Moving to Virginia

It is with both sadness and joy that I write my last post as quigleywh (Yes, I know my last post really came a long time ago). My wife Amy & I have decided to move our family to Northern VA to be closer to the rest of our extended families. We will be moving in with Amy's grandmother and taking care of her as she works her way into her latter years.

The decision is not based on the political outcomes over the last few years as I'm not bitter toward anyone in town. I believe this is a great town and I hope that the changes coming this year will only help to improve the outlook for the future.

I will miss my friends and adversaries alike. Without both groups, who would have any fun...who would get into politics?

One thing that I offer to anyone who gets this is the opportunity to live within a little more than 1/2 a mile to the center yet live away from the craziness that will be coming. We are selling our house on Overbrook Rd and hope that someone who needs more space in a house and live in a great area is ready to come take a look. Click the link below and go through the virtual tour on isoldmyhouse.com.

http://www.isoldmyhouse.com/ismh/properties?action=ls&adnum=127225&state=CT

The house is a cape, but it's been expanded to add a lot of room. We've also finished off most the basement with new tile and great built in shelves. Don't just look at the pictures from the street or do a driveby as the house is very deceiving from the road.

Anyway, thanks to you all who supported some of our causes over the past few years.

Mark

Town Government Outsourcing School Bussing Irresponsible

In a Hartford Courant article dated today (Click the title of this article), you can see the inept town government and school board attempting to react to a situation that was brought on themselves. Two incidents recently have prompted the town to write a letter to the contractor (Double A transportation) chastising them for their hiring practices.

Shouldn't our school government know what their hiring practices are? Shouldn't our school government be involved in shaping those hiring practices? Why does it take the death of a pedestrian at the hands of a coked up felon (driving our kids to school) to prompt a letter on the hiring practices? Why isn't the contract cancelled on the spot? FIRE THE COMPANY!

This is a failure on many levels. The continued outsourcing of town services (trash, leaf collection, recycling, and more that I don't even know about) is at the core of this problem. Outsourcing may save tax dollars in the end, but it is well known that if the town is not diligent in its oversight of these companies, then incidents like this will occur.

Parents of students in this town expect the school administration and the town government to have the safety of their children at the top of their priority lists. Outsourcing the bussing of students and not being intimately involved in the hiring of drivers does not send the message to parents that the school administration and town government care one bit about the safety of children in this town.

But, make sure you cover up your commercial vehicle signage, because someone might see it.....

Am I the only one in this town that sees through the BS?

Have a great day.

Ban on Commercial Vehicles Ridiculous

NOTE: Please check back often as I've decided to broaden the scope of this blog to more general town criticism.

The article, "Commercial vehicles banned from overnight parking" in the West Hartford News dated November 30, 2006 (Vol. #75 Issue #48), speaks volumes of the mentality of this town government. I've never heard consistent double-talk from anyone like I have from everyone at the executive level of this town. We hear a lot about affordable housing...wanting to ensure that our teachers and police officers can live in this town. What about our small business owners?

The thought that the people who drive these trucks are working for the company with the signage is irresponsible. Sure, there may be a few in town that do this, but the majority of people with signage on their vehicles are hard working, tax paying business owners in this town. The not only run the business out of this town, but they do most of their work in this town.

Come on, Town Council and Management, don't you have anything else to worry about?

quig

The Town Brown

In the first edition of the series I’m calling “West Hartford Perspectives,” what would you expect, but the topic of Blue Back? What I'd like to do this week is show you what it looks like from across the street from the construction site. Let me start by saying that yes I do understand that construction sites are dirty, loud and a necessary beast in this age of development. Building the biggest and best is what every person dreams of, especially people who devote their lives to development.

My West Hartford Perspective of this week is from Burr Street. Burr Street, if you aren't familiar, is a small cut-over to Raymond Road lined on the South side with homes, some single-family and some multi-family and before the debacle that is Blue Back, lined on the North side with the West Hartford "Town Green." Some of the homes on Burr Street date back to the early 1900’s. The town green has been used for a great number of years (how many I haven't researched) for town events and gatherings for the enjoyment of the community. The open space provided by the green provided hours of pleasure for residents who live close to Town Hall and residents who have to walk or drive from outside the center.

