The curious case of American Express vs. The Mayor

KNL-CV09-5013552-S - AMERICAN EXPRESS CEN v. HYSLOP, WADE
Well it did not make the judicial website in time to be news worthy for the time before the beating that the Democrats got in the November 3rd elections but it is out there now. Thanks to a “Day” poster this information was in the comments section for a short period. But complaints from what appears to be avid and confused supporters of the current mayor resulted in the “Day” removing the post but not before I happened across it. In cases like this the facts are pretty clear. A charge card balance goes unpaid for a period of time. The creditor makes attempts to collect. The card holder has the opportunity to respond and explain, dispute or pay the bill. In cases where the bill remains unpaid the efforts on the part of the creditor are beefed up. Under Federal Fair Credit Reporting Act billing amounts in dispute cannot be reported against the credit history of the card holder and legal actions cannot be started. What exists is an environment where the opportunities are present for either party to resolve the matter. If the matter remains unresolved the Court System is the next available venue to attempt resolution. So here is a case of an unpaid bill that one can conclude is sizable. One can conclude that all reasonable attempts to collect or resolve any misunderstanding by either party have failed. The docket indicates no response from the defendant in this matter. See for yourself at the State Judicial website. http://civilinquiry.jud.ct.gov/PartySearch.aspx this site allows you to input a name and it will display results of any cases pertaining to the individual. The following is the result with the Mayor’s name http://civilinquiry.jud.ct.gov/CaseDetail/PublicCaseDetail.aspx?DocketNo=KNLCV095013552S. These are the facts these are not slanderous statements. Why the “DAY” would remove the post is beyond my comprehension.

Referendum Season is upon us....

The New London Board Of Education has fired their first budget shot over the bow of the sinking tax payers’ ship survival. The board approved a $41,071,783 budget for 2009-10 amounting to a 3.39 percent increase. Unbelievable in this economy. The Board sent this to the City Council. The following was stated in the DAY “board members doubt that the spending plan will emerge from City Hall unscathed”. If the board doubts it will emerge unscathed why did they submit it as it was submitted? It just looks like they are not doing their job yet again.

Reading the Blog postings in the Day article one could conclude that the Board of Education does not know what they are doing as far as educational funding goes. One blogger claims to have requested a detailed breakdown of educational costs and sources of that funding. The same blogger claims that the Board of Education response was:
"It is impossible to break down the funding issue with specificity as the funding for public education is complex. Please review applicable statutes, both Federal and state, as well as the State Department of Education web site."
I found that difficult to comprehend. I will post on the DAY blog asking that the information be emailed to me. I will post that documentation here if and when I receive it. I cannot believe that anyone on the New London Board of Education would make a statement that is so foolish.

Clouetspeak Top Ten

Chris Clouet's Top Ten Excuses to the Taxpayers of White Plains for the Schools failing:

10. We are still in a transition period...it takes time to effect positive change.

9. It was this way when I got here.

8. What do you expect for $300,000 a year salary and benefits.

7. It's not my fault you're not smart enough to Google my name as part of your search.
6. It the socioeconomic conditions of the area.

5. All the money goes to the teacher's union! Blame them!

4. If we only had a Championship football team and rings!

3. We need a good Magnet School plan.

2. It's because of the No Child Left Behind Law!

AND THE NUMBER 1 REASON FOR THE WHITE PLAINS SCHOOLS FAILING IS:

It's the parents fault. Parents need to be more involved.

Just for your FYI

We need to wake up and face some hard facts, and they are: Twelve Americans are murdered every day by illegal aliens, according to statistics released by Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa. If those numbers are correct, it translates to 4,380 Americans murdered annually by illegal aliens.
Total U.S. troop deaths in Iraq are reported as 4,136 as of December 2008. That tells us that more Americans are murdered each month by illegal aliens than U.S. military forces killed by terrorists in the whole war against terrorism.
You should know the carnage perpetrated by illegal alien murderers represents only a fraction of the blood spilled against American citizens as a result of an open border and unenforced immigration laws.
While Rep. King reports 12 Americans are murdered daily by illegal aliens, he says 13 are killed by drunk illegal alien drivers - for another annual death toll of 4,745.
King also reports that eight American children are victims of sexual abuse by illegal aliens every day - a total of 2,920 annually.
Based on a one-year in-depth study, Deborah Schurman-Kauflin of the Violent Crimes Institute of Atlanta estimates there are about 240,000 illegal immigrant sex offenders in the United States who have had an average of four victims each. That's a total of 960,000 sexual victims. She analyzed 1,500 cases from January 1999 through April 2006 that included serial rapes, serial murders, sexual homicides and child molestation committed by illegal immigrants.
As the number of illegal aliens in the United States increases, so does the number of American victims.
I, for one, support the Border Patrol and its checkpoints. One or more of the illegal aliens they have removed might have saved a Jefferson County family the death of a loved one. The last sentence written by Mr. Hepler says it all. "Leave us alone to go about our daily business; we'll call you when we need you."
If you need to call the Border Patrol, then isn't it already too late?

So much going on in such a small municipality

Where to begin? NEASC has provided their findings to the Board of Education. SHOCK AND AWE! Too much money is going to the Central Office Function! Who could have seen that coming? Should maybe at least one member of the “Bored With Education” have noticed that? Should the Chief Executive of the School System have identified that? The “Bored With Education” members have proved once again that they listen neither to the parents, taxpayers or the City Council members. The aforementioned groups have been screaming about that for years. Why is it that the “Bored With Education” has not heard the cries from the masses? My guess is that they do not care. But that is just my view. As a lifelong Whaler I have seen the wrath of many a Boards of Education, this one is the worst yet. Our children suffer along with the community as a whole. Who thinks a failing education system is a benefit to economic development?

