Anna Duleep To Challenge Larry Cafero

In an early start, Anna Duleep confirmed that she will be filing paperwork to run for the State Rep seat in the 142nd district, a seat currently held by Minority Leader Larry Cafero. The last significant challenge Cafero experienced was in 2006, when the Democrats ran Lex Paulson in the district. Paulson came within 688 votes of winning that race. In 2008, there was no Democratic candidate challenging.

Duleep served on the Norwalk Common Council when she was appointed to fill in for Councilman Doug Sutton who retired at the start of 2009. Duleep also holds a position on the South Western Regional Planing Agency (SWRPA) as co-chair of the Housing Committee  and is also on the Environmental Committee.

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  • Duleep, not

    Duleep hasn’t shown up for a SWRPA meeting since last year; like maybe five months. Think we can expect her to show up in Hartford except to collect the Hartford paycheck while she’s collecting her teacher’s paycheck? Do I hear “Bruce Morris?”

    • Anna Duleep

      Dear Mr./Ms. “Duleep, not” (it’s so awkward not knowing the proper name by which to address you!): Allow me to correct some understandable misconceptions concerning my teaching career. Although I remain, at heart, a seventh-grade classroom teacher, in practice I would never entertain the possibility of pursuing the 142nd legislative district seat if I were contractually obligated to work as a full-time classroom teacher for a public school district. I will tell you quite frankly if one of my stepson’s math teachers had expressed interest in a legislative seat that would take him or her out of the classroom for months on end, I would have lost no time in urging his mother to pull him out of that teacher’s class.
      Some little-known background that heavily impacted my decision to switch back to private tutoring and teaching Law School Admissions Test classes for Kaplan: I worked for two years at a Bridgeport charter school, The Bridge Academy, with then-State Rep. Felipe Reinoso. Although Rep. Reinoso held the title, “Principal,” we were fortunate to have another administrator, our School Director, who handled the daily needs of our students. Principal Reinoso was an administrator much further along in his career, who (I believe) was a founding member of a school that, while public, is subject to far less bureaucracy than a traditional public school. He was in a position to negotiate a mutually beneficial agreement with our school that allowed flexibility in his schedule. He did not have daily classroom duties.
      My choice to give more to fewer students by working for myself (with occasional stints as a substitute in the public schools) is, from the perspective of my teaching career, far from optimal. I will not be able to progress to the next level of certification until I am able to devote my full attention to a classroom and complete the requirements of TEAM (formerly the BEST program). When the time comes for me to return to teaching middle school full time, I imagine some school board will grill me at length about my decision to effectively slow the growth of my teaching career. I will not be able to significantly build the 403(b) I started when I was teaching at Bedford Middle School in Westport. I will take longer to repay the money I borrowed to pay for my Master of Arts in Teaching degree from Sacred Heart. It would have been nice to have had a municipally subsidized health insurance plan. However, as somebody who once went without any coverage, I consider myself extremely fortunate to have secured an individual health insurance policy with Anthem through ehealthinsurance.com. I do not judge another educator’s choice; each career is different. Nevertheless, I would not have felt comfortable taking a job away from another teacher in this economy and committing to a school district while planning to pursue a position that would keep me from devoting my full attention to my students. It was the right choice for me. Also, the flexibility of my schedule now allows me to donate some time as a volunteer tutor with a terrific gang-prevention program in South Norwalk called Serving All Vessels Equally (aka Project Save). Lastly, although this may not be relevant, I would like to note that I have never been an employee of the Norwalk Public Schools.

  • MaybeJustMaybe

    she may not have been re-appointed by the Mayor???

  • Apathetic Voter

    Didn’t she have a problem showing up for Common Council meetings and council committee meetings too?

  • Anna Duleep

    At this month’s SWRPA meeting, I agreed to expand my involvement by representing Norwalk on the Executive Committee. My term will not expire until November 2011. Thank you for your input!

  • Cove Ave

    Why is repesenting Norwalk on yet another committee a good thing?

    We want you to show up and actually contribute to the basics. Please bullet point three initativies you have contributed to SWRPA since Oct 2009 that bettered the voters of Norwalk.

    Enough of the resume fluff builders.

  • Barnstorm

    I think we should keep re-electing the same representatives who have ensured Norwalkers they will be shortchanged in our state funding for local issues. We’re Fairfield County. We’re loaded. We don’t need to see any more than 30% of the money we send to Hartford. Yep, Cafero’s our man for the job.

    Hey! Sarcasm DOES work on the internet!