Below are a few photos taken after the sesquicentennial parade in 2004. As you can see our children had a great time playing on the green that day. Take a look at these and remember what the green looked like not too long ago…

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Fast forward to January/February 2006, after months of construction, the area where the green once was is now what I’d call the junk area of the construction site. The area where the builder and employees park their cars, maintain their huge mound of earth and store materials for construction. That’s right, the portion of the site adjacent to the neighbors who live closest to the development is what I’d term the ass end of the development. Not only have the residents of Burr Street been promised the ass end of the completed project by having a parking garage and open air parking lot directly across the street, but they get the moon shot during construction as well. Neighbors across Burr Street wake to the tranquil sounds of bulldozers and backhoes at 6:30 AM. Throughout the day, their children have trouble napping with all of the noise pollution. Does anyone really wonder why some of the residents have taken the town and the developer to court?

See how you feel when you view Blue Back from the perspective of a Burr Street resident…

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Slifka Knowingly Breaks Federal Law?

The upcoming weekly West Hartford Perspective will be online Monday, but I felt the need to get this out as soon as it came to my attention. 3 This link (http://www.audreyblondin.com/Nbysiewicz.html) takes you to the full story, but I will summarize. It's apparent that Mayor Scott Slifka broke the law (The Hatch Act - 5 U.S.C. §§ 1501-1508) when taking a position in the Secretary of State's office. The Hatch Act prohibits state employees who work for agencies funded in whole or in part by Federal funding from, "being candidates for public office in a partisan election." 1 Most would say let's give him a pass because he probably didn't know that this law existed. How about we don't...."Slifka said the Secretary of the State office receives federal funding through the Help America Vote Act and that they determined it would not be appropriate for him to continue. The West Hartford mayor added that they thought this might be a problem when he signed on with Bysiewicz last year, but decided to take the job with the understanding that it could be a short-term appointment."2 I'm not one to point fingers, but if the Courant and Mayor Slifka are going to point fingers at Mark Sinatro for requesting public information from the town manager who works for him, then it's time someone point a finger or two back (and I don't mean the index finger). The Courant's blatant disregard for balanced and fair journalism is despicable. Thanks, Quig

1. United States Office of the Special Counsel. Hatch Act for State and Local Employees. http://www.osc.gov/ha_state.htm
2. Audrey Blondin for Secretary of the State of Connecticut. BYSIEWICZ MOVE UPSETS CONTENDERS. By Dan Levine, 2005. http://www.audreyblondin.com/Nbysiewicz.html
3. Thank you, once again, to Judy Aron for bringing this to my attention.

Coming Soon...

Hi everyone, sorry for the extended absence, but busy is as busy does. I've been asked by multiple people around town if I am going to continue the blog and the answer is yes. Starting Monday February 6 look for the first weekly installment of what I'll initially call West Hartford Perspectives. I'll take a look at varying aspects of West Hartford from different angles of the human perspective. Look for topics that relate to development, kids, sports and of course, politics. Talk to you soon....... quig

Congratulations to Mark Sinatro

A huge congratulations goes to Mark Sinatro for winning a seat on the Town Council. The hard work Mark put in paid off and finally the town council will have a voice of reason. To the Democrats and incumbents (wow, I spelled it right) I also say congratulations...It's really easy to win when you have the Courant in your back pocket. Not once did the Democrats discuss the real issues in town and the Courant backed their play by painting the republicans as anti-blue back. All I can say to that is see you in two years when all of the opponents views on what will happen with the project will come true. One note of housekeeping. I've started moderating the comments, which means either I approve them or reject them. I don't mind people opposing my side of the argument, but I'm not going to allow personal attacks, Publicous (oh, did I spell that wrong?) Good luck Mark, a lot of people will be supporting you over the next two years.

Sinatros Call on Democrats to End Negative Campaigning

I received this from the Sinatros this morning and wholeheartedly agree. Not once has the republican side of the aisle sought to discredit the names of the democratic candidates. We do believe the republican candidates bring a lot more to that table than the incumbents, but have kept the campaign positive so far. Please read this note from Steve & Mark.

Stephen and Mark Sinatro Tell Democrat Leadership: “Enough is Enough” The party who calls itself the party of consensus and team building should be ashamed. The mudslinging perpetrated by the Democrats should cause us all to wonder who we call our leaders. There is no place for inaccurate reporting and innuendos. We are disappointed that the Democrats would choose to leave inflammatory and false literature at our neighbor’ s doorsteps. The information in their flyer is filled with falsehoods and completely inaccurate statements. It demonstrates a lack of leadership and integrity and is counter productive to the positive campaign we have been running. We demand that our opponents put an end to the negative attacks! These are the Facts:

• Steve and Mark Sinatro have the professional expertise and personal integrity to implement Blue Back Square. Can you trust a Mayor who appears in Advertisements paid for by the Developers?
• Steve Sinatro and his law firm have not cost the town a penny in litigation.

