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Saturday Open Thread


by turfgrrl


June 16th, 2007 · 23 Comments

The technology gods have conspired to afflict The Hour’s web site again with no updates. Not that the Advocate has much going on it site. Much ado about graduation, but the Courant is talking about the numerous political contributions that mob-like substance trash hauler James Galante provided.

Galante’s companies and at least two of his employees, and persons related to or living with them, donated about $10,000 to DeLuca’s Senate campaign and to a DeLuca-allied political action committee from 2002 to 2004, campaign finance records show. Two of those employees have already pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy charges and are awaiting sentencing.

During that same period, from 2002 to 2004, Galante’s companies gave much less - $500 - to the campaign of the state senator from Galante’s home district, records show.

Social acquaintances, eh? This latest Courant revelation should cook the goose, er, no it will boil the water of public opinion encouraging the behind the scene maneuvering for DeLuca to resign his senate seat because of health reasons or to spend more time with his family. For once I’d like to see a politician resign and say its because based on their performance lately, they were never going to be effective. Or, in this case, ethical.

Mr. Greepeace asks, if the moderator wants to give the site up because she could feel the heat there are 100 ways to put this site under ownership in Bermuda and never worry again,,and still have what she has now.

I reply, heat? On what? Anything I say here I say “live” to whomever. There is crime in Norwalk. But crime knows no boundaries, there is a crime wave afflicting most of Connecticut, at least from my anecdotal statistical observation.

Feel free to chat about anything else going on.

source: The Courant, >i>Galante Donated, DeLuca Received: Campaign Contributions Portray A Cozy RelationshipBy DAVE ALTIMARI And JON LENDER, June 16, 2007

Tags: CT Senate · In the News

23 Responses so far ↓ “Saturday Open Thread”



  • 1 Mr Greenpeace // Jun 16, 2007 at 10:51 am

    Its not how much crime is happening its what Norwalk is doing or not doing to fight it..Boston just adopted a new cutting edge way of reporting crime with cell phones I’m sure we won’t hear about it.
    maybe you could find the article it was AP released yesterday..

    Crime does know boundaries , make it hard to commit a crime, have fed strike teams go into a city or town and create some law and order and it goes elswhere.They now want the feds and ATF out of Bridgeport too many arrests to many court cases, the feds were ask to leave last week.

    Create a force that will crack down on laws, yesterday a speed trap at the Rand complex in Rowyaton went on for hours, homeless slept in the street for hours on Woodward ave,,and an accident also occured in front of the junkyard on Woodward ave I’m sure you will find speed was a factor..accross from the housing complex full of children..

    The stats on labs like the one in Norwalk is on the rise yesterdays AP tell tale sign theres more to come.

    Stats were given out as well yesterday another bank was robbed in the area, not in Norwalk ,but not a word to the public why is that.

    My mother use to say I don’t care about Johnny I care about you, I know we all care about Norwalk but lets face when I described crime and when you could see on woodward ave what I was detailing went down. I never thought a crime would happen at the very time and place i suggested people to look and observe, deduct and wonder what can I do?

    you have great site and great people who post but the ones who are effected the most do not have a screen or a house for that even , to defend and complain themselves,,you should be thanked for giving them a chance for something better. I enjoy the site and have had numerous mail sent detailing what is not being reported to the public .

    The Hour took lead this week by stating only two reports of robbery were given in the woodward area and casting doubt their being told everything in so many words.

    norwalk.news@yahoo.com

  • 2 Marg5150 // Jun 16, 2007 at 5:01 pm

    I saw this & thought you-all might enjoy it?

    Mere Coincidence?

    Many will recall that, on July 8, 1947, witnesses claimed an unidentified object, with five aliens aboard, crashed onto a sheep and cattle ranch just outside Roswell, New Mexico.

    This is a well-known incident many say has long been covered up by the United State s Air Force and the federal government.

    However, what you may NOT know, is that in the month of March 1948, exactly nine months later, George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Bill O’Reilly, Rush Limbaugh, Condoleezza Rice, and Dan Quayle were all born.