After 41 interesting years Bruce Rinehart is going to relax and take his golden years as a man of leisure. Some thought he was retired in place. To search high and low for a replacement or promote from within that is the big question here. Providing advancement opportunity to those that have been serving the city all along makes sense. This battle will go on for many months. What about Ken Edwards? Maybe even that Jay Wheeler guy can fill the Chief position he thinks he runs the Police functions of New London anyway. Maybe it is time to pay him for his services to the city?

William Edwards Sr. Too much has been written in the DAY blogs on that. The system works and that process should be allowed to do as it is intended.

GO WHALERS Football is king in New London! They will be pros someday. Ignatio Ramirez proud papa of the Patriots water boy. The realization of the dream! Ann Baldelli needs to stop attacking the anonymous bloggers, afterall the DAY publishes many pieces that are bylined as “DAY STAFF”. Ann get your employer in line before lashing out at the New London Bloggers

What's Next...

Sorry I have not posted in a while. Health concerns have been my main focus of late. The elections for the Big Jobs are done. New London must look forward to November 2009. What will the next election bring? More of the same maybe? I must say I hope not! We have come to a crossroad here in New London. Some things have improved and many things have remained the same.

In November 2009 we need a clean sweep to occur on the Board of Education. The New London School System has continued to decline. This responsibility for this decline cannot be placed squarely on the back of Dr. Chris Clouet, our current Superintendent of schools. The blame and accountability sits on the shoulders of the Seven Mental Dwarfs on the Board of Education. After all they are the ones that decided to continue the employment of Dr. Chris Clouet after all the schools under the control of the New London Public School System made the “FAILING SCHOOLS LIST”. The action by the current Board of Education demonstrates one of two points. Either the Board members have no real concept of what the responsibilities of their elected positions are or they do not care about the success and education of the children of New London. I for one would like to think it is not the second option. That would be so sad. If they just do not know what to do I could almost accept that. Either way there needs to be a clean sweep.

Rumor mongers about town say that Big Al the head Chipmunk will not be running for the Board of Ed this year. That is a good thing. Maybe he has decided to do what he is best at, NOTHING!

The same rumor mongers talk of other chipmunks not running in 09. New London residents can only hope.

It would be great to see some new faces on the ballot in November 2009. A full slate of candidates from all parties would be great.
7 Democrats
7 Republicans
7 Working Family Party
7 Green Party
7 Independents
The more the better, maybe some citizens with kids in the school system will run for the Board of Education this time around. Now is the time for people to think about November 2009.

Drop off in New London

Did a Stonington cop drop off a homeless man in New London? Could it be so? And if so, what the hell are we doing about it? First, that cop should be suspended without pay immediately! And arrested. And the man dropped off should be returned to Stonington and they should have to deal with him in a respectable manner. At their own cost. And speaking of cost, Stonington should have to pay the hospital bill and the New London Police Department back as well. How dare these towns think we are dumping grounds here in New London. Yes we have a homeless problem, because of incidents like this. I would bet that there are more incidents that go unwitnessed, but along the same lines. How many times to we see other town police vehicles passing through our city. What are they doing here? Makes you really wonder now, doesn't it?! And then all the excuses from the commentors on The Day, especially "True BLUE". Please, we should be proud of Officer Lawton who saw something that just didn't look right and checked it out, and although it was another officer did something about it. We don't need other towns garbage here in New London, we have enough of our own, but to blame one of our police officers for doing his job and making sure that other police departments don't come here and dump their unwanted citizens, whether drunk, homeless, bums, etc., is just plain wrong. Let's remember, that we still don't know how to deal with all the homeless we have here in New London regardless of where they came from, let's not add to the problem. Be vigilant, be weary, and not least be wise!

Congratulations to the Board of Education

The "naysayers" are wrong. Chris Clouet and the Board of Education have finally accomplished something. ALL schools under the authority of Chris Clouet and the Board of Ed. are on the failing school list. Congratulations Chris, Alvin, Elaine, Susan, Anthony, Elizabeth, Jim, and Bill. Sadly enough, the children of New London loose again. What seems rather striking is that during the entire referendum budget process the Superintendent, the Board of Education and the teachers were absent. No letters to the Editor, no Op Ed pieces, no press releases, NOTHING. Nothing from our education system. I see a trend! To be a member of the current Board of Education must be quite an embarrassment. Why don't they all do the right thing and resign? And please, Chris, follow them and resign as well!

New London school board keeps law firm????

So the BoE decided that they don't feel an obligation to save the taxpaying citizens of New London $41,721. Great! And on top of that President Kinsall threatened a lawsuit!? What kind of balls does it take to snub your nose at the city and the people who you are supposed to serve? Conflict of interest? Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black. We have a BoE member who draws part of his salary as a School Resource Officer from the Board that he sits on. But you don't see that as a conflict? These people are out of control and it is beyond my comprehension why anyone would vote to re-elect them. Any of them! You have Elaine Maynard-Adams being quoted as saying in regards to a report about the New London school system "why is this all about education?" and you have Alvin telling the people of New London they should not bring their complaints, concerns, or suggestions to the City Council but the BoE when anyone who has done that knows good and well that they will do absolutely nothing for them... And now we could save a large chunk of money on legal fees by having the City Attorney represent the BoE as well and they decide, no they would rather spend more at the taxpayers expense?! This leads me to feel even more strongly about voting NO on the budget referendum on September 9th. I am even more concerned about allowing this rouge group of individuals operate with no restrictions or guidelines to have to follow. After all, they are already NOT educating New London's children. So I again urge you to take the time to think clearly about the behavior of the BoE and send a clear message with your voice.

