West Hartford Republican Town Committee meeting : November 19, 2007

One of our this years' candidates, Peter Martin, reported on this blog that the next West Hartford GOP Town Committee Meeting is Monday, November 19, 2007 at 7:15 p.m. at the West Hartford Town Hall Auditorium. While Peter and I disagree on the capability of our current West Hartford Republican Town Leadership, and the manner in which campaigns and business are conducted - we do agree that it's TIME to do something about it.

Obviously, we Republicans are fresh off a major defeat, and a lot of folks are burned out and wanting to put politics on the side for a while. Case in point - the major blogs around town seem to be void of new material and posts. And the energy level is astoundingly low. Again, not a shock for only a week past an election.

Of course, people are entitled their space, and deserve the time to recharge their batteries. But keep in mind that there are those in town that are hell-bent on keeping the status quo in tact and wish to keep fresh ideas and new faces from getting involved. To some of these people, the West Hartford GOP is their little social club and as long as they can meet with "old" friends and sip martinis, then they they are happy campers. And this is the state of the West Hartford Republican Town Committee. But its up to registered Republicans to do something about it. Change won't happen unless people make it happen.

In this town, it doesn't take a lot of effort to dissuade people from participating or getting involved. It's bad enough that demographically it's an uphill battle. But the old adage that you can't influence what you can't see does have some merit. Martin calls on people to "participate", and I call on people to be "activist". We probably mean nearly the same thing.

Political Activism means proactively engaging in creating, formulating and campaigning year round on issues that matter. First, you need leaders that buy into the notion that its the job of the Republican Chairman to lead from the front and surround himself (or herself) with leaders that are willing to take the issues to the street. Any approach less than this from the start will guarantee doom for West Hartford Republicans (and taxpayers) in 2009. The battle of ideas starts today, and the war for majority representation on the Council begins anew, right now.

This doesn't mean we have to stand outside of city hall with signs every week. No. This means creating an artful campaign of outreach, communication, expanding the leadership, relationship building, press strategy, steady opposition in the form of representation at all public meetings, or through letter writing (all year log), and engagement in all debates on all issues where they matter. This starts with rejuvenating our base. We cannot simply pick this up in August of 2009 and expect to make a go of it. We are not in upstate NY or in a Republican mid-west stronghold.

So on that note, I'll leave you with something I found off the Leon County Republican Party webpage. What's interesting is that it hits the nail on the head without going overboard with fancy language and unnecessary sophistication. I particularly call your attention to the last paragraph below:

I am a Republican because

I am a REPUBLICAN because......

I BELIEVE...
The proper function of government is to do for the people those things that have to be done but cannot be done, or cannot be done as well, by individuals, and that the most effective government is government closest to the people.


I BELIEVE...
Good government is based upon the individual and that each person’s ability, dignity, freedom and responsibility must be honored and recognized.


I BELIEVE...
That free enterprise and the encouragement of individual initiative and incentive have given this nation an economic system second to none.


I BELIEVE...
Sound money management should be our goal.

I BELIEVE...
In equal rights, equal justice and equal opportunity for all, regardless of race, creed, age, sex or national origin.

I BELIEVE...
We must retain those principles of the past worth retaining, yet always be receptive to new ideas with an outlook broad enough to accommodate thoughtful change and varying points of view.


I BELIEVE...
That Americans value and should preserve their feeling of national pride, and at the same time share with people everywhere a desire for peace and freedom and the extension of human rights throughout the world.


I BELIEVE...
The Republican Party is the best vehicle for translating these ideals into positive and successful principles of government.

West Hartford Republicans

No Holds Barred: An honest look at the West Hartford GOP, and their failure to win Municipal elections

Finally, as promised, I’ve completed part one of what will most likely be a series on the West Hartford Municipal elections and the West Hartford Republican Party – from the view of unconnected and uncompromised Republican (this means I don’t owe anyone political favors) so I can pretty much tell it like it is without fear of losing my place in the popularity poll, or worrying about money flow and favors.

So, if you are a Republican who believes that Ronald Reagan’s eleventh commandment is meant to serve as cover from airing internal party criticism, then you’ve probably come to the wrong place. Truth be told, there are more Benedict Arnolds in our midst than saints, that’s for certain. And since yours truly has taken a few personal hits during this election and after, I guess it’s more than fair to fire back. Phasers locked and ready!

And why, oh why you may ask? Let me get into this a little bit. First, West Hartford Republicans don’t know the first thing about activism. Activism is the single most important ingredient to shaping public opinion. When public opinion is on your side, you can pass meaningful and productive legislation (or small town ordinances), improve development conditions, and win elections. There is no machine here in West Hartford that works day in and day out to get out the word on the street. Instead, you have well-to- do, stuffy, sweater wearing types that wouldn’t dare lift a finger or get their hands dirty unless it mean signing a check (and you don’t even get much of that).

