A musical tribute to the 2007-09 “Democracy Is Under Attack” Council.

Oh, I could write a more interesting commentary but then it hit me, the words they’ve been sung:

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In the end, the Democratic BOE members couldn’t bring themselves to look in the direction of strong experienced leadership and vote for Bruce Kimmel as BOE chairman. Wouldn’t it have been a marvel if they had done that, a shot across the bow of Captain Corda. But no, they rotated their rubber stamp and anointed Susan Hamilton as chair. Hamilton is a very nice woman, a true academic. But what the BOE needed was a change in direction, and Kimmel was the the direction they needed.

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Common Council, the Swearing In and the Swearing At
Wendy G. Opened the meeting with an acapella of the National Anthem.

Public Participation:

Richard McGregor: Don’t chew on the mic don’t hit the mic and wishes all of them luck over 2 years/ The councilmen and women in the city that the council people as much recognition as they deserve. You deserve a raise form the $600/yr. Good luck and ope that you are all smiling in two years.

Swearing In Cermonies:

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Like all good political ceremonies, the political flunkies were out in force to honor Mayor Moccia has he got sowrn in for his second term, along with Town Clerk Andy Garfunkel who was sworn in for his fourth term. State Rep Larry Cafero led the ceremonies introducing the speakers, which included Lieutenant Governor, and fellow Stamford native Mike Fedele. In a way, the Lieutenant Governor set the stage for a theme that resurfaced when Mayor Moccia spoke. Fedele said he extended his congratulations from the state and on behalf of the governor to all the elected after congratulating Mayor Moccia and said, “During elections we’re politicians and after we’ve been sworn in we’re legislators. Norwalk does a great job of that.”

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King’s African hair Braiding Barbershop on 86 Main st. was raided yesterday by the special services division. Illegal DVDs and CDs and marijuana were found. Lat week it was the bodega across the street from the Police station. Apparently moving the police station to South Norwalk has not disrupted the business as usual drug dealing along Main st.

From the Hour:

In addition to “several bags” of marijuana and pirated DVDs set up on tables in a back room, police found knockoff Louis Vuitton handbags, Nike sneakers and Timberland boots for sale when they executed a search and seizure warrant Friday afternoon at the shop, said division Officer David Orr.

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The stinky smells sweeping across East and South Norwalk need to be identified, and DPW officials want to know when they occur. Apparently, the sludge hauler can adjust his schedule which is currently between 4-6 am and around midday.

The smells however persist through 7-8 am in East Norwalk most days, something I notice on my trips down Van Zant. The midday smells I catch in South Norwalk, like yesterday. But I also noticed that the smells did not seem to come from accross the river, but the sewer manhole right in front the the Maritime garage.

From the Hour:

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Governor Rell has become fed up with the insurance companies who keep dodging FOI compliance regarding release of documents concerning reimbursement rates and coverage decisions.

The Courant reports:

Gov. M. Jodi Rell moved Monday to terminate most of the responsibilities of four health care companies that receive state Medicaid funds to provide health care to many needy children.

Starting Dec. 1, the insurers will no longer make decisions about authorizing coverage or payment levels to doctors under the HUSKY program, Rell said.

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The Norwalk public school system is rife with issues that the BOE should be tackling. On the subject of leadership on the Board itself, its time for change, and I hope they pick someone who is willing to ask questions and lead.

But the BOE, oversight, transparency, teacher morale, operations and educational achievement are only part of the picture. Tonight I’m going to focus on the the venerable school bus. Until relatively late in life, I never had to take a school bus to school. I lived within a few blocks of my elementary schools and within 2 miles of the my middle schools. So I’m biased, for those who need hints, against school buses.

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Olympic athletes say that there’s no winning a silver medal, only losing the gold medal. And the gold medal of of politics is elections. Like sports, election track records are easy to keep score, you either have wins or losses tacked onto the long list of decisions that make up the campaigns. There’s a couple of things that popped up from yesterday threads about positive things in Norwalk politics. One is that the comments are filled with negativity. It always easier to be a critic, but to actually effect change, that is a much harder thing to accomplish because you have to do more than you just criticize the other guy. This maxim is something local Democrats keep failing to learn.

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The Republican caucus is busy these days, today the announcement that Kelly L. Straniti has been voted in as Minority Leader. Rick McQuaid served as Minority Leader this past year and had this to say, “Kelly has been a great team player during our bi-partisan council over the past two years and will be a great leader of our caucus. Her proven record of listening before she makes a decision will be a welcome approach to the council in the coming year. She will not be leading by her own agenda, but what is the best for the City of Norwalk. Councilwoman Straniti has been an able and strong advocate for her District. We are pleased that she is adding to her experience by stepping into a leadership role”

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