VOTE NO!

Is this the best New London has???

SO WHAT DOES CATHERINE ZALL AND CHRIS CLOUET HAVE IN COMMON?

Well they both have an ability to set poor examples for the patrons of the organizations they oversee.

Chris Clouet as superintendent of schools for New London has marched in the illegal immigrant march thumbing his nose at the immigration laws of these United States. Effectively this is telling the students in the New London School System that it is ok to pick and choose the laws that you will follow.

Catherine Zall as the executive director of the Homeless Hospitality Center continues to operate the HHC as a wet and dry center thumbing her nose at the directives of the City Council and the Zoning rules of New London.

In New London we have too many prima donnas that think that the rules do not apply to them. As a result the community suffers greatly. To allow these renegades allow these disrespectful individuals to continue just enables them and makes them a more powerful negative influence to the New London Community.

Be sure that Clouet and Zall are not alone in this there are many more. These are just two of the most outrageous examples. CHANGE FOR THE BETTER in New London can only begin with the systematic removal of individuals like Chris Clouet and Catherine Zall.

VOTE "NO" ON THE BUDGET

I say vote "NO" come September 9th. I, for one, am sick and tired of the Board of Education doing exactly what they want with no accountability to the taxpaying citizens of New London. Do you know that they just gave Clouet a new 3 year contract? Did you know they gave him a 3 year contract last year? And with that new contract came a raise. I don't want to give one more red cent to the Board of Ed until they start acting like they serve the citizens and not Clouet or themselves, and still not educating the students of New London. We are still so low at the bottom any improvement would be a step up and yet, we are not going up, we are staying the same or worse yet, getting even worse. And also I think the city should start taking citizen complaints more seriously. I mean, how many homeless people are they gonna put out on the street now that they made the shelter "dry"? That is what we need, drunk or high homeless bums sleeping all over the city.... very attractive! I wonder how the passengers of the cruise ships will like stepping over drunks to visit the city. I have had enough. I pay a lot of taxes. I have paid those taxes for decades here in New London without complaining and hoping things get better... it still hasn't. I still love New London and I will continue to live here... but as a lifelong resident I am sad at the state of the city and the people leading it. That is why I am voting "NO" and I urge you to vote "NO" too!!!

More on this issue to come.

From a Florida teacher

This is a subject close to my heart. Do you know that we have adult students at the school where I teach who are not US citizens and who get the PELL grant, which is a federal grant (no pay back required) plus other federal grants to go to school?

One student from the Dominican Republic told me that she didn't want me to find a job for her after she finished my program, because she was getting housing from our housing department and she was getting a PELL grant which paid for her total tuition and books, plus money leftover.

She was looking into WAIT which gives students a CREDIT CARD for gas to come to school, and into CARIBE which is a special program (check it out - I did) for immigrants and it pays for child care and all sorts of needs while they go to school or training. The one student I just mentioned told me she was not going to be a US Citizen because she plans to return to the Dominican Republic someday and that she 'loves HER country.'

I asked her if she felt guilty taking what the US is giving her and then not even bothering to become a citizen and she told me that it doesn't bother her, because that is what the money is there for!

I asked the CARIBE administration about their program and if you ARE a US Citizen, you don't qualify for their program. And all the while, I am working a full day, my son-in-law works more than 60 hours a week, and everyone in my family works and pays for our education.

Something is wrong here. I am sorry but after hearing they want to sing the National Anthem in Spanish - enough is enough. Nowhere did they sing it in Italian, Polish, Irish (Celtic), German or any other language because of immigration. It was written by Francis Scott Key and should be sung word for word the way it was written. The news broadcasts even gave the translation -- not even close. Sorry if this offends anyone but this is MY COUNTRY.
IF IT IS YOUR COUNTRY SPEAK UP -- please pass this along. I am not against immigration -- just come through like everyone else.
Get a sponsor; have a place to lay your head; have a job; pay your taxes, live by the rules AND LEARN THE LANGUAGE as all other immigrants have in the past -- and GOD BLESS AMERICA!

So Corcoran Jennsion is out!?

It's the end of the line for Corcoran Jennison at Fort Trumbull, huh? At least, that is what The Day is reporting today. That does not include the developments that they are already developing. But for all those residents that lost their homes and had to move out and whose houses were bull dozed...it is bittersweet! And of course, let's blame it on the slowing housing market for the reason they were unable to secure financing for the total backing of the project. I am sure that is a relief to those who saw their homes destroyed. They are willing, it appears, to build some kind of "income-restricted" housing. We all know what that means, since it includes state and federal money... low income housing. Was that the plan... take houses away from tax paying citizens and build low income housing? I don't believe so...

On to a brighter topic. Congratulations to New London Main Street on their 10th anniversary. And may I say it couldn't come at a better time since the City Council just voted to raise their promised amount of donated dollars to help them market the city (especially since voting again to get rid of the position of Downtown Coordinator!). They threw a big shindig at The Garde. Good for them. I like the idea of a bunch of volunteers working really hard promoting the happenings of New London! Keep up the good work!

