corner of Springside Ave. and Osborne Street.

For those who are not familiar with the area, this quiet neighborhood that includes Springside Ave consist mainly of starter family homes and a majority of children in that neighborhood walk down Springside, across Osborne and up Hospital Ave to Broadview Middle School (see map below):

View Larger Map

Due to the great deal of traffic this Dunkin' Donuts would generate in this area, the neighbors in the area were concerned about the children's safety, especially during the wintertime since Springside Ave, with it's steep slope) is notorious for it's hazardous conditions during snowstorms. Also, there is a firehouse two houses down from the proposed location and residents were especially concerned about the impact the traffic from the Dunkin' Donuts would have on emergency equipment that needed to get to a scene.

For those who are not familiar with the area in question, here's a photograph, as well as video footage, of the two streets and the proposed site for the coffee shop (marked in red).

As you look at the images, take these facts into consideration:

• The odd location of the site (off Osborne and onto Springside).

• The slope of Springside Ave.

• The firehouse that's one house away from this location.

• The fact that kids go up and down this portion of Osborne on their way to Broadview School

• The fact that this Dunkin Donuts would have been hop and a skip away from the hospital; therefore, it's logical to assume that a majority of the traffic would be generated from those who either worked at the hospital, or those who visited loved ones at the hospital.

In a nutshell, this is a CLASSIC example of irresponsible development at it's worse and those in the neighborhood (including myself) were extremely upset that this project was even being proposed in the first place.

...but this time, the residents fought back in force.

Petitions were passed around and over a hundred signatures were collected in opposition to the proposal. Several articles were written about the situation in the News-Times and I tirelessly worked to inform residents to speak out against Batista's idea.

The proposal was in front of the planning commission on several occasions (read the minutes here, here, and here. Seeing that my Common Council representatives for the 3rd Ward (Joe Cavo and Mike Calandrino) were no where to be found, I and several other resident went to those who represented the 3rd ward on the Democratic Town Committee and they also got behind the neighbors against the development.

The News-Times did an editorial on the matter siding with the residents, while criticizing Batista and the level of irresponsible development that's been done under Mayor Boughton's watch.

Eduardo Batista has found that local residents like Dunkin' Donuts coffee and other products and has expanded his franchise throughout the region.

His latest proposal is to build a Dunkin' Donuts on the corner of Osborne Street and Springside Avenue in Danbury. It's one of the city's older neighborhoods, and the neighbors are upset.

Batista previously proposed a larger Dunkin' Donuts store for the site, which was rejected last fall by the Danbury Planning Commission.

Batista is taking the city to court over that rejection, a common tactic when large development proposals are rejected but somewhat unusual for a doughnut store.

In addition to taking the city to court, Batista has asked the city to approve a different version of a Dunkin' Donuts for the site. This time he says he wants to build a drive-through store, like the one on Danbury's Lake Avenue.

Because it would be smaller and because Batista now says the store would generate 498 car visits a day, not 500, the proposal qualifies for review by the Planning Department staff, not the Planning Commission, without a public hearing.

In the meantime, the neighbors are wondering what is happening to Danbury, not an uncommon feeling these days as development springs up everywhere and traffic clogs the streets.

"Our nice, quiet residential street is under siege," says Beverly McCarthy, who has lived on Springside Avenue for 50 years.

Batista certainly knows doughnuts better than the rest of us, so maybe a big legal fight over a doughnut shop on Springside Avenue isn't as odd as it seems.

But the money Batista is spending on this says something about the pressure facing Danbury from developers.

Older neighborhoods, elected officials, employees of the Planning Department and Danbury taxpayers are all under pressure. Turn a bad proposal down, the developers' message goes, and we'll sue you and run up the city's legal bills.

There were plenty of good reasons to turn down Batista's proposal for a Dunkin' Donuts on Springside Avenue. It's just not the best location for a business that will generate so much traffic. But instead of finding a different location, Batista is suing the city and offering a second proposal as a legal tactic.

Danbury has to get a handle on its growth and protect older neighborhoods from inappropriate development. It needs the help of developers to do that.

After public opposition, in their wisdom, the planning commission denied Batista's petition listing a whole host of concerns with the proposed location of the shop (you can read the Planning Commission decision by clicking here). Unfortunately (to make a long story short), Batista found a loophole that would allow him to have him Dunkin Donuts dream at the location, and bypass the decision of the Planning Commission, by fiddling around with the size of the coffee shop and lowering the amount of traffic below 500 (he got it down to aprox. 498).

