Norwalk’s Memorial Day Parade is Monday May 28th. And for the 4th year, Councilwoman Joanne Romano is building a float in partnership with “Operation Adopt-A-Platoon.” The purpose of the float is to gather items to be sent to troops stationed in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Joanne says:

Let’s show our Service men and women that Norwalk cares!

Bring a donation to the parade

Volunteer marchers will be collecting supplies throughout the parade route
Joanne Romano (203-554-6071 for more information

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If you’ve ever lived with a person dying from cancer then you know that the end stage is brutal. I sometimes think that it isn’t the cancer that kills people, but the cure, or rather the chemotherapy and surgery. There are plenty of reasons to question what sort of drugs or treatments are effective or not, but in a terminal illness those questions pale besides the one looming issue of dying with dignity. If you’ve never seen a patient unable to swallow a pill, hooked up on IVs and grappling with the pain and discomfort of months of debilitation, then you are fotunate. If a terminal patient wants to take a toke, who are we to say no?

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Bridgeport City Council Deliberates on Proposed Non-profit Art Organization Leases

Khyal Braun, May 23rd, 2007

Last night’s Bridgeport City Council meeting stirred up an arts loving crowd, parents and families of students who benefit from the local arts organizations, business folks, and Councilmen watching over the city’s coffers.

Supporters of the Downtown Cabaret came wearing neon yellow stickers marking their pride. The city’s offer of a 10-year lease at $300/month with maintenance and utilities paid in full was approved quickly after the theater’s Chairman, Bob Scinto, agreed to the added benchmark of presenting a minimum of 200 performances per year. Scinto claimed that the Cabaret served 35,000+ children visitors per year.

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With two weeks left in the legislative session, this is what the Democratic led majority thinks is important?

From the Courant:

In a major power play at the state Capitol not seen in 13 years, the Democrat-controlled legislature Tuesday overrode Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell’s veto of a bill that will now increase the General Assembly’s authority regarding social-service funding.

The rare override was the first in Connecticut since 1994, when lawmakers overrode several bills that had been vetoed by then-Gov. Lowell P. Weicker Jr., an independent who had no major political party behind him.

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At the end of Patrick Linsey’s article on the flooding contracts approved last night at the Common Council meeting, is this line:

But the $500,000 over two years budgeted by the council for clearing storm drains is just a start, Alvord noted.

Said Alvord: “We’ve got $10 million-worth of pipe cleaning to do in this city.”

Now, in all the meetings that occurred over the budget and flooding issues, this $10 million dollar figure was never mentioned. What was mentioned was that the only money requested was for the $500,000 because that was all that could be done this year. Yet, other towns manage to do more regarding their flooding. Some towns are in the same predicament as we are. Here’s a highlight from the Darien Flooding Blog:

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Not much to say here except that if any of these people got elected then that would be the time to resign from any associations that would create the appearance of conflict. But since people run from will remaining on city boards and commissions all the time, why make this any different?

Park, upon announcing his candidacy early last week, said he would remain on the association’s board of directors if elected to the council. He since has reconsidered.

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The internal strife within the Democratic party roils on. This may be furthering the signs that Norwalk is not quite over its flirtations with third parties after all. While the former Independent party has dissolved, voices from the solid center are finding it difficult to operate in neomccarthyism under Norwalk Democratic town chair Galen Wells. I suspect that Kimmel is the first, but not the only elected Democrat to jump ship.

But Kimmel, in his own words has his story to tell:

BOE member fed up with Dems, leaving party

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After the common council meeting I spoke briefly to the Mayor about several issues. He has heard from many citizens concerns about the the backlog of ordinance violations that in in the court system, which include items that range from illegal apartments to noise violations. He hopes to work with the ordinance committee on new ordinances that will enable the city to file tax liens immediately upon issuing a violation. Putting teeth into enforcement is always a good thing.

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Common Council Meeting 5/22/07

Bipartisan meeting had a presentation from Hal Alvord about the transfer station and waste disposal.
Although I was late to the bipartisan meeting, others were not in attendence. Kevin Poruban sat outside, Matt Miklave and Don Sutton arrived in time for the common council meeting.

Walter Briggs asked about moving the existing transfer station, Hal Alvord, Director of DPW said it can’t be moved.

This discussion must have orginated with the fact that the contract with the wheelabrator is up and decisions need to be made about what to do with Norwalk’s garbage.

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Today’s Matt “Mad Max” Breslow article in the Norwalk Advocate presented the usual quotes of local politicians hoping to distract the wheels of  government being held accountable for its actions.

In the past 15 years there has been only one ethics complaint filed. That was against Anne Carbone, the chair of the Zoning Board of Appeals. It was filed by her former client and prompted an ethics investigation.

Other investigations were just routine ones to examine the problems arising out of conduct in various city departments. Apparently, some, would like to see such investigations stifled. Unless of course its about a city department that is doing something they don’t like, at which point (see Vets Park) all sorts of hearings and investigations are demanded.

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