    See what happens when aliens breed with sheep?

    This information may clear up a lot of questions.

  • 3 Watchdog // Jun 16, 2007 at 5:11 pm

    Whoa… sorry, Turf, but I’m still checking out that Hudson blog with Peekskill posters.

    How bout this one?

    Post:

    Since when is the school district a savings bank for my hard earn tax dollars to build up their fund balance, its as bad as when Corda used to put all the extra cash in the postal meter account, like no one ever noticed that there was almost $1 million
    in that account? HELLO AGAINST KIDS I THINK NOT.

    End post.

  • 4 clown posse // Jun 16, 2007 at 5:11 pm

    Not baaaad….

  • 5 by Anonymous // Jun 16, 2007 at 5:17 pm

    Where’s Flip-Flop-Knopp?
    Has he found a job yet?
    No one will hire him I wonder why?

    Maybe his charm!

  • 6 anonymous // Jun 16, 2007 at 6:41 pm

    He was spotted this week in the Silver Star Diner eating dinner with Gwen and Walter Briggs. Wonder what they were talking about ?

  • 7 Anonymous // Jun 16, 2007 at 6:44 pm

    Whaddya think, Walter? Should I have the blueberry pancakes or the spinach omelette?

  • 8 itsridiculous // Jun 16, 2007 at 7:10 pm

    Perhaps a slice of humble pie might be in order?

  • 9 anonymous // Jun 16, 2007 at 8:10 pm

    maybe they were dining on knopp tarts. If walt briggs wins will alex knopp be the next peter nolin or ed schmitt ?

  • 10 anon // Jun 16, 2007 at 8:39 pm

    Alex Knopp was responsible for the worst contracts this city as ever signed. God help us all if that happens. Better yet vote Moccia.

  • 11 Mr Greenpeace // Jun 16, 2007 at 9:08 pm

    could #10 help me out and explain what contracts the city did while Knopp was in office, I never met the man so that won’t taint my thoughts on his contracts.

    The work being done all over town and next to 95 is that the type contracts he did or are you talking about contracts of depts as fire police and highway.

    I have read where he eats and where he hangs in the city but what is he actually responsible for right now under the new mayor and are any of these contracts coming up now to be acted upon again while this mayor is in office.

    Is it money we lost or is it money we are going to lose by Knopp decisions.I do pay taxes but unaware what Knopp actually did or didn’t do.

  • 12 anonymous // Jun 16, 2007 at 9:11 pm

    Its called DROP plans that Alex Knopp gave to the police department. They have cost the city over 20 million in extra spending since 2001. Don’t worry Moccia gave on to his fire buds in 2005. costly to the taxpayers.

  • 13 Anonymous // Jun 16, 2007 at 9:15 pm

    The huge parking fiasco for one Mr. Greenpeace that he awarded to his buddy Laz and we are still paying for it. Businesses cannot afford to stay in Norwalk because of the parking situation and the outrageous drop plan for the police department. 35 policeman took this drop and it will cost the taxpayers millions of dollars for years to come. thats just for starters.

  • 14 Mr Greenpeace // Jun 16, 2007 at 9:28 pm

    I have to agree once i used the lot and parking garage once and read some of the outfall over the years I can assume those contracts were long standing..I take the city owns the garage and the lots but have someone else running it. How long is this contract for?

    Who does the upkeep on the garageif we own it them or us?

    police is that for retirement, or added incentives for school or simple things for uniforms and classes..or rank incentives for pay and vacations,,

    I realize I uasually stir the pot but i never followed what was happening but knew something was up..

    The fire same things I listed or just salaries on both sides

  • 15 anon // Jun 16, 2007 at 9:36 pm

    How about the parking contracy with LAZ?

  • 16 clown posse // Jun 16, 2007 at 9:47 pm

    Seems to be selective memory on the DROP plan among Republicans. The clown that negotiated the giveawy to the police was Republican Esposito. Knopp inheritated it as a fait accompli. And the firefighters supported Moccia so he would give them a similar DROP plan that the cops had. So, my dear Republcan friemds, it has been YOUR guys buying union votes by letting them feed at the public trough.