Received VIA email

ORANGE COUNTY ( CALIFORNIA ) NEWSPAPER

This is a very good letter to the editor. This woman made some good points. For some reason, people have difficulty structuring their arguments when arguing against supporting the currently proposed immigration revisions. This lady made the argument pretty simple. NOT printed in the Orange County Paper...................

Newspapers simply won't publish letters to the editor which they either deem politically incorrect (read below) or which does not agree with the philosophy they're pushing on the public. This woman wrote a great letter to the editor that should have been published; but, with your help it will get published via cyberspace!

New Immigrants From: 'David LaBonte My wife, Rosemary, wrote a wonderful letter to the editor of the OC Register which, of course, was not printed. So, I decided to 'print' it myself by sending it out on the Internet. Pass it along if you feel so inclined. Dave LaBonte (signed) Written in response to a series of letters to the editor in the Orange County Register:

Dear Editor: So many letter writers have based their arguments on how this land is made up of immigrants. Ernie Lujan for one, suggests we should tear down the Statue of Liberty because the people now in question aren't being treated the same as those who passed through Ellis Island and other ports of entry. Maybe we should turn to our history books and point out to people like Mr. Lujan why today's American is not willing to accept this new kind of immigrant any longer. Back in 1900 when there was a rush from all areas of Europe to come to the United States, people had to get off a ship and stand in a long line in New York and be documented. Some would even get down on their hands and knees and kiss the ground. They made a pledge to uphold the laws and support their new country in good and bad times. They made learning English a primary rule in their new American households and some even changed their names to blend in with their new home. They had waved good bye to their birth place to give their children a new life and did everything in their power to help their children assimilate into one culture. Nothing was handed to them. No free lunches, no welfare, no labor laws to protect them. All they had were the skills and craftsmanship they had brought with them to trade for a future of prosperity. Most of their children came of age when World War II broke out. My father fought along side men whose parents had come straight over from Germany , Italy , France and Japan. None of these 1st generation Americans ever gave any thought about what country their parents had come from. They were Americans fighting Hitler, Mussolini and the Emperor of Japan. They were defending the United States of America as one people. When we liberated France, no one in those villages were looking for the French-American or the German American or the Irish American. The people of France saw only Americans. And we carried one flag that represented one country. Not one of those immigrant sons would have thought about picking up another country's flag and waving it to represent who they were. It would have been a disgrace to their parents who had sacrificed so much to be here. These immigrants truly knew what it meant to be an American. They stirred the melting pot into one red, white and blue bowl. And here we are in 2007 with a new kind of immigrant who wants the same rights and privileges. Only they want to achieve it by playing with a different set of rules, one that includes the entitlement card and a guarantee of being faithful to their mother country. I'm sorry, that's not what being an American is all about. I believe that the immigrants who landed on Ellis Island in the early 1900's deserve better than that for all the toil, hard work and sacrifice in raising future generations to create a land that has become a beacon for those legally searching for a better life. I think they would be appalled that they are being used as an example by those waving foreign country flags. And for that suggestion about taking down the Statue of Liberty , it happens to mean a lot to the citizens who are voting on the immigration bill. I wouldn't start talking about dismantling the United States just yet. (signed) Rosemary LaBonte

KEEP THIS LETTER MOVING. FOR THE WRONG THINGS TO PREVAIL THE RIGHTFUL MAJORITY NEEDS TO REMAIN COMPLACENT AND QUIET!! LET THIS NEVER HAPPEN!! I hope this letter gets read by millions of people all across the nation!!

Shameful, really

I guess New London can't come up with an original "nickname" for Downtown and despite the fact that this name is already being used by the country's Capitol and that the majority of people responding to The Day and here did not like it at all, they are going to use "the district" and have already started to market things with that name on it. Is this the work of Mr. Celli? I certainly hope that this is not an indication of how well he is doing his job, that it appears now Mr. Berliner has worked so hard to save. But I guess this is what you get when you put a Musician where you need a Businessman!!! Now, I do believe we need a way to attract more people to the downtown area (and I will still call it downtown, as that is what it will always be to me and I will refuse to ever call it "the district" as I am sure a lot of people will!) I think that the New London Main Street organization is doing just that. Do we need to pay an employee as well? I don't think he can do more than they have been doing all along. I think thee city will receive such negative response about this that they will again have to change the name and marketing and go back to just calling it "downtown". Wasting the money that they have spent on marketing it as "the district". What a shame. They just don't seem to get it. Don't we have more pressing business in the city than coming up with a new name for the downtown area that has worked that way since it was established in 1658? If there is a change needed here in New London it is new blood on the city council!

Let the cutting begin!

It seems that Mike Buscetto's cutting of the budget is very unpopular. Why? Paying higher taxes is unpopular, but cutting departments and rearranging employees to save money isn't making people happy? Or is it just the positions he wants to cut that makes this decision so controversial? Joseph Celli is too new an employee to have made any difference in the downtown area at all, so getting rid of that position shouldn't make anyone upset. The office of OPD hasn't really been effective, evidenced by all the empty spaces in downtown. This "parade" issue is just one more idea to try and jump start the already lifeless body of New London. No one will want to come to a drug and crime ridden city to visit or to open a business. Mike is correct to want to add more police officers and make public safety a priority. If the way things are now are not working, then a change is in order. Peg Curtin's plan to make a tax free zone is another idea to bring more people into the city, however, this again will only work if the city is safe and clean. No one will want to come to shop if they don't feel safe! Let's make New London the place that businesses want to come to open their doors in and consumers come to spend their money in. We cannot do that by paying big salaries to non-performers or creating positions for musicians. If that means that there are employees of the city (people that work for the taxpayers!) that have to lose their jobs because they either are not performing or we as a city need to re-evaluate the allocation of our manpower so that the city runs more efficiently, then so be it. It is about time that somebody has the courage to sit there and make the cuts necessary even if those cuts are not popular.

