Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said he would file a motion Tuesday so the Senate could take up the DREAM Act, setting up a showdown over the bill that would provide some young, undocumented immigrants a path to citizenship.
[...]
The DREAM Act would open up a channel for citizenship to immigrants who were illegally brought to the United States as children. To qualify for legalization, immigrants must have entered the U.S. before age 16, lived in the country at least five consecutive years before the bill’s enactment; been admitted to a college or earned a high-school diploma or GED certificate; and should have no serious criminal record.
Those who receive conditional resident status would need to attend college or serve in the military at least two years.
Senator Reid getting the 60 votes he need to stop a filibuster is going to be tough and the Democrats will have to compromise with moderate Republicans in order to move the bill forward. That being said, it's great that Congress is FINALLY moving forward on this important piece of legislation.
The Bethel Patch is doing a great job scooping the News-Times...
Bethel voters will finally get to voice their opinion on the town's proposed $2 million Road Renewal Plan next Tuesday, Dec. 7.
The referendum was approved Monday night at a special town meeting held at the Bethel High School auditorium. The original $8.5 million, multi-year Road Renewal Plan was first proposed by First Selectman Matthew Knickerbocker back in June, and has since been changed to only bond $2 million, per concern of the Board of Finance.
[...]
After the discussion period, those present officially voted to adjourn the meeting with the plan going to referendum (and its date and time), which only had a couple dissenters.
Knickerbocker said though his original plan didn't make it to referendum, he was happy of the meeting's outcome and that he is "confident that it will pass."
"I strongly think the $8.5 million was better for the town; it would have given our residents assurance that they wouldn't have to go back again and again through this process," Knickerbocker said. "...I want to assure the residents of Bethel that I am going for the rest of the package for the next budget cycle."
[...]
The vote will be held next Tuesday, Dec. 7 from 6 a.m.-8 p.m. at the usual town polling places: the Clifford J. Municipal Center, the Frank A. Berry School and the Stony Hill Fire Station. Absentee ballots will be available at the Town Clerk's Office starting Tuesday, Nov. 30 till Monday, Dec. 6. The office is open on weekdays from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Besides the rants from the usual suspects, the vote went as expected and the residents of Bethel will finally have their say on the matter.
...more later.
UPDATE: My GOD! Talk about lack of quality reporting. If you want to know why journalists in the print media are jumping ship and joining the AOL-Patch service, this laughable News-Times blurb on last night's vote in Bethel should explain things.
Congressman Murphy speaks out against Gov. Rell's recommendation to eliminate area rail service
Monday, November 29, 2010 Time: 7:00 PM
This afternoon, Congressman Chris Murphy paid a visit to Danbury and Waterbury to speak out against Gov Rell's proposal to eliminate of the Metro-North rail service. The recommendation to eliminate the service in Danbury and Waterbury was one of several spending cut proposals Rell suggested to state lawmakers last week.
From this afternoon in Waterbury, here's highlights of Congressman Murphy's presser.
Press Release:
“We are pumping federal and state resources into the state’s branch lines right now, so Governor Rell’s proposal to cancel service on these lines now would be a foolish mistake. On top of the federal grants we’ve already secured for commuter rail in Connecticut, there may be more to come, ushering in a new era in commuter rail in parts of the state that desperately need it. We can’t give up now - too much is riding on commuter rail,”
Murphy has long been a supporter of the rail branch lines, holding riding meetings on the Waterbury and Danbury lines to discuss how to expand service and increase ridership. He firmly believes that accessible, affordable commuter rail service is essential to Connecticut's future economic development, and he, along with the rest of the Congressional delegation, have been fighting for and winning federal funding for commuter rail in the state.
In Danbury, the line is currently undergoing a signaling system update funded by federal stimulus dollars and state resources. The state has committed $10 million to make a variety of capital improvements to stations along the MetroNorth New Haven line, including the branch lines. The 27-mile Waterbury branch is the longest of the three New Haven branch lines, and is poised to be a major commuter resource if upgraded. Meanwhile, the Connecticut Department of Transportation is nearing the completion of multi-year feasibility scoping studies to examine cost-effective alternatives for increasing ridership on the Danbury, Waterbury, and New Canaan branch lines. Yet last week, Governor Rell sent a letter to the Connecticut General Assembly outlining ways to cut state spending, including eliminating service on the state’s three branch lines.
“Put simply, Governor Rell’s proposal to eliminate service on these branch lines would be a disaster for Connecticut commuters at a time when we are working diligently to secure additional federal support for their expansion and improvement,” said Murphy.
On Monday, Nov. 29, The Town of Bethel will hold a special town meeting at the Bethel High School Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. The meeting gives Bethel's legal voters the opportunity to vote the Road Renewal Plan, which would put it to a town-wide machine vote tentatively on Tuesday, Dec. 7.
The Road Renewal Plan was first proposed by the Board of Selectmen to the Board of Finance on June 1. The original plan proposed to bond $8.5 million over a ten year period to fix 31 of Bethel's 83 miles of road and three parking lots.
After the Board of Selectmen officially approved the plan, First Selectman Matthew Knickerbocker presented several bonding scenarios to the Board of Finance at its September meeting, and after much discussion it was tabled till its October meeting. The vote on the plan was tabled yet again in October, mainly because only five of the seven board members were present.
On Nov. 9, the Board of Fiance voted 4-3 to send the plan back to the Board of Selectmen, with an advisory vote of 5-2 to reduce the bonding amount to $2 million. Several Board of Finance members cited the state of the economy as their main concern for the original $8.5 million plan.
[...]
On Nov. 16, The Board of Selectmen unanimously voted to bond $2 million as "Phase I" of the Road Renewal Plan. Knickerbocker said he has a list of top priority roads to be fixed in this first phase. That following Thursday in a special meeting, the Board of Fiance approved the new plan that is now in the hands of the Bethel voters.
