March 11, 2010 12:05 pm

Coup De Grace, LWV Special Meeting

Perennial gadfly Diane Lauricella has been brandishing her League of Women credentials on many civic issues, but all that may come to a crashing halt, as the state chapter of the LVW has decided it was time to intervene. A confidential email to past and current members of the Norwalk LWV outlines the reasons:

During the past several years, the League of Women Voters of Norwalk has not been fulfilling the minimum requirements of a functioning League. Despite repeated promises from the current leadership

an annual meeting has not been convened

a budget

a slate proposed by a Nominating Committee

and proposal(s) for program for membership approval have not been presented to the membership

membership renewal notices to Norwalk members were not sent by the local league [the state office sent them]

since 2006 no arrangements have been made for the payment of the LWVUS PMP or the LWVCT PMP, with the exception of $100 in January

Norwalk League membership has declined from 60 in 2007 to 15 in 2010

The email concludes with a plea to get the word out. Consider that done.

Please urge former Norwalk League members to also attend. For additional information, please contact the LWVCT office at 203 288-7996 or Jara Burnett at 203 637-9244. If you require a ride to the meeting, please contact 203 838-1806.

The intervention, according to the email, was approved by the national LWV too. State administrators will be on hand to help guide Norwalk LWV supporters through the process. The special meeting open to all members, former members and supporters of the League of Women Voters of Norwalk and will be held on March 25, 7:00-9:00 p.m., Norwalk City Hall, Room 231, 125 East Avenue, Norwalk, CT 06856-5125.

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NorwalkSpectator

It’s an intervention??? This is definitely going to be interesting! By the way, isn’t she currently living in Westport?
Yes!!

The League of Women Voters mission has morphed into ACORN-lite. Their agenda is a smidgen to the right of Saul Alinsky. Diane L’s mission is worse. It makes no sense; it’s riddled with mental chaff. Diane L’s rants are 3 decibels down from Diane C’s. And Diane C’s volume sounds like all 150 fingers of the Common Council members simultaneously scratching on a blackboard. In fact, the Council, wearing ear protectors, should lock both Dianes up in the Dem’s caucus room and scratch a blackboard with malicious enthusiasm. Just so the girls get a taste of their own medicine.
KathyS

It is about time to either close the chapter or elect someone responsible to rebuild it.
justMe

If they make Diane L quit and never come back, I’ll re-register again!
OLD TIMER

Why do some of us suspect there are administration fingerprints all over this ? We know she has been a nuisance at times when she disagreed with this administration, but somebody had to point out faults in certain proposals. She has been a vocal advocate of transparency and public participation when the administration preferred to avoid it.
Keep track of people who criticized the plan to expand the privately owned garbage transfer facility on Meadow St and close the City owned plant on Crescent St. See how many suffer similar “intervention” .
This move will not muzzle her. Last I heard, she is still living in Norwalk.

turfgrrl

Old Timer: For the record, the privately owned transfer station on Meadow street is currently operating as an expanded transfer station on Meadow street.
As for transparency, if you talk the talk you should walk the walk. So the state LWV apparently cites that no board meetings have been held, amongst other lack of transparent actions, um, where’s the transparency kenneth?

Andrea Light

I doubt the Administration has anything to do with it. When I was a member (and Treasurer) of the local League, the State and National Chapter required per member payments that ate up most of the dues leaving the local group with almost nothing. While I was supportive of several of the fine, hardworking and sincere local members, I also felt the League had lost a lot of its relevance and was searching for a new message/mission. I think that plays into the dwindling membership. Under Diane’s leadership, I sensed their projects were partisan, but again, I think the focus has been lost.
OLD TIMER

TG: Sure it is, but we aren’t paying half a million a year lease payments, it isn’t permitted for 1200 tons/day, and the neighborhood is not dealing with the traffic a 1200 tons/day operation would generate.
I am not a LWV board member and cannot comment on their meetings, or the lack of. The local group sponsored a debate at City hall during the last campaign and a state officer moderated, if I recall.
This intervention still smacks of local administration getting even. We’ll see who they go after next. I hear there is a list.

turfgrrl

Old Timer: No, we are paying $500k a year extra in trash hauling because we didn’t get improved recycling. Not the first time we disagree on the facts of the trash issue. The local LWV has always sponsored debates, and while the one for the BOE was exceptional, the council one was an embarrassment, and not at City Hall. But hey, don’t take my word for it, watch the video! I think the LWV letter speaks for itself, the reasons have nothing to do with local issues and everything to do with accountability to the LWV.
NorwalkSpectator

OldTimer,

I think it is very simple.

There have been numerous times when Ms. L. would make statements in various meeting that she was “investigating” someone, usually Mr. Alvord. As a private citizen, she is free to “investigate” all she wants. However, when she involves the League of Women Voters by invoking her position, and with all the irregularities, it probably made red flags go up in Hartford. A big flag was probably having to mail out the membership renewals from Hartford. Don’t know about you, but that would indicate that something was seriously awry to me.