Yes the people have spoken...

There is an article (and an editorial) in today's Day that speaks of the victory of the "Magnet Plan" referendum vote. It says things like "widespread support" and "overwhelmingly approved", calling their argument the “no-brainer” campaign. I certainly don't see the 1,006 "YES" votes out of 10,077 registered voters an "overwhelming" success. Once again, it just shows the tilted bias of The Day paper for all things New London Board of Education. Elaine Maynard-Adams "Even New London can't screw this up.'” continued foot in mouth insults to the citizens of New London is just an example of how she views the good people here. If you don't see things the way she does and do as she thinks you should you will be screwing up. The good news is that there is still some skepticism as to how these new buildings will improve education here in New London. And some doubt as to whether these schools will be able to be built "green" within the $61 million budget. The fact that the editorial piece states "It is unfortunate that so few parents took the time to vote Tuesday, because this plan will clearly benefit their children" means that The Day clearly was not reading it's own editorials, op-ed pieces and comments to their web site. Parents know that the new buildings will not improve their children's education because this was never about education...it was about empire building for Clouet and power and influence of the Democratic machine in New London. Build the new buildings, bring upper middle class white kids from the suburbs and it still will not change the education system in New London or the failing test scores. It is sad but true, our Superintendent and our Board of Ed. are failing our kids! “It's good to know that reasonable people prevailed,” Maynard-Adams said Now if we only had reasonable dedicated people in charge over there in the Board of Ed. Elaine, you should resign now, along with your cohorts in crime, Anthony Nolan and Alvin Kinsall. After all the ethics violations, election law violations and Bylaw violations, you all should be hanging you heads in shame!

Some very important meetings

Monday

City Council Budget Workshops

noon-4 p.m

Council chambers

*

Thursday

City Council Budget Workshops (continued)

6-10 p.m.

Council chambers.

*

Go and tell the City how you feel about a 6.5% tax rate increase. That is $200 more taxes on property valued at $100,000. What is your property worth? The Board of Education wants a $2 million dollar raise alone. Why can't they trim their fat. Do they really need 14 secretaries at the central office. This will all be in addition to the added expense of the "Magnet Plan", so please remember, you must speak out.

Be heard by your public officials.

True and Fair Journalism? I think not!

"Comments about Tuesday's referendum in New London will not be posted from now until the vote."

This is what you will see if you read the newest editorial in The Day today. It speaks volumes for their position on the vote Tuesday. It is not fair to the people who want to read both sides to get both views. You can post here, both sides, both views. I will not censor you. I will not block your views. I do believe that an informed decision is the best one. I don't believe that The Day has given all the facts, they have tilted their articles to the side of the New London Democratic Machine. That is not fair and balanced. That is not the way to improve communications of the citizens. It is a sad statement of their confidence in the passing of this referendum. It is censorship at it's best. It is bad enough that all you post does not make it into the pages of the comments but to shut off all comments regarding the referendum is ridiculous. You should use your voice to tell The Day of your displeasure with this decision. As always, I welcome both sides to share repectfully their views here.

Our illustrious BoE President

Open Letter to My Friends

Dear Friends,
Thank you all for your much appreciated comments. I am afraid that it is time for me to share my view on this much discussed Magnet Plan. First let me say, as a “NAYSAYER” myself, I find myself in a difficult position. Being a lifelong Whaler, I feel like we are being harpooned by the Whales of Hartford. To be threatened by our legislators in an attempt to intimidate and coerce the good citizens to vote YES for the Magnet Plan is just over the top. Let’s discuss this plan intimately and you will see all the flaws for yourself without all the propaganda. First let’s start with the $61 million. This figure was the brain child of the committee formed to address the physical needs of our school buildings. The plan then estimated the cost of the plan at $61 million. Ok, that means they made that up! So, that started with garbage. Garbage in, garbage out! Every figure based on that number is fiction!

A gift from the State! Really? If I was to give you a gift certificate for dinner you would be excited until you realized the restaurant is in Paris and it will cost you an additional $2,000 in expenses in order to use this gift. The gift does not really seem like such a gift after all, now does it? “People are watching,” said state Sen. Andrea Stillman, D-Waterford. For the residents to reject what is really a gift from the state in the form of this grant would be a very difficult thing for us to explain.” Just tell the truth Andrea, this would be the will of the people. And isn’t that what real representation is all about- the people? The State commissioned the Cambridge report on NLPS, the report has a completely different view on the buildings condition and maintenance than that of the City Council and Board of Education. This should be easy to explain. The citizens obviously felt it was a waste of $58 million of State taxpayer money to renovate as new school buildings that were in good shape and well maintained. Perhaps Andrea you could apply some pressure to the State Dept. of Education to do a comprehensive review of the continued failing of the education process in New London. It is not the buildings; it is the people in charge. I am sure any state legislator as well as any other reasonable citizen would understand if this were to be voted down. Glad to help you with this dilemma

Now on to the $13 figure that they throw around if the plan fails. That is just a scare tactic as the City of New London will not still be spending $61 to renovate as new these schools if the plan fails. They will renovate the schools as needed. That means what repairs need to be done will be and this estimate has been tossed around at approximately $13 for all 5 of the New London public schools. That means that since we have already closed Edgerton, and plan to close Harbor the actual figure will be even less. With the states contribution of 78% it will be closer to $3.5 million. $9.5 million less than the threats they are making in the newspapers. The lying to the citizens is what will cause this plan to fail.