The delay in the road repair proposal has angered many residents in Bethel who accused members of the Finance Board of being obstructionists and playing dirty politics.
Given the volatility over this issue, I'm sure tonight's meeting will be eventful.
In-state tuition for childern of undocumeted immigrants back on the table
Time: 3:40 PM
Since this was passed by the General Assembly but vetoed by Governor Rell, hopefully with a Democratic governor at the helm, the dream of in-state tuition for undocumented immigrants will finally become a reality in Connecticut.
On the heels of an ambitious city program to help New Haven kids afford college, Democratic politicians vowed to even the playing field for undocumented students like Lorella Praeli.
Praeli (pictured) a 22-year-old originally from Peru, came “out of the shadows” for the first time Thursday to announce that she is living in the U.S. as an undocumented immigrant. She said she was lucky enough to land a full ride to Quinnipiac University through a private scholarship. Otherwise, she would have had to pay three times the rate of in-state tuition at an in-state college or university.
At a press event at Southern Connecticut State University, members of New Haven’s state legislative delegation pledged to help students like Praeli by passing a bill next session that would grant in-state tuition to all Connecticut residents who graduate from state high schools, regardless of immigration status. State Sen. Martin Looney, state Rep.-elect Roland Lemar, and state Reps. Gary Holder-Winfield and Juan Candelaria all attended the event in support of the legislation.
In the current system, undocumented immigrant students have to pay out-of-state tuition rates that are three times higher than in-state rates at public Connecticut universities and colleges. For example, most of Praeli’s friends ended up at the University of Connecticut, where in-state tuition is $8,000. Praeli would have had to pay $24,500.
[...]
Eleven states have passed laws granting in-state tuition to undocumented immigrants who can prove residency, according to Looney. The legislature approved a bill in 2007, but it was vetoed by Gov. M. Jodi Rell. He said it was “pointless” to try again while Rell was still in office.
Now, with the first Democrat elect to the governor’s seat in 24 years, the prospects have changed.
Gov.-elect Dan Malloy “would sign a bill that grants in-state tuition to any graduate from a Connecticut high school living in the state,” said his spokeswoman, Colleen Flanagan.
As a followup to my previous post regarding The Connecticut Coalition for Achievement Now's (ConnCAN) report on Danbury High School, here's a breakdown of ConnCAN's report card on the city's elementary and secondary schools.
Each year, Connecticut administers two standardized tests, the Connecticut Mastery Test (CMT) and the Connecticut Academic Performance Test (CAPT). These tests are designed to measure how well students are achieving on grade-level academic subjects. Both tests are designed and administered by the State Department of Education.
The CONNECTICUT MASTERY TEST (CMT) is administered each spring to all public school students in grades three through eight. The CMT measures how student achievement in the areas of mathematics, reading, and writing compared to the expectations for their grade level. In fifth and eighth grades, science is also tested.
The CONNECTICUT ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE TEST (CAPT) is administered each spring to all public school students in tenth grade. The CAPT measures student achievement in the areas of mathematics, reading, writing, and science compared to the expectations for high school students.
The skills tested on the CMT and CAPT are identified in the Connecticut curriculum framework, and each student’s achievement is compared to a set of established standards for his or her grade in each subject area. There is no “passing” grade on the CMT or the CAPT. Instead, the State of Department of Education sets a “goal” level score for each subject area in every grade tested. The State Department of Education gives each student a raw score (ranging from 100-400 points) and assigns score cut points for each of five levels: Advanced, At Goal, Proficient, Basic, or Below Basic. The State Department of Education reports scores for schools and districts as the percentage of students scoring at one of these levels. According to the State Department of Education, a student scoring at the “Goal” level has the knowledge, skills, and critical thinking abilities that are “reasonable to expect of students” within their grade level.
ConnCAN uses the Goal standard to set the bar for rating schools since it is the state’s best estimate of students meeting or exceeding grade-level expectations. The State Department of Education reports on the percentage of students “At Goal” in the subjects tested (math, reading, writing and science) for schools in which at least 20 students in any given grade completed the CMT or CAPT.
How we calculate achievement scores
ConnCAN’s report cards provide a single score to help readers compare schools and subgroups within those schools. To do so, we calculate a single “Students At or Above Goal Range” by taking that average percentage of students at or above goal across all subject areas on CMT and CAPT. We calculate this score for elementary schools using the results from the fifth-grade test (with fourth-grade results used when an elementary school does not have a fifth grade). For middle schools, we use the results from the eighth-grade test (with the seventh-grade results used when a middle school does not have an eighth grade). For high schools, we use the results from the CAPT, which tests tenth grade students only. These scores provide a straightforward, easy-to-use yardstick on how well schools, on average, meet the needs of students across key subject areas.
How we assign grades
To provide families and communities with a clear benchmark for how their child’s school or district performs, we use achievement scores to assign the school a letter grade from A to F. For each school and district we also show how scores compare to district and state averages.
We assign each school and district letter grades in four categories: Performance Gains, Overall Student Performance, Student Subgroup Performance, and Achievement Gap.
In short, a review of ConnCAN's report for this year compared to last year's write-up provides mixed reviews for the city's elementary and secondary schools with some showing improvement (Pembroke School, Mill Ridge Inter, Stadley Rough) while others show a nominal to moderate decrease in student performance (Shelter Rock, Park Ave, Hayestown).