Where are the young Republicans? Where are the press releases from the party chairman on this or that issue? Where are surveys, fliers, websites, polls, rallies, special meetings, letters to the editors, signs, newsletters, email blasts, regular district meetings, coordinators sessions – quite frankly – where is ANYTHING?

The answer is - it's no where.

The Democrats on any given day can make a few phone calls and get ten or fifteen people out in front of Blue Back Square holding signs; we would be lucky to get one or two. We have no base on operations from which to conduct public influence. And what’s worse is that we have no one willing to even put it together. What a shame. With dozens of people waiting in the wings to be coordinated, the West Hartford GOP disenfranchises them with the usual “sure, give me your number, we’ll call you.” And they never do. This has also been my experience. I personally heard the same rhetoric from Herb Shepherdson several years ago, and Kevin Connors this year.

Back to the election…

It’s pretty clear to even the casual observer that the West Hartford Republican Party had no winning strategy from the start. From A to Z (and mirroring the above) there was no organization, no planning, and there was a total lack of coordination. Campaigns are run on issues and platforms. And these past two years, the Democratic Party gave Republicans the golden calf on a silver plate, and party leaders dropped the ball. Five months ago, the West Hartford Taxpayers Association orchestrated a referendum that sent the Democratic Party reeling back on their heels. This was the ultimate spring-board for success, and yet you barely heard a word about taxes in this campaign from GOP hopefuls. Or if you did, there was no outrage, no sense of urgency whatsoever.

But let’s be honest, the first mistake was poor candidate selection. If campaigns are won and lost on issues, surely you would hope that you would select candidates capable of understanding and articulating their positions and the positions of the party platform in public. Since the public is easy to forgive and forget, challengers have the job of convincing the public to change course; they have to establish a sense of outrage about the current state of things. With few exceptions, this slate of candidates acted as if they were incumbents, sitting with a 3-1 majority. The candidates for the most part were nice people – folks you’d absolutely want living next door to you – but perhaps not those who’d you’d select to deliver concerns at a podium.

In my conversations with the Chairman of the West Hartford Republican Party, he angrily reminded me that there were not dozens of people knocking down his door to run. And I’m sure that smart people look at the demographic ratios, and the odds and statistics of past races and figure that it’s a long road (to Tipperary) and victory will cost personal sacrifice beyond the norm.

The problem here is that the GOP should have been recruiting “A player” candidates all year long. Courting, planning, grooming, coaching and positioning credible individuals with person success records and real passion to run for office. But instead they did nothing. And the Party Chairman and his friends did nothing visible to make this happen. Recruitment is part of the game. You can’t tell me that even with 20,000 registered Republicans that they couldn’t find more a few interested people, a veteran and a few upstart kids with young children (and I’ll get to that part later). In short, they sat on their arses and talked to a few wheelers and dealers that wanted representation on the Council on behalf of their firms.

The second mistake was lack of organized activism at the grass roots level (which I touch on above). If you look at the successful outcome organized by the West Hartford Taxpayers Association and you compare their efforts in contrast to that of the West Hartford Republicans, you can see an incredible difference - not just in outcome by at all levels of public debate. WHTA was everywhere, in the newspaper, writing letters, making phone calls, using the media, and shaping the debate. In this election, you saw very little of that.

I can tell you that in the weeks preceding the election, I received nearly a half dozen mailings from Democratic candidates and at least six phone calls from Democrats urging me to vote for them. Whether or not they were paid or volunteer is not the issue, it’s that they had an effective campaign strategy with resources to help make it effective.

Do you realize that my household did not receive ONE phone call urging me to vote Republican? NOT ONE. Talk about a failure of organization, that’s about as basic as it gets.

It’s true that some people like Tim Brennan are rumored to have spend $25,000 (we won’t know until it’s filed), but based on what I saw from Republicans, he probably could have spent one tenth of this amount and still beat out the GOP by a significant margin.

Why?

The answer is lack of a coherent message on the Republican side. Even though I was following and listening clearly to everything written and said, I never could quite interpret what the Adler-Davidoff-Martin-Clark-Seder team stood for – alone or together the conversations were mixed. My own opinions, thoughts and words filled the void; I found myself making a better case for their election, when from them, all you heard was silence. Case in point, over the last few days, I spoke with at least seven Republicans who told me that they didn’t vote – at all. When I asked why, they all said the same thing (plus or minus a few points against one or two candidates) which was that they didn’t see a difference between Republicans and Democrats this time around. Moreover, they found the Republicans who did run – uninspiring and inarticulate on the issues that mattered to them most.

In my discussions with GOP leaders, I found that even today they still don’t seem to understand what went wrong. I was told that they couldn’t come out kicking and screaming because the residents would not elect zealots to the Council. My response to this warped thinking is “rubbish”. If you cannot even motivate your own base to vote for you, then how can you expect independents and “majority seekers” to side with you during an election? Humble and quiet is a ridiculous strategy.