Tell the Democratic Leadership to tell the truth

• Steve and Mark Sinatro have served West Hartford, its children and its seniors for many years. On Election Day help them continue their tradition of service.

Steve Sinatro

• President, West Hartford Youth Football League
• Youth Sports Coach
• Recipient of the Ct Sec. of State, Public Service Award

Mark Sinatro

• Member UCONN Div. of Athletics
• Bd of Dir. WH Exchange Club
• St. Peter Claver, Religious Ed Instructor

Paid for by Stephen Sinatro for Town Council, Tom Filomeno, Treasurer and Mark Sinatro for Town Council, John McCormick, Treasurer

Incumbents Absent from Taxpayer's Association Panel

In another stunning display of arrogance, the current running council members decided that taxes aren't important in West Hartford, so they decided not to show up to the West Hartford Taxpayer's Association forum last night. Those who were at the event included Mark Sinatro, Steve Sinatro, Tom Knox, Mike Zullo, Joe Visconti, Sylvia Schindelman and Lib Brassil-Spinella. Absent were the members of the council who at the last budget process struggled to keep the tax increase down to 4.63%. The members of the panel spoke of creative revenue streams, increasing our tax base with low impact/high tax businesses and trimming the fat in the administration among other topics. It was unfortunate that we couldn't hear from the incumbents on how they propose to keep taxes down...One could infer that they intend to do nothing of the kind. Once again, I call on the Hartford Courant to report the news. The fact that the democrats have avoided 2 consecutive WH Taxpayer's Association meetings is news. Have a great day...

A Note from Republican Candidate Tom Knox

October 31, 2005 I would like to thank the editors of this paper for meeting with me and my running mates. Although I knew that I would not be endorsed, I could never have foreseen their reasoning. To use prior service on the Council and publically supporting Blue Back as the only litmus test for endorsement is narrow minded. It is offensive to think only the current council members are capable of seeing this project through to fruition. I am getting involved in politics, not due to Blue Back, but because of the many other issues currently being ignored. It is very convenient for the incumbents that the Blue Back situation is taking center stage and preventing discussion of the real issues facing our town.

One of my concerns is reducing taxes while maintaining quality town services. If “reasonable” or “expected” tax increases are the standard to which council members hold themselves, then we are in real trouble. I must point out that with our tax increases, the council created a fee for bulk pick-up and cut leaf collection in half. Why are we paying more and getting less?

One other concern is the safety of our residents and, more specifically, our children. As a father of three, two of which are in the public school system, it concerns me greatly that the parents at Sedgwick Middle School were not immediately notified of a gun in their school. This “nuance” approach of not informing parents quickly of situations that impact their children’s safety is abhorrent. Recently we have had a local bank robbery and a woman was attacked in one of our parks. It would seem prudent to any reasonable citizen that the police force should not be at a 12% deficit in manpower. The money for these missing officers is already provided for in the budget.

Blue Back must not be the place on which we rest our laurels. We need to throw that same energy, and hopefully not the same divisiveness, into other areas of town. Parts of Elmwood have been left fallow for years. Where is the Council’s concern for that area? Erecting condos and changing the old Caldors into a self-storage facility is not the answer. I want to aggressively pursue opportunities to develop Elmwood with community input at every level. I will address the slipping school rankings by insisting the liaison committee between the Board of Education and Town Council actually meets. This would encourage a frank discussion of the budget and force the two bodies to work toward a singular goal.

We can no longer afford to have only one point of view represented on Town Council. Right now many residents have taxation without representation. I disagree with Mayor Slifka and Councilwoman Carpenter that consensus is the key ingredient in good government. Consensus is not leadership; its overabundance fosters stagnation and complacency. While it is acceptable to applaud the few accomplishments of the current council, we must not forget that this town has issues other than Blue Back. Thomas I. Knox, M.D. Republican Candidate for West Hartford Town Council