  • Anna Duleep

    My three favorite initiatives as a member of the SWRPA Board:

    1) Flood Prevention: I worked with Congressman Jim Himes’s office to ensure that Rep. Himes included in the appropriations bill an official request that the Army Corp of Engineers perform a reconnaissance study of Fairfield County. Credit for the original idea to pursue this funding goes to Leigh Grant and others who tirelessly, though unsuccessfully, tried to convince former Congressman Shays to request this study. Congressman Shays had previously assisted Congresswoman Nita Lowey in securing similar funding for a reconnaissance study of Westchester County. The only way to request this study, as per legislation dating back to 1972, is through a Congressional Representative.
    When I found out Lex Paulson (the aforementioned young man who lost to Rep. Cafero by 688 votes in 2006) had been hired as a Legislative Aide for Rep. Himes, I spoke with him about our urgent need for flood prevention assistance in Norwalk. I did not even wait until Mr. Paulson officially started his new job; I told Lex at his farewell party to expect an e-mail containing the necessary language to be included in the bill. Turfgrrl may recall our delightful chat at Lex’s party later that evening! I then spoke with Dr. Floyd Lapp, Executive Director of SWRPA. It was my hope that by the time Dr. Lapp was able to secure a commitment from Rep. Himes to pursue this funding, Rep. Himes’s staff would be in a position to take immediate action. To my delight, Rep. Himes had a very productive conversation with Dr. Lapp, and ultimately requested the study on our behalf. This reconnaissance study is a necessary first step in our efforts to get federal assistance in addressing flooding more directly (the study itself is not, per se, designed for flood prevention).

    2) Facilitating More Productive Support for Norwalk’s Common Council: After Council President Doug Hempstead became Chair of the Planning Committee, he and I discussed ways in which we could keep the legislative branch of Norwalk better informed of SWRPA’s activities. One idea we discussed was a regular report to the Planning Committee. As someone who served on the SWRPA Board and the Common Council simultaneously, I was pleased that our new Council President was so receptive to working with SWRPA. Understanding the ways in which SWRPA might provide research assistance is particularly vital to a city with a “strong council, weak mayor” system, severe budget cuts, and no research assistant assigned to assist Common Council members in making informed decisions. I have also spoken with Councilwoman Nora King about this issue. I plan to follow up more formally with the full Common Council in the near future.

    3) Highlighting Efforts in Smaller Towns to Meaningfully Comply with 8-30(g) Guidelines for Affordable Housing: As Co-Chair of SWRPA’s Housing Committee, I urged my fellow committee members to adopt the following theme for our 2009 Housing Summit: affordable/workforce housing initiatives in small towns. We often hear complaints in Norwalk that our smaller, more affluent neighbors do not provide their fair share of affordable housing stock in Fairfield County. An egregious example: according to one report, Weston’s entire stock of affordable housing is one UNIT! Not even one percent, but one solitary unit that was donated to the town. At the time my committee was planning our Housing Summit, three smaller communities happened to have affordable housing initiatives in the works: New Canaan, Darien and Westport. We chose to support their efforts by discussing the complex issues affecting such projects in smaller communities with relatively low levels of existing affordable housing stock. I personally asked Jim Himes to accept our invitation to be the keynote speaker. Again, always a pleasure to see Norwalk’s Zoning Commission Chair at our summit!

    The above comments concerning SWRPA meeting attendance are duly noted. I would submit, however, that much of our work, particularly that which involves initiative rather than passive acceptance, takes place outside the monthly meeting of the full board. Additionally, we often get the opportunity to attend events and meetings that provide a wonderful chance to learn more about the complex issues tackled by the South Western Regional Planning Agency staff. For example, I was once the only board member who was able to attend a small presentation on congestion pricing. It was a gathering that fell outside the “basic” requirements, to borrow an above-mentioned phrase. I was pleased that Minority Leader Cafero was able to take time from his Hartford law practice to attend as well. Rep. Cafero appeared very supportive when I asked a question concerning the logistics of billing non-Connecticut residents; I appreciated his encouragement very much!

    • Yes, but….

      …did you actually ATTEND the meetings?

      I find it ludicrous that you talk of “discussing” but never show up for the meetings. How did you “discuss” things, telepathically?

      • turfgrrl

        Yes, but: So let me understand your point– attendance at meetings is more important over the value in contributions? How so very mid century corporate. Productivity in all things should be measured by output, not the time one sits in a chair.

        • Very true

          but if you don’t attend the meetings, how do you know what was discussed? You can’t contribute if you have no idea what you are supposed to be doing because you missed the meeting. And speaking of contributing, that’s what the meeting is FOR, isn’t it?? to give everyone a chance to contribute TOGETHER? As in brainstorming solutions to problems? Again, you can’t work as a team if all the team members aren’t at the meeting.