“Pay Less, Vote Yes,” Buscetto, a developer, has said he will be “intimately involved” with the schools' construction. In his appearance Thursday on the cable-access show “The Renshaw Report,” he pledged that the city's $3 million share would be covered through cost savings and wouldn't increase taxes. “Put it on tape,” Buscetto said. My question is when we get those increased tax bills do we take them to City Hall to have the increase removed or do we forward the bill directly to Mike and he will pay the difference. I am not really sure how this will work. Once the mechanics of this are worked out I would be more likely to vote yes.

Clouet, in a January interview about the plan, accused some critics of being “part of an organized, generalized assault on the young.” Thanks for pointing this out Chris, but you shouldn’t take about your Board of Education like this. Although everybody in New London already knows that the Bored with Ed. is not interested in educating our children, as evidenced by Elaine “no brains” Adams statement “Why is this all about education?”.

And I feel compelled to make a statement after watching the LOT show last night. Jim, as a long time acquaintance, I would have expected that you would have driven to Hartford with copies of that email and statute in hand to present to file your claim in person with either the Secretary of State or the head of her Ethics Commission. Jim, will you not be filing a complaint, are you leaving it up to someone else, you have the documentation. I expect you will be in Hartford bright and early Monday morning. Perhaps the Secretary of State could stop this referendum before it begins based on the violations by the voice of the Board of Education Elaine Maynard-Adams.

Thank you for your time. Keep the comments coming.

Whaling City Man

A bright spot on the Board of Education

Click to enlarge

Click to enlarge

Whaling City Man's Top 10 Reasons To Vote

Top 10 Reasons To Vote "YES" to The Magnet School Plan
10.
9.
8.
7.
6.
5.
4.
3.
2. Because we said so.
1. Because we told you too.
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Top 10 Reasons To Vote "NO" to The Magnet School Plan
10. You will pay dearly in the long run.
9. Your kids may not be able to go to the school they want, even though they are New London residents, because a kid from out of town won that lottery spot.
8. Chris Clouet just made up the $61 million figure in his 21st Century Facility "Dream".
7. The Cambridge report says the schools are well maintained.
6. The City Council and the Board of Education say the schools are not well maintained. (see #7)
5. The Cambridge report says the buildings are in good shape.
4. The City Council, the Board of Education and Mr. McSparren and his editorial say the buildings are in deplorable condition. (see # 5)
3. Too many unanswered questions about percentages of out of district students vs in district students.
2. Review what happened with the new Jennings castle. What was the beginning budget???
AND THE NUMBER ONE REASON TO VOTE "NO"
1. Elaine "no brainer" Maynard Adams prophetic statement to Stephen Chupaska "Why is this all about education?".

From the New London Times...

Click on photo to enlarge

http://zip06.theday.com/blogs/new_london_times/archive/2008/03/19/report-provides-pleasant-surprise-regarding-school-performance.aspx

Meeting Dates

City Council Meeting

Monday, April 7, 2008

7:00 p.m.

City Council Chambers

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Board of Education Meeting

Thursday

April 17, 2008

7:00 p.m.

Bennie Dover Middle School Library

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City Council Meeting

Monday, April 21, 2008

7:00 p.m.

City Council Chambers

According to Jenna Cho

Jenna reports the SEEC says he is guilty of Election law violations and he was fined! He admitted he violated election law. However a call to the SEEC confirmed no such thing, in fact they say that it was continued! Where is this information coming from? Stay tuned for future updates as they happen.

Article on charges against Nolan

http://www.theday.com/re.aspx?re=9469c78f-fccf-44bc-871e-32c77493a5c8

Is this what is called investigative journalism? It is more like a puff piece. No real investigative work here. Nolan's remarks on how he misread the statute does not really change the validity of the complaint. As the statute clearly states: "such communication bears upon its face (1) the words "paid for by" and the following: (A) In the case of such an individual, the name and address of such individual; (B) in the case of a committee other than a party committee, the name of the committee and its campaign treasurer; or (C) in the case of a party committee, the name of the committee, and (2) the words "approved by" and the following: (A) In the case of an individual making or incurring an expenditure with the cooperation of, at the request or suggestion of, or in consultation with any candidate, candidate committee or candidate's agent, the name of such individual; or (B) in the case of a candidate committee, the name of the candidate. " so simply changing the wording from "printed in house" to "printed by Anthony Nolan" would still constitute a violation of election laws. Here's something for all you blog readers to chew on as well. Why was the disclosure on the flier so small that you had to use a magnifying glass to read it? To deceive, maybe? And don't we expect more from our police officers than to "misunderstand" the statutes? Would he accept that from anyone else who breaks the law? If you were breaking the law, could you get away with it by using that excuse? I don't think so! The SEEC offers all kinds of assistance to candidates so that violations like this do not happen! There is no reasonable, acceptable reason for him to have broken the law! We should not be so willing to accept any excuse from someone running for any office to violate the election laws, if we do, then we should not be surprised if they should break any other laws if and when they take their oath of office. And what does that oath then mean, if laws themselves mean nothing to them? Laws, no matter how small or trivial them may be, are for everyone to follow and NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW! As was so eloquently put in a letter to the editor in today's Day “If you have the law, pound the law, if you have the facts, pound the facts, but if you have neither, pound the table.” These are clear facts, no one is pounding the table here!

