November Election: Truth and Consequences - Part 1

This is liable to be a long rant, so before embarking on it - you might want to go grab yourself a Snicker's Bar, or something..

First a bit of housekeeping...

One of the disadvantages of writing news-related pieces on behalf of The King's View is that our pieces often come out late; news outlets have the resources and where-with-all to get out their information fast - primarily because they have the added pressure to compete with one another to scoop and meet deadlines.

On the other hand, one of the advantages of The King's View publishing pieces when we get to it, is that we can take our time, connect all the dots after the fact (even the invisible ones) and draw a complete picture for the record - even if some don't like it.  So while this column isn't as partisan as a Rick Green's weekly anti-Republican rant, or isn't as dry a read as say the plagiarized works of a Kevin Rennie, or doesn't have the finesse of a Daniela Altimari's blog, it has its own unique place in the Connecticut blogsphere - unafraid, and direct.  I try to write what people think but dare not say, publicly, in front of their party bosses out of fear of retribution, or worse - the fear of being booted off the invite list of another establishment cocktail hour. Good Grief. Save it.

My own allies don't quite know what to make of me.  They can't stand the fact that The King's Castle has a massive turret atop of it, that swings 360 degrees and fires at anything that moves which The King doesn't like.  Hey, if we do the right things, you see praise, but if you act like Democrat-replicans and follow the Governor's lead by voting for things like The Job's Bill then you get hammered.  Don't want to get hammered?  Don't act like Democrats.

November Election: Truth and Consequences

Given  the fairytale account
of most of Wednesday
morning's papers, most
should have begun,
"Once Upon a  Time..."

We have to start by laughing at the proactive, partisan assault by many of those in the media who drank Governor Malloy's cool-aid and went out of their way to publish victory articles on behalf of Connecticut's Democrat Party.  Even the Associated Press got it wrong. It's one thing for the media to front their Democrat favorites all through the election cycle, but it's quite another for them to spin the outcome in such away as to make it appear as though Democrats crushed their Republican opposition.  Such a fairy-tale is merely wishful thinking by a liberal press.

Facts are facts.  After Tuesday's election Democrats gained 9 Town Councils, and Republicans gained 14 Town Councils which according to The King's abacus leaves Republicans with a net gain of 5 towns in the positive column.  (If someone could please check my math, I'd be grateful).  This brings Republicans from 99 up to 104. And 104 out of 169 is a respectable majority of 62%.  With numbers like these, you have to wonder why our representation in the State House or at the Congressional level is so skewed in the opposite direction. I have my opinions, but that's a piece for another day.

Let's look at the election by town and shed a little light in places where we won and lost.

"Winning isn't everything.
It's how you tweet that
counts."

Middletown:  Since both The Hartford Courant and Governor Malloy went out of their way to splatter the news of Democrat Daniel Drew's defeat of incumbent Republican Sebastian Guiliano, we can probably start here.  Immediately looking at the results it's hard to imagine that an overwhelmingly Italian city like Middletown would pass up a Guiliano for a Drew which goes to show you that anything is possible in Middletown - even when it comes to overcoming ethnic barriers.  The numbers (unofficial) show Drew winning 4959 to Guiliano's 4317 (margin of 642).  At the root cause of this defeat for the GOP, we see that the problem lies not with the hard work of Middletown's RTC, but by the overall direction given to the candidate by one former State Chairman Christopher Healy.  Once again, with his Midas touch, Healy managed to turn yet another campaign to dust, and help Democrats win a seat.  Had Guiliano listened to anyone but Healy, he would have steered away from Healy's self-destructive strategy and went on to be re-elected. (I'm sure no matter what happens, Jim Vicevich will kiss Healy's arse to the end).