OVERALL STUDENT PERFORMANCE
Average percentage of students meeting state goals across all subjects:
YEAR 2010: 30 percent or F
YEAR 2009: 32 percent or D-
STUDENT SUBGROUP PERFORMANCE
Average percentage of low-income, African-American, and Hispanic students meeting state goals across all subjects:
YEAR 2010: 14 percent or F
YEAR 2009: 17 percent or F
OVERALL STUDENT PERFORMANCE
Average percentage of students meeting state goals across all subjects:
YEAR 2010: 50 percent or C- (State avg: 63)
YEAR 2009: 55 percent or C
STUDENT SUBGROUP PERFORMANCE
Average percentage of low-income, African-American, and Hispanic students meeting state goals across all subjects:
YEAR 2010: 43 percent or D+ (State avg: 37)
YEAR 2009: 47 percent or D+
OVERALL STUDENT PERFORMANCE
Average percentage of students meeting state goals across all subjects:
YEAR 2010: 57 percent or C (State avg: 63)
YEAR 2009: 47 percent or D+
STUDENT SUBGROUP PERFORMANCE
Average percentage of low-income, African-American, and Hispanic students meeting state goals across all subjects:
YEAR 2010: 20 percent or F (State avg: 37)
YEAR 2009: N/A
OVERALL STUDENT PERFORMANCE
Average percentage of students meeting state goals across all subjects:
YEAR 2010: 63 percent or C+ (State avg: 63)
YEAR 2009: 61 percent or C+
STUDENT SUBGROUP PERFORMANCE
Average percentage of low-income, African-American, and Hispanic students meeting state goals across all subjects:
YEAR 2010: 44 percent or D+ (State avg: 37)
YEAR 2009: 44 percent or D+
OVERALL STUDENT PERFORMANCE
Average percentage of students meeting state goals across all subjects:
YEAR 2010: 50 percent or C- (State avg: 63)
YEAR 2009: 50 percent or C-
STUDENT SUBGROUP PERFORMANCE
Average percentage of low-income, African-American, and Hispanic students meeting state goals across all subjects:
YEAR 2010: 38 percent or D (State avg: 37)
YEAR 2009: 36 percent or D
OVERALL STUDENT PERFORMANCE
Average percentage of students meeting state goals across all subjects:
YEAR 2010: 61 percent or C+ (State avg: 63)
YEAR 2009: 54 percent or C
STUDENT SUBGROUP PERFORMANCE
Average percentage of low-income, African-American, and Hispanic students meeting state goals across all subjects:
YEAR 2010: 45 percent or D+ (State avg: 37)
YEAR 2009: 27 percent or F
OVERALL STUDENT PERFORMANCE
Average percentage of students meeting state goals across all subjects:
YEAR 2010: 51 percent or C- (State avg: 63)
YEAR 2009: 54 percent or C
STUDENT SUBGROUP PERFORMANCE
Average percentage of low-income, African-American, and Hispanic students meeting state goals across all subjects:
YEAR 2010: 43 percent or D+ (State avg: 37)
YEAR 2009: 40 percent or D
OVERALL STUDENT PERFORMANCE
Average percentage of students meeting state goals across all subjects:
YEAR 2010: 49 percent or C- (State avg: 63)
YEAR 2009: 53 percent or C-
STUDENT SUBGROUP PERFORMANCE
Average percentage of low-income, African-American, and Hispanic students meeting state goals across all subjects:
YEAR 2010: 44 percent or D+ (State avg: 37)
YEAR 2009: 36 percent or D
OVERALL STUDENT PERFORMANCE
Average percentage of students meeting state goals across all subjects:
YEAR 2010: 46 percent or D+ (State avg: 63)
YEAR 2009: 46 percent or D+
STUDENT SUBGROUP PERFORMANCE
Average percentage of low-income, African-American, and Hispanic students meeting state goals across all subjects:
YEAR 2010: 35 percent or D- (State avg: 37)
YEAR 2009: 41 percent or D
OVERALL STUDENT PERFORMANCE
Average percentage of students meeting state goals across all subjects:
YEAR 2010: 50 percent or D+ (State avg: 63)
YEAR 2009: 45 percent or D+
STUDENT SUBGROUP PERFORMANCE
Average percentage of low-income, African-American, and Hispanic students meeting state goals across all subjects:
YEAR 2010: 27 percent or F (State avg: 37)
YEAR 2009: 27 percent or F
OVERALL STUDENT PERFORMANCE
Average percentage of students meeting state goals across all subjects:
YEAR 2010: 54 percent or C (State avg: 63)
YEAR 2009: 58 percent or C
STUDENT SUBGROUP PERFORMANCE
Average percentage of low-income, African-American, and Hispanic students meeting state goals across all subjects:
YEAR 2010: 48 percent or C (State avg: 37)
YEAR 2009: 54 percent or C
OVERALL STUDENT PERFORMANCE
Average percentage of students meeting state goals across all subjects:
YEAR 2010: 76 percent or B+ (State avg: 63)
YEAR 2009: 79 percent or B+
STUDENT SUBGROUP PERFORMANCE
Average percentage of low-income, African-American, and Hispanic students meeting state goals across all subjects:
N/A
OVERALL STUDENT PERFORMANCE
Average percentage of students meeting state goals across all subjects:
YEAR 2010: 70 percent or B- (State avg: 63)
YEAR 2009: 71 percent or B-
STUDENT SUBGROUP PERFORMANCE
Average percentage of low-income, African-American, and Hispanic students meeting state goals across all subjects:
YEAR 2010: 51 percent or C- (State avg: 37)
YEAR 2009: 42 percent or D+
If you're a parent and want a more detailed analysis of your child's school, go to the ConnCAN website.
Danbury faces a quadruple whammy in the coming budget season, Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton told the department heads Thursday.
The state is cutting aid. Federal stimulus money that reached almost $4 million last year for the city and schools combined will be gone next year, and negotiated employee benefits and pay raises may cost the city another $3 million. That could lead to layoffs in the budget that starts July 1, 2011.
Boughton said next year's revenues will be down nearly $8 million and it's expenses if every department budget comes in flat will rise almost $3 million. That is a bad scenario, but it is possible, Boughton said.
