13 September 2009

Town and City Clerk Primary Is Tuesday, September 15

The Democratic Primary for Town and City Clerk will be held Tuesday with all city polling places open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. The Clerk’s post is the only municipal office being contested in the Primary.

Endorsed Democrat Suzanne Bielinski, the President pro tem of the Common Council, is seeking the nomination after serving six terms on the council. Ms. Bielinski, an insurance company analyst who attended Michigan State University and CCSU, is seeking to become the first woman Town and City Clerk in the city’s history. She has campaigned on a platform of bringing “process improvements in the Town Clerk’s Office to deliver exceptional service” and increased access to online information and forms.

Incumbent Peter DeNuzze is the challenger.

For polling place or other information e-mail newbritaindemocrat@gmail.com


From the Chair: On The Politics of Cheap Shots and Animus

Callous and mean-spirited chatter appearing in the Herald reader comments about Mayor Timothy Stewart and traced to a misused state Capitol computer last week are part of an escalating use of the internet for political cheap shots.

In a September 12th editorial The Herald has it exactly right in saying it’s time to “raise the level of political discourse, focusing on ideas, rather than personalities; discussing issues rather than making personal smears.”


Unfortunately this latest political smear fits a pattern of negative, personal attacks that has been occurring with regularity here in New Britain for several years.

Hardball politics has always had its share of name calling and derisive back and forth here. Didn’t Sen. Joe Lieberman used to joke in his Democratic days that “New Britain is the Beirut of Connecticut politics?”

Anonymous forms of political sniping, however, are showing up in the unfiltered threads of the Herald in a way that shows the newspaper is having a hard time managing it. They are routine in a blogosphere where only the cost of a modem is needed to spread derogatory remarks, innuendos, family and ethnic slurs. In one recent instance, a threat of violence against City Alderman Phil Sherwood was made on the “franksmithsaysnb” blog. A police investigation ensued and confirmed the identify of the person making the threat (the spouse of an officer on the Republican Town Committee). The New Britain Herald, with a newsroom then in transition and under a new publisher, chose not to publish a story on the internet threat to a Democratic elected official.

For campaign 2009, a Republican-leaning blog such as the “bizy bee” is now the source of frequent, anonymous posts with a heavy sprinkling of lies and character assassination, including this excerpt:

“Lets take alderman at-large candidate Ryan Hurlburt for example; the kid was born and raised in Cornwall. He didn't move to New Britain until last year when he decided to expand his slumlord business to central conncticut. he's running for council becasue he was forced to by McNamara, after expressing that he wanted to be a part of the Board of Assessment Appeals (where hes looking for a tax credit on his three family on Ellis Street). The poor kid has no idea what he's getting himself into. Why should this carpetbagger, recruited by John McNamara, deserve to represent us New Britainites who have lived here our entire lives when we know that WE are more qualified to run for council than he is?

This is not the only example of carpetbaggers on the Democratic slate; their candidate for Mayor, Tim O'Brien, has only lived here for less than 15 years, and some question if he even does reside here. He doesn't even pay real estate taxes in the city but yet he wants to be mayor? He doesn't even own any property, and some have said he even lives out of Manchester, but rents a crappy apartment to make it seem that he lives in his district.

Phil Sherwood, NOT from New Britain, BOTH candidates in Ward one-NOT from New Britain , two At-Large candidates-NOT from New Britain, SEVEN ward candidates -NOT from New Britain. The Democratic ticket is made of carpetbaggers because they simply couldn't find anyone else who wants to be part of the Democrats embarrassing behavior.

Is this the kind of political discourse the Herald has in mind in calling for a more civil conversation on city issues? Is calling a new candidate a “slumlord” without evidence or deliberate lies about the residency of Democratic candidates “sticking to the issues?”

The “Bizy Bee” has the fingerprints of Mayor Stewart’s inner circle and the Republican Town Committee all over it. The blog links to Stewart’s campaign Facebook page and the Republican Town Committee web site extols its virtues as a conduit for its own lies and cheap shots. “You may have noticed that The Bizy Bee is in our blog roll now. Please check it out for another great look at what goes on in New Britain. It is a great read and well written,” says the official organ of New Britain Republicans.

As Republicans charge Democrats with mudslinging and claim they are as pure as the driven snow, they officially promote and sanction a deliberately false campaign of animus and character attack. Theirs is a race to the bottom when it comes to having a campaign based on issues.

Isn’t it time for everyone on all sides engaged in local politics to own up to their own words? And it is past the time for a dialogue on where the city is headed on key issues -- a burgeoning municipal deficit, downtown revitalization, property tax relief, the future of Pinnacle Heights and improving the quality of schools.


On the Calendar (Send your announcements)

Saturday, September 19: The New Britain Irish Social Club (AOH) holds its annual picnic from noon to 5 pm. Tickets $20 for families; $12 for individuals 12 and over. Telephone 832-8023. The event will be held at New Britain VFW Pavillion, Veterans Drive.

Monday, September 21: Democratic Town Committee will meet at the Headquarters, 46 Broad Street at 7 p.m.

Thursday, September 24: Fund-raising campaign event for Ward 4 Ald. Phil Sherwood, 6:30 p.m., Italian Fraternal Society, Monroe Street.

Friday, September 25: The New Britain Irish Social Club (AOH) music from 8 to 11:30 p.m. featuring The Boomers (Jimmy Buffet style) at the club, 39 South Street.

Saturday, September 26: New Britain Branch NAACP Freedom Fund Dinner will be held at CCSU Student Center ballroom from 7 to 11 pm. Honorees this year include one of us – Ward 3 Ald. Shirley Black. A New Britain Branch NAACP event, P.O. Box 323, New Britain, CT 06050. More information e-mail newbritaindemocrat@gmail.com

End Quote

But Wilson’s shocking disrespect for the office of the president — no Democrat ever shouted “liar” at W. when he was hawking a fake case for war in Iraq — convinced me: Some people just can’t believe a black man is president and will never accept it.

New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd, September 12, 2009 at http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/13/opinion/13dowd.html