  • 17 anon // Jun 16, 2007 at 10:02 pm

    Think again clowney, Knopp negotiated that contract and then refused to give the fire department equal which eventually caused him the election. and as far as unions go, your Democrat friends have voted against each and every union contract since your buddy Peruban got back. you’d be surprised what people know about the back room deals made by Knopp. This city will be paying for his blunders for years and all you can do is one more time bash the Republicans. Mr. Greenpeace, let me explain that the drop plan allowed policemen to take retgirement and then can be hired back while collecting pensions and recieve a salary to boot. You can read all about it in archives of local papers if you want to.

  • 18 anon // Jun 16, 2007 at 10:02 pm

    Wrong on that score clown posse. It was an all Knopp afair. Badly negotiated, no economic impact forecast. If you’ve spent any time with the man you will know that he writes poor contracts filled with ambiguous language often to the favor of the other party. This is not a partisan opinion in the least, simply professional.

  • 19 anon // Jun 16, 2007 at 10:18 pm

    Mr. greenpeace, here’s an article you may want to read.
    http://www.thepostroad.com/news/2005/20051218.norwalk.fd.drop.pension.option.html

  • 20 Truthfull Taxpayer // Jun 17, 2007 at 1:03 pm

    #13 Anonymous - I read last year in the NY Times (a real newspaper) that some of Governer Rowland’s cronies that got out of prison were getting jobs with LAZ. LAZ seems to be the friend of the “machine” and as we all know, the “machine” and corruption knows no particular party. I will see if I saved the article, if not this is a job for turfgirl.

    The “drop” plan costs the taxpayers too much. But the practice of getting more than one pension from the City is more of the normal practice and I think there are teachers and other workers who retire from one branch of government to another branch and another pension.

    I’m sure that if Mr. Whitman could have gotten a job as a consultant from the city and picked up another job working for Weston and got 2 more pensions, he would of. By the way was’t he moon lighting all alon in Weston? I’m with the mayor on this one. Good Riddance!

  • 21 nwlktaxpayer // Jun 17, 2007 at 1:21 pm

    At least the Mayor recognizes the fact that too many people are living high and mighty on retirement while garnering paychecks from the norwalk taxpayers. sal Cord happens to be one of them as well as some of his cronies that are now working in our schools who have retired from other towns and states and now have 2 paychecks while some of our own citizens scramble to make a living. Thanks Mayor for thinking about Norwalk and its taxpayers.

  • 22 Jasmine Bullard // Jun 22, 2007 at 5:17 pm

    How about the parking contracy with LAZ?

    That was the worst thing that this city could have done. Is it true that LAZ gives out 80% of the parking tickets in Norwalk, and we have to pay them the $10 each we get from the state? Anyone have any info on that one? True-False-Half True-Half False?

  • 23 Jasmine Bullard // Jun 22, 2007 at 5:47 pm

    nwlktaxpayer in post 21 said “At least the Mayor recognizes the fact that too many people are living high and mighty on retirement while garnering paychecks from the norwalk taxpayers.”

    LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING in 98% of the cases it was supervisory, administrative, or Department Heads who are making the big pensions. 80% of the retired privates on the Fire Department are raking in the BIG BUCKS like $5500 to $12,500 after 20-30 years service. Sure there are the exceptions but in general you don’t see a lot of policemen, and firefighters of the rank of Lieutenant and below making budget braking pensions. In fact I venture to say that some Administrative retiree’s in this town are making a pension that would pay 10-30 of the old timers who are retired from public service jobs in Norwalk. I believe that there are widows who are getting $2500-3000 still trying to live in this town. Even with Social Security the taxes that they have to pay eats up the whole thing. When the hell is Norwalk going to give the seniors in this town a tax break. They have paid all their lives and now have no kids in the schools, and in general are not on welfare, and ending up in many cases loosing their homes. Someone sooner or later has to realize that their is just so much you can cut up a pie. Right now many folks are living on a damn sliver.