[...]
"The state is talking about cutting services and shared pain," Boughton said. "Just tell us straight. What that translates into is they're doing less and they're giving us less money."
He said for Danbury, that means there are no sacred cows in the budget
"Everything is on the table. You'll see layoffs," Boughton said.
And I bet he still thinks not hiring a FULL-TIME Economic Director was a good idea...and lets not started on:
the decline in tax revenue due to the number of large companies (i.e. JOBS) that left Danbury in the last four years, or
UPDATE 1:30PM: A friend writes that ConnCAN's ranking of Danbury HIgh School is lower than first thought:
The rank number is messed up, too. When there's a tie, they don't skip a number. So the rank might go 50, 51, 52, 52 (tie), then they go to 53, 54, etc. Should skip the 53. So Danbury shows a 125th rank, but is actually 145th on the list. Just data nitpicking.
Yesterday, the The Connecticut Coalition for Achievement Now (ConnCAN) released their 2010 School Rankings and when it comes to High School performance, the City of Danbury is an embarrassment.
Out of the 164 high schools in the state of Connecticut, ConnCAN ranks Danbury High 125 with only 30 percent of the students meeting state goals across all subjects (a drop of 2 percent from 2009).
Each year, Connecticut administers two standardized tests, the Connecticut Mastery Test (CMT) and the Connecticut Academic Performance Test (CAPT). These tests are designed to measure how well students are achieving on grade-level academic subjects. Both tests are designed and administered by the State Department of Education.
The CONNECTICUT MASTERY TEST (CMT) is administered each spring to all public school students in grades three through eight. The CMT measures how student achievement in the areas of mathematics, reading, and writing compared to the expectations for their grade level. In fifth and eighth grades, science is also tested.
The CONNECTICUT ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE TEST (CAPT) is administered each spring to all public school students in tenth grade. The CAPT measures student achievement in the areas of mathematics, reading, writing, and science compared to the expectations for high school students.
The skills tested on the CMT and CAPT are identified in the Connecticut curriculum framework, and each student’s achievement is compared to a set of established standards for his or her grade in each subject area. There is no “passing” grade on the CMT or the CAPT. Instead, the State of Department of Education sets a “goal” level score for each subject area in every grade tested. The State Department of Education gives each student a raw score (ranging from 100-400 points) and assigns score cut points for each of five levels: Advanced, At Goal, Proficient, Basic, or Below Basic. The State Department of Education reports scores for schools and districts as the percentage of students scoring at one of these levels. According to the State Department of Education, a student scoring at the “Goal” level has the knowledge, skills, and critical thinking abilities that are “reasonable to expect of students” within their grade level.
ConnCAN uses the Goal standard to set the bar for rating schools since it is the state’s best estimate of students meeting or exceeding grade-level expectations. The State Department of Education reports on the percentage of students “At Goal” in the subjects tested (math, reading, writing and science) for schools in which at least 20 students in any given grade completed the CMT or CAPT.
Given that the education spending takes up the majority of the city's budget, parents should expect more bang fort their buck. Based on these results, if I had a child attending DHS, I'd be rather upset.
BETHEL: Board of Selectmen approve "revised" road repair proposal
Wednesday, November 17, 2010 Time: 3:30 PM
Yesterday, the Bethel Board of Selectmen voted unanimously to send a revised road repair project to the board of finance for approval. The original 8.5 million dollar proposal was rejected by the Board of Finance last week.
Under the new proposal, funding for the repairs to the roads will be done in increments with the first two million going towards phase one of the project. WIth the Board of Selectmen's vote, the proposal now goes to the Board of Finance for final approval this Thursday before public referendum.
While the selectmen agree that the conditions of the road are unacceptable and need to be addressed, the Democrats and Republicans have different views on how best to fund the project. While expressing their displeasure with the Board of Finance's rejection of the original proposal, Democratic First Selectman Matt Knickerbocker and Selectman Richard Straiton supported the idea of paying for the multi-year project with one bond as opposed to multiple bonds over a series of years. Sympathizing with the concerns raised by the Board of Finance, Republican Selectman Paul Szatkowski stated that funding the project with a series of short term bonds is a better approach in light of the current state of the economy and the uncertainties with level of state funding for next year's budget.
From last night, here's video footage of the Board of Selectmen meeting.
Residents of Bethel are frustrated with the amount of time it has taken for the local government to address the road repair problem…and rightfully so. Accusations of obstruction and dirty politics have been tossed around (which is par for the course in Bethel). Whether the accusations are warranted or over the top is irrelevant…what's relevant is that the roads in the town are an embarrassment. Hopefully, with yesterday's vote, the residents of Bethel are one step closer to having at least a portion of the town's roads repaved.
Bethel, Danbury polling locations selected for audit
Monday, November 15, 2010 Time: 1:24 PM
Today, the Secretary of State's office randomly selected 86 polling places to be audited. Out of the 86 places picked, two polling places in Greater Danbury (Frank A Berry School District 5 in Bethel and Pembroke School Ward 2, Distrcit 9 in Danubry) were selected.
The audit will consist of a hand count of the Nov 2 general election results that will be compared with the machine count in order to make sure that the process worked correctly.
From the Sec. of State's office:
“We had one of the closest election results for Governor in Connecticut history on Tuesday November 2nd,” said Secretary Bysiewicz. “Therefore, I have ordered that all polling precincts chosen for the post-election audit examine machine counts for the governor’s race from Election Day, as well as two other offices selected at random. As voters came to the polls in droves they must have continued confidence that their votes were recorded accurately and that’s why the independent audits are so vital.”
The audits can begin no sooner than November 17, 2010 and must be completed by November 22, 2010.
