25 January 2008

Local Dems Organizing For Obama: January 31st New Britain Rally Planned

Local Democrats in support of Presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) will hold a rally on Thursday, January 31 st , at the McCullough Temple CME Church, 55 Chapman Street, at 7:30 p.m. as part of efforts to get out the vote for Obama in the February 5 th Primary.

Obama supporters are working to get out the vote in the week leading up to the Connecticut primary and are seeking volunteers to help contact voters. "All Democrats are enthusiastic about re-taking the White House this year because of a strong and historic field of candidates who will match up well against any of the Republican candidates,"said DTC Chairman John McNamara. "The policy differences between the Democrats are minimal. We believe Senator Obama gives us the best chance to build a broader and more inclusive Democratic coalition that will bring victory in November." Forming the New Britain Area Obama Committee is Janice Choice Edwards, the volunteer chairperson. She has been joined by McNamara, State Central Committeewoman Emma Pierce, Cora Bradley, State Rep. Tim O'Brien, State Senator Don DeFronzo, Ward 2 Alderwoman Tonilynn Collins, Ward 3 Alderwoman Shirley Black, Ward 4 Alderman Phil Sherwood, Alton Brooks, former House Majority Leader David Pudlin and Attorney William Weber. Democrats interested in volunteering for the Obama campaign and joining the local committee may contact Janice Choice Edwards at 225-8288 or e-mail mcnamara.john@sbcglobal.net

For information on all Democratic Presidential campaigns, delegate selection and the feb. 5th Primary visit the Connecticut Democratic Party site at http://www.ctdems.org/

Voter Registration Deadlines Near For the Presidential Primary

The mail-in voter registration deadline for the February 5th Presidential Primary is Thursday, January 31st. New and unaffiliated voters may register to vote in the Primary by declaring party affiliation on a voter registration card (available at http://www.newbritaindemocrat.net/ ).

Walk-in registration is permissible by noon on Monday, February 4th. The Registrar of Voters office is located on the 5th floor of New Britain City Hall, 27 West Main Street.

Democrat Lucretia Holley Fills Board of Education Seat

Lucretia Holley, as associate director of admissions at Tunxis Community College, won approval of the Common Council January 23rd to fill a Democratic vacancy on the Board of Education. Holley replaces the Rev. Charles Tillett who resigned last October. The term filled by Ms. Holley will expire in 2009.

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"On his return to the limelight, Rowland took up right where he'd left off, that is, fibbing to reporters. According to him, his new job has "nothing to do with state funding and no responsibilities that connect me to the state in any way, shape or form." The truth's just the opposite. Urban development lives and dies on state funding. The city will pay half Rowland's roughly $100,000 salary, but his job is with the regional chamber of commerce. The chamber's next public event? A legislative breakfast scheduled for Friday. Maybe Rowland's not going, but why hire someone who can't?"

from The Hartford Courant, Jan. 27th. Columnist Bill Curry's commentary on the appointment of former Gov. Rowland to a $100,000+ job as the city's economic development coordinator to be underwritten by the City of Waterbury and that community's Chamber of Commerce.

New Britain Democrat e-letter 21 January 2008

MLK Holiday To Be Observed At Spottswood Church, Monday, January 21, 2 p.m.

New Britain's Mary Bethune McLeod Club will hold observances on the Rev. Martin Luther King's holiday at 2 p.m., Monday, January 21st. The event will be held at the Spottswood AME Zion Church, 25 Crestwood Lane.

Remembering King's Legacy 40 Years Later

I remember exactly where I was on April 4, 1968. Forty years ago this coming April the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in Memphis.

That week day, like many others in my senior year in high school, I drove to Bradlee’s Department store on the Lynnway in Lynn, MA to punch in for the evening shift earning some money before entering Boston University in the fall. The news spread quickly that Thursday evening that King was dead. It didn’t take long to realize that my shift as a retail clerk would be different from all the others. The store quickly emptied out. Not a customer in sight all night. No need for Mr. Silverman, the shaken and somber store manager, to send me out on outside carriage control.

The bullets in Memphis were enough to bring a normal business day to a halt in Lynn and most of the nation. Just five short years before I had come home from junior high on a late summer day to watch King deliver his “I Have A Dream” speech – an event that would inspire many to become active in politics and protest.

There are always many good remembrances of Rev. King on his national holiday. But too few of those who pay tribute now ever mention why Rev. King was in Memphis on that April day 40 years ago.