If I were Lisa Wilson-Foley, I might want to really think about whether or not Healy is a good choice to help out on my campaign.  With a campaign record like his, you don't need to worry about the opposition. All in all, Guiliano's win last time around was a bit of a upset based on a campaign against a politically corrupt Democrat administration which had tarnished the public image of Middletown Democrat Party.  For a City that is 3 to 1 Democrats, and harbors an mental-institution like Wesleyan University, one of the most liberal places on the North American Continent, it's a miracle that Republicans were granted a brief stay in the Mayor's office at all.

Truth: Middletown could have been retained by Republicans if they banned together, and ignored Chris Healy's strategy of defeat. 
Consequence:  It's best to hope that Mayor Drew's inexperience (at anything) makes his first term - his last and only term.  It won't be long before he becomes embroiled in the endless scandals caused by Middletown's corrupt police force. Everyone knows that the Middletown Police Department is nothing but a group of dirty, drug-infested rogues; most of which should not be wearing badges.,but serving hard time behind bars. Oh Middletown, you disgust me. 

Hartford:  The Capitol city is a hard nut to crack for Republicans.  The last time Hartford had a Republican Mayor, it was Antonnia Uccello back in 1971.  People from the area my be surprised to know that recently Ann Street in Hartford was renamed in her honor.  Even though there are still large pockets of Italians in the South End, the majority ethic group in Hartford is either Black or Latino.  One of the most disconcerting parts of Tuesday's defeat is that a very good man, and Republican's great hope - Corey Brinson also went down in flames.  

This begs the question as to whether or not minorities would ever embrace the pro-business, pro-capitalist ideology of Republicanism under any circumstances - even when it's sold by a man of color.  White liberals aren't capable of seeing what is largely a problem of reverse-racism inherent in minority ideological brainwashing.  The record shows that Hartford's population would rather choose an open homosexual activist like Segarra - regardless of his do-nothing record - than a hardworking black man like Brinson who has gone out of his way to break stereotypical molds, and would give Hartford at least an alternative perspective at City Council. It's a shame that the editorial boards at The Advocate or the Courant can't see past their Democratic partisanship to have given Brinson a chance.

Truth:  Registered Hartford Republicans need not apply - to anything. This place is worse than New Haven.
Consequences:  Hartford, New England's Rising Star, undeterred by fret of Republican opposition, can go back to issuing tickets as its primary form of revenue generation, and only seconded by revenue collected at The Gay Pride Festival that Mayor Segurra is hell-bent on bringing to Hartford.  Meanwhile, the sound of moving vans will fill the quiet Hartford air as Hartford-based businesses continue to slip away in the darkness of night.

Cromwell:  This town has an interesting background in that looking back only forty years ago, there was a farm where Super Stop & Shop stands today.  With the growing pains it's encountered over the last twenty years, it's not surprising that the First Selectman's Office has changed hands between Democrats and Republicans often and continuously over the last two decades. Every election has been and is a nail-biter. Cromwell was embroiled in a recent battle to revise the  Town Charter which became an instant Flashpoint of controversy among Cromwellians. 

Mertie and Stan Terry. A family
that sets a high standard when it
comes to dedication & public service 

But there is a great story here for Republicans to tell.  Most people outside of the Rose City don't know that Mertie Terry is the widow of three-term Republican First Selectman Stan Terry, who The King knew personally and admired greatly.  I'm sure Stan is looking down from Heaven with a smile on his face knowing that Mertie will carry forth his torch of fair governing and honest public service.  The margin here - about 773 votes - nearly double her opponent's - was significant enough to be a solid win for Republicans. 

Truth:  Cromwell Republicans were galvanized by a war over the Town Charter.  Campaign 101 tells you that people come out to vote against something rather than for something, or someone.  The fact that Cromwell RTC was able to produce an overwhelming result contrary to the norm speaks volumes to the dedication and effort of their campaign team.
Consequences:  The new First Selectman will have to navigate through the trials of the new charter while working to maintain productive relationships at Town Hall.  It will be interesting to watch how well Mrs. Terry does two years from now.