"Magnet Plan" goes to referendum

"Shall the City approve the Board of Education's 21st Century School Facilities Plan also know as Magnet Plan with an appropriation of 58 million bonded by the State and 3 million bonded by the City for the design, improvement and construction thereof ?"

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Yes or No

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You will have your chance to decide April 8th, 2008. If you cannot make this date, make sure to call the City Clerk and request your absentee ballot. Vote! This is an important issue for New London, regardless of what your position is, it is important to vote and have your voice heard!

Welcome to the District

All we need now is Craig T. Nelson and we have a show!

What do you think of this? Do you think a new logo and new name will name will make a difference Downtown? And if so, why not something that has to do with New London's rich history? With all we have going on here in New London with our crime and our schools can we really expect so much from a new logo and a new name for downtown?

Super Duper "Stupid" Tuesday

The Chrysler 300 that you see has no front license plate, it has dark tinted windows (appears darker than allowed by law), it is parked in the pick up/drop off only spot in front of the NLHS, clearly not a parking space. What kind of example does this send? With all the activity at the high school on Election Day and after school activity why do the police not patrol through this facility and ticket for the obvious violations? This could be a drug dealer with the dark tinted windows. The car stands out and was there for quite a while. Or maybe the police did patrol through and just did nothing.

What will happen to Harbor...

What will happen to Harbor School when the Board of Ed closes it. Remember Edgerton? The "ballpark" value was $2.3 million and it is under contract with the city (and we are still waiting after 2 extentions) for $350,000. Now at the last City Council meeting, where Clouet was displaying his clear displeasure for the Councils actions, he said that the Harbor school was worth far more than Edgerton was. If Harbor School is far more valuable than Edgerton was why don't we just close it and sell it and use the money to renovate Nathan Hale and Winthrop and throw the "Magnet Plan" right into the river? And just in case you have forgotten Edgerton I have a little reminder for you...

Accountablilty

Accountability, what a wonderful thing it would be in New London. It seems there are some new and bright spots on the City Council. The Board of Education still seems to be lacking. Two BoE members show up at a City Council Finance Committee meeting when they were all invited. Invited not just to watch but to participate and answer questions. The Superintendent as well was invited. But the Superintendent had far more important business to attend to than the business of the City of NewLondon. Dr. Chris Clouet was at the Hygeinic art show for Waterford students. The Day wrote “Of course, the fact that the downtown gallery was hosting Waterford High School artists drew the attention of Christopher Clouet, New London's superintendent of schools, who wanted in on the action.” Who else thinks the priorities of the Superintendent for New London should be the business of New London. Did Clouet think that the head of the Finance Committee for the City Council just had nothing better to do that evening along with the rest of the City Council?

Hey David Turnier from Uncasville

You are wrong...


Sec. 9-621. (Formerly Sec. 9-333w). Political advertising. (a) No individual shall make or incur any expenditure with the cooperation of, at the request or suggestion of, or in consultation with any candidate, candidate committee or candidate's agent, and no candidate or committee shall make or incur any expenditure for any written, typed or other printed communication, or any web-based, written communication, which promotes the success or defeat of any candidate's campaign for nomination at a primary or election or solicits funds to benefit any political party or committee unless such communication bears upon its face (1) the words "paid for by" and the following: (A) In the case of such an individual, the name and address of such individual; (B) in the case of a committee other than a party committee, the name of the committee and its campaign treasurer; or (C) in the case of a party committee, the name of the committee, and (2) the words "approved by" and the following: (A) In the case of an individual making or incurring an expenditure with the cooperation of, at the request or suggestion of, or in consultation with any candidate, candidate committee or candidate's agent, the name of such individual; or (B) in the case of a candidate committee, the name of the candidate. No candidate or candidate committee or exploratory committee established by a candidate shall make or incur any expenditure for a mailing to promote the success of said candidate's campaign for nomination at a primary or election or the defeat of another candidate's campaign for nomination at a primary or election, unless the mailing contains a photograph of the candidate conducting the mailing and said candidate's name in a font that is not less than the size of the font used for the narrative of the mailing.


Maybe you could educate yourself about election law a little before you make such an ignorant statement. And if, like you say, you have spoken to the place that did the printing, why not name them? And why no Union bug after his fellow Union brothers showed him support? And how do you just ignore the witnesses that have come forward about him printing these at the school, on NL green paper, no less?! I know that Nolan is available at the HS during those hours and is not busy because he wasn't doing anything while the school violated the law by covering up the handicap parking space! The State Elections Enforcement Commission's toll free number is 866-733-2463, call them and speak with one of their attorneys and tell them about the flyer and they will confirm that YOU ARE WRONG!

To be continued...

