Sorry for the lack of posts this week but I'm under a really tight deadline for a novel I'm designing for a publisher and other members of the crew are gathering information.

YES, YES, YES, I have plenty of ICE ACCESS/287G info to share as well as some "foot in the mouth" moments from the last honest man in Danbury (otherwise known as our "mayor") and some rather troubling stories about our police department.

Be back soon...

"We get thousands of checks from thousands of people and we just wouldn't have any way of knowing something like that is happening."

Mayor Boughton's response to his acceptance of James Galante alleged bundled campaign contributions

It's not over yet...not by a long shot.

Yesterday, the latest round of campaign finance reports were released and lets just say that it's worth the download.

As always, if you a see a contribution of interest, send a message in the comments or email hatcityblog@yahoo.com.

We're almost at a point where a full detail report on who contributed to Boughton's campaign can be released.

Let's work together to expose the ugly truth.

---

Boughton's PACs (pdf format)
People over Politics PAC

YEAR 2002
2002a
2002b
2002c
2002d

YEAR 2003
2003a
2003b
2003c
2003d

YEAR 2004
2004a ($8,000 IN GALANTE ILLEGAL CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS ARE HERE)
2004b
2004c
2004d
2004e

YEAR 2005
2005a

Mayor Mark's 21 Century PAC

YEAR 2006
2006a (07.10.06)
2006b (10.10.06)
2006c (11.02.06)

YEAR 2007
2007a (01.12.07)
2007b (04.10.07)
2007c (07.10.07)
2007d (10.10.07)

---

Boughton SEEC Form 20 Campaign Finance Statements (pdf format)

YEAR 2001

YEAR 2002

Statement: 90 day report (Election 11.06.01)
Date filed: 02.04.02, Period Covered: 12.15.01-02.04.02)

Statement:Termination Report (2001 campaign)
Date filed: 05.07.02, Period Covered: 02.05.02-05.07.02

YEAR 2003

Statement: 2nd Thurs. month April 20th
Date filed: 04.10.03, Period Covered: 01.02.03-04.03.03

Statement: 2nd Thurs. month July 20th
Date filed: 07.07.03, Period Covered: 04.10.03-06.30.03

Statement: 2nd Thurs. month July 20th (Amendment #1 to 07.07.03 report)
Date filed: 07.09.03, Period Covered: 04.10.03-06.30.03

Statement: 2nd Thurs. month July 20th (Amendment #2 to 07.07.03 report)
Date filed: 08.17.05, Period Covered: 04.10.03-06.30.03

Statement: 2nd Thurs. month Oct. 20th (COLLECTED A MASSIVE AMOUNT OF MONEY DURING THIS PERIOD).
Date filed: 10.07.03, Period Covered: 07.01.03-09.30.03 (aprox.)

Statement: 7 days proceeding Election: Nov 4, 2003
Date filed: 10.28.03, Period Covered: 10.01.03-10.21.03 (aprox.)

YEAR 2004

Statement: Termination Report (2003 Campaign)
Date filed: 02.09.04, Period Covered: 01.01.04-02.31.04

YEAR 2005

YEAR 2006

YEAR 2007

Statement: January 10 Filing
Date filed: 01.10.07, Period Covered: 11.27.06-12.31.06

Statement: April 10 Filing
Date filed: 04.10.07, Period Covered: 01.01.07-03.31.07

Statement: July 10 Filing
Date filed: 07.05.07, Period Covered: 04.01.07-06.30.07

Statement: October 10 Filing
Date filed: 10.10.07, Period Covered: 07.01.07-09.30.07

Statement: 7th day preceding election report
Date filed: 10.27.07, Period Covered: 10.01.07-10.23.07

LATEST REPORT
Statement: January 10th 2008 Report
Date filed: 01.10.08, Period Covered: 10.24.07-12.31.07

UPDATE: Had to fix the link to the latest report. File is now available.

Host: Jacqueline Perez-Ares
Subject: Latino Scholarship Fund
Guests: Latino Scholarship Fund Chairperson Ileana Velazquez and Treasurer Peter Kalman

more condos! McMansions!