Newington:  First a bit of history: Back in 2007, Jeff Wright and Newington Republicans campaigned on pledge of a tax cap of 3%. Wright's plan was more than an election scheme - it served as a contract with voters which ensured them that the days of balancing a run-away budget on taxpayer backs was over.  Mayor Wright cut expenses, and made a great number of improvements to local Government, and infrastructure including repaving torn roads, building senior housing, and reconstructing the entire downtown area.  Remarkably he did all of this without eliminating any positions on the town or school side, and maintained his tax cap pledge consistently for his entire tenure.

Fast forward to 2011: Newington Republicans made the fatal error of nominating a clown named Mike Lenares. Lenares became Mayor of Newington when Jeff Wright made a career move to Texas. His first fatal error was nominating his best friend, Scott McBride, a Democrat, to become his Deputy Mayor.  You can't say Lenares abandoned Republican principles because he never had them. Lenares spent most of his waking hours publicly criticizing Jeff Wright's policies and leadership style, instead of making his case to voters for election.  Upon hearing Lenares treasonous thinking, Newington Republicans turned their backs on him for there is one thing worse than a Democrat - it's a Republican who walks, talks, and acts like a Democrat.  Besides alienating his own base, Lenares ran an armchair campaign of running newspaper ads, and dispatching a few lingering campaign workers to place signs up around town.  It's not a surprise that on Tuesday, Newington Republicans were crushed by a huge margin, and pushed back into a super-minority status.

Mike Lenares should
wear this sign in this
life and the next.

Truth:  Newington Republicans are back to square one.  Mike Lenares should be made to wander around Newington for the rest of his life with a Kick Me sign taped to his back.  Lenares is fortunate that Jeff Wright lives in Texas now, else he might feel a size 10 boot... well, enough said there.
Consequences:  Time for Republicans to caucus and examine what it means to stick to Republican principles.  And throw those who disagree off the RTC so they can't destroy what's left of a once proud committee.

Fear not. Newington can easily rebound under the right leadership, and given the pinch that everyone will be feeling over the next two years, the 2013 municipal election may offer the opportunity for Newington to "Wright itself."  Well, see.

West Hartford:  It seems like forever when I think back to casting votes for Mayor Rob Bouvier and having it count toward a majority victory for Republicans in West Hartford.  Indeed, those were much better days (for a lot of reasons) when you consider the overpopulated metropolis it has become today; and the travesty and blight that Blue Back Square has brought upon our once beautiful "Center" as we used to call it.  Hardly the progress anyone was looking for, particularly when you find adjacent sidewalks littered with beer cans and used condoms - it's a sickening disgrace.  But the look back at better days is significant when you consider the massive delta between Republicans versus Democrats in terms of registered voters:  3 to 1 (or better understood as 18,000 Democrats to 6,000 Republicans). 

According to actual polling data at Wolcott provided The King, Democrats on mean received
 302 to 445 votes. In contrast, Republicans received 203 to 273 - the delta between the cut of the lowest Democrat candidate to Republican falling just below the cutoff point of victory was just above or at 100 votes.  In a city where the incumbent Mayor only received 7998 votes or 12.9% of the total vote - you have to question why Republicans were not able to motivate their base to come out to help retake the Council. If the power outage was not enough, the steady increases in taxes over the present Mayor's tenure should have generated enough outrage to motivate people to make a change - or not.

What the contest in West Hartford shows (and it's noteworthy that in this case the Power Outage should have played a much larger role than it did in other cities/towns within the First District), Democrats were still able to squeak by to secure a majority that they should have lost given the pathetic turnout of their own registered supporters.  The outrage expressed by Scott Slifka earlier this week was more than angst at concerns about power restoration - it was genuine concern about whether or not Malloy, CL&P and other issues related to the storm might have impacted the outcome of the election.