Now, I came down pretty hard on Kelly Clark in my open letter to her but clearly it was warranted. I will also go on record to state that the feedback on Kelly by several members of her own team (whether they like it or not – I mean several) is that she wasn’t cut out to run. Many of them were outraged with her performance in the debates, and she was deemed “timid” by candidates that went door to door with her (when she did go door to door).

Now the chairman and others made the excuse that she had two children at home, which sort of begs the question – then why did she run? Council meetings, strategy sessions and so forth take up a lot of time. If you don’t have the time to commit to a position where you are at the beckon call of the demanding schedule of serving in this capacity, then what business to you have in this race?

Kelly came in fourth without doing much. Fact is that if she had actually got off her duff, and put effort into it, she would have found herself on the Council, and Visconti would be out. All she had to do is do a few photo ops with the kids and she would have picked up votes from dozens of soccer moms across West Hartford. The world says that she was a substitute for her husband who couldn’t run because of a work-related conflict of interest. That’s only speculation since I don’t know the details. I can only comment on what I heard and saw from her as a candidate. Maybe she didn’t want to win. She certainly didn’t campaign like she wanted to win.

If you look at the end numbers of the election, you can make an excellent case that she sort of stiffed those folks that put her up there to run by accepting nomination and folding. A poor debate performance is forgivable (even for someone in a career who is trained in debate and public speaking) but the lack of effort is unforgivable. What she and Peter Martin (who awoke a few weeks before the end of the election) have to realize is that early on the pace is set in an election, and you need to be out in front from the start, since you know that the science of campaigning always tells you that the lead narrows a few weeks out, and if you are behind or off the radar from the start than you’ll probably lose in the end.

Why do I have the right to say anything? Let me tell you. I’m a resident, and I pay taxes in this town, I am outraged, and I was counting on Clark and Martin and my party to WIN this election on my behalf and take back the majority. I was let down. I have a right to be angry with people who I was counting on to make my cases, and make a difference. Now look at what we have. Don’t tell me I don’t have a right to voice my opinion about this election and the candidates that ran (or barely tried to run). I have a right to complain – ask the question – Is this the best we could have done? Is this the best you could have done as a candidate? It’s noble to fight and lose, it’s not noble to sit back and watch things unfold without making the effort to effect change – particularly when you’ve been nominated by fellow citizens to do so.

Giving credit where it’s due – Mr’s. Alder and Davidoff campaigned every weekend at the grocery stores and devoted a lot of time to talking issues with residents. I witnessed this first hand. It’s no surprise that these guys finished first and second given their commitment, and that they had party insider support (more so Adler) than anyone else. Peter M was considered Al Turco’s protégé but he also had Al’s soft touch which is great if you’re on a high-powered winning team seeking re-election with clear sense of confidence from your constituents. Peter sort of ran as an add-on candidate. Perhaps the lesson here for the GOP is to not run upstart attorneys as candidates – they are low risk, low impact players that don’t resonate well with the public.

Michael Seder campaigned his heart out. He went door to door in the rain, stood out holding his sign in the wind, and took his personal message up and down the streets of West Hartford. For a man who is up there in age, he put our younger candidates to shame. The problem is that he did a lot of this work on his own. If Seder had a campaign team with even a handful of young Republicans and concerned voters, he might have had a better shot at being elected. You cannot be (just about) the sole person taking your message to the residents. This is where an active Republican Town Committee would have come in handy. He seemed pretty much on his own through most of this election. You have to wonder if he asked for help, and if he did what kind of response he got from the Party.

Another side note on Clark and Martin is warranted here. Folks who I talked with had very negative things to say about two people running for office who just recently had children. The negative perception of leaving your infants at home with a baby-sitter while you campaign or attend Council meetings didn’t sit well with moms and dads in West Hartford. As a father of an infant and a young child (and yes I write my comments during their sleeping hours and publish whenever), I was outraged at how someone could leave their wonderful child to run around town and seek election to office. To me, these two had their priorities mixed up from the beginning. And whoever was dumb enough to recruit them should be ashamed of themselves.

Martin and Clark belong with their children. This is one of the best times in their lives and they already have lost valuable time when they should have been at home catering to their children’s needs, and enjoying the endearing moments. In reality, it’s a blessing that they lost. God has done them a favor that they may never come to understand. Enjoy the time with your babies; they aren’t babies for very long. In both your cases, a loss was a big win for you personally.

One person I hadn't touched on here and is worthy of note is Theresa McGrath. First, Mrs. McGrath deserves an incredible amount of credit for her personal commitment and dedication to the Republican Party. No, she didn't pull out a win. Frankly, the Town Clerk position was never going to be a position that Republicans could have seriously vied for given their minority demographic, and daunting uphill battle for Council and BOE slots. Paid, civil service roles tend to go to the Dems unless demographics tell a different story, or a popular incumbent mayor gets involved.