By 1968, Rev. King was widening the concerns of his movement. In Where Do We Go From Here? King opposed a Vietnam policy that had begun to break the nation further apart. The lunchroom sit-ins and battles over accommodations and voting rights were giving way to a broader agenda. He was planning a new march on Washington – “the Poor People’s Campaign” -- when he decided to take up the cause of 1,300 sanitation workers in Memphis, a city of southern segregation, where the white power structure opposed the right to unionize and the Mayor vowed never to bargain in good faith in a way that would give the sanitation workers their dignity.

The strike and a citywide economic boycott were a cause King knew he could not ignore despite plenty of advice that he should not go. King’s prophetic “I’ve Been to the Mountain Top” speech on the eve of the assassination is his best known from Memphis. But two weeks earlier, on March 18th, King galvanized support for strikers by saying: “So often we overlook the worth and significance of those who are not in professional jobs, or those who are not in the so-called big jobs…..One day our society will come to respect the sanitation worker if it is to survive.”

Following King’s assassination, the Memphis power structure gave up its intransigence – recognizing the union, awarding pay raises and instituting merit promotions.

King’s campaign for striking sanitation workers reaffirmed his greatness at the hour of his death. That's worth remembering and passing on to a new generation 40 years after he died.

11 January 2008

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4 January 2008

Town Committee Gathers Tuesday, 1/8/08; N.H. Primary Night Reception To Follow


There will be an informal meeting of the Democratic Town Committee on Tuesday, January 8th, at 7:30 p.m. at the Roma Restaurant, 382 Allen Street. Members will discuss the 2008 political calendar including the Town Committee petition and election process. Also on tap are voter registration and the Feb. 5th Presidential Primary, approval of Justice of the Peace appointments and the new campaign finance "clean elections" law.


The meeting will be followed by a Primary Night reception at the Roma – the night of New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation Presidential Primary. The reception will be held beginning at 8:00 p.m. Local Democrats will watch the returns in what is expected to be a close contest among the remaining candidates in the Democratic field. The New Hampshire Primary will follow last night's Iowa caucuses and will kick off state-by-state voting in January that includes Michigan on January 15th and Florida on January 29th. A minimum donation of $10 is requested for the Primary reception.


The DTC is seeking to register more Democrats in New Britain to vote in the Connecticut Presidential Primary to be held on February 5th. January 31st is the mail-in registration deadline for new voters and unaffiliated voters who want to vote in the Primary. At the end of November approximately 15,500 were registered as Democrats in the city constituting 54% of registered voters.To attend the event and support New Britain Democrats contact newbritaindemocrat@gmail.com.


DTC Recommends Lucretia Holley For Board of Education Vacancy


The Democratic Town Committee is recommending that Lucretia C. Holley, a Skinner Drive resident, fill a Board of Education seat vacated by the Rev. Charles Tillett who relocated to North Carolina late in 2007. Holley, an associate director of admissions at Tunxis Community College, spoke to DTC members at a December meeting and has the support of a majority of DTC members, according to Town Chair John McNamara. In a letter to Democratic members of the Common Council, McNamara said Holley "possesses strong educational credentials and is well equipped to step into the Board of Education immediately." The Common Council may act to fill the vacancy at one of its January meetings.

Dodd Comes Homes After Fighting Good Fight

Senator Chris Dodd ended his Presidential bid Thursday after posting low numbers in Iowa precinct caucuses in which voters select delegates to conventions. Dodd, who is reported to be a a candidate for Senate Majority Leader in the Congress, thanked his supporters in an e-mail message:

"I count the past year of campaigning for the presidency as one of the most rewarding in a career of public service. Unfortunately, I am withdrawing from that campaign tonight.

But there is no reason to hang our heads this evening -- only the opportunity to look towards a continuation of the work we started last January: ending the Iraq War, restoring the Constitution, and putting a Democrat in the White House.

I know a lot of you came to this email list through a shared desire to return our nation to one that respects the rule of law, and I want to make one thing clear to all of you:

The fight to restore the Constitution and stop retroactive immunity does not end with my Presidential campaign. FISA will come back in a few weeks and my pledge to filibuster ANY bill that includes retroactive immunity remains operative.

You've been an invaluable ally in the battle, and I'll need you to stick by my side despite tonight's caucus results.

So, one more time, thank you for all of your efforts throughout the course of this entire Presidential campaign.

We made a real difference in shaping the debate, and we'll continue to do so in the coming days, weeks and years."