“Auditing election results isn’t just a good idea, it’s absolutely essential in order to guarantee the integrity of our elections,” said Secretary Bysiewicz. “Record numbers of Connecticut residents cast ballots on November 2nd, and we don’t just take the machines’ word for it. So we will have every ballot cast in a full 10% of all our precincts hand counted and matched against the machine totals. Connecticut has the toughest elections audit law in the country and I am confident at the end of this year’s audit the numbers will match.”
[...]
The law requires a hand audit 10% of all polling places in all elections and primaries. (Polling precincts which are already part of a recount are exempt from audits by statute). The provisions in the law, developed in close cooperation with the computer science department at the University of Connecticut, give Connecticut one of the strictest audit statutes in the country. Connecticut is the first state in New England to require a comprehensive audit of election results.
Connecticut General Statute 9-320f states that local Registrars of Voters, “… shall conduct a manual audit of the votes recorded in not less than ten per cent of the voting districts in the state, district or municipality, whichever is applicable. Such manual audit shall be noticed in advance and be open to public observation.” The results of audits will be analyzed by the University of Connecticut and then presented to the Secretary of the State’s Office and the State Elections Enforcement Commission, and ultimately made available to the public.
The law contains a detailed description of the audit process:
“The manual audit… shall consist of the manual tabulation of the paper ballots cast and counted by each voting machine subject to such audit. Once complete, the vote totals established pursuant to the manual tabulation shall be compared to the results reported by the voting machine on the day of the election or primary. The results of the manual tabulation shall be reported on a form prescribed by the Secretary of the State which shall include the total number of ballots counted, the total votes received by each candidate in question, the total votes received by each candidate in question on ballots that were properly completed by each voter and the total votes received by each candidate in question on ballots that were not properly completed by each voter. Such report shall be filed with the Secretary of the State who shall immediately forward such report to The University of Connecticut for analysis. The University of Connecticut shall file a written report with the Secretary of the State regarding such analysis that describes any discrepancies identified. After receipt of such report, the Secretary of the State shall file such report with the State Elections Enforcement Commission.”
A complete list of the polling places picked are below:
List of polling precincts to be audited:
Town Polling Place
Bethel Frank A Berry School District 5 New Britain Generale Ameglio Society District 7 Waterbury St. Peter & Paul School Gym 16 District 74 Granby Granby Memorial High School District 1 Plainville Wheeler School District 4 Killingly South Killingly Fire Station District 3 Montville Town Hall Gym District 6 Hartford Burns School District 9 Stratford Second Hill Lane 120 District 100 Danbury Danbury High School Gym Ward 1 District 1 Southbury Sacred Heart Church District 2 New Haven Firehouse Woodward Ward 17 District 17 Sprague Baltic Fire House District 1 New Milford Catherine E Lillis Building District 2 Southbury The Jewish Center District 4 Middletown Farm Hill School District 11 Greenwich North Mianus School District 12 Colchester Bacon Academy Cafeteria District 1 Mansfield Mansfield Library/Buchanan Auditorium District 3 Seymour Paul Chatfield School District 3 Wilton Driscoll School District 2 Ansonia First Congregational Church Ward 2 District 2 Precinct 2 East Haven East Farm Village 1-S District 1 Southington Derynoski Elementary School District 3 Cheshire Norton School District 4 Newington Anna Reynolds School District 3 New Britain Graham Apartments District 5-2 District 5 East Haven Hays School District 5 Fairfield Dwight School District 3 Stratford Bunnell High School 120 District 90 Hartford Achievement 1st Hartford Academy District 1 Milford Harborside Middle School District 5 District 529 Thompson Quinebaug Volunteer Fire Department District 3 Waterbury Edward D Bergin Apartments District 72 West Haven City Hall Voting District 4 District 1 Preston Town Hall District 1 Norwalk Kendall School Voting District A3 District 140 Greenwich Town Hall District 2 Madison District 2 North Hartford South End Senior Wellness Center District 13 Orange Mary L Tracy School District 1 Fairfield Osborn School 133 District 4 Thomaston Town Hall – Lena Morton Gallery District 1 Bloomfield Firehouse Number 3 District 5 Kent Town Hall District 1 Hamden Dunbar Hill School District 7 Stafford West Stafford Fire Department District 3 East Hartford Langford School District 2 New Britain New Britain Senior Center District 5 Meriden Meriden Community Towers Area 1 District 12 Danbury War Memorial Gym Ward 5 District 5 Precinct 10 Enfield JFK Middle School District 1 District 2 Branford Community House Voting District 1, Precinct 0 District 1 Groton West Side Middle School District 2 Middletown Woodrow Wilson Middle School District 3 Stratford Wilcoxson School 120 District 70 New Haven New Horizons School District 6 Precinct 2 Stamford Julia A Stark School District 11 Norwich Stanton School District 8 Simsbury Henry James Memorial School District 1 Windsor Locks Windsor Locks High School District 2 Mansfield Audrey P. Beck Municipal Building District 1 Plainfield 4 Atwood Hose Station District 4 Lyme Lyme fire House District 1 Southington Reuben Thalberg Elementary School District 9 Ashford Knowlton Town Hall District 1 Danbury Pembroke School Gym Ward 2 District 2 Berlin Senior Center District 4 Newington Elizabeth Green School District 4 Torrington Armory District 8 Wallingford Evarts G. Stevens School District 2 Plainville Our Lady of Mercy Parrish Hall District 2 Milford Orange Avenue School District 1-2 District 127 Tolland Hicks – Town Hall District 2
List of Polling Precincts in Bridgeport with extended hours on Election Day November 2, 2010:
· Beardsley School, 500 Huntington Avenue; · Read Middle School, 130 Ezra Street; · Central High School, 1 Lincoln Blvd.; · John Winthrop School, 85 Eckart St.; · Hallen School, Division St.; · Thomas Hooker School, Roger Williams Rd.; · Black Rock School, 545 Brewster St.; · John F. Kennedy Campus, 700 Palisade Ave.; · Blackham School, 425 Thorme St.; · Park City Magnet School, 1526 Chopsey Hill Rd.; · City Hall, 45 Lyon Terrace; and · Longfellow School, 139 Ocean Terrace.