West Hartford Republicans had one of the best chances in recent memory to take back the Council, but clearly there are some serious issues regarding campaign organization within the West Hartford RTC.  The RTC is long overdue for a cleansing of sorts, and it will mean looking at those who will actually do things, as opposed to those who simply show up in 30-year old vest to write big check.  The central command and authority of West Hartford politics almost appears to work a deal with Democrats to ensure that certain minority players manage to get on Council while others Republicans are thrown to the wolves.  With a smirk and a gleam in his eye, Steve Adler never seems to come under fire by the Democrat opposition - which is curious.  Almost as curious as seeing his sign, the only Republican sign, often surrounded by Democrat signs on numerous yards in town.  Maybe it's not so curious after all.  Maybe it's just simple collusion.

Truth:  West Hartford Republicans should have been able to organize and motivate their base to come out and support regime change - if not based on Mayor Slifka's allegiance to Dan Malloy, but for the string of ever-increasing expeditures, crime issues, and tax increases thwarting West Hartford.
Consequences:  West Hartford RTC must return to its activist roots, and throw out its candidates and members who are willing to make deals with the opposition to secure a seat at the table.  At least Leon Davidoff switched sides last year to become the Democrat he always was, now it's time to plan a strategy to get the Democrats on Council who use the Republican name as a way of getting around the majority council rule.

Manchester:  Again, the story is usually the same when it comes to big cities, so the bright headlines in The Press about how the cities are turning Democrat is a bit disingenuous.  The story in Manchester is a bit unique in that Mayor Lou Spadaccini broke the "big city Democrat mold" by being one of the first Republicans to win election in a city in years - perhaps decades.  This year's Democrat victory is softened by the fact that Lou decided against running for re-election this year.  Much of the Manchester success story for Republicans lies with Lou's personal popularity and commitment to sound fiscal principles.  Clearly, voter turnout and motivating the Party base to come out and vote obviously played a huge role in this election.

Truth:  Lou Spadaccini did his public service for an extended period of time and after fulfilling his service, he decided it was time for him to take his career and family commitments up a notch.  Democrats were expected to have an easier task once the popular Mayor opted to not seek re-election.  It's unfortunate that Spadaccini didn't have a replacement plan in place to help his Party extend its tenure.  But this is how things go.
Consequences:  It will probably be a tough road for Manchester Republicans for a while, but the good news is that they do know how to compete, and they have the recent history of winning the Mayorship on their side.   The worst thing that Manchester Republicans could do is scatter.  I'd look to Lou to help conduct a review of the campaign and help to sort out what can be done better next time by looking at exactly what you did right to change the landscape the first time.  Good luck.

Glassman is appealing.
The King predicts she will
eventually be the Dems
pick for Governor

Simsbury:  Mary Glassman, Mary Glassman. What to do about Mary Glassman?  Simsbury is a study in the complexities of having a Democrat First Selectman who is highly popular in a town that is supposed to be largely Republican.  The migration of liberal West Hartfordites over the last twenty into Simsbury has certainly made it difficult for Republicans to right itself.  Glassman, who is also a big-whig with the State Democrat Party is on her sixth consecutive term.  Simsbury has 15,192 registered voters, and 37% came out to cast a ballot - even many who are still in the dark. 

According to Simsbury Republicans, the problem is that it's largely a case of loving the candidate enough to overlook the Party affiliation, and sometimes even the policies like high taxes.  The only way to erraticate Glassman from her office is for her to 1) hope a big issue arrises that engulfs her adminstration, 2) Republicans find a candidate with Superstar/celebrity status, and the most likely option 3) Glassman runs for higher office and wins.  The third option is obviously the best option for Simsbury's tired RTC, but Glassman has her own private wars with her own Party.  Although she won't admit it publicly, she's still subject to a glass ceiling among Democrat Party operatives.  Glassman has criticized her own Party for not cutting enough taxes making her a tough sell to the liberals running things behind the scenes at Democrat Central.