Mrs. McGrath did more over the past year than any of the Councilman or Republican politcos did over the past two years. She organized citizens via the West Hartford Taxpayers Association and helped repel a massive budget increase that would have increased taxes and increased spending to near double digit figures. The outward angry response by Democrats reached a fervor pitch unprecedented in West Hartford politics. The level of hate and mean-spirited rhetoric spewed by her opponents reached dropped the civility of the debate to an all time low - particularly for small time local politics. She faced intimidation, public humiliation, nasty scrutiny, personal attacks on nearly every level. I could go on and speak to how even her children received mistreatment, but I don't want to go too far down that road.

Notwithstanding, she sacrificed her family time, her career, and created a personal hardship to make this happen. If that wasn't enough, she helped fill an empty spot on the Republican ticket by running for Town Clerk. West Hartford Republicans haven't seen that level of personal commitment and dedication in God knows how many years. And I have to say, that from this writer's perspective, she didn't receive the support and respect that her level of commitment deserved. This writer wants to thank her personally for what she's done for all of us.

If the chairman is correct in his assessment that "no one is knocking down their door to run" - do you think that given how Mrs. McGrath was treated by her own team over the past year gives residents a warm and fuzzy feeling about jumping on board the GOP candidate express train? And for someone to use the phrase "damaged goods" is pretty pathetic. Think about how families benefited from her efforts. Think about how the party insiders turned a sure-win issue into tomato soup. Frankly, it's an amazing turn of events.

I’ve said a lot here, and it’s only the tip of the iceberg.

And I recognize that I haven’t offered a great number of solutions to the woes of this dysfunctional GOP Party here in West Hartford. I’m putting together a post that offers suggestions and the party leaders can accept it or choose to ignore it. If they ignore it, my recommendation is that a group of concerned citizens that want to see measures for change taken work hand and foot to uproot those controlling the Republican Party in town. Leaving this group at the helm guarantees poor opposition to Democratic incumbents, and steady tax increases for years and years to come.

Whether Adler, Visconti, or Davidoff want to participate in the formation of a new Republican Party in West Hartford is unknown. But all three of them will show their cards soon enough.



West Hartford

west hartford republicans

West Hartford GOP: Off to a wrong start or just forgetful?

I noticed a comment from a writer that certainly got my attention a few days ago at WH Blog that deserves addressing. In between the usual Move On dot org hate rhetoric and venom that the commie lib wing of the Democratic Party tends to write on there, was a particularly annoying and misplaced comment by someone who wasn't in attendance at GOP HQ on election night.

But the comment, as inaccurate as it was, is worth repeating and highlighting.

The comment stated that Steven Adler and Leon Davidoff had [the class] to go over to Democratic Headquarters and congratulate them on their victory and that Joe Visconti didn't join them [or have the class to do so].

First of all, neither Davidoff or Adler even approached Joe about going over to Democratic Headquarters, in fact - both of them decided to go over together, and didn't utter so much as a word to Joe about it. So the first issue is the accuracy of the claim that Joe didn't bother or want to show up with Adler and Davidoff. Pretty careless remark by someone who doesn't know the facts. (And I followed up with Joe personally on this point).

Second, and more importantly, it took about a half hour after the election was finished to see a breakdown in the GOP unity strategy. My hopes (and all West Hartford Republicans left with minority representation) is that somehow Adler, Davidoff, and Visconti can find a way to work together and present a united front to represent West Hartford taxpayers against what could be wrongfully interpreted as a mandate for higher taxes and more spending.

So thirty minutes after the ballots were counted, Davidoff and Adler abandoned Joe and ran down to their Democratic foes and began building the bridge to no-where. Not a phone call, but a physical appearance.

So here we go again. If Adler and Davidoff start to see Joe Visconti working independent of them, I guess they will need to be reminded that through intentional actions of their own, they helped set the precedent.

So this begs the question - did the Democrats pick up eight seats in this election, or only six? I guess time will tell. But one thing is for sure, the GOP is certainly off to a bad start.

West Hartford Republicans

Former Lt. Governor Kevin Sullivan high tails it!

Funny story. We were out celebrating over a couple of beers at Plan B in West Hartford. The former Lt. Governor - Kevin Sullivan shows up with Carolyn Thornberry, sees Joe Visconti and high tails it out of there like a bat out of hell.

Talk about bitter. I guess he's too elite to be seen with drinking in the same establishment as the opposition. And we were going to invite them over for a friendly beverage. Oh well.