Football Mess Reveals A Sorry State Of Affairs

This article was printed in The Day

ByChuck Potter, Day Staff WriterPublished on 12/8/2007

BARBARA GILBERT IS THE town manager of Rocky Hill, Conn., the 35th best place to live in America, according to CNN Money Magazine, as reported by, well, Rocky Hill.
Reid Burdick is, uhh, well, he could be the Grand Poobah of the Fraternal Order of New London Guys. “The Burdick,” as he bills himself, tells it like it is, to anyone who will listen.
It's hard to tell which of them is more ticked off about tinkle-gate.
Tinkle-gate is the riff between New London and Rocky Hill officials. On Dec. 4, the New London football team played, and defeated, Cromwell's team. They played at Rocky Hill High School.
Rocky Hill Mayor Tony LaRosa told The Hartford Courant last Sunday that custodians reported that New London players had urinated and defecated on the floor of the Whalers' team room and restroom. LaRosa said there were no witnesses. The Whalers were blamed because it happened in their area.
In a public and televised Town Council meeting last Monday, LaRosa retracted the accusation of defecation.
Gilbert said the allegation went public when the Courant learned of a memo she sent out, which included that information. Consequently, she said, she heard from New London people all week, in various tones of voice, including one who “threatened to pummel the mayor” if he didn't apologize for unfairly accusing the Whalers.
It wasn't Burdick. He's a little more dignified than that. He requested a protest permit. The Rocky Hill Town Council meets on Dec. 17 and the Burdick plans to be there, to protest outside Town Hall and take the two minutes allowed to each citizen who desires to address the mayor and council.
“If enough people want to go, I'll pay for the bus,” he said. “If he exonerates New London, then there's no need to go. If he doesn't, I'm going. Anyone who did something like that should be arrested. But without the facts to prove it was our guys, those kids deserve an apology.”
Burdick called LaRosa a really nice man who commented based on hearsay information, without doing any research.
“This whole mess could have been avoided,” he said.
Gilbert shares that sentiment, but for a very different reason. She blamed the school's athletic director, Brian Fell. She said he acted outside of proper procedure, failing to register the game with the parks department, which manages the town's fields and facilities. She said the principal didn't even know about the game until the day after it was played. She said Fell pulled a similar stunt last year.
“He (Fell) acted as if it were just another home game,” Gilbert said Wednesday, referring to last week's debacle, essentially quoting the memo she disseminated earlier.
“We run large events all the time and we never have this sort of chaos,” she told me. “All he had to do was follow the procedure and we could have added bleachers, more porta-potties, fire police on hand ... things would have gone smoothly.”
She said Fell put the entire town at risk.
“We had to pull every one of our officers from their regular patrols. We even put our detectives in uniform. There was no one left to patrol the town.”
In her memo she wrote: “It is very apparent that neither of these schools had any regard for our facilities. ... The Rocky Hill High School Athletic Director's actions leave no one else to blame for this debacle. It has to be either negligence or ignorance.”
Fell said he would not comment beyond expressing faith that the real facts would come out in the investigation.
Seems despite the mayor's retraction, there's still a mess in the athletic department.
The apology line might begin with LaRosa, but needs to include Fell, and Gilbert too. Because it is not clear that New London had no regard for their facilities.
One more thing, the New London resident who made the threat needs to be in the apology line, too. His comment was an inappropriate, classless and unnecessary. Apparently, both communities have a little mess to clean up.
This is the opinion of Chuck Potter.

Printed in house?

How interesting that this is printed on New London High School green, and where exactly is "in house"? Could it be possible that these were printed "in high school"? There should be an investigation....maybe by Clouet? Or Cochran? Or maybe Nolan himself can investigate...I think it would be interesting to find out all the specifics of these flyers.....and why Nolan is a Board of Education member in violation of their own By laws and policies as well as State statute!!!

HANDICAP PARKING REGULATIONS CT GENERAL STATUTES Sec. 14-253a

(g) The State Traffic Commission, on any state highway, or local traffic authority, on any highway or street under its control, shall establish parking spaces in parking areas for twenty or more cars in which parking shall be prohibited to all motor vehicles except vehicles displaying a special license plate or a removable windshield placard issued pursuant to this section. Parking spaces in which parking shall be prohibited to all motor vehicles except vehicles displaying such special plate or placard shall be established in private parking areas for two hundred or more cars according to the following schedule:All such spaces shall be designated as reserved for exclusive use by handicapped persons and identified by the use of signs in accordance with subsection (h) of this section. Such parking spaces shall be adjacent to curb cuts or other unobstructed methods permitting sidewalk access to a blind or handicapped person and shall be fifteen feet wide, including three feet of cross hatch, or be parallel to a sidewalk. The provisions of this subsection shall not apply (1) in the event the State Building Code imposes more stringent requirements as to the size of the private parking area in which special parking spaces are required or as to the number of special parking spaces required or (2) in the event a municipal ordinance imposes more stringent requirements as to the size of existing private parking areas in which special parking spaces are required or as to the number of special parking spaces required. (h) Parking spaces designated for the handicapped on or after October 1, 1979, and prior to October 1, 2004, shall be as near as possible to a building entrance or walkway and shall be fifteen feet wide including three feet of cross hatch, or parallel to a sidewalk on a public highway. On and after October 1, 2004, parking spaces for passenger motor vehicles designated for the handicapped shall be as near as possible to a building entrance or walkway and shall be fifteen feet wide including five feet of cross hatch. On and after October 1, 2004, parking spaces for passenger vans designated for the handicapped shall be as near as possible to a building entrance or walkway and shall be sixteen feet wide including eight feet of cross hatch. Such spaces shall be designated by above grade signs with white lettering against a blue background and shall bear the words "handicapped parking permit required" and "violators will be fined". Such sign shall also bear the international symbol of access. When such a sign is replaced, repaired or erected it shall indicate the minimum fine for a violation of subsection (f) of this section. Such indicator may be in the form of a notice affixed to such a sign.

(l) Violation of any provision of this section shall be an infraction, provided the fine for violation of the provisions of subsection (f) of this section shall be not less than eighty-five dollars.

FORT TUMBLE

What will they ever do with this Delay after Delay.

What do you think?

Not only are rules meant for other people...

...but when we break the law, we are gonna do so for days!!!

These are from this evening around 4:00 pm! NICE!!!

Rules are for other people!

New London High School November 15th, 2007