BETHEL: First Selectman Knickerbocker speaks out on Board of Finance rejection of road repair proposal
Time: 10:20 AM
Tomorrow night, the Bethel Board of Selectmen are scheduled to address the board of finance's rejection of the road repair renewal proposal.
At their last meeting, to the disapproval of First Selectman Matt Knickerbocker and many in attendance, by a 4-3 margin, the Bethel Board of Finance rejected and voted to remand the 8.5 million dollar road repair plan to the Board of Finance for further consideration. After the board's vote, I had a chance to talk to First Selectman Knickerbocker and get his opinion on the board's vote and why the proposal is should go for a referendum vote in it's current condition.
BETHEL VIDEO: Board of Finance reject road repair proposal
Time: 11:17 AM
If you ever travel through Bethel, then you know that the conditions of the roads are am embarrassment. During the 2009 campaign, the issue of road repair was one of the top concerns on the minds of voters and in my interview with First Selectman-Elect Matt Knickerboker on election night of that year, the Democrat promised that road repair would be one of his top priorities.
Fast forward to November 2010 and the issue of road repair is still being debated in the town with an added twist...accusations of obstruction and dirty politics are being thrown back and forth (something that's not new to Bethel).
While members of the public are accusing critics of Knickerbocker on the board of finance (BOF) of using delay tactics and scoring political points at the risk of the public's safety, members of the board of finance reject that notion and state that they're concerned with the price of the bond package for the road project (8.5 million over 4 years).
While I plan to do more posts on the road repair proposal, and my take on the controversy surrounding the situation, the purpose of this post is to give those who couldn't attend the meeting, an opportunity to see what actually transpired Tuesday night. Although I tried to stream the meeting live, portions of the meeting didn't air due to the lack of 3G signal in the building.
Here's the video from the meeting. You can judge for yourself whether or not members of the BOF are playing politics with the safety of the residents of Bethel.
Public participation:
Board of Finance debate on the road repair proposal:
2007 FLASHBACK: The Elmer’s Diner traffic disaster
Thursday, November 11, 2010 Time: 7:48 PM
In light of the tragic accident that occurred yards away from Elmer's Diner on Wednesday, here's a post I did back in 2007 regarding the numerous traffic problems that was created by the restaurant being allowed to open at that location.
In future posts, I'll outline everyone on how the owner of Elmer's Diner has further contributed to the traffic nightmare...
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 it take someone getting hit by a car to get City Hall to deal with the situation?
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...
LIVE VIDEO STREAM: Bethel Board of Finance meeting
Tuesday, November 09, 2010 Time: 2:40 PM
Sorry for the problems with the stream but I was unable to get a stable 3G connection. Luckily, I recorded the video and I'll post the footage later today.
Tonight at 7:00 PM, I will be providing a live video stream of the much anticipated Bethel's board of Finance meeting.
For those who are unaware, accusations of obstruction is being directed towards BOF chairman Phillip Gallagher in regards to a plan to repair badly damaged roads in the town. This recent News-Times letter to the editor from Bethel resident Steven Brill gives the details:
Bethel citizens who are fed up with the terrible condition of our local roads need to show up at the next Finance Committee meeting, which is Nov. 9 at 7 p.m. in the Town Hall.
As folks may know, for the last few months the Board of Finance -- otherwise known in Bethel as the Board of Obstruction, has taken every opportunity to slow down, obstruct, destruct, confuse and consciously turn a deaf ear to the best interests and best plans of Bethel to deal with the terrible local road conditions.
Unanimously, the Board of Selectmen and other town officials have supported and promoted a plan that would revitalize virtually every road in Bethel. Throughout this process, the board of obstruction has said things like: The dead-end streets should stay the way they are and their taxpayers should just tough it out; or statements like: We can't afford it -- when the financial plan takes into account the lowest interest rates of modern times.
The plan put forward is extremely affordable, due to the low interest rates, some of which are well below 1 percent. The latest round of delays brings this plan, that was initially well received in June of last year, to the Nov. 9 meeting.
The chairman of the board of obstruction is telling the selectmen it will be brought up at that meeting, even though it is not even on the agenda. Are we in for another round of delays and obstruction? Can Geico save you 15 percent on your car insurance?
It's time for the obstructionists and political players to hear from the public! Playing politics with essentials such as roads is dangerous.
If past reporting on Bethel politics is any indication of things to come, tonight's meeting should be rather interesting.
The video stream will start aprox. around 6:50 PM and will be simulcasted on my piece of real estate over at the News-Times website.
The sexual assault case against John McGowan day ten: Moving forward
Time: 9:46 AM
The rape trial against Greater Danbury anti-immigrant activist John McGowan continued last week with the case moving one step forward to jury selection.
McGowan, the former treasurer of the Greater Danbury chapter of the Connecticut Citizens for Immigration Control, co-founder/Vice President of United States Citizens for Immigration and Law Enforcement hate group, 2007 candidate for mayor, and Pseudolaw lunatic was charged with first degree sexual assault as a result of an investigation by the New Milford Police Department.
Here how the News-Times detailed the horrific alleged assault. In the 13-page affidavit, the woman describes a variety of sexual encounters to which she consented, but she claimed that on Oct. 20, 2008, after attending a meeting at McGowan's church, he assaulted her anally at a house he was building on Juniper Road in New Milford.
The woman told police she said, "What are you doing?" and "Stop," but McGowan instead "put his right arm around her neck and put her in a headlock," according to the affidavit.