Sinatros Thank Supporters

October 31, 2005 Dear Friends and Supporters, The outpouring of support and kindness during the past 3 months, but most especially this past weekend has overwhelmed us. The articles that have appeared recently in the Courant have been difficult to read given how private our family is, however we take comfort in how many of you have reached out to us with your supportive thoughts and words of encouragement. We are not running, as the Courant and Scott Slifka and Barbara Carpenter would have you believe, to dismantle Blue Back Square. We have repeatedly stated that we are committed to seeing this project through. We believe in the Democratic process and this town has spoken. The construction has begun, and we plan on working towards its success should we be fortunate enough to be elected. The recent articles in the Courant have been inflammatory and some of the statements are not factual. For those of you who were with us at the Republican Town Convention this past July, you know that Mrs. Carpenter’s name was placed on the ballot. The party was planning on nominating her despite its disagreement with her on several matters. Mrs. Carpenter and Joe Verrengia both voted for Blue Back Square. Whether the town committee agreed with that vote or not has little to do with why Mrs. Carpenter no longer calls herself a Republican. It was Mrs. Carpenter’s failure to appear at her own convention and subsequent withdrawal of her name as a candidate that forced the party to choose another candidate. We fully expect that there will be more negativity stemming from either our opponents or the media in the next 7 days. We have chosen to run for public office out of a duty to serve our town in a different capacity then what we have in the past. Our family has a legacy of service to the community. We are proud to be participating in this election with our fine running mates, proud of the vigorous campaigns we have run, and even prouder to call each and every one of you our friends. Mark Sinatro and Steve Sinatro

Courant Wrong in Sinatro Article

Below is a letter from Judy Aron, a prominent advocate for a fair shake in West Hartford. Let me preface her letter with my sentiments on the article from Sunday’s Courant titled, Prominent Family Tries Politics. When I read this article, I was extremely disappointed at Daniella Altimari’s lack of journalistic integrity in saying that Barbara Carpenter, “then got squeezed off the Sinatro-led GOP ticket.” This is an outrageous statement. Barbara Carpenter did nothing but quit the party that backed her and was planning to back her once again. Her name was on the ballot at the convention and she didn't even bother to show up and explain her actions. The republican party did not turn it’s back on Carpenter, she turned her back on the party because she would rather continue to do Mr. Feldman’s bidding and she didn't want to have to hear anything that went against that. Let’s not forget that Carpenter and Feldman are running partners…and he's her ultimate boss. Do I need to say conflict of interest here? Thanks for the letter, Judy. Dear Editor, Regarding your articles about the Sinatro brothers running for Town Council in West Hartford; Barbara Carpenter was not "squeezed off the GOP ticket". Let me refresh your memories and hope you'll do the right thing and print a correction. Ms. Carpenter never showed up to the convention and we all expected her to be part of the ticket, because her name was already on the convention's ballot! I believe you even reported that fact back when we had the convention. The truth is that she had been at odds with the Republican Town Committee for a long time. She ignored every conversation Town Committee chair, Mike Seder, had with her regarding her actions and votes on the Council. She did not represent the Republicans in this town, and this is a proven fact now that she is endorsed by every union she can lay her hands on. In fact, a poll taken by the Republican Town Committee on their membership showed a no confidence vote, and even so we had all intentions of having her on the ballot.. she just never showed up.. she was not squeezed off... she pried herself off with a crowbar.Please get your facts straight! Additionally, saying that the Sinatro's profited from the Blue Back lawsuits: perhaps you could have mentioned how Updike Kelly Spellacy, Scott Slifka's law firm profited from it's representation of brownfield development agencies, or how Chuck Coursey's involvement as Executive Director of CT Partnership for Balanced Growth is also a conflict of interest, or how past council members are financially involved with Day Berry and Howard, Pepe Hazard, or Kroll McNamara law firms for direct gain on this project. Would you care to investigate Carolyn Thornberry's intimate involvement with the Lt. Governor and his protégé Jonathan Harris, and how they might have conspired to get $500,000 worth of state money for the movement of the Science Center to Elmwood (with developer Richard Heapes on the Board of Directors of the Science Center?). While you are busy publicizing how much people gave to campaigns, how about enumerating the lobbyists that donated to Thornberry's warchest? There was a lot of mischief on the part of our current Town Council, and people were in bed with lots of people... so why are the Sinatro's being made the bad boys here? What is good for the goose, is good for the gander.. and at least the Mr. Sinatro's law firm is/was representing the interests of people who would be harmed by the arrogance of this current Town Council. There is nothing wrong with allowing the Burr Street residents their day in court. Judy Aron

Election Reflections by Patty Sanko-Lowry

Since the Democrats took majority control of the Council in 2001:

• Taxes are up 20% to 44.07 mills, compared to Newington (36.4), Simsbury (35.2), Glastonbury (32.1), Farmington (24.7), Greenwich (11.1). We have the third highest mill rate in the State (and this before revaluation skewed the data) but…
• Fees are now charged for bulk trash, leaf pickup has been reduced to one, and student-athletes must pay to play on fields in dire need of renovation
• Our middle schools are more dangerous, test scores continue to drop. We’re now below the median score for towns in our comparative group and our changing demographic is cited as the sole reason?
• Family-owned local businesses that created our beloved and unique West Hartford Center, like Metzger’s, aren’t able to compete with national chains – threatening our “village charm” and local control.
• Our town administrators have become among the highest paid in the State.

West Hartford’s reputation as a desirable place to raise a family is rapidly becoming a false promise. We’re becoming a place for the very rich or very poor, with a shrinking middle class – why aren’t we learning from the demise of our cities? This Town Council would rather focus on consensus-building then what they are elected to do. They provide no real oversight of our Administration, but rather sanction its agenda – regardless of legality or good practice. And they know you’re too busy to ask what’s going on. Abraham Lincoln’s fear, “that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth” has become a reality, replaced by a government of the insiders, by the politicians, for the money. Vote for true oversight, change, leaders with vision. Vote Sinatro, Visconti, Knox, and Zullo for Council. Vote Brassil-Spinella, Schindelman for Board of Education.

Submitted by Patty Sanko-Lowry

Citizen Voices Concern about Changes to GDC Project

Elmwood Renaissance by Patti Sanko-Lowry 24 Grove Street I am here tonight to address the Council in regard to the September 16th communication from Mila Limson, Town Planner regarding her intention to approve modifications to SDD 48; in particular the elimination of the 4 penthouse dwellings approved for the original school building. Earlier this year, GDC applied for a special permit which enabled them to begin a partial demolition of the original school house building for the sole purpose of looking at the structural members so that they could determine if the building would be able to handle the addition of a fourth floor. In a meeting in April Tom Gissen, then Vice President, told me that they were going to have to eliminate the 4 penthouse units on the original Talcott School building because of the very concerns highlighted in this Administrative Amendment. So why wasn’t this part of the application in July? Why are you now being asked to look at this as ”an unanticipated and immediate danger to the occupants of the building; [and that] delay in construction on the building would further its deterioration as a blighted property creating health, safety and welfare issues with respect to the general public and the Elmwood residents in particular?” According to GDC’s building schedule this building isn’t scheduled for renovation until March of 2006. The SDD ordinance was changed in March, 2004 giving the Town Planner the authority to administratively approve, without limit, additional applications for changes to SDD applications within a twelve-month period as required to address an unanticipated and immediate health safety and/or welfare need. Prior to this revision she could only approve one per 12-month period. The example of potential use cited by Corporation Council during the March ’04 public hearing was that a couple bought a condo and shortly thereafter the husband was diagnosed with a medical condition that required equipment in the house that must be powered 24/7. He wanted to install a generator outside his unit. This situation was clearly an immediate health need. Because his unit was part of an SDD application and the developers of the complex had already had a recent approval, he was required to go through the usual public process. GDCs application does not comply. The safety issue doesn’t actually exist at the moment, and could probably be remedied with appropriate structural improvements. GDC did not include the removal of these penthouse units along with the lost pergolas, trellises, canvas canopies, French doors, larger windows and natural materials that were removed from the July application. They knew about potential structural issues then. This invalidates their argument for “immediate safety needs” – they knew about this at the time of their prior application. Why are we giving up the 4 luxury view units serving the true empty-nester – single floor, 1- to 2-bedroom units with garden patios? And what view will the mid-rise penthouse owners have of this building without these penthouses and gardens? 24 rooftop HVAC compressors (with the accompanying noise) aligned in military precision on a flat membrane roof. Very industrial. And what about the lost tax revenue associated with these 4 units. Conservatively over 10 years the lost revenue amounts to half a million dollars. Can we ask for nothing in return from this developer? We’ve given so much and received so little. Now we’re losing tax revenue on top of it all. Because of the negative tax implications, the weakening of the luxury design approved in the SDD application and the curious timing of this new request, we recommend that you deny this application and send it back with a recommendation to the Town Planner to have the structural reports reviewed with an eye to making these luxury penthouses possible. Other options include adding a rooftop garden to the existing building, or perhaps a return of the hardscaping and garden features lost in the July application in exchange for this reduction in scope.