Oh my...last night the Ice Arena was JAMMED pack as Danbury fans were ready for Chad "cheap shot" Wilcox and the Brooklyn Aces.

...and once again, the fighting was intense.

Click here for the News-Times article on the re-cap of the game.

People are in the process of uploading videos of the fights and once they're up, I'll add them to this post.

This fight happened 4 seconds into the first period (courtesy of YouTube member thunderfist51:)

Since word that Mayor Boughton is taking steps to acquire the Transfer Station on White Street, I've been inundated with emails from people who are extremely frustrated with the lack of information regarding this possible purchase.

With the potential of the city paying millions of dollars in the purchasing of the property, people have a laundry list of questions about the wisdom of making such a move. At this point, it seems like Boughton seems more interested in making "claims" such as the city making aprox. 2 million dollars in revenue from running the facility without providing the public with documentation that back up these "claims".

...based on his past history (here here, here,, here, here, etc), you would be wise to wait till you see the details before drinking the kool-aid.

Looking at the flood of emails I've received, I'm not the only one who's not buying the hype and want to see more information from the mayor and Common Council on the benefit of the city taking over this facility.

At this point, it's absolutely illogical and/or pre-mature for anyone to outright sign onto this project as we don't know the OVERALL economic impact this move will have on the city as opposed to a private entity running the show (and the whole notion that organized crime run EVERY SINGLE trash industry is a slap in the face to the field and brings back memories of the "they're going to build a casino" scare tactics used to justify the nonsense at the old Union Carbide property years ago). To blindly sign onto this project without knowing ALL THE facts, costs to the city, and alternatives is completely irresponsible. If the planning and zoning commission acted the same way people who in favor of this undertaking are acting, the city would be a wasteland of even more irresponsible and reckless development and spending.

Many people didn't know that there was a special meeting of the Common Council that looked into this matter...and with good reason seeing that the mayor got around to telling the public and members of the Common Council about the meeting the day of his state of the city address ON FRIDAY. To add insult to injury, to this date, there are STILL no documentations linked with any of the items on the agenda of the special session on the City of Danbury's meeting calendar.

To help people out, knowing that info on this deal was basically non-existant, I went to the Special Meeting on Monday night and videotaped everything that I was allowed to record (items in executive session is private). Also, since there is no documentation on the calendar section of the city's website, I went through the trouble and got copies of what's missing (again, anything presented during executive session is private and is unavailable). I also did a couple of interviews with Minority Leader Tom Saadi as well as a member of the public who was just as in the dark over the whole matter as everyone else.

Here's the video from Monday night.



Below is the documentation related to the special meeting.


Item 1: RESOLUTION – Resolution of Intent




Item 2: ORDINANCE – Danbury Solid Waste Authority



Item 3: COMMUNICATION – Request for Funds – Legal Fees

Trust me when I say that next year we're going to do all we can in making this portion of this wish from the News-Times become a reality.

To the folks who comment on Topix and our Web site: It's great that you take the time to make our content a source for community conversations. But may the small percentage of folks who sometimes go too far with their comments will find a more constructive voice in 2009. A transparent registration process might not be such a bad idea, either.

Trust me...as this is LONG overdue.

Be back on Friday...

With the possible acquisition of the Transfer Station being the highlight of Mayor Boughton's State of the City address (and the fact that his office handed out notices of the meeting to member of the common council who were in attendance at the SOTC address), a special meeting of the Common Council will be happening tonight to address the issue.

Here's the lineup:

SPECIAL COMMON COUNCIL MEETING -
December 22, 2008
The meeting will be called to order at 7:00 P.M.

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE & PRAYER

ROLL CALL
McMahon, Nagarsheth, Johnson, Trombetta, Calandrino, Perkins, Visconti, Chianese, Esposito, Saadi, Cavo, Rotello, Diggs, Teicholz, Arconti, Curran, Knapp, Levy, Riley, Seabury, Stanley
________________PRESENT _______________ABSENT
NOTICE OF THE SPECIAL MEETING - There will be a Special Meeting of the Common Council on Monday, December 22, 2008 at 7:00 P.M. in the Common Council Chambers in City Hall to act on the items below.
______________________________
PUBLIC SPEAKING
______________________________
1 - RESOLUTION - Resolution of Intent
______________________________
2 - ORDINANCE - Danbury Solid Waste Authority
______________________________
3 - COMMUNICATION - Request for Funds - Legal Fees
______________________________
EXECUTIVE SESSION - Acquisition of Real Property
______________________________
There being no further business to come before the Common Council a motion was made at _________P.M. by __________for the meeting to be adjourned.

My primary concern is the lack of information regarding this very complex issue. First, let me go on record and state that in theory, the city taking over the transfer station SEEMS like a good idea. That being said, as someone who has watch politics for a LONG TIME, you should NEVER form an opinion until you know ALL the details...and that's where the problem starts.

Running a transfer station is no laughing matter...in fact, it's REALLY complex and there are a number of concerns that come to mind, the least of which is the cost of the operating expense for the facility.

Besides the mayor's announcement that he wants the transfer station, the mayor's office has provided NO information in terms of the details. For instance, there is NO copy of the resolution of intent on the city's website, no copy of the ordinance for the creation of the Danbury Solid Waste Authority, or a copy of the communication for a request for funds on the city's website...and I highly doubt that members of the Common Council were provided with this material on Friday also.

As someone who has pointed out problems with a number of things that's been ill-advised approved by this administration (i.e., parade ordinance, 287g, sex offender ordinance, volleyball ordinance, etc), everyone should demand that the mayor's office provides the public with more details in regards to this possible acquisition which could cost the city of Danbury MILLIONS of dollars. If Boughton claimed that the city can rake in 2 million dollars per year by operating this facility, then HE SHOULD PROVIDE THE PAPERWORK TO BACK UP THIS CLAIM.

Here's some more things to consider:

1. How many employees will be needed to run this place? What will be their salaries, pension costs, benefit costs?

2. What's the cost for the liability insurance for the operation? Maintenance costs?

3. How will the city pay for the station (B-O-N-D).

4. How much will we LOSE in tax revenue by taking over this property?

5. When did the city first start thinking about taking over this facility? Was it prior or after the planning commission voted against the second transfer station (Putnam)?

There are many more questions than answers every taxpayer should be concerned...very concerned. Remember, the proof is in the details!

If you can't make it to City Hall tonight, I'll be on hand to video tape the happening...