After speaking with counselors at the women's shelter in Danbury, the victim went to New Milford Hospital on Oct. 22 and hospital personnel called police, according to the affidavit.
...the police report’s write-up on the incident is more graphic. …he [McGowan] pushed his penis into her anus. When he did this, Victim stated that she asked "What are you doing" and "Stop." Victim states that she arched her back as she initially struggled to to get him out of her. When she did this, McGowan put his right arm around her neck and put her in a headlock.
According to the affidavit, after speaking with representatives at the Women's Shelter in Danbury, the victim went to New Milford Hospital and a police investigation was conducted, which resulted in McGowan's arrest.
According to CT Defense Lawyer website, first degree sexual assault is a CLASS B felony, if found guilty, the local xenophobe could be sentenced to 1 to 20 years in prison and fined up to 15,000 dollars.
RECAP OF LATEST COURT HEARING:
After his case was called by Judge James P. Ginochio, and the marshalls approached McGowan, as he approached the chamber, the co-founder of the United States Citizens for Immigration and Law Enforcement hate-group continued his irrational Pseudolaw claim that the court doesn't have jurisdiction over him.
McGowan: I enter of my own free will...I do not grant jurisdiction
Judge: Mr. McGowan, they need to hear what you're saying...no one understands what you're saying.
McGowan: I enter of my own free...
Court recorder: I don't understand what you're saying.
After dealing with McGowan's bizzare statement, Judge Ginochio checked the calander in order to find a date to finally move the case forward to possibly jury selection. After given a JAnuary date, McGowan objected and requested a date in late March, to which prosecutor Dawn Gallo stated was not a good date. While attempting to find a agreeable date, McGowan attempted to shift the conversation by alleging that his argument of juristirciton hasn't been addressed (which of course is incorrect):
Judge: Just have your motions in.
McGowan: Same ones as before, the state hasn't proven juristriciton.
Judge: I've dealth with that. Give me a date in Feb.
McGowan: I object your honor
Judge: You object with the date
McGowan: About juristrciton
Judge: Your objections are entered into the record
After a date of Feb 23rd was agreed by all parties, McGowan bizarre actions contiuned as he attemtped which seemed to look like a box of paperwork into the record.
Judge; File it the corect way so that everyone gets a copy. McGowan: I owuld like to but it was lost the last time. Judge: I won't stop you from filing anything...you need to file it the appropriate way.
With McGowan's laughable behavior, it's easy to loose sight of the fact that the charges against McGowan are very serious and that there is an alleged victim in this case who was possibly seriously assulted. As this case moves forward, hopefully we can get beyond McGowan's nonsense and get to the actual case.
cooljustice @MayorMark That's fair. 5 minutes ago via Echofon in reply to MayorMark
MayorMark @cooljustice Apologize? I guess we will have to agree to disagree. 22 minutes ago via TweetDeck in reply to cooljustice
cooljustice @MayorMark Where does the buck stop in Danbury? Do you deny that Danbury cop picked up workers in van? When will you apologize? 31 minutes ago via Echofon in reply to MayorMark
MayorMark @cooljustice Neither. about 2 hours ago via TweetDeck in reply to cooljustice
cooljustice @MayorMark U Deny Danbury Cop Drove Van To Jail Immigrant Workers? R U Lying Now, Did U Lie @ Deposition Or R Your Lips Moving? less than a minute ago via web in reply to MayorMark
MayorMark @cooljustice Nice try. Neither one of those are true. But, just keep repeating it. It's flattering. about 2 hours ago via TweetDeck in reply to cooljustice
@MayorMark U Deny Expressing Interest 2 GOP Members In 5th CD? Is that Like Denying Set-Up Raid By ICE Against Danbury Immigrant Workers? about 6 hours ago via web in reply to MayorMark
Boughton Not ‘So Sure' Re; 5th District Congressional Run He Has Been Chatting About http://twitter.com/MayorMark
MayorMark @cooljustice Don't be so sure of that.. about 19 hours ago via TweetDeck in reply to cooljustice
5th District Congressional Candidate On The Stump http://blog.ctnews.com/election2010/2010/11/05/boughton-calls-for-a-recanvass-in-gov-race/ 12:55 PM Nov 5th via web
You didn't LIE about the city's role in the Danbury 11 case? Really Mark?
Hey cocky guy, why don't you just release your VIDEO deposition in the Danbury 11 case and let the people decide if you're a no good, dishonest, racist, bigot.
Boughton urged Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz to go back to all 169 municipalities and re-verify the results from the ticker tape generated by the electronic voting machines.
He pointed out that the initial results for the city of Torrington posted on the SOTS website were corrected by Bysiewicz on Thursday after short-changing Foley by 2,000 votes.
“It might best serve the voters of Connecticut to have a recanvass,” Boughton said, emphasizing that he was speaking for himself and not the campaign.
If Boughton's not speaking on behalf of Foley, as Tom's number two, he should probably refrain from going off the campaign script...but knowing Danbury's last honest man the way I do, I'm not surprised with him running off at the mouth.
Congressman Chris Murphy stops by JK's Restaurant to say thanks to residents for their vote in Tuesday's election. JK's Restaurant 11.04.10. Photo by Al Robinson
On Tuesday, Danbury residents overwhelmingly voted to send Chris Murphy back to Congress for a third term.
While thanking people for their support at JK's Restaurant, I had a chance to speak to Congressman Murphy and get his thoughts on the election and his thoughts on the new make-up of the House of Representatives.
Let us know how the voting turnout is in your area...make note of the counter when you cast your ballot. If your using Twitter, use the #ctvote2010 hashtag and your tweet will appear here.
For Rides to the Polls or Questions About Where to Vote: 855-CT-VOTES For the Voter Protection Hotline: 888-316-6603
7:30 PM: Here's my video stream feed from Danbury DTC headquarters (recorded).