New Britain Democrat e-letter: John McNamara, Chair and Editor;New Britain Democratic Town Committee Post Office Box 2112, New Britain , CT 06050 www.newbritaindemocrat.net

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.

29 December 2007

Happy New Year!

NAACP To Hold Emancipation Day Program January 1

The New Britain NAACP will hold its annual Emancipation Day Program on Tuesday, January 1 at the Spottswood AME Zion Church, 25 Crestwood Lane. The event will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and will feature guest preacher, Suffragan Bishop John H. Thomas of Bethesda Apostolic Church.

Let the Bush Out of Office Countdown Begin: Primary Party Night Reception Jan. 8th

The Democratic Town Committee will host a Primary Night Party on Tuesday, January 8th – the night of New Hampshire’s first-in-the-nation Presidential Primary. The event will be held beginning at 8:00 p.m. at the Roma Restaurant, 382 Allen Street, where local Democrats will watch the returns in what is expected to be a close contest among candidates in the Democratic field. The New Hampshire Primary will follow the January 3rd Iowa caucuses and will kick off state-by-state voting in January that includes Michigan on January 15th and Florida on January 29th.

The DTC is seeking to register more Democrats in New Britain to vote in the Connecticut Presidential Primary to be held on February 5th. January 31st is the mail-in registration deadline for new voters and unaffiliated voters who want to vote in the Primary. At the end of November approximately 15,500 were registered as Democrats in the city constituting 54% of registered voters.To attend the event and support New Britain Democrats contact newbritaindemocrat@gmail.com

Rep. Geragosian To Receive U.A.W.’s Community Activism Award

State Rep. John Geragosian (D-25) will receive the Community Activism Award in January from the United Auto Workers (UAW). The UAW, with Region 9A offices based in Farmington, will hold its 15th annual Civil Rights Awards dinner at the Hartford Hilton on January 25th. Elected to the state House in 1994, Geragosian is the dean of New Britain’s legislative delegation and Chair of the Democratic House Caucus in the Legislature. Additional information about the awards dinner will be announced. Congratulations to Rep. Geragosian.

Finally CT Gets A Clean Election Law (Excerpted from NB Politicus)

A system of public financing of political campaigns will bring dramatic change to many state House and Senate races in 2008. While the full impact will not be felt until 2010 when races for Governor and statewide offices will occur, the law’s intent is to begin to restrict the corrosive influence of money in politics that reached its nadir during the Rowland years……

“It is an exciting time for democracy in Connecticut,” says State Rep. Tim O’Brien (D-24) who served on the GAE Committee that helped craft legislation designed to diminish the influence of lobbyist money and includes an outright contribution ban on contractors who do business with the state.

“For generations, we have dreamed of an open election system in which people's voices matter more than special interest money. Now, it is a reality,” declares O’Brien in launching his campaign for the state House that will rely on grassroots contributions from individuals. Read more at http://nbpoliticus.blogspot.com/

SEIU Union Wins Major Wage and Benefit Gains For Office Cleaners

Hartford area office cleaners represented by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 32BJ gained an 11th hour pre-Christmas agreement giving members a new four-year contract. Union leaders noted significant wage and benefit gains for employees "who clean more than 90 percent of large commercial office space in downtown Hartford and office parks and building in other parts of Hartford County."

"This new contract will provide Hartford's office cleaners the opportunity to live the American Dream," said Kurt Westby, Local 32BJ Connecticut Director. "More office cleaners will be able to take their kids to the doctor and have retirement security." The contract provides 17% wage hikes over four-years in the city and nearly 20 % in the suburbs. Fully employer-paid family health care coverage will be maintained for all full-time workers, and part-time workers have an improved health benefit, which will include life insurance, a prescription drug benefit and dental and optical insurance. Under the new contract, suburban office cleaners won a pension benefit for the first time and gained two personal days. Employers agreed to an improved training program, which includes industry-skills classes as well as English as a Second language courses, and also to a legal services benefit program. Congratulations to Local 32BJ's Political Director Art Perry and the members of the Local who include New Britain residents. More information: Hartford Courant story on the settlement.


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"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." - Eleanor Roosevelt

New Britain Democrat e-letter: John McNamara, Chair and Editor;
New Britain Democratic Town Committee Post Office Box 2112, New Britain , CT 06050 www.newbritaindemocrat.net

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.

