All The Democratic News Fit To Print In and Around New Britain, CT (USA)

Sunday, March 30, 2008

31 March 2008

Town Committee Endorses Delegate Slates For May Conventions


The Democratic Town Committee endorsed slates of delegates to party conventions to be held in May at its March 27th meeting at New Britain City Hall. Slates for the 6th State Senate (31 delegates), the 22nd State Representative (2 delegates) and 24th State Representative (10 delegates) were chosen. Endorsed delegates will be supporting incumbents who represent the city, including State Senator Donald DeFronzo and State Representatives Betty Boukus (D-22) and State Representative Tim O'Brien (D-24) . Because DeFronzo, Boukus and O'Brien represent more than one town they are nominated by delegates to conventions. State Representative John Geragosian (D-25) and State Representative Peter Tercyak (D-26) represent districts within the city and endorsements for those districts will be made by town committee members at a May meeting. In addition, 31 endorsed delegates were selected for the 5th Congressional District for the seat held by first-term Cong Chris Murphy who is seeking re-election. The Town Committee endorsed 31 delegates for the Democratic State Convention which will take up the election of National Committee members. Delegates will be notified by the Democratic State Central Committee. The delegations will be posted the week of March 31 at the New Britain Democrats' website http://www.newbritaindemocrat.net/


DTC Resolution Seeks Implementation of Property Tax Credit For Seniors
From The New Britain Herald March 28th



"NEW BRITAIN — The Democratic Town Committee voted unanimously Thursday to call on Republican Mayor Timothy Stewart to release $375,000 set aside by the council last fall for senior property tax relief. It was at the end of a night meeting, after the committee endorsed delegates, that member Rosemary Klotz called for a discussion of the issue because many people, including council members, had assumed Stewart reached an agreement long ago with Democratic Majority Leader Michael Trueworthy to fund the program. Democrats have put the money aside for four years straight. Each year, Stewart has failed to do anything with it.
“It appears that program is not going to be implemented again this year, when people are going to feel the effects the most. I thought we had an agreement,” Trueworthy said, “but I guess we don’t.” After the previous council voted 11-4 in favor of funding it again, Trueworthy said he believed the mayor would come through — especially after he had been given $25,000 to start up his plan to end homelessness the following week. Trueworthy left the Oct. 10 meeting
pleased the $375,000 account would be used to help poor elderly and disabled homeowners pay their property taxes. The previous year, Stewart and his cadre of conservatives on the council had argued they had to give property tax relief to all residents, not just a small minority. But after the Oct. 10 council meeting, Stewart had given the Democrats hope he would finally go along with the idea. “I will look seriously at the issue,” Stewart said. “No one needs more help than the people on fixed income in our community. “Revaluation is the most critical issue that we will face in the coming year. If the results of the changes impact those people who fall within the income guidelines, then, yes, we will engage the program,” he said at the time." Rick Guinness story



Freedom of Information: GOP Still Opposes Sunshine At City Hall

The two Republican members of the City Council opposed a municipal Freedom of Information ordinance referred to committee at the last Council meeting in March, according to Monica Polanco's report"FOI Proposal Draws Complaints" in The Hartford Courant. Both Alds. Lou Salvio and Mark Bernacki , defending recent actions by the Stewart administration, claimed a second local FOI policy is unnecessary. Salvio used the dubious argument that the provision would cost taxpayers "thousands of dollars" if the city provided copies of public documents to the press and public when information is requested.

In December, the Council adopted an ordinance that requires city departments to release records and information in a timely manner when requested to do so by members of the Common Council. In January, Republican Town Chair Paul Carver, perhaps in retaliation for the FOI ordinance, filed a formal complaint with the state commission contending that Council Majority Leader Mike Trueworthy did not identify a nominee to the Mattabasett District Commission on a meeting agenda despite the posting of the vacancy on the agenda. Democrats have called Carver's complaint "frivolous." The Commission has yet to take up the complaint amid predictions from Democrats that Carver's complaint will be quickly dismissed.

This second ordinance has been proposed by Ward 4 Councillor Phil Sherwood and it would essentially establish a local Freedom of Information act. The 37-year-old state FOI Commission is the arbiter of all complaints at the local and state level. But Sherwood and others on the Council feel that open meetings and access to public records need to be clearly spelled out at the local level. The Stewart Administration didn't help itself when the Board of Finance and Taxation, deliberating over the city budget, kicked New Britain Herald Reporter Rick Guinness out of its meeting. The newspaper has responded in kind by filing complaints at the state FOI Commission.

If Bernacki-Salvio complaints had validity you'd think the state Commission would be telling New Britain Democrats that they have no jurisdiction on FOI. While the state FOI Commission has ultimate jurisdiction and enforcement power, it has been strongly urging local FOI responses since a 1999 survey found "disappointing results" of compliance with the FOI Act by local governments. The state Commission, in fact, has adopted a local "model" ordinance that calls for establishing a municipal FOI Advisory Board -- not quite a model FOI ordinance but a move designed to reduce the small commission's large caseload. Colleen M. Murphy, the FOI Commission's Executive Director and General Counsel, advocates for local advisory groups. "Why should municipalities take such a step?, " she asks in an article posted on the commission's website. "The answer is simple: the creation of these advisory boards will go a long way toward resolving FOI questions well before they turn into full-blown disputes." City Councillor Sherwood, although not proposing an appointed advisory board, appears to be making the same argument in calling for what would amount to a municipal Freedom of Information Act.

Stewart and his Council spokesmen may charge that the open government ordinance is just another example of "partisan sniping" and that it's his prerogative to maintain control over the flow of information at City Hall. But even a mayor in the strongest of strong-mayor forms of government has to realize at some point that withholding public records and closing the door on open meetings is the wrong way to go.

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New Britain Democrats

New Britain, Connecticut, United States
New Britain Democrat is a digest of e-newsletters that present news, views and information from the New Britain Democratic Town Committee. John McNamara, the Town Chair, is the editor. Mailing Address: Post Office Box 2112 New Britain, CT 06050 John Valengavich, Treasurer