UPDATE 5:00: Danbury Registrar of Voters Mary Ann Doran is MISLEADING the public regarding the Dem voter turnout.
1987 photo of Democratic Town Committee member (and Boughton's current receptionist) Joan Soderstorm (left) and Democratic Town Committee Chairwoman (and current GOP Registrar of Voters) Mary Ann Doran (right). Both individuals played a central role in one of the most controversial episode in the history of City Hall...known to most people at the time as the midnight city hall midnight massacre.
The heaviest voting, according to Doran, is in traditionally Republican strongholds in the city, while some Democratic wards are seeing voter turnout as of 3 p.m. as low as 12 percent.
Here's why Doran's outrageous comment is misleading.
Here are the voting turnout totals as of 3 PM (Democratic strongholds are in italic):
WARD 1, 109 DIST: 59 out of 235 votes (25.1 percent) WARD 1, 110 DIST: 109 out of 376 votes (29.0 percent) WARD 1, 138 DIST: 1421 out of 4426 votes (32.1 percent) TOTAL WARD 1: 1589 out of 5037 votes (31.5 percent)
WARD 2, 109 DIST: 908 out of 2536 votes (35.8 percent) WARD 2, 138 DIST: 808 out of 2464 votes (32.8 percent) TOTAL WARD 2: 1716 out of 5000 votes (34.8 percent)
WARD 3, 109 DIST: 1952 out of 5624 votes (34.7 percent) TOTAL WARD 3: 1952 out of 5624 votes (34.7 percent)
WARD 4, 109 DIST: 636 out of 2086 votes (30.5 percent) WARD 4, 110 DIST: 594 out of 2321 votes (25.6 percent) TOTAL WARD 4: 1230 out of 4407 votes (27.9 percent)
WARD 5, 02 DIST: 470 out of 1344 votes (30.5 percent) WARD 5, 109 DIST: 29 out of 236 votes (12.3 percent) WARD 5, 110 DIST: 571 out of 2062 votes (27.7 percent) TOTAL WARD 5: 1071 out of 3642 votes (29.4 percent)
WARD 6, 02 DIST: 1006 out of 2933 votes (34.3 percent) WARD 6, 110 DIST: 333 out of 1249 votes (26.7 percent) TOTAL WARD 6: 1340 out of 4182 votes (32.0 percent)
WARD 7, 02 DIST: 175 out of 534 votes (32.8 percent) WARD 7, 110 DIST: 86 out of 312 votes (27.6 percent) WARD 7, 138 DIST: 1349 out of 4112 votes (32.8 percent) TOTAL WARD 7: 1610 out of 4182 votes (32.5 percent)
TOTAL VOTES: 10507 out of 32,850 votes (32.0 percent)
As you can see, the ward that lean Democratic are just about on par with the GOP wards. Furthermore, the ward Doran picked out as evidence of a low Dem turnout (5th ward 109th district) is the section of Danbury where Western Connecticut State University dorms are located. This particular ward has traditionally been incredibly low because college kids in dorms rarely vote (which is why the total number of voters in that section of the 5th is at 236). What Doran doesn't mention about the 5th ward is that the turnout in the 2nd District section of the 5th is 35 percent...which as of the 3PM is the second highest percentage of voter turnout in the entire city.
In short, Doran is pulling a dirty and misleading trick on the people of Danbury...but for those who knows Doran's controversial political history in the area, her latest antics is nothing new.
Oh yeah, that WWE event this weekend in Hartford had nothing to do with politics...Boughton is a big fan of wrestling (not like he has to city to look after or anything)...
One thing I learned in the campaign fore US Senate is that Linda McSteroids' campaign will go to any lengths to control their message…and just as they attempted to do in Milford, when it comes to the size of crowds at her rallies, Linda's camp isn't being quite honest with the people.
On Saturday Linda's 50 million dollar trainwreck made one of her last campaign stops in Danbury. With campaign manager David Cappiello and Lt. Gov candidate Mark Boughton both residents of Connecticut's Hatcity, you would think there would be a good turnout for Linda's rally at the Danbury High School right? Well, of you drank the Kool-Aid from Linda's team, then the rally was a HUGH success.
Here's what the McSteroids' campaign tweeted regarding their rally at Danbury High School.
Lets take a look at the pics McSteroids' campaign put out of the "amazing/great" rally.
Again, if you go by these images, you would think the rally was a huge hit…and why not? Announcement of the rally was posted on Linda's Facebook page back on the 26th and two of her biggest fans (her campaign manager and the mayor of Danbury) both live a stone throw away from where the rally took place. Surely the success of this rally should be a no brainer right? (I mean come on, they even had Triple H as the "special" guest!)
WRONG.
Fresh from the Obama rally in Bridgeport, I decided to stop by the big festival and see how things were going…and lets just say that no one was really psyched to see me there. I knew once I parked my car that the rally was a complete bust.
I arrived at the "rally" around at the Danbury High School auditorium at aprox. 7:30 and the size of the crowd was almost embarrassing. Even after they sectioned off half of the gym, the size of Linda's followers peaked at 120 people (including Linda's staff and handlers who I recognized from the Milford rally).
By the time Linda finally showed her face (aprox 8:40), her handlers move the people into the middle in order to give the impression that the size of the crowd was large for the cameras. Heck, by the time Linda finally showed up, I saw some people actually leave...including the crew from WTNH (marked in red in the above photo).
…I'll let the video tell the story.
As someone who attended one of Ned Lamont's last campaign stops in Danbury back in November 2006, Linda's people couldn't have been happy with this turnout…hell, I had more people at my wedding. If Linda's campaign manager and the Mark Boughton can't draw people out to her rallying Danbury (population 75,000+), then what does that say about the enthusiasm for the McSteroids campaign?
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"
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.
Here's what she 
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.
