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

Friday, January 23, 2009

23 January 2009

Town Committee Meets January 29th: Agenda Include Justice of the Peace Re-Appointments And Ethics Commission Issues

Re-Appointments of Justices of the Peace and controversy involving the city Ethics Commission will be discussed at the first Democratic Town Committee of the year on Thursday, January 29th. The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. in Room 504 of New Britain City Hall, 27 West Main Street.

A new Justice of the Peace term has begun, but not all Democratic nominees who were endorsed last spring appeared for their swearing in by the January 5th deadline at the Town and City Clerk's office. Democratic Chair John McNamara said that Democrats re-nominated at the meeting will have 10 days to visit the Town Clerk to be sworn in for the term that will end in 2013. The Town Committee will continue to consider Democrats to fill JP vacancies from Democrats who demonstrate their are volunteering in some way in their community.

Recent conflicting decisions by the ethics commission involving complaints by Republican Ald. Louis Salvio against Democrats on the Common Council are raising concerns that the ethics panel is being used for partisan attacks. According to McNamara, due process with regard to the ethics regulations and municipal employees who hold elective office have been violated. He said he will be proposing a change in the structure of the ethics board to ensure that it "will not be politicized as has occurred more than once during the Stewart administration."

New Britain Dems On Facebook: Join The Dialogue and A Free Exchange of Ideas

One of the lessons of the 2008 Obama campaign (with a big nod to the pioneering work in 2004 of former Party Chair Howard Dean) was the use of the internet and social networking to get messages out, mobilize volunteers and easily communicate issues and concerns individually and collectively.

Meet ups, text messaging, e-invites and on-line communication will now be indispensable to all state and national campaigns. They can also provide a low-cost/no-cost citizenship tool for city and town politics. There is now a home for the New Britain Democratic Party on Facebook with the formation of a group that can be a forum for raising issues and concerns in an online community that will not be anonymous, will value all opinions and show mutual respect for all members. Joining Facebook, the social network tool, is free at www.facebook.com

State Party Officers Re-Elected: New Britain's Emma Pierce Retains Treasurer Post

Incumbent officers of the Democratic State Central Committee were re-elected January 22nd in Hartford, including Emma Pierce, state central committeewoman and member of the Town Committee from District 6. Besides Pierce, other incumbent officers re-elected were Chairman Nancy DiNardo, Vice Chairman Rep. Steve Fontana and Secretary Barbara Gordon. Thanks to State Central Committeewoman Audrey Blondin of Litchfield for her update on State Central.

End Quote

"Your election to this high office has inspired people as few other events in recent times have done. Amidst all of the human progress made over the last century the world in which we live remains one of great divisions, conflict, inequality, poverty and injustice. You, Mister President, have brought a new voice of hope that these problems can be addressed and that we can in fact change the world and make of it a better place." Nelson Mandela, the former President of South Africa in the post-apartheid era, in a letter congratulating Barack Obama


New Britain Democrat e-letter: John McNamara, Chair and Editor
Post Office Box 2112, New Britain , CT 06050
New Britain Democrat e-letters and updates may be found
at
http://newbritaindemocrat.blogspot.com

NOTICE: If you do not wish to receive this e-letter reply to newbritaindemocrat@gmail.com
Write cancel in the subject box. Please send address corrections and additions to the same address. THANK YOU

Monday, January 19, 2009

19 January 2009


"When I recall the image of that preacher at the Lincoln Memorial on Tuesday, I'm sure he will be smiling, and both of us may have eyes moistened with tears of joy. I'm equally certain that we will continue to pray for justice to roll down as waters, and for that day when there will be peace in the valley, and for that day when every man and every woman will sit under his or her own vine and fig tree and none will be afraid, and for that day when black will not be asked to get back, brown can stick around, yellow will be mellow, the red man can get ahead, man, and white will embrace what is right! Amen!"
The Rev. Joseph Lowery, a contemporary of the Rev. Martin Luther King, who will give the Inaugural benediction. From his essay in the Chicago Tribune
http://www.courant.com/news/nationworld/chi-lowery-essay-19-jan19,0,5436309.story


Inaugural Reception And Thank You To New Britain For Obama Committee Tuesday 5:30-8 pm at Pride of Connecticut Lodge of Elks

The New Britain Democratic Town Committee and the city's Black Democratic Club will hold an Inauguration Day Reception on Tuesday, January 20th, from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the Pride of Connecticut, Lodge of Elks, 24 Elm Street, New Britain. Food, music and good company to thank the New Britain for Obama committee.

All Democrats and friends are welcome to attend the celebration that will coincide with Inauguration Day activities in Washington, D.C. The festivities will be black tie optional :). The suggested donation for the reception is $25 to the NBDTC but no one will be turned away for lack of funds.

A Call For Action By Service Employees International Union On Bailout

When taxpayers gave Bank of America a $25 billion bailout, the country's largest bank was supposed to use the funds to help jumpstart the economy. Bank of America instead misspent the money on foreign investments, executive salaries, and corporate jets. To top it off, Bank of America double-dipped, taking more money from our cash-strapped states by not paying for their workers' healthcare.

Yet this morning, the Wall Street Journal reports that Bank of America wants "billions" more in bailout funds.

Well, enough is enough. It's time for Bank of America to either use its bailout to help the economy and its workers - or give back the bailout.

Click here to watch and sign: http://freechoice.seiu.org/page/s/bankofamerica

What can Bank of America do? To start, it can provide health care for its 247,000 workers using the money it spent last year on executive salaries and bonuses.

We're also asking that Bank of America:
  • Keep over 12,000 troubled borrowers in their homes with executive bonus money
  • End the practice of unilaterally changing credit cardholder agreements.
  • Sign new leases with renters who live in buildings that are being foreclosed upon

JPs Who Missed Deadline Will Be Re-Nominated By Town Committee

With the January 5th deadline now passed for Democratic Justices of the Peace to be sworn in for this new term at the Town Clerk's office, JPs who did not meet the deadline but were nominated last May will be re-nominated at the January 29th meeting of the Democratic Town Commitee. Nominees will then have 10 additional days from the 29th to be sworn in for the four-year term. The Town Committee will continue to fill vacancies for Democrats in good standing who demonstrate they are volunteering a minimum of two hours per month in the community. Justices of the Peace terms run concurrently with the Presidential election year and are four years in length. For more information email newbritaindemocrat@gmail.com.

End Quote

"The betting here is he will recall that long ago August 28th as he prepares to lead Democrats into the fall election. The moment will not be lost on Obama that his political ascendancy this week is a direct consequence of both King's movement and Johnson's Democrats and what was said and done a generation ago. Obama's nomination will not be the end all for civil rights struggle, but a fulfillment of a huge piece of the "Dream". An NB Politicus comment before Barack Obama accepted the Democratic nomination on the 45th anniversary of the "I Have A Dream" speech. http://nbpoliticus.blogspot.com/2008_08_24_archive.html

Blog Archive

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