          If you don’t attend the meeting you don’t find out what new information might have come to light. You don’t find out what went wrong with the old information – or what went right with it either. Not attending means you don’t have a give-and-take with others to hammer out solutions to problems, discuss successes, make plans. Not attending means you very well may miss hearing an important point or finding out an essential fact. Not being at the meeting makes it much easier to lose track of what the rest of your group is doing and where your place is in the group.

          I mean, come ON – if you’re not going to attend the meetings, then what is the point of running for the office in the first place?

          • turfgrrl

            very true: Call me a creature of the 21st century, but meetings are so 20th century. Today there are multi ways to stay in contact with people that work can and does occur without having to attend a physical meeting. As it happens I sit on two commissions where there is a huge amount of activity between meetings and people who miss meetings make all kinds of efforts to stay in communication with the commission members and up to date on all things discussed. In short it depends upon the group as to where the real action and discussion takes place. So no, unless a meeting requires an action like a vote, I think the value is in the contribution, not the attendance record.

  • Get it right Barnstorm

    Hey Barnestorm Before you lay blame at Larry’s feet, Please do us all a favor and state the facts why we are not getting more than the 30% we send to Hartford. Things like:
    Who is in control over what amount of money we get back from Hartford?
    Answer: The Democrats control the house, don’t they Barnstorm?? Yet you look at the minority leader. Which brings me to ask you Barnstorm, why don’t you get on Duff’s , Perone’s & Morris’s back as to why they are bring home the BACON BITS from Hartford. Afterall, it’s THEIR party bosses who doles outs the cash to the cities, isn’t it? And now Duleep wants to join the Bacon Bit Bunch from the Dem Party up in Hartford?? I guess then well get only 20% back.

    • turfgrrl

      Get it right Barnstorm: Why stop there? The whole Fairfield County state rep and senate delegation sucks at bringing anything more than bacon bits. It’s not like hometown boy Bob Genuario has managed to work discipline into the Executive branch either. Rell continues to oversee the DOT prioritizing upstate, the judicial dept, prioritizing upstate, and nary a thought at how to create a stronger economy in this region.

  • raising the bar

    Forward thinking. We do have some studio executive types that are taking a closer look here. In fact the old Lycoming factory in Stratford is being considered for film production facilities. The roadblock there has been contamination. Imagine if we had leadership, we could access brownfields resouces and really transform our county and position us securely for at least the next couple of generations. The networks and studios would love this location. Yet with everyone running in circles and armed with chainsaws instead of clear planning and leadership we get clear cutting teabaggers out for a hanging. How far can we be till we are back to torches and pitchforks? Isn’t the clock spinning the wrong way?

    Class, class.

    Ok settle down, lets get to work.

    Pop quiz.

    (class moans in unison on cue).

    What assets does Fairfield County have?

    Anyone?

    Speak up, now, there may be extra credit here.

    Yes very good johnny, LOCATION. Fairfield county is located next to the worlds metropolis New York City.

    Access by land, sea and air!

    Very good Jane.

    Trains, excellent Bobby.

    Turtles!!!

    Yes there are turtles, lots of turtles but we are looking for assets.

    PEOPLE!!

    Very good Ellen, there are lots of people here for a workforce.

    EMPTY Factories!

    Yes, very good Jody. So what can we take away from this discussion?

    Even though some may see broken panes of glass and boarded up doors, others can see glass ceilings to shatter and doors that rotate. All one has to do is, PUSH, them open.

    Imagine, than make it happen.

  • In the Middle

    I normally consider myself fairly independent…and I will leave the meeting attendance debate to others….but i have to comment on the back and forth screed written by someone who is supposedly intelligent touching on her ability to pay back debts, her teaching/not teaching/tutoring LSAT, taking credit for standing next to people with ideas and action….and just ask…WHAT? Really…I should consider voting for someone who stoops to on-line bickering and name calling? Especially when the person she is going up against seems to be one of the very few respectable politicians in this part of the state? No Thanks. No Race.

    • Sunshine

      I agree. On-line bickering, name calling, no shows and twisting the facts is not attractive qualities for a politician. Larry Cafaro is one of the few respectable politicians we have with excellent work ethics. I vote for Larry. No contest here.

  • OLD TIMER

    Larry Cafero has all the advantages of an incumbent and will not be easy to beat. If the Democrats get together and really support her, it can be done. It will be interesting.