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

Blue Back Square: Veteran's building?

Seeing as Veterans Day is tomorrow, it seems appropriate that we ask the question - what happened to the building/space that was supposed to be allocated for the veterans in Blue Back Square?

Last time I remember, the veterans had a hall where Blue Back Square stands, and now they seem to have nothing. In fact, I hear they are hanging out at some place called "Duffy's".

I've heard a ton of rumors about this from the comments that the location where they were going to build a structure is contaminated, to the comment that they raised the rent so high that the Vets can't afford the space.

Can shed some light and reality on this situation?

Certainly if anyone deserves space in BBS, its our Veterans. If it weren't for them, we probably wouldn't be here.

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.

RATS! West Hartford Taxpayers caught in the trap?

Most of you have probably heard about the West Hartford Rat infestation. If not, you can read about it here.

What's interesting is why the Town of West Hartford is paying a vendor, Terminix, a hefty sum to the tune of $60, 000, plus to eradicate rats from PRIVATE dwellings and structures between Caya and Flatbush Avenue.

Is this a case where Scott Slifka, Joe Verrengia, and the Democrats are trying to buy votes in Elmwood?

The whole story seems a bit odd, and for what its worth, nothing can be found in the town minutes about a vote appropriating funds for this purpose. Very strange indeed.

This is a catch-22 for candidates, with an election around the corner since Democrats aren't about to rat out their own, and yet Republicans and Independents don't want to appear callous about the plight of Elmwood residents either which would lead to additional votes for Dems.

Let's see who has the guts to bring this strange expenditure up after Election Day. And should we expect West Hartford to pay for termite and carpenter ant exterminations next?

West Hartford

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

Sox Watch: Watching the enemy!

Sorry, liberal dems and tepid Republicans (like Kelly Clark), its time to take a break from the lackluster and boring campaign here in West Hartford to focus on an even greater enemy - The Colorado Press.

As the Beantown 9 begin their battle against the alledgedly frightening Colorado Rockies, we thought we'd add some context to the Fall Classic from the enemy's point of view. Oh yes, the Rockies are our enemy. It didn't take them long to copy-cat the Boston Red Sox who have long had the logo "Soxtober". The Colorado Copy-Cats have purchased the logo "Rocktober". Don't worry, we plan to ROCK their October. Just wait.

First, let's remember that Colorado gets the handicapped edge during our visit out there with the "No Designated Hitter Rule" thus causing some complexity for the BoSox's regular line up plan. And we are even shelving our knuckleballer Tim Wakefield due to injury. So we are giving you the added edge and no excuses to fall back on. Hell, we're even substituting a rookie center fielder (Ellsbury) for a gold glove winner (Crisp).

I see your team is already talking smack. You guys play one three game series in Boston and you think you know us. LOL. Yeah right. So did the Yanks in '04, the Angels in '07, and even the Indians who looked fantastic on paper and on the field. And you guys at the Denver Post are all about the stats - but the Sox and Fenway are magical, and the laws of physics and reality don't apply. Ask Jeter, Haffner and everyone else who's entered Boston's version of the Bermuda Triangle and the Twilight Zone combined.

At least one reporter seems to get it at the Denver Post. His article is here.

The rest of you guys can enjoy the ride. Don't be surprised if you take the first three games, and suddenly we win it in seven. Like the Dallas Cowboys of the 70s and 80s, we don't give up until the end. Better wake Rod Sterling... you guys are toast.

Wicked Tired....

It's been a weird Fall season so far. Seems that "working hours" have been very much extended at the job - mostly because I've been asked to take on another "program". Not project - but program. It's interesting how managers pile work on those who already have tons of work to do. Not that anyone else is sitting idle, but I'm completely maxed to the rafters. When you have too much work, you tend to move from a proactive, creative thinking mindset to a reactive, minimalist state of being - we joke about plugging the dikes on an overflowing dam. And your mind continuously prioritizes each task, and honestly - some you actually prefer to do simply fall off the list.

Throw the stress of work in with our house hunting effort, fall cleaning, and the trying to spend valued time with your kids and you get the feeling you are this continuous endless loop.

I admit that its been difficult to keep my blogs current with everything to do. And obviously daylight seems to be a