This is part of an ongoing series of guest posts about issues in Norwalk yourCT.com is a non-partisan site dedicated to airing all sides of an issue That can’t happen without valuable contributions from our readers

School budget line items require careful study

Under Connecticut law, only Boards of Education have line-item authority over local school budgets. This prevents other city agencies from injecting partisan political concerns or personal biases into the management of school systems.
Thus, in Norwalk, we have the Common Council setting an overall limit on operational spending for the city, and the Board of Estimate and Taxation, working within that limit, allocating funds to the various departments, including the BOE.

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Who knew that bingo, poker and black jack could spawn the desire for the latest iPod or MacBook. But officials over at the Foxwoods casino have announced that an APple store will be opened at the casino. From the Courant:

Foxwoods Resort Casino will become an Apple retailer, opening a store featuring the computer giant’s products, under a deal announced today by the casino.

Foxwoods said it will start with a kiosk on a shopping concourse in the existing casino this fall and then open a store in the new MGM Grand at Foxwoods, which is set to open in May.

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Sensing the political turmoil that could potentially erupt in the 3 meetings that would occur on the Norwalk planning commission between now and the election, Walter Brigg’s plans to step aside, or down, or whatever. Good grief, step aside because of political gain? You have to have a political pulse to get there. From the Advocate:

Saying he wants to avoid a conflict of interest, Walter Briggs - the Democratic mayoral nominee hopeful - announced yesterday he will step aside as Planning Commission chairman.

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Following the complaints levelled against the festival by Seaview ave residents, The Hour is reporting that the festical permitting process will be reviewed. Seaview ave, fronts Vets park, and not only were cars parked along the park, but at least 2 residents filed noise complaints. This prompted:

For East Norwalk residents beleaguered by thumping music and traffic snarls stemming from Sunday’s Colombian Independence Day festival at Veterans Memorial Park, the trouble could be summed up in one word —volume.

The decibel level at the event, which featured salsa bands, dancing, and consistent entertainment throughout the day, was “unreasonable,” Director of Recreation and Parks Michael Mocciae said.

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Without even reading beyond the first paragraph of the Hour’s report I knew I could guess who were the council members who were involved in the verbal smackdown that stemmed from the banal topic of affordable housing. I guessed Matt Miklave and Mike Coffey were at it again, but it turned out to be Matt Miklave and Nick Kydes, along with a new entrant into the Norwalk Thunderdome, Phylis Bolden. Oh, how I wish I was there (not.) From Robert Koch’s article:

Monday night’s Planning Committee meeting, by some accounts, nearly came to blows, as members disagreed bitterly over the issue of affordable housing within Wall Street redevelopment.

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