One of the city's most popular banquet halls has a new owner.

Joseph Putnam, a Danbury resident and businessman, announced Thursday that he purchased the Amber Room Colonnade on Stacey Road from John Rountos, who has run the facility with his sister, Zoy Beretis, since 1989.

The purchase price was not disclosed.

[...]

While Putnam does not plan to make major changes at the Amber Room, he has received approvals from city officials to develop 11 acres next to the Amber Room.

A deed filed Monday in the Danbury Town Clerk's Office states that Putnam paid Rountos $1.95 million for the land, which will be developed into a 23-unit cluster subdivision to be called "Glen Brook Estates."

I'm working on a real tight deadline so I haven't been able to post much.

Don't worry, I'll be back in a sec...

PLEASE, no more emails on what happened tonight.

I understand and I'm on it from every angle.

Many of you have wondered if I had the video from Mayor Boughton's State of the City address. It seems like several of you have missed the 1,000,000,000 times the address was broadcasted on Channel 24 (as opposed to the lack of land use meetings, charter revision meetings, ad-hoc committees which we were promised would happen MONTHS ago).

Well, in case you missed it, here it is in full (with text).

Thank you and I would like to thank each of you for being here today.

Congratulations are in order for Albert Salame and his organization. Albert is a visionary and a dedicated member of our community.

I would like to acknowledge all of our dedicated elected officials who are here today. Danbury works because we all work together regardless of party affiliation for the betterment of our city and our community.

I would also like to thank and recognize our team of dedicated city administrators and department heads for their work in making Danbury a better place.

Thank you Steve Bull and Harry Carey and the Greater Danbury Chamber of Commerce for putting this event together.

I am also proud to be joined today by Police Chief Alan Baker and Fire Chief Geoff Herald. Both have taken bold steps to ensure that our streets are the safest in Connecticut.

Ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to report to you today that City of Danbury is in strong financial shape, maintaining the highest credit and bond ratings in our city's history.

As I speak to you here today, Danbury is experiencing strong economic growth and has the lowest unemployment rate in the State of Connecticut.

Our taxes continue to be some of the lowest in the state, and our sewer and water rates continue to be 100% below the state average.

While the downturn in the residential real estate market has impacted many areas, Danbury continues to be a desirable place to raise a family. Our business community continues to enjoy a positive economic climate and a positive outlook.

Our public improvement projects are marching forward, highlights include the new

Police Station which is under construction and set for completion in the fall of 2009.

The Rose Hill Bridge which in under construction and will be completed in the next several months.

A new elementary school which will be open sometime in 2009.

We also have completed a number of projects that have added value to our community.

Kaplanis Field was completed and dedicated in the fall.

The Bardo Parking Garage in our City Center is open and was dedicated just last month.

A new fire station for the west side of the city was completed and dedicated in September, this new facility cuts response times to the west side of Danbury in half.

Last year at this event we rolled out a 311 resident information line that has won awards across the country for its creativity, its economy and its effectiveness.

In fact, since Dec 18, 2006, our 311 line has handled over 22,000 complaints ranging from potholes in a street to a lost pet.

Our Unified Neighborhood Inspection Team as worked with over 500 properties owners to bring them into compliance with our zoning laws. This year the State’s Attorney’s Office has assigned a prosecutor to work with the UNIT, the first such program in the State of Connecticut.

We have also set the table for more improvements and enhancements to our community. Specifically:

My administration is asking our residents to approve an open space intiative that has set a target of acquiring 1200 Acres of open space by the year 2012.

We are also asking the voters to support a number of infrastructure improvements as well as improvements to Parks and Recreation facilities at referendum to be held on Feb 5th

We have started the process to update and revise our City Charter.

The Chief of Police and I are beginning the process of reorganizing our Police Department to put more officers on the street.

The Fire Chief and I are beginning the process of a strategis study of our Fire Services.

This administration has accomplished much over the last several years and I am proud of its record.

I am also excited and energized by the prospects of another term in office. Yes we have challenges, but we also have so much to be proud of.