I wouldn’t be surprised at all if the State moderator took a minute or two to check the file before coming down to see how the chapter was doing and discovered all these irregularities.

Actually, I don’t think anyone in the administration has time to work up a conspiracy against her simply because they are too busy working on the budget.

OLD TIMER

TG:
If you believe Alvord’s scheme would have saved half a million a year in trash hauling, you haven’t looked at the hard numbers. A 20 year contract, with very favorable rates, was expiring and anyone who didn’t expect trash hauling rates to go way up was not paying attention. Hamilton and Alvord failed to allow for a predictable increase and then blamed Dianne L. for the extra that was needed for the new contract with City Carting. With or without the lease payments for Meadow St, the trash hauling would have gone way up.
turfgrrl

Old Timer: I’m basing my facts on the actual amount the Council had to vote as a special appropriation to cover the trash hauling costs. Who’s blaming Diane L. over this? The council voted on this, and they are responsible for 1) not approving the contract and 2) approving the special appropriation and 3) not investing in streamlined recycling to reduce the amount of trash we pay to have hauled away.
OLD TIMER

If that deal had gone through, as proposed, they would have voted on that $500,000 plus the $500,000 a year for ten years ($5,000,000) for the lease with, at best, the HOPE that improved recycling might reduce some of the actual trash hauling expense, and the two other private tranfer stations would not be competitive. If Hamilton and Alvord were on the ball, the trash hauling money would have been in the budget and they would not need a special appropriation. If you read all the paperwork, you know the City was not getting anything from metals recycling.
I stand by my suspicion the administration had a lot to do with the State LWV sudden interest in how the local LWV was doing, as a way to get even with Diane. My suspicion doesn’t prove anything, but let’s see who else they “get even” with as soon as they can. Could they be trying to muzzle her ? They may be helping her more than they think. She can now claim martyr status, especially if she can show some party flunkie reached out to the state LWV. It could be a mistake to underestimate her once she is no longer restrained by LWV nuetrality policies.

turfgrrl

Old Timer: ROTFLMAO — what else can I say? You’ve got the tinfoil firmly planted on your head and you see dead people.

OLD TIMER

TG:
Now that answer suggests you do not have FACTS to refute anything I said and turn, instead, to personal attack that has nothing to do with what we were talking about. I have made it very clear when I was talking about verifiable facts and when I was sharing an admittedly speculative opinion. I could be way off with my suspicion about administration fingerprints all over the LWV thing, and I made that clear, but there is nothing speculative about the Meadow St facts. Only time will tell if my suspicion turns out to be pretty close or just a wild shot in the dark. Take a look at your own notes on who questioned the Meadow St plan and may be a likely target next. You certainly have access to key people who could, but may not, tell you if there is anything to my theory. If you find I am right, I know better than to expect you to tell here, but, you must be curious.

turfgrrl

Old Timer: puhlease. You suggest that budgets prepared in 2007 for 08/09 needed to foresee that the council would nix the proposed recycling and meadow st transfer station? I’m still laughing. As for the tin foil, that’s not for your opinion on the transfer station but rather your theories on what the state LWV is doing. Actually I think you insult the entire credibility of the organization by suggesting they would be influenced by anyone in a local government.

NorwalkSpectator

OldTimer – Diane L. hasn’t been around much lately. Oh, she was very present during the BET/BOE Joint sessions, insisting that the recycling program being introduced into the schools was going too slowly, but other than that, it’s been pretty quiet in her corner.

Of course the BET public hearing on the budget is Wednesday night, so I expect to see her in attendance.

But I can’t see why the administration would want to have her ousted from the LWV. I mean the letter is very clear that she was not and apparently is not fullfiling the duties required by a chapter president. The administration has nothing to do with her calling a slate of candidates or sending in the dues, or sending out the membership letters. That all falls squarely in her court.
OLD TIMER

TG:
What I said was a budget prepared in ’07, the final year of a 20 yr contract, with very favorable rates, could, and should, have anticipated higher rates for a necessary new contract.
I never said it should have anticipated the council would turn down the proposal to lease, for $500,000 a year, City Carting property on Meadow St and run it, under a new 1200 ton per day permit, as a regional garbage transfer facility, with the HOPE that some improvement in recycling would offset the lease expense, even though the city would not get anything from metals recycling. That proposal was sprung on the council, and the public, as the ideal solution, with nowhere near enough information to justify the “approve this tonight” presentation. It was finally the Mayor that pulled that proposal off the table after a lot of inquiry and comment from the public
You sound as if you believe there would have been no need for any special appropriation, in any amount, if that proposal had been approved, as presented. The facts do not support that belief.
As for the tinfoil, ask the State LWV about the letter complaint they got from a local RTC flunkie about Diane speaking at public meetings.
OLD TIMER

Anybody going to that special LWV meeting tonight ? It will be interesting to read what news comes out of it, if any.