Tagged: connecticut

Dusting Off the Attic Furniture

Not so long ago, okay — yesterday, someone said to me live and person, “hey you haven’t updated your site since April.” Really, I wondered, I’ve been busy working and writing all over the place, but it seemed that this site, the site that is my platform for all things local, really hasn’t been updated since April.

That created an odd sort of philosophical question to ponder on about. Did I really have nothing to say since April? The answer is not really. I’ve been over in twitter-land posting in 140 character increments for awhile, writing about London, writing grants, coding big projects that never seem to end and all the while popping over to the local media sites to drop a comment here and there on the issues that just seemed to call for a comment here and there.

So yes, I’ve neglected this site a bit. Not that I haven’t been thinking about it. It’s in, in dog years, 13 years old, and in internet years a lifetime. When I started the idea there were still dial up modems in the land. And the economy was booming, the dot com bust hadn’t happened and so there’s a lot of mileage under the tires. It has over the years periodically lain fallow. I think for many of the same reasons that it happened this time around.

And yet, here I am, dusting off the psoting engine and looking around.

I think there’s still much left to say about Connecticut and that little project that I like to putter around in called Norwalk.

Stay tuned.

Never breaking stride, Malloy makes candidacy official.

One week ago today, Dan Malloy officially became a candidate for Governor.
Video:


Malloy continued his torrid pace of appearances, appearing on WFSB’s Face the State, answering questions from panelists Daniela Altimari of The Hartford Courant, Ted Mann of The Day, and host Dennis House.
Video (thanks to ctblogger):


Malloy’s Sunday appearances included a conversation with Connecticut Newsmakers host Tom Monahan.
Video (thanks again to ctblogger):


There’s more after the jump…
Continue reading →

Linda McMahon

There is a lot in the press about Linda McMahon the last couple days. McMahon’s campaign has, relative to what one can meaningfully spend on a statewide political campaign in Connecticut (about five million dollars will do the job, and its maybe eight million dollars tops), an unlimited amount of money. Her fortune comes from the family business, the very definition of stage-managed storytelling media companies, World Wrestling Entertainment. People tend to go with what they know and, sure enough, McMahon’s pursuit of the Senate seat vacated by Chris Dodd is a tightly controlled marketing campaign, with the star act’s every move – and everything in her vicinity – meticulously attended to by her handlers.

But McMahon and her campaign are not escaping scrutiny. From the cutting edge of online local media right here in Connecticut, to the original innovator that brought us the 24-hour news cycle, Linda2010 is generating controversy.

Start with the local: Valley Independent Sentinel reporter Joe Cole attempted to ask McMahon a coupla questions at a public appearance in Seymour last week, and McMahon “press wrangler” Suzan Bibisi reportedly shut it down. The campaign followed up with a boiler-plate email response to the reporter’s question; followed by a ham-handed attempt to intimidate the local guys with a press release, quoted in a report by veteran investigative journalist Paul Bass of the New Haven Independent:

“Valley Independent Sentinel Report Involved in Head-On Collision with Reality, the Facts,” the release’s headline read.
“The Valley Independent Sentinel’s claim is demonstrably false, contradicted by scores of interviews Linda has given, including more than a dozen hour-long interviews with reporters and editorial boards nationally and in Connecticut,” the release stated, listing selected interviews her campaign has arranged.

The skinny: Gilded Senate Campaign – 0, Gritty Local Reporters – 2.

Then, CNN‘s Anderson Cooper 360 launched its new series on campaign spending – Cost of Entry – with an expose’ on none other than Linda McMahon. Have a peek:


The, uh, money quote:

The Center for Responsive Politics says 40 out of 51 Congressional candidates that spent half a million dollars or more on their 2008 campaigns lost, or quit. Proof, perhaps, that even the richest person in the world needs a message voters believe, not just a good act.

Meanwhile, note that former CT02 Congressman and contender for the GOP nomination Rob Simmons got some nice “earned media” in the CNN piece.
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Malloy v Lamont in Killingly: Paying for Special Education

The question:
“25% of the educational budget in Killingly is directed to 13% of students because of special education mandates. How will you save regular education in Connecticut?” Dan Malloy and Ned Lamont respond, Tuesday, 23 February 2010.


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Malloy picks up first endorsements.

New Britain’s Pulaski Democratic Club was the site of the first salvo of formal endorsements by sitting Democratic officials in the race for Governor.

Stepping to the podium yesterday afternoon were Berlin Mayor Adam Salina; State Senator and dean of New Britain’s delegation at the capitol, Don DeFronzo; State Rep. (and New Britain Democratic Mayoral challenger) Tim O’Brien; and Berlin Democratic Town Chair Fred Jortner. New Britain Democratic Town Chair John McNamara emceed the joint announcement. Video:

Malloy’s Press Release after the jump.
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Crow on the menu.

Yes, yes, yes.

I’ll take mine with salsa and that delicious humble pie with coffee.

Senator McKinney has in fact declared his intention to seek re-election to the state senate, throwing the door open to anybody who wants to take a stab at Fairfield County’s Congressional seat. And that means anybody.

More likely suspects include State Senator Dan Debicella, who is clearly interested in something other than a supporting role in the hopelessly outnumbered Republican State Senate caucus, and he’s got the “right” kinda cred to gain support from the Washington power structure of the GOP (there is some speculation that McKinney’s moderate Republican didn’t play well with the “C” streeters, et al). Then of course there is Debicella’s peer from Greenwich L. Scott Franz. And how about Mayor Moccia?

But if the Republicans really want to take a run at Himes, they may want to take a look at this guy. He’s an out-of-the-box prospect who could cut into Himes in his Bridgeport base.

Without something unexpected, Himes is looking like a pretty good bet for next year. Continue reading →

The gorillas weigh in.

The Hill reports that, in a joint letter to President Obama, Wal-Mart and nemesis SEIU (the Service Employees International Union) have expressed support for passage of a legal requirement for employer provided health insurance.

Excerpt:

“It is significant that Wal-Mart, one of the country’s largest employers, and SEIU, one of the country’s major unions, have joined together to call for the enactment of health reform that will lower costs and assure quality and affordable healthcare for all Americans,” White House Office of Health Reform Director Nancy-Ann DeParle said in a statement. “The president is committed to signing health reform legislation built on those principles this year.”

This is significant on a number of facets, not the least of which is that SEIU is a principal “Partner Organization” of the advocacy group Wal-Mart Watch and has successfully unionized a number of Wal-Mart stores and forced major concessions from the country’s largest employer.

The Hill article offers a good brief on the debate over health care. The letter itself can be found here courtesy of WSJ.

Both worth reading. Continue reading →

Reducing health care expenses for small businesses & municipalities.

AFSCME Council 4 President Sal Luciano, Mayor Dan Malloy of Stamford, and CEA Executive Director John Yrchick speaking in support of the health care pooling bill currently under consideration in the Legislature, Christine Stuart reports at CT News Junkie.

Excerpt:

“Extraordinary times require government to do extraordinarily difficult things. This is not one of those, “Stamford Mayor Dannel Malloy said. “This is easy.”

Malloy, whose city saw double-digit increases in health care costs last year said this type of legislation simply makes sense. …

Last year Gov. M. Jodi Rell vetoed a similar bill. …

Malloy said this year people know more about the bill than they did last year when it was first introduced.

Lowering health care costs for municipalities, not for profits, and small businesses is an idea everyone should support. Continue reading →