Truth: Simsbury Republicans need a mega-star and a hot-button issue to break the spell that Mary Glassman has cast over Simsbury. Without that or her moving on, they may change the name of the Town to Glassmanville.
Consequences: Republicans would do well to take the other candidate positions such as BOE and others as serious as they do the First Selectman's position.  The big complaint I hear is that Simsbury Republicans limit their effort to mostly signs, and ads, and don't canvass door-to-door to close the deal.  If there are 10,000 homes in Simbury - Republicans need to visit every one. Personal appeal can only be outdone by a face-to-face approach in 2013.

Avon:  We end on a good note for Republicans with an impressive 4 to1 victory on the Town Council, and the sweeping of all other town positions by the Avon GOP.  If there was ever a place in Connecticut's Fifth Congressional District where Republicans have a safe haven it's Avon.  20% of Republicans flocked to the polls in what was clearly a blowout.  The top vote getter was Republican Mark Zacchio with 2359 votes - over three hundred votes from the nearest vote getter.  Whatever they are doing in Avon, aught to be replicated across the District because it works.  Of course, to be fair - the voter registration rolls certainly give Republicans a slight advantage when compared with neighboring towns. A bonus was that long time Democrat William Shea was booted from Council having received 1795 votes (ten shy of the lowest Republican victor... Ouch!

Truth: Republicans in Avon are the Lighthouse on the Hill in a what Jeff Butler calls "the Simsbury area".  The Hublein Tower should be turned over to Avon immediately. 
Consequences:  Avon Republicans can brag and make fun of those who live in Simsbury. Simsbury residents often refer to Avon residents as Simsbury-wanna-bes.  Well, if the price of being a snob from Simsbury is having to lose for six straight terms and turn your income over to Mary Glassman and company, then I'd say it isn't worth it.

Part 2 to be released sometime tomorrow....

I AM

THE KING

This original blog article can be read at http://www.thekingsview.blogspot.com

West Hartford Needs a Super Stop & Shop (or Super Big Y)

If there's one thing that West Hartford lacks is a mega-sized grocery store that provides a consistent assortment of good quality products, and decent service at reasonable prices.

What West Hartford doesn't lack is quantity and variety of grocery stores: we have plenty of choices: Stop & Shop, Waldbaums, Shaw's, Wild Oats, Whole Foods, Crown Supermarket, and Hall's Supermarket. There are a few others in the nooks and crannies of West Hartford, but they tend to be mostly ethnic stores that carry specialty foods enjoyed by Russian, Slavic, and Middle Eastern members of the West Hartford Community.

I would trade the whole lot (except Whole Foods) for a one grand Super Stop & Shop, or Super Big Y like the one in neighboring Avon. Most of the grocery stores found in West Hartford are mini-versions of more successful, newer, mega-versions of each found in other communities.

If you're like I am, you quickly judge a grocery store by the first thing you see -- its produce. The second is the cleanliness of the store. And the third and forth are probably the prices and quality of meats. I have to admit that the best produce is generally found at Stop & Shop, and of all the stores that are general grocery stores in town; they tend to be the cleanest, but not by much. The meats are best of all of the general grocery stores except Hall's Market and Whole Foods - which I will get to at the end of this essay.

My big beef is that these miniature versions of grocery stores are often out of what you need, and sometimes you need to hit two of them during the week to complete your shopping. And since the stores are small, so are the sales. One week you might get a good price on chicken, but the rest of the products are no deal at all, if not overpriced. I think there is nothing more annoying to know that you can pull out the fliers on a Sunday morning and see that one store is offering good sales on some products and hosing the population on others. It's a damn conspiracy, I tell you! LOL.