It must be very hard to be in angry mode 24/7 which is particularly bizarre after handing us a hammering defeat. Its sort of disappointing actually to see elder politicians act this way. I miss the old days when rivals could laugh and have a beer together after an election. Some people just can’t seem to do that in this era. It's become taboo in the new climate of extreme politics to be cordial. Sadly, this behavior tends to be a Democratic trend - I have a few stories to share at some point. It just makes me glad I'm a Republican.

Congrats to Joe, Steve, and Leon. Three great guys. It’s nice to see real Republican representation on the Council once again. We were disappointed that Seder didn’t get on - he deserved it since he worked day in and day out, standing in the rain and going door to door while others sat on their arses trying to get others to do their campaign work for them. We were lucky to get three with a blistering result like that. It was all in the organization (or lack thereof).
Notwithstanding, I’m happy with the results to some extent, but terrified the Chuck Coursey and the Dems think they’ve found a new mandate to raise taxes.

The new saga begins in two weeks. And its going to be lots of fun! Channel 5 ratings are going to go through the roof!

And we have a few surprises in store. So keep on watching!!

My post election analysis is being drafted. Check back later. WARNING: If you're a GOP member who isn't willing to accept criticism then maybe you aught to find somewhere else to hang out. I'm not for smoke and mirrors and there's a lot to say about this whole rediculous campaign.

Kevin Sullivan

RadioFree West Hartford makes the case for West Hartford Republicans!

This editorial by the Radiofree West Hartford says it better than I can say it. And its a better case than even some of our own candidates have made.

It's nice to know I'm not the only one who actually gets it.

Endless tax increases and making West Hartford affordable are the only issues at hand in this election. Everything else is secondary or pointless rhetoric.

The Democrats in this town are experts at masking the truth. Now they are brutally attacking Steven Adler since he's apparently ready to take a majority in the King Philip district. Pathetic.

Win, lose, or draw, I'm sure I'll have plenty of comments on the outcome about both sides.

Check back here tomorrow.

West Hartford Republicans OR West Hartford

Hottest Political Mom Contest Results!

It was a race to the finish. But the results are in:

Read 'em and weep:

Theresa McGrath: 61%

Shari Cantor: 29%

Kelly Clark: 4%

Diane Mudge: 4%

Clare Kindall: 2%

Of course this is silly, and I couldn't believe that over 315 people actually voted.

My apologies to Essie Labrot, she should have been included in the poll from the start. She might have even had a chance of pulling out a win.

Thanks to all you neanderthals for participating.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

This page was sent to me by a friend. Great graphics! Great message.

Be safe out there!

Here are a few ghost cams for you to watch:

Children's Cam at Willard Library

Research Room at Willard Library

Lexington Battleship Ghost Cam

Haunted Hospital Ghost Cams

Happy Ghost Hunting!

Rainy Saturday....

I admire candidates who campaign in the rain. Today we can expect fairly steady rain in West Hartford with highs in the mid-60's. If anyone comes to your door today and is running for public office - please 1) thank them for having enough dedication to go door-to-door in poor weather, and 2) Be nice to them even if you disagree with them 200%.

West Hartford Republicans OR West Hartford

West Hartford Town Clerk Race

I posted this link : http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18956567&BRD=1646&PAG=461&dept_id=11035&rfi=6 on West Hartford Blog this morning from the West Hartford News which I thought was a fair and balanced look at the two candidates running for Town Clerk.

Theresa McGrath has clearly been an advocate for families and children since she arrived here from New York, and she courageously led the battle against the huge tax increase that the Democrats proposed last year, and pretty much helped tip the scale in favor of working families in West Hartford. Since the tax issue has been so contenuous, its put her in the awkward position of being targeted and facing unprecedented verbal assault by pro-tax advocates in a highly uncivilized manner.

The very fact that she is willing to serve the town in any capacity after such tiring and painful experience clearly shows her high level of commitment for residents of West Hartford; it obvious that she cares tremendously for this town, and is willing to take on responsibilities in a non-partisan position.

I only met her once (the story is below in a previous entry). She was very pleasant and remarkably bright. From everything that I've seen of her, I think she'd carry out the role of Town Clerk in a very neutral style, meaning should wouldn't let politics enter into the Clerk's Office.

I'm not saying that Essie would either. I haven't heard much from her in this campaign, I only know that she is a well connected Democratic operative who has been a delegate to the Democratic National Committee - and those aren't slots that they hand out casually to just anyone - these spots go to liberal political activists. I guess I have a concern for why a Democratic operative would be so interested in securing the Town Clerk's position, if not for any other reason than to pull some strings and turn the Clerk's office into the Democrats new base of operations.

Theresa's ideas about facilitating open government, and providing minutes to meetings online seems like a no-brainer to most people since many towns provide minutes to residents so that they can follow actions taken by their officials. Since Essie hasn't commented on this one way or another so I'm going to have to believe she's against the concept. In a large town like West Hartford, there needs to be commitment from our public officials to make policy decisions available to the public.