15 December 2007

December Meeting Re-Scheduled To Tuesday, Dec. 18, 7 p.m. at City Hall: Presidential Race, BOE Vacancy Up For Discussion

The Democratic Town Committee will hold its re-scheduled December on Tuesday, December 18th at 7 p.m. at New Britain City Hall, 27 West Main Street in room 504. The meeting was cancelled last Thursday because of the snow storm.

The agenda includes the 2008 Election Calendar and presidential politics. The Connecticut Presidential Primary has been moved to February 5 and information on the early primary process and candidates will be available. One or more representatives of presidential campaigns are expected to attend. The DTC has also been asked to recommend a candidate to fill a vacancy on the Board of Education created by the resignation of the Rev. Charles Tillett of Spottswood AME Zion Church. Rev. Tillett's term runs through 2009. The Common Council is expected to fill the vacancy before year's end. Vacancies for Justice of the Peace will also be filled at the meeting.


Members and friends are asked to bring a non-perishable food item to be donated to St. Ann's Roman Catholic Church food pantry on North Street. All Democrats and friends are welcome to attend.



G.O.T.V. Iowa For Dodd in New Britain, CT: Phone Bank Monday, Dec. 17, 7-9 p.m.


New Britain area supporters of Senator Chris Dodd's Presidential campaign will be able to encourage Iowans to support his bid on Monday Dec. 17th and you won't have to fly to Des Moines to do so. A Volunteer Night will be held on Monday December 17th from 7-9 p.m. at AFSCME Council 4, 444 East Main Street. "People in Iowa want to hear from us and learn more about Chris Dodd, this is our chance to make a difference in the campaign right here from CT," said CT Volunteer Coordinator Melissa Scully. New Britain Democrats are encouraged to stopy in and make some calls. For this event or to help the Dodd campaign in New Hampshire call 860-244-2008 or email connecticut@chrisdodd.com



SEIU March For Janitors Thursday, Dec. 20th

The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 32BJ will hold a rally and march on Thursday, 12-20-07 from 3:30-4:30 p.m. in support of janitors working in area office buildings for good wages and adequate health care coverage in a new contract.

The event will be held in downtown Hartford at the corner of Main and Gold streets. "It’s the season for giving, please attend and give your support, your voice and your spirit as our janitors demand justice and a fair contract," said Art Perry, organizer for the SEIU Local that includes New Britain residents in its membership. For more information contact Perry at 860-560-8674 Ext. 307.

GOP-Controlled FCC Pushing More Big Media Takeovers Of Local Stations

This may be a timely message in a week when New Britain COMCAST Cable eliminated C-Span 2 (BookTV) from the basic services of non-digital subscribers with barely a notice or announcement.

From www.freepress.net

"The Federal Communications Commission plans to open the floodgates of further media consolidation across America. If FCC Chairman Kevin Martin gets his way, your community will be inundated with even more mass-produced celebrity gossip and infotainment, and less local reporting and quality journalism: more of the the junk news that is making us sick.
Together we can stop them. We blocked them in 2003, and today we need you to show Washington that you don't want more media consolidation. To do it, we're building a "Wall" of opposition: your photo next to thousands of others, standing shoulder to shoulder against Big Media. We're going to deliver this Wall to the FCC. FCC Chairman Martin wants to "Super Size" Big Media allowing companies like Gannett, News Corp. and Tribune to swallow up even more local TV, newspaper and radio outlets. Martin wants to let one company own both the major newspaper and a TV station in your hometown, drowning out the few remaining independent voices, so that media moguls like Rupert Murdoch can expand their empires."

For more information and to join the campaign against big media consolidations visit www.freepress.net

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"He said there's no other calling in life where you can do as much for as
many people as you can through public service. Lawyers only have so many
clients, doctors only so many patients, but a well- intentioned public
servant can make a difference in the lives of millions of people. That's my
motivation. I want to carry that tradition on. That's why I'm running for
president."

Senator Chris Dodd recalling his late father Tom Dodd's response to a reporter's question on any regrets about his life in politics and government. Dodd's response came during the Dec. 13th PBS Presidential debate in Iowa.

New Britain Democrat e-letter: John McNamara, Chair and Editor;

New Britain Democratic Town Committee Post Office Box 2112, New Britain , CT 06050 www.newbritaindemocrat.net

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.

13 December 2007

Democratic Town Committee Meeting Postponed

The Democratic Town Committee meeting scheduled for today (December 13th) at New Britain City Hall has been postponed because of the inclement weather.

It will be re-scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 18th, at 7 p.m.