I am proud of our diverse community that celebrates life and recognizes the worth of each human being.

I am proud of our elected officials, both Democrats and Republicans, that are committed to putting the needs of our city and its residents first.

We have a vibrant and strong Arts Community.

We have a University that is growing and is once again having a record year in terms of applications for enrollment for next year.

We have a Hospital that has just opened a brand new medical care facility that will take patient care to a new level.

Congratulations are also in order to Frank Kelly and his staff for being named a top 100 hundred hospital in the United States and for being ranked in the top 5% of all hospitals by HealthGrades.

We have a growing and diverse faith based community that has become care providers and partners with the city to help those who are the most challenged in our community.

We have a school system that out performs many other districts of similar size.

We also have a dedicated group of young people from Danbury High School who have made it their mission to inform us of the genocide that is taking place in the Darfur region in the Sudan.

In fact, I was so touched by the video made by our students that I asked our city pension boards to adopt a policy that prohibits investment by our pension funds (some 250 million dollars) in any company or organization that does business in the Darfur region of the Sudan as a protest to the genocide that has occurred there.

These students have learned that Margaret Mead was right when she said that a small group of committed people, can change the world.

Isn’t that one of the best lessons we can teach young people?

While I am proud of our community, I also recognize that we have challenges and just as you have grown to expect, we will meet them head on.

One challenge that we will address is the recent reevaluation which has shown dramatic increases in the value of our residents homes and your businesses.

We will address this challenge by using every tool in our toolbox to minimize the impact of the new assessments.

If you recall, we were faced with a similar situation in 2002, and working with the Common Council, we were able to craft a financial plan that did not result in large across the board tax increases for our residents. Today I pledge to do the same…

We are challenged by development that’s a good problem to have, but we need to manage it. Too often Danbury has been subject to development plans that are too intense, too dense, and quite frankly, show a lack of respect for the residents who live here.

In response to that, we have implemented new zoning regulations that were some what controversial, but that were important at protecting the quality of life of residents, and that provided a level of transparency so that our residents were informed of pending development plans.

We are also challenged by the issue of illegal immigration and its impact on our ability to deliver city services. As you are aware, over the years there has been much discussion and debate in our community surrounding this issue. Currently there is a proposal to enroll our Police Department in a program that will provide additional training to some of our officers in immigration law.

After careful analysis and review, and based on the recommendations from our Chief of Police, our Corporation Counsel, and with approval from the Common Council, the City will participate in this worthwhile program.

I also believe that our downtown area and our Main Street still represent a challenge to us. Main Street has made a lot of progress, but still has not reached its potential..

That is not to say that our downtown has suffered a lack of work or a lack of passion. To the contrary, many Mayors and many administrations have had great visions for the revitalization of our downtown.

But what we are lacking is a plan for downtown that will span administrations. We need a vision that respects the residents and the businesses who are currently downtown, and a plan that has buy in of all the major stake holders. But most importantly the plan will live on regardless of changes in administrations.

Within the next thirty days I will be appointing a task force of individuals to develop a plan for our downtown that is visionary and far reaching.

Our task force for Main Street will engage our residents, our property owners, our CityCenter team and our business community. This Task Force will develop a revitalization plan that will provide direction to help us implement policies, ideas, and innovative programs that will elevate our downtown.

This is not a criticism of the hard work that our City Center board has put in or the energy that it’s Director, Andrea Gartner provides.

Indeed it’s their concern and passion that have convinced me that the effort is worth it.

We also need to begin thinking long term about our school system and what education will be like in the future for Danbury children. I have spent many hours discussing the future of education in Danbury with our Superintendent, Dr. Pascarella.

We believe that it is time to provide long range planning for our students and that we should consider the learning styles of children, the demand s of working in the global economy, and the programming necessary to develop highly educated, highly skilled young adults in our community.

This means that our new educational system must be focused around programming. The Superintendent and I will appoint a long range planning committee that will look at the best programming across the country and then we will replicate here in our city.

We will design our facilities around our programming. Not our programming around our facilities.

For example, I envision a day when our students at Danbury High School are working hand in hand with Danbury Hospital exploring medical careers and providing real services to the Hospital while being evaluated at the same time.

I envision a day when Danbury students will partner with Western Ct. St. University and our Police Department to explore careers in policing. Our students might spend several hours a week with our Police Department, and then attend classes in the Criminal Justice program at Westconn in preparation for a career in law enforcement.

Our goal will be to break students into the smallest groups possible, use the assets around us, and create scores of learning academies all around the City with Danbury High School serving as the hub.

Imagine our young people working with corporations, with our non-profits, and the city, to give them real-world experience, and a sense of what is required for success in the new economy.

These academies will be our lighthouses of learning. They will light the way to success for our students.

As many of you know, we have also embarked on a program to address the issue of homelessness in the City. I have asked our Director of Welfare to begin drafting new guidelines for our City Shelter. Those guidelines will focus in on giving the clients who use our shelter hope,and a sense of purpose.

We are going to ask that people who use the shelter contribute to the city by requiring they complete some community service in exchange for staying in our shelter or contribute to themselves by enrolling in a program to get back on their feet.

Clients who use our shelter will be expected to either be taking positive steps to better themselves, or they will be contributing in some small way to better the community. Either way, they will begin to feel that they are part of the community in which they live.

Ladies and Gentleman, as you can see I am just as energized today as I was when I first took office in 2001.

I want to thank you for your support. Each of you has played a role in making Danbury a better place to live. Each of you has provided much needed advice and counsel to me over the years and I want to thank you.

I want to pledge to you today, that I will be as open and accessible as I was when I started this job. I will continue with Saturdays with the Mayor. Each quarter I will conduct Town Hall meetings around the city for residents to attend and ask questions as well as discuss issues that face Danbury.


The doors of my office are still wide open, and each year we service thousands of residents who have problems or concerns or just want a sympathetic ear.

Recently I received a lengthy e-mail from a young man named Adam who wanted me to make is mother “mother of the year” in his e-mail, he chronicles his life and the tough times that he and is mother went through. He recently found out that is mother never received any child support for him. She drove him to school, helped with his homework, worked two jobs.

Some nights things were so tight that she would not eat so that her son could eat. Yet she never complained. She never told her son that she was under such financial pressure.

It is an amazing story. When she found out that he had shared this with me she was upset-she didn’t want to be “mother of the year”. That is typical of people who are really the angels among us they don’t want recognition.

A mother’s love for her son on a cold winter night refusing to eat so her child could. These are the simple things that make life so important; things that we sometimes take for granted.

These are the people who understand the true meaning of the Holidays.

During this holiday season, I encourage to spend time with your families; after all, it is a magical time for our children.

Finally, I ask that you pray for our young men and young women overseas defending the cause of freedom. Pray for their safety and their speedy return.

God Bless You,
And God Bless America.

Although this isn't really Danbury-related, I had to share this with everyone.

Ed Anderson is a Connecticut blogger and comrade who gave Joe Lieberman many nightmares during the 2006 senate primary. Anderson posts and comments over at Connecticut Local Politics as well as My Left Nutmeg and is by far one of the funniest persons I know.

Well, my man took time to travel up to New Hampshire and show his support for Joe Lieberman's BFF John McCain and as usual, he made an impression with the locals...

Manchester, N.H.- As John McCain supporters filled a downtown plaza, New Haven's Edward Anderson - channeling Stephen Colbert and the Yippies of yore - crashed the party. His subversive sign fooled not just some McCainiacs, but the media, too.

"Bomb Iran - Vote McCain," read Anderson's sign, waving high above the crowds of supporters of the surging Republican presidential candidate as New Hampshire voters prepared to take part in Tuesday's first-in-the-nation party primaries.

A badge on Anderson's lapel, "Straight Talk McCain," pegged Anderson - a liberal activist and blogger active in Connecticut campaigns - as a fan of the Arizona senator.

Too funny.

Here's a tidbit from the ICE ACCESS site:

ICE developed the ACCESS program in response to the widespread interest from local law enforcement agencies who have requested ICE assistance through the 287(g) program. This program cross-designates local officers to enforce immigration law as authorized through section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act.

The 287g program is only one component under the ICE ACCESS umbrella of services and programs offered for assistance to local law enforcement officers.

ICE agents and officers will meet with agencies requesting ICE ACCESS assistance to assess local needs and to draft appropriate plans of action. Based upon these assessments, ICE and local agencies will determine which type of partnership is most beneficial and sustainable before entering into an official agreement.

In other words:

1. ICE will meet with local law enforcement and officials and,

2. Draft appropriate plans to meet the needs of the municipality. THEN,

3. An official agreement will be established.

Take that into consideration when you read the letter from Corporation Council that was presented to the members of the Common Council on DECEMBER 27th and to the public ONE DAY before the vote on this program. Take note of the section in blue...



From Council Pinter's own letter, ONCE the Common Council authorizes the program AND law enforcement executes a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with ICE, THEN DanburyPD/ICE ACCESS relationship goes into effect.

....and what's a MOU? Let's go to page 2 of Pinter's letter.



The MOU defines the scope (and the limitations) of authority that the local authorities will have.

There lies the problem. As of now, THERE IS NO MOU because an assessment between ICE and Danbury has been established.

Ask yourself this question:

• If ICE states that "ICE agents and officers will meet with agencies requesting ICE ACCESS assistance to assess local needs and to draft appropriate plans of action. Based upon these assessments, ICE and local agencies will determine which type of partnership is most beneficial and sustainable before entering into an official agreement" AND,

• The MOU defines the scope (and the limitations) of authority that the local authorities will have,

Why would Mayor Boughton press the Common Council to vote on this program BEFORE establishing the limitations of the program BASED ON AN ASSESSMENT BETWEEN ICE AND DANBURY?

Here's Boughton's letter on the program (note the words marked in blue):



In Boughton's OWN words, Chief Baker met with ICE to "discuss the nature of the program and the process of enrollment." There was NO assessment done because ICE did not sit down with Danbury and "assess local needs and to draft appropriate plans of action" so they could "determine which type of partnership is most beneficial and sustainable before entering into an official agreement" with Danbury.

Back in December, when first interviewed by the News-Times about this program, Boughton was hell-bent on getting what he wanted without offering any real details of the program (and it's limits).

Though the Council could decide to study the issue further, Mayor Mark Boughton doesn't think that will happen.

"All the information is in front of them," Boughton said about the reports given by him, Police Chief Al Baker and Corporation Counsel Les Pinter to the 21 Council members. Establishing a committee to study the issue would "just delay the process," Boughton said.

It's like you're at the mall and your daughter comes up to you and say "I don't know what I want to buy or how much money I'm going to spend but just give me the credit card (wink, wink).

Any good parent would either set limits on how much money the daughter could spend or want to know what their daughter is buying before handing over the credit card. Once you hand over the card, Pandora's box is open and just like a kid at the mall, the members of the common council should know the limitations of Boughton's proposal BEFORE voting on the program.

Why give Boughton a blank check to do anything he wants? Again, even ICE is saying that they enter an official agreement AFTER the program is drafted. If there is NO program, voting on ICE ACCESS as is would give the mayor a blank check to draft any program he wants and that's a BIG NO NO.

Case in point...from today's News-Times:

When Boughton talks about the possible ICE partnership, he couches 287(g) as one of many options available under the ICE ACCESS umbrella.

However, a Dec. 21 one-page memo from Danbury Police Chief Al Baker only mentions 287(g) -- and does not mention the larger, ICE ACCESS program.

In the letter, the chief recommends police participate in 287(g) on a limited basis, which would simply formalize "a long-standing informal relationship that has existed between the Danbury Police Department and ICE."

On Friday, Boughton conceded Danbury detectives would probably participate in 287(g), but not the "rank and file" patrol officers.

He conceded on Friday...FRIDAY. If Boughton had it his way, the vote would have went down last THURSDAY and it would have been too late.

Without the MOU, or the limits of the program, does anyone really know what the city is getting into?

The last honest man in Danbury is at it again

From the record, lets look back again at some quotes from Mayor Mark...

New York Times 05.25.05

It will begin at Kennedy Park, where the crowds of Hispanic men who gather before dawn to find work as day laborers helped prompt Mayor Mark D. Boughton to ask that the state police be deputized to enforce federal immigration laws.

[...]

Now, while members of Danbury's Common Council continue to draft a ''repetitive outdoor activity'' ordinance to restrict volleyball by cracking down on parking and noise, among other things, the mayor says deputizing the state police may not be necessary, that the police may have enough remedies without becoming immigration agents.

Hartford Courant 05.07.05.

Lost in the hubbub is the political reality that having state police enforce immigration law in Connecticut is unlikely to happen anytime soon, if ever. And even Boughton acknowledges that his plan would have little effect on the number of undocumented immigrants in town.

[...]

Blumenthal responded to Boughton's request by saying it would need the approval of Gov. M. Jodi Rell, Public Safety Commissioner Leonard Boyle and the state legislature.

Blumenthal said there is no chance of that happening this year and he has "serious reservations" about the proposal.

"Deputizing local or state police is not a long term or fundamental solution to the problem," he said.

Although Boughton wants state police to enforce immigration law, he is not interested in Danbury police having the same authority, for fear it would cripple their ability to investigate other crimes.

"The same is true, to an even greater extent, for the state police," Blumenthal said.

Well, I've been calling attention to these quotes from some time and it seems like other people are picking up on this and questioned the mayor.

Here's his response:

Mayor Mark Boughton wants some police officers to receive training that would give them authority to enforce federal immigration law.

Sound familiar?

Boughton advocated the same issue in 2005, with one major difference. Boughton lobbied for state troopers to receive the federal training -- not Danbury officers.

At the time, Boughton said he did not want local police to receive the training, fearing it would impede their efforts to gather information from the immigrant community.

So what has changed?

The programs offered by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the relationship between ICE and the city and the type of crimes happening in Danbury, according to Boughton.

AH...WHAT?

For ONE, this statement makes NO SENSE because the statement Boughton made BACK IN 2005 AS WELL AS IN 2006 made NO MENTION TO THE TYPES OF PROGRAM BEING OFFERED BY ICE. Boughton statements IN 05 AND 06 centered around him NOT WANTING LOCAL POLICE TO ENFORCE IMMIGRATION LAWS regardless of the program.
Look at his quote from Hartford Courant, April 26 2006.

Most local police departments say they have no interest in arresting illegal immigrants who have not committed crimes. Even in Danbury, when Mayor Mark Boughton last year tried unsuccessfully to have state police enforce immigration law, he said he didn't want his police doing it because it could discourage immigrants from cooperating in criminal investigations.

Nothing has changed from then to now. If DanburyPD participates in ICE ACCESS Local police would be allowed to enforce immigration laws, which in turn (according to Boughton 06 concern) would discourafge immigrants from cooperating in criminal investigations.

There is one reason Boughton is caught in a pickle...he has no plan. People over politics to him comprises of political rhetoric and using hot button topics (i.e., illegal immigration) for his own political gain.

Look folks, I found these three money quotes from Boughton doing a simple Lexis-Nexis search. Now, I have more statements from Boughton (remember I've been tivoing and following this since early 2005) and unlike most people, reporters and writers HAVE ACCESS to Lexis-Nexis (which documents every word someone says in the media whether it's written, radio, or television).

But wait , there is more!

When Boughton talks about the possible ICE partnership, he couches 287(g) as one of many options available under the ICE ACCESS umbrella.

However, a Dec. 21 one-page memo from Danbury Police Chief Al Baker only mentions 287(g) -- and does not mention the larger, ICE ACCESS program.

In the letter, the chief recommends police participate in 287(g) on a limited basis, which would simply formalize "a long-standing informal relationship that has existed between the Danbury Police Department and ICE."

Here's Baker's letter:



Did you notice the words ICE ACCESS anywhere? Hell, did you notice ANY DETAILS IN WHAT WE'RE GETTING INTO from the Chief?

I'll add more details of Boughton's dishonesty later but lets just say that people who normally don't speak out are becoming extremely angry at this man.

SUBJECT: Planning Commission Public Hearing 2/Transfer Station (Part 1):

Back from campaigning for Chris Dodd in Iowa, Congressman Chris Murphy made an appearance on WFSB's "Face the State" and offered his views on our junior senator's endorsement of John McCain.

HOUSE: When Joe Lieberman was elected to the senate last year in 2006 he said he was going to work hard to get a Democrat back into the White House, yet he has endorsed Republican John McCain. How do you feel about that.

MURPHY: I'm disappointed. I'm disappointed.

I find it hard to believe that another four years of a Republican administration, whether it's George Bush or John McCain is the right thing for this country. I can't understand how a stay the course policy in Iraq, which John McCain espouses, is going to make this country any safer or make this country any stronger.

We all understood when Senator Lieberman got re-elected that he was going to be a different voice than he was previously, but a lot of us that think this country has to take a different direction were disappointed with his choice.

HOUSE: Should he leave the party or has he already left you think?

MURPHY: Well I think it's hard to justify that Senator Lieberman is a member of the Democratic Party any longer.

After everything Dodd did for Lieberman during he ran for the presidency in 2000, hopefully, other members of Congress will follow Murphy's lead and finally throw George Bush's favorite Democrat senator under the bus.

You can watch Murphy's complete interview below.

Host: Nara Vendetti
Topic: Western Connecticut Chinese Association

The Danbury News-Times conducted an interview with Common Councilman Paul Rotello where he offered his views regarding his decision to send the ICE ACCESS program to committee.

Seems like the last honest man in Danbury is in damage control mode again.

New York Times 01.01.08

But not only did the City of Danbury turn down Mr. Kariamu’s request for emergency financial assistance, Mayor Mark D. Boughton seemed anything but sympathetic.

Danbury incurred about $100,000 in overtime charges for police and fire personnel, Mr. Boughton said, adding that he was most concerned about the cost to local businesses. A stretch of Padanaram Road — a main thoroughfare through this city — was blocked off, sometimes for days at a time, as work at the contaminated property proceeded.

A pizza parlor nearly went out of business because of financial losses brought on by the road closing, Mr. Boughton said, suggesting that some local establishments might sue Mr. Kariamu to recoup lost revenue.

“He certainly does bear responsibility,” the mayor said.

Looking like a complete jerk, "Mr. People over Politics" dials down the rhetoric for the local media...

News-Times 01.06.08

"My feeling is that this is a humanitarian issue," Levitt said. "They are still a family in need."

Even Mayor Mark Boughton -- whose administration has had to spend a lot of time, energy and city money to deal with the cleanup -- agrees.

"I'm very sympathetic to the family," Boughton said. "It was an accident. Is he responsible for it? Yes. Did he do it intentionally? No, he did not."

At the same time, Boughton said, the cleanup closed down Padanaram Road for several days. When that happened, business owners along the road lost almost all their customers. They deserve some sympathy as well, the mayor said.

"In some ways, this was like a fire," Boughton said. "Only it lasted four months."

Now, which quote do you believe? The compassionate one in today's News-Times or the one that echoes the poison in the News-Times message boards in the New York Times piece.

And as for Mayor Boughton pointing the finger to Mr. Kariamu for the loss of business revenue on Pandanaram Road...

Regarding the anthrax mess: After a long summer of not getting the job done, the mayor made an irreversible error.

The company doing the job, Sabre Technical Services, had two weeks available to complete the job: election week or Christmas week. Mayor Boughton chose Christmas week (the busiest shopping week of the year) for his personal greed, over the merchants and restaurants on Padanaram Road.

The hundreds of thousands of dollars lost can in no way be made up.

I feel the only holiday gift that Mayor Boughton can give these people is for him to step down.