Lately, it seems that many decisions are being made in a vacuum or in back rooms away from public scrutiny. The only people that fear public knowledge of their proceedings, are those that realize that the decisions they are making might not be in the best interest of the public. This kind of underhanded handling of the town government smells rotten of deceit and dishonesty.

Let's choose open Government, let's choose Theresa McGrath.

West Hartford

West Hartford Politicos: Active Blogs or Static Webpages? Where's the Beef?

West Hartford Blog shows by the link title that there are blogs for a few of our West Hartford hopefuls: Joe Visconti, Steve Adler, Leon Davidoff. But I tend to disagree with this particular point of view.

For years now, would be political hopefuls have had websites that contain fairly static information about themselves and their positions. Usually, the information provided is meant as a public relations tactic to look viable and "on the web". Since its incarnation, "Blogging" is different in that blogging by definition means that timely information is published with some frequency (either weekly or a few times during the week). To be considered a political blog over a political webpage, you need to publish somewhat regularly, and provide readers with near real time updates on events, issues, positions, thoughts and what-have-you.

Joe Visconti's blog for example appears to be updated almost daily with tidbits, positions, and food for thought items. The picture of him on his blog is somewhat disturbing - he looks like he's passing a kidney stone or suffering. But content wise, it qualifies as a blog. It's not that he's putting out heart stopping press releases (which he should), but it beats not seeing anything.

Adler's and Davidoff's pages are clearly not blogs. There is some good information about their positions and great background information about them but after one or two visits, you realize that you will be disappointed if you expected timely releases and updates etc. In fact, its a very disappointing effort to say the least, particularly from two very intelligent individuals like these guys. Since they went through the effort of setting up blogs/pages, the least they could have done was to devote 10 minutes every couple days to add new content or reveal a little more about their positions, etc. When you are trying to topple those in office, it takes a full blown effort and a diversity of tactics - particularly in such an internet focused society.

The Democrats have not seemed to embrace technology or the web in blog fashion but they have one known website which can be found here and it's for the incumbent School Board team. The Democratic strategy is an interesting one... I like the way they've focused on running as a solidified team. The Putterman-Schmitt-Kindall logo is a fabulous campaign tactic - sort of the "all or none" approach. Often as I drive around town, I'll see the three signs in yards displayed the same way as depicted on their webpage. That's usually the sign of a well-organized campaign. Perhaps they don't feel the need to advertise in cyberspace with their clear edge.

The rest of the candidates also seem not have embraced blogging or webpages which is a real shame. For relatively unknown candidates trying to unseat the incumbent party like Kelly Clark, Peter Martin, Diane Mudge, and Mike Seder - anything would have been a boon to their dwindling campaigns.

Surprisingly, the outspoken Theresa McGrath doesn't have a blog or a webpage, but she does have name recognition. Why they didn't draft her for Council over Kelly Clark is beyond me. Seems like they should have switched nominations - Theresa probably would have made a real run at it, and brought some energy to the G.O.P's lackluster campaign. But I digress.

Elliot Check, mild-mannered but sharp, checks into West Hartford Blog now and then and makes some brilliant points. Elliot is the most underrated candidate in the field. But he doesn't strike me as a blog guy - but I bet if he had one it would be incredibly interesting and thought provoking. Even if Elliott had a "dental blog" it would be fascinating to read. Besides, any guy that wears a yellow suit to a televised debate has guts.

Scott Silvka probably doesn't need a blog since he has the bully pulpit of the mayor's office to wage his campaign for re-election. Scott presents well and has really come into his own since Harris left office. A mayor's blog would be an interesting take, but its unprecedented stuff. Perhaps he might be bold enough to take it up in the future.

The rest of the Democrats in the field have apparently forgone websites and blogs in favor of door to door campaigning, and telephone banks.

For yuppie, up and coming, state of the art, on the cutting edge of everything, West Hartford Candidates and their organizations get a "D" grade for using the world's greatest medium to get out there message to their constituencies and voters.

West Hartford

Memo to Kelly Clark, West Hartford Town Council Candidate

Dear Mrs. Clark:

You seem like a very nice lady. I'm willing to bet you are a loving and caring mom, and a great wife. You seem sweet when you smile and giggle during your West Hartford Television appearances. And you even appear attentive and generally interested in the conversation being conducted in front of you by your opponents during televised and live debates.

But what the blazes are you really doing in this race? Who hoodwinked you into running for Town Council when its apparent to anyone watching that you are out of your element? And you clearly aren't comfortable talking in public about issues and matters of public concern, or articulating your position on any matter. And you aren't comfortable engaging or debating or doing anything that remotely resembles passion for being a candidate for public office.

What is going on here? Was this your idea? Your husband's? Or someone else?

