Council poll
Trying something new... what do you think? If I excluded your choice, please add the name in the comments. I might just try a straight "D vs. R" matchup next week. And maybe do some for different bodies... BOE, PZC, etc.
Any good political gossip out there? Recently here there's been talk of Bill Kunde and Richard Abbate running for Council. And while not mentioned here, there's at least a few people who think Patti Flynn Harris will be running for Council this fall.
And in one last piece of "political news," the Cheshire RTC will be holding its annual Pasta Supper on Friday March 23rd from 5:30-7:30pm. (For details, shoot me an email at TimWhite98@yahoo.com.)
Tim White
p.s. PLEASE don't let me lose this poll!!!
32 comments:
Tim, Unless I'm doing something wrong, the poll will only let you vote for one person. Was that your intent?
Tim,
Why is Sheldon Dill listed among the nine current council members? It appears you must think he is still on council. Iknow this was not intended as a popularity contest for anyone other than you (stated by your own request that you hope not be out polled) and the other eight but none-the-less this may be interesting.
Another bit of advise if I may. Sometimes posters to this blog say they disagree with you for one reason or another. You always seem to want to know why. If you stand by your principles you are bound to find disagreement so worrying about people that disagree with you simply means you are failing in their education process-not yours. My suggestion..get tougher on the comments that come across this blog. This always building concensus crap is a declination of leadership.
None of the above.
9:59 Cynicism benefits no one. Try making useful suggestions.
You need to add other choices; like none of the above and make a place for write in's. Based the current council members and their lack of true leadership, it will be difficult to vote for any of them. Tom Rocco may be safe only because he has not had a chance to really make mistakes.
The Council and the Board of Ednee to be made up of people that have no connected interest in the Town's or Boards business. That means spouses and family cannot work for the Town, no real estate agents, no builders, no sports coaches and all other possible variables. Although this would seriously limit potential candidates at least those that get elected would not have conflict of interests.
I don't understand why everyone is so negative. It's obvious that Tim is extremely dedicated to his role in local government and has no connected interest to anything except making Cheshire a great place to live.
The poll needs to allow us to vote for more than one choice...I woud have voted for Tim, Matt Hall, Elizabeth Esty...
Tom R has not made mistakes? The guy asks questions that have already been answered and voted wrong on all budget issues, said its unpatriotic to pay taxes and follows Shrumm no matter what. if that is doing nothing wrong then what is?
Tim Why do this? We all know that the Dems are killing this town. THey are spending too much money, allowing risky over-development, asking the state for money we don't need, it is very clear what will happen in the fall. I think that the council will be 6-3 republican with only hall, esty and eck staying and only because two of them have been on so long and one has too much money to beat. Anyone that doesn't see this comming is not paying attention to the real facts.
Your poll only allows voting for one person.
I'd vote for Orsini, Ruocco, Schrumm, Kunde (if he runs), and of course you, Tim.
I'd like to see Jane Lyon run also - she's great, very knowledgable. She'd be good on either the council or the boe as would Bill Kunde.
Anon 4:14 p.m.
How can you say you'd vote for Tim and then make such glowing comments about Bill Kunde and Jane Lyon.
Making good public policy requires being will to compromise (which Tim does) and neither Kunde or Lyon has shown any evidence they would be willing to do that.
The voters wisely decided that Ms. Lyon wasn't school board material in the last election; she put on this concerned parent front and then proceeds to show up a 17-year-old during a recent board of education meeting. If she got on the board, her pet projects/programs (read: soccer)would benefit and the arts programs would get deep sixed.
As for Bill, as our friends in Texas would say, "he's all hat and no cattle,"; that is to say, he' full of big talk but lacking action, power or substance
I agree that this poll should have allowed us to cast several votes, as in the real election. My choices (in order): Tim White, Sheldon Dill, Matt Hall (for his decent character more than his politics).
tps...
sheldon dill... just having some fun. I considered some other choices, but decided against them.
standing by principles vs. consensus... I was in the minority on Tuesday and said that I felt the freeze was bad tax policy.
knowing why one disagrees with me... I never know if someone has factual information of which I'm unaware. And that does happen.
all...
about the poll, this was my first attempt. Actually, I didn't even test it. I assumed you could vote as many times as you want. But I just tried it and apparently you can vote only once... didn't know that, but going forward, I will try to improve that.
C'mon Tim - Your pro- Republican bias is showing with the removal of the 4:53 p.m. post, the one about a suggest name for a Jane Lyon blog.
How doesn saying that she doesn't listen qualify as being too personal? People have said a lot more pointed things about others on this board and you've let it go.
Put it back!
Tim,
I reviewed my earlier comment and recognize that your blog's title alone indicates this is a place for you to "Listen". So to that extent I must respect your attempt to respond the way you do occassionally. The forum is a good one too for some pretty good feedback from the locals. You also can't control much of the venim that flows from some peoples fingertips. I just hope you don't get distracted by much of this. Receiving glowing comments from raging liberals and ranting rednecks is one thing but bending their way will lead us to longterm problems for our community.