The worst grocery store is in town is clearly Waldbaums. I was in on Friday, and its clear they are attempting to clean up their pathetic act by trying to restructure the store. But its long been recognized as a very dingy and dirty store - you can see the disgusting rust and wear on the floor if you go in during the restructure - its enough to make you walk out. Notwithstanding, the produce looks wilted, bruised, and overripe - like it just came out of a dirty warehouse, and the rest of the store is just plain dirty - everything from the shelves to the floors. I so much as told the manager that the store was a complete mess, one day just a few months ago. What could he say, he knew it was true. The only thing that keeps the place going is that it has a large Kosher selection and the Jewish population flocks there for that reason - I don't know how they feel about shopping in a dirty store, but that's their business, I suppose. I tend to go there when I need something quick. But I've left the store frustrated often by their lack of selection, and the ambivalent customer service you receive.

Shaw's isn't much better, and for some reason their prices just don't beat out the neighboring Hartford Super Stop & Shop. It doesn't make sense to shop at Shaw's if your one street away from the Hartford Stop & Shop where you can save about 20% on your shopping bill just for showing up. The only issue with the Hartford Stop & Shop is the uneasy feeling you get by seeing such a large police presence monitoring and watching everything. Grocery stores shouldn't need a police contingent, but that speaks to the problems they have and the nature of the immediate community. And please save sending me an email criticizing me about my view the cultural aspects of Hartford, the fact is - no grocery store in West Hartford has an arsenal of police like they require to protect grocery shoppers in Hartford.

I haven't said much about Hall's Market or Wild Oats and Whole Foods. Hall's is the small fry on the block but the meats are phenomenal - good grade and sell at very decent price. Sometimes I don't know how they can keep up with the demand. I go there when I want a really good steak for the grill. They have other sales too, but its a mom and pop shop that will require you to do the rest of your shopping elsewhere.

+

With the establishment of Whole Foods I've found that there isn't much reason to shop at Wild Oats any longer. Before Whole Foods came into being, we shopped frequently at Wild Oats, but generally for co-op style food (i.e. bulk cereals, ingredients, etc), and for health foods that couldn't be found at regular grocery stores. We also used to grab dinner there once a week. So why choose Whole Foods over Wild Oats? It basically comes to down the fact that Whole Foods offers better variety and outstanding options for take out style meals for a growing family on the move. I also like the good service that I receive at Whole Foods, the meal/meat counter people know me by name and are very friendly and helpful.

It's my understanding that Whole Foods has purchased Wild Oats. And for those who reside in that section of town, I'm sure there are some concerns about what will happen to the franchise and the building. Will it suffer the fate of Adams? A store we frequented often and was probably the best option in most categories until they closed their doors a few years ago.

This is particularly interesting side story since Wild Oats was once Cheese-N-Stuff which was located on Farmington Avenue. The pull out of Cheese-N-Stuff was a controversial story since it gave life to that area of Farmington Avenue and despite protests by neighborhood residents begging to have Cheese-N-Stuff stay - they opted to move to out to another location to expand their revenue stream. And now just a few years later, after losing the battle to Whole Foods, could see their doors close forever.

To some... the failure of Wild Oats is justice served. I really don't have any opinion on it one way or another. But I can say that clearly Whole Foods won me over by their quality and fabulous assortment. As for price, I'd say that Whole Foods and Wild Oats are comparable. Only a madman, rich man, or a health food nut would shop there for everything and skip out on the regular grocery stores all together. God Bless you if you do all of your shopping at "Whole Foods, Whole Paycheck" as its often fondly referred.

Crown Supermarket is small, and I've shopped there on a few occasions. It's really a place that targets the Jewish population, but you won't find any good reason to shop there unless you are keen to overpaying for your groceries.

Again, the underlying point here is that the small Stop & Shop, Shaw's, and Waldbaums really don't cut it for the demands of a large community like West Hartford. Busy West Hartfordites are looking for one place where you can get in and get out, get everything you need, and not feel like you've been ripped off at the register. West Hartford desperately needs a Super Stop & Shop or Super Big Y - perhaps that's something that the folks in the Elmwood section should push for to bring back some life to that area of town.