Yesterday, I watched you give your closing statement on WHCT. Surely, if you had real passion for being on the Council, you would have told viewers you want to be elected for better reasons than "keeping traffic flowing" or keeping sidewalks and roads safe. You want to be the safety candidate. And you are worried about recycling measures. Fine, but that doesn't make for any sort of platform on which to run for public office. And furthermore, you don't have to be elected to champion any of those worthy causes. You had an eternity to craft your message to the voters, and you gave them 10 seconds of silence before you could knit together a few empty statements.

It's probably too late for you to withdraw. I expect that your message of "safety for all" probably won't resonate with our citizens. And I'm sure you probably don't expect to win at this point. But I'm disappointed that you took a spot (an endorsed spot) that would have been better suited for someone who really wanted to run for Town Council on behalf of the residents of West Hartford. And I'm very disappointed in the West Hartford GOP for putting you in such an awkward and embarrassing position. They should be ashamed. And you should be disappointed.

The next time someone suggests that you do something that you are not comfortable doing - like run for office, please tell them politely "no". Being a politician takes passion and willingness to fight for ideas in a public forum. That's just not you.

Best of luck in the future. I hope you enjoyed the experience. I just hope that you being the weakest link on the ticket didn't help embolden or catapult the West Hartford Democrats to an easy victory in November. There is so much at stake for those of us who really want a change in tax and spend policies, I just wish you considered our situations before you embarked on this half-hearted venture.

The King

West Hartford Republicans OR West Hartford

Screennames and Meeting the West Hartford Town Politicos!

Often there is debate on West Hartford Blog regarding the use of screennames and such when posting. During one of my first postings, Joe Visconti ripped into me for not disclosing my real name while posting. Well, Joe and I have had a talk about it face-to-face and we have come to some sense of understanding about it, although I do agree that proponents of full disclosure have their points.

But alas I make a few points here for the reasons for using a screenname:

About two years ago, I interviewed this woman who apparently decided to research me on the Internet prior to interviewing with me. I had given a comment to the Yale Newspaper during the 2000 presidential election. It was a neutral comment about how enjoyable it was to see a close neck and neck race between Bush and Gore. So the lady, having read my comments mentioned it to me during a discussion. That sort of made me think about how powerful the Internet can be, and given the competitive if not cut throat nature of business - how damaging it could be to a career given the small-mindedness of some individuals who hold political beliefs higher than merit when making promotion decisions.

The truth is that some people simply cannot separate political position from the person. And while we all banter back and forth on West Hartford Blog taking this or that position - admittedly, it can get rather heated, and sometimes it gets personal. People should take public policy seriously and depending upon your viewpoint someones argument can be seen as an attack. Discussing a politician's failed record fairly is also seen as an attack unless its packed full of praise.

I think myself fairly normal in the scheme of things. Obviously, I like to joust with my nemesis' on WHB, but I leave the thoughts on the webpage and don't take them beyond my computer portal to the world. But there are some people out there that can't handle debate and banter without going overboard. And the last thing you want is someone showing up at your house or calling you on the phone about this or that. Frankly, there isn't enough time in the day, and no one is paying me to be a politico. I do care, but not enough to spend my free time tracking people down over their personal views, or wishing to respond to people as to why I have mine.

With that being said, I do want to disclose a few things. First, when I knew I was going to start posting regularly on West Hartford Blog, I sent an email to Whdad pretty much telling him who I was and where I lived, etc. I also offered to speak with him and introduce myself. Unfortunately, Whdad never took me up on the offer (and I did try to reach out a few times). But I didn't take it personal. I was disappointed but I truly understand.

I did this out of courtesy and of course it was a risk since he could easily have published all my information on his site. Fact is that he runs a the Blog with great measure of dignity and restraint. Some of my friends on the GOP side feel he's a liberal hack, but I see no evidence that he is any such thing. and people are allowed to have a bias. He gives his opinion and opens it up for debate. As a moderator, he does a fine job to separate himself from his role and avoids pushing his views on others.

But you'll also notice that he remains anonymous too. Can you blame him? The last thing he needs is some wackjob calling him at home over this or that. I assume he has a family (thus the screenname: West Harford Dad), so it makes perfect sense to me.

The second disclosure is that I have disclosed who I am to a few political folks in town. Most of them give a quick laugh when they find out its me. So naturally that tells you that I've disclosed to many in agreement with my ramblings. Here are few stories about that:

About a month ago, my wife needed to pick up a few items from the grocery store. So I pulled up in front of Stop & Shop so she could run in. Lo and behold, there was Joe Visconti - clipboard in hand, animated as ever, soliciting signatures for his GOP bid. My wife looked at me and smiled - we were thinking the same thing. At first, I said no maybe I won't tell him. Then I thought oh what the heck. The worst thing he could do is punch me, right? And Joe isn't that kind of guy anyway... he's actually a great family man, a fun-loving guy, but incredibly passionate about West Hartford.