Keep up the goodwork. Take Sunday off.
1022 What country do you live in? I thought this was the USA where all members of the community can run for office-If you read the constit, and bill of rights you may get the big picture, any other groups of people who you would like to exclude from partic. in our democracy?
4:45 Jane and Bill would be excellent on either the boe or tc. Both are extremely aware of the issues and would have lots to contribute.
Speaking of contributing or being knowledgable - let's look at Kathy Hellreich who did some how get elected to the boe. She hasn't contributed anything, asked no worthwhile budget questions, and admits she doesn't understand the whole medical benefits aspect of the budget.
Let's hope things change come November.
6:25 "put it back!" lol... I'll try to give you a broader answer soon, but for the time being, I hope you'll trust me that I had a good reason.
Anon 10:04:
The only thing that Jane and Bill would contribute is loads of self-important bombast and dogma. If they're the very best the town has to offer in the way of new candidates, then this town is in serious trouble.
On the other hand, 10:04, I can't disagree with you on Hellreich.
One problem with local government is getting good, qualified folks to run. Not to defend Kunde & Lyon but at least they show up, participate and provide solutions for issues. You may disagree with them but at least they show up and try. Jane does not have pet projects any more so than than others do. Her interest seems to be in a better math and reading programs. Now on the other hand Kunde sees savings that could be captured and used to fund other projects for the schools, he is not anti-education. In both cases neither are teachers or have any affiliation with the school system, maybe that would be better qualification for the BOE than others. Do not mistake arrogance for passion.
When have you ever heard Kunde say anything about the savings from education that he talks about being put into other school programs? Bill Kunde is no friend of education and neither is Jane Lyon. You don't hear her ever talking about cutting spending when it comes to athletics, but if it involves the arts - especially muisc - she ready to eliminate it at the drop of a hat.
I agree its hard to get "good people" to serve in local government. But I'm afraid I'd don't agree that our friends Lyon and Kunde fall into that category, at least as the welfare of the town is concerned.
ll:00 I believe during the boe budget process I heard Bill Kunde say there could be reductions to the medical benefits account and the savings from that could fund the Chinese program. Jane has had many good suggestions during the last budget process and I don't recall her ever saying she'd eliminate music.
These two are putting in great effort to rethink and be creative with school funding.
Reducing the benefit accounts is nothing new.
12:38
Reducing the the benefits account may be nothing new but they haven't done it either. What's your suggestion? Maybe we should have have a truck back up to your house so you can fill it with loose change for the the education dept.
Don't give someone credit for a old idea.
Anon 12:38:
Actually you're wrong about the BOE never having reduced the medical benefits account. I seem to recall that they did it a year ago and James Sima was concerned about the possibility of such a move creating a problem in the event of large claims coming back from employees.
Bill makes pronoucements clearly for their shock value and usually in front of cameras. And they Dick Blumenthal has a huge ego!
Kunde and Lyon don't have a creative bone in either of their bodies. They just spout the dogma that any money spent beyond "the three R's" is bad and why can't we go back to a time when we walked to school both ways in the snow and in our bare feet. That's not to say that the Cheshire education budget shouldn't be looked at carefully, but anointing these two as the parton saints of good government is just wrong on so many levels.
Before taking Matt Altieri and others to task (and I don't consider him to be the brightest bulb on the shelf by any means), consider the following about Ms. Lyon. During the last election, her van had the the title soccer mom spread across the rear window. Ever been to a BOE meeting where you've ever heard her complain the district is spending too much on athletcs. Yet, I can think of at least to occassions in which Lyon has been quoted in the paper as being crictical of the course offerings for the music department. I'm not saying that one activity is more worthy of budget cuts than the other - I think both are valauble in their own way. I'm just poinitng out that the once-and-future candidate has a double standard.
We are the CAVE men of our town
It seems like we act like the clown
All we do is frown
We are against everything
95% of the school budget is spent on items that do not directly affect the learning experience of the student. If you think that medical and salaries of the educational staff are a direct impact on the learning of the students then you are wrong. If teachers do not teach as well because they are mad about salaries and benefits then they should leave the profession. When you really examine the education budget you will see only about 5% is spent on the kids. Other towns in our grouping are seeing a 0 to 4% increase in medical benfits and they have the same health care provider. Why are we seeing 10% and more?
An interesting conversation here. So what makes these two people anti-education? What did they do or say to create this idea?
Ok remember Jane got all up in arms about the textbooks at Dodd and then when she saw the room was filled with mainstream parents and the right wing radical preacher had discredited himself she backed away from the whole issue. This is typical of her to get everyone up in an uproar then back off when she sees she is in the wrong. For
BOE=nah I don't think so
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