Intangible value is what is going to be discussed today as a panel comprised of people familiar with the land use laws and projects in Connecticut.

Brian Lockhart of the Advocate reports:

Starting today, a task force of land-use attorneys, appraisers and redevelopment experts will meet in Hartford to take up a loose end from the General Assembly’s recent overhaul of eminent domain laws.

The new law imposes several restrictions on how municipalities seize property - including requiring a two-thirds approval from its legislators and prohibiting cities and towns from taking property for tax purposes only.

[Read more →]

This defies any reasonable explanation. The BOE, Bruce Kimmel absent, voted to extend Corda’s contract, give him a raise, give Opdahl and Lang a raise and pay Bruce Morris when he is up in Hartford. In short, the BOE, led by Jodi Bishop-Pullan, said to Norwalk, “roll up the cash truck baby, because we’re giving it away.”

Pullan thinks that she’s listened to Norwalkers regarding the contract extension’s and raises. Yet, every contract discussion was behind closed doors, and the public did not get to review the contracts till 8PM last night, and then the BOE voted on them in 10 minutes.

[Read more →]

Stratford voted 6-2 against the saggy pants ordinance. In a counter move to the seniors in Alvin O’Neal’s district, they might want t consider pants that are hiked up the above the wasteline and black socks while wearing sandals.

Even in Bridgeport, the focus on Education revolves around spending tax dollars wisely. Unlike Norwalk, where some Democrats fought to preserve reckless spending by Corda, the Democratic candidates for mayor see the Education system operations as needing improvement. From the CT Post:

[Read more →]

It is rather puzzling that his campaign manager has been more active in the Himes and Bridgeport mayor’s race than here in Norwalk. But then maybe Matt Wagner (mattw) knows more about how Walter Briggs really feels about running for mayor and so last week we find Wagner attending a Chris Shays press conference. Since the press conference occurred at the Norwalk Inn, so far so good. But then what happened next, certainly has to give Briggs pause.

I pick up from MyLeftNutmeg.com:

Chris Shays’ press briefing from this morning is being televised on CT-N now.

[Read more →]

Stratford has plenty of potholes to worry about, but as opted to pursue an ordinance that would require police to issue a fine if someone’s pants were low enough to expose “buttocks.” Clearly, the town of Stratford felt that this issue needed more exposure.

Town Councilman Alvin O’Neal, D-2, has proposed a town ordinance that would make it unlawful for people to wear “pants which fall below the buttocks to expose their undergarments,” with a penalty of $250.

The council will try the proposed law on for size when the Ordinance Committee meets for a public hearing on the matter at 6 p.m. in Town Hall.

[Read more →]

Thankfully the Courant didn’t adopt the recent term “invaded” to describe the break-in. Few details have been reported, other than late Saturday night someone managed to get into Dodd’s Hartford office through a second story window. No one knows if anything is missing, but something was left behind.

Jamie Radice, a spokeswoman for Dodd, also declined to say if anything was taken and what was left behind.

“I can confirm there was a break-in last night and the police were called and an investigation is underway,” Radice said Sunday night.

Otherwise, she said, “I can’t speculate. I don’t really know what’s missing at this point.”

[Read more →]

Would this be the way a professional construction project maange would leave work sites?

Roton Middle School
What’s missing from this photo? Why the parking spots that would be used by teachers and staff. Maybe it will all be cleaned up by Tuesday.

Ponus Middle School
Here’s a series of photos from Ponus Middle School? more parking spots that would be used by teachers and staff. Maybe it too will all be cleaned up by Tuesday.

[Read more →]

Would it truly surprise anyone reading to hear that Sue Gunn did not attend last Wednesday’s Historical Commission meeting? Thus, the meeting proceeded without having its staff person attending, and thus unanswerable to problems that concerned commissioners. Things like scheduling an exterminator to exterminate carpenter ants and termites to address destruction at Mill Hill.

[Read more →]

Monday morning teachers, staff and administration will be holding its “start the new year” convocation at Brien McMahon. Sal Corda shouldn’t be looking for a warm reception from his teachers though, rumors are flying that there’s much dissatisfaction with Dr. EvilCorda these days by the teachers. Some would say that, after years of central office dictates, the teachers are about to demonstrate a vote of no confidence with Corda in some fashion. Mondays seems as likely a day for it.

[Read more →]

I still have doubts about the validity of the “Thru Truck issue”. Tractor Trailers are one thing, but if the state traffic commissioner apprently made his decision on this:

“I started to get a few e-mails and I ended up this many e-mails, and said, ‘Maybe I’d better take a look at this area before I made a decision,’” said Traffic Commissioner Thomas Davoren, holding up a folder of e-mails Tuesday. “I drove down there last Friday and started early morning. An entire fleet of UPS and FedEx emptied out on (Route) 136 and went right through downtown Rowayton, and I said, ‘This is not good.’”

[Read more →]