So as my wife starts to go in the store, Joe asks if she's a registered Republican (and for the record she isn't by the way - she's Independent and hates politics), she responds, "No, but you should talk to my husband over there in the car. So over comes Joe with my wife in tow. He gives me his 2 minute spiel about how he's trying to get on the ballot - jadda, jadda. I told him that I was a big fan of his and I'd be more than happy to sign his petition.

I took the clipboard, and paused, looked up at him and asked, "so... should I sign my name or simply sign it - "The King". Joe reeled back in laughter and said, Oh my God. And he sort of dropped the political thing for a minute and shook my hand. It was a great moment and a lot of fun. I introduced myself and family and we talked for several minutes.

I tell you, Joe is a stand up guy, and I'm happy to be a supporter of his - even though we disagree on a number of key issues. Of all the people I've met, I really do hope he gets elected. I think he'll bring excitement and passion to the Council. He's down to Earth, and a blue collar Republican. He's what the party needs ... a guy that works by getting his hands dirty and who loves live, family and God. But I digress.

Last week, I was at Waldbaums (seems like all I do is grocery shop, eh?). So outside are two Republicans... Steve Adler and Leon Davidoff.

I've actually known Steve for several years - I think about five or so years. You can't ask for a nicer guy to run for Council. Steve and I commuted together for a period of time and discussed everything from Sports to family to job to politics. When I heard that Steve finally made the move to run I was very happy. Steve has a great mind and a wonderful personality. He has great command of the issues and can articulate solutions and thoughts in an organized fashion. Steve has known that I post but he really hasn't taken any interest in it whatsoever. I think he sees a lot of the Internet banter as a distraction. I doubt he even reads WHB on a regular basis. He more of a doer than a talker. So in that respect, he's very engaged in getting things done. His wife is very nice too.

So as I walk up, he yells "Here's West Hartford's number one Republican." Leon looks at me, and probably wonders who the heck I am. So the three of us chat for a few minutes.

I told Leon that it was great to meet him and that we have a mutual friend - Mark Pappa. Mark ran for mayor of Newington last time around. Mark is a great friend who I met in College and we've been friends ever since. I told Leon how well Mark speaks of him, and told him that if Mark thinks highly of him than I should vote for him too. Leon and I talk policy for a few minutes and in particular focus on taxation and spending in West Hartford.

Then suddenly, up walks Theresa McGrath who's running in Waldbaums to get a few things to make a pasta salad. So I say, "ah, you're Theresa McGrath. Great to meet you. You did a nice job, jadda jadda."

So the four of us sort of blab for a few minutes. She relates how one of the Democrats, out of nowhere, started screaming and accosting her in public at the Park Road Parade, and how immature it was to be bushwacked by a politician [I can't recall the name] in public by a blithering idiot in front of families and such on a public street. We pretty much agree that that kind of behavior is uncalled for. So we banter longer, and West Hartford Blog comes up. She said a few things, and I "slipped" and said, "yeah I like to post a few things and get them going, etc." Keenly aware of what I just said, she looks directly at me and says... "Wait, wait... are you The King?" I say nothing. Steve smirks. I think I tried to dismiss the notion, by saying I wasn't going to say (which was sort of dumb because I was probably turning beat red). She asks more loudly and directly.. . "ARE YOU THE KING??!"

I finally nod and acknowledge, "Yes, I am The King." She cheers and says, "I got to meet The King." We had some friendly discussion. And she says, "Do you want to go to a party?" She was very nice. But in a hurry, she probably thought I was annoying when I approached her later in the store a few more times to make idle conversation, since she told me she was in a hurry. But it was still nice to meet her. She planned to meet later with Elliot Check. I do hope to one day meet Elliot. He seems like a guy I have a few things in common with.

I think Leon was a little taken aback when he saw me acknowledge I was The King. I could tell he wasn't a fan of the Blog. He rattled off a few screennames... I remember hearing him say "King, Turtle, West Hartord Dad" etc. He sort of stopped talking to me for a few minutes. So I asked him directly, "So what's wrong David... er Leon, not a fan of West Hartford Blog? You've sort have gone quiet. Are you mad? Didn't like something I wrote or what?"

I think he was taken aback by the seriousness of my challenge.

But he rebounded, and we chatted for a few minutes. He again invited me to the party that Theresa said she was going to. I thanked him, said good-bye to Steve, and resumed shopping.

You have to realize that even politicians on your own side can give you a sort of cold shoulder for participating in the Blog, which sort of goes to show you that you never know what kind of reaction you'll get when people find out who you are.

Leon's reaction post blown cover may not stop me from voting for him. It's policy that counts. But I'm still deciding who gets my votes. So far, I'm definitely voting for Joe Visconti and Steve Adler, and Theresa McGrath. And I'd vote for these three regardless, based on passion and position.

I do know a few others and they know me. But for now that's enough "exposure" for the time being.

West Hartford