This brings me to my CAMPAIGN SPOTLIGHT on Lynn Taborsak and Jim Kelly,

Unlike Cavo and Calandrino, Tabrosak and Kelly came out in support of the neighbors who fought this idiotic Dunkin Donuts plan from day one. In fact, as of today, I or many of the residents who fought Batista, never heard one comment about this plan of development from Cavo and Calandrino...nothing.

Whether it's the Dunkin Donuts development, portion of Tarrywile Park being swapped to a developer for a cluster home project, approving a SEVEN-YEAR tax giveaways to BRT, Cavo and Calandrino always seem to be on the side of developers over the outrage of the residents they swore to represent.

Later, I'll show how Cavo (President of the Common Council) took the term partisanship to a whole new level with his comments regarding the parade ordinance, local broadcasting of government meetings, and his comments regarding the discovery of racist emails from Majority Leader Pauline Basso and Planning Commissioner/Zoning Commission candidate Joel Urice. For now, here's my video interview with Taborsak and Kelly along with Clara Piece, one of the residents who fought against the Dunkin' Donuts project in her neighborhood.



(Video correction: Cavo and Calandrino voted in favor of the Tarrywile land swap for cluster housing. Video will be updated shortly).

It seems like last honest man in Danbury has turned into the crybaby of HatCity.

Mayor Boughton's pathetic last-minute attempt to cry foul and attempt to charge Helena Abrantes of running a negative campaign is laughable at best.

Mark, it's not negative if it's the TRUTH.

We'll examine Mayor Mark's last ditch effort to save his political career (complete with him ONCE AGAIN using the topic of illegal immigration for political purposes) VERY SOON.

This isn't 2005...

Today is day two of the "VOTE FOR CHANGE" Get Out The Vote (GOTV) weekend.

Once again, I'll be spending part of the day blogging live from Democratic headquarters and conducting interviews with candidates and volunteers who are working hard to get out the vote.

We had a glitch with Common Council member Paul Rotello's video (sorry Paul) but other than that, the live stream seemed to work well.

If you want to volunteer your time, please come down to headquarters anytime today. From lit dropping to phone banking, there's plenty of things to do and the Party can always use your help.

Democratic Headquarters
161 Main Street
Phone: 203.778.3661
website:danburydemocrats.net

The live blog will start around 12:30.






12:20: While I deal with some server problems, why don't we get things started with video footage of elected-officials endorsing Helena Abrantes.

First up, from Abrantes' fundraiser last week, here's State Rep. Jason Bartlett.



2:00 P.M.: Still working out the kinks. Should be streaming live soon.

3:15 P.M.: We're live! Sorry for the technical delays...I'm setting up show here now and I'll grab some candidates and start the interviews soon.

You're looking at a live feed of volunteers phone banking. If you have the time, come on down to Democratic Headquarters and lend a hand.

4:20: Live interview with DTC Chairman Joe DaSilva.



5:00 P.M.: State Senate President Don Williams on Helena Abrantes.



5:07 P.M.: Live feed



5:50 P.M.: Thanks for viewing!

The drumbeat against the face of racial intolerance continues...

Read this letter by Julie Kushner, assistant regional director, United Auto Workers Region 9A, and John Olsen president of the Connecticut AFL-CIO.

Pauline Basso should resign.

As responsible labor and community leaders, we feel it is necessary to add our voices to the growing chorus calling on Councilwoman Pauline Basso to resign.

The inappropriate e-mails are outrageous and cause more divisions in a city struggling to find itself on the issue of immigration.

This behavior has no place in the Danbury Common Council or any other city in America. Elected officials must be held to a higher standard. We expect them to lead us on the high road and not engage in the politics of intolerance.

The only intolerance the community should allow is zero tolerance for this kind of behavior. If our elected officials cannot or will not provide leadership and healing for a community, then they must go.

As community leaders, both of us have attended many meetings designed to open communication and make everyone understand that regardless of our racial or ethnic differences, we are one community. In our diversity we find our strength.

Unfortunately, Ms. Basso doesn't believe this and has become part of the problem in Danbury, not the solution.

We join with the NAACP, Helena Abrantes, religious leaders in Danbury and The News-Times in calling on Councilwoman Basso to do the right thing and resign from the council.

If she won't do it on her own, then Mayor Boughton should make it happen.

Julie Kushner

John Olsen

AMEN!

Narrow-minded idiots like Pauline Basso and Joel "cowboy" Urice are a cancer on Danbury. Let your vote against these extremists on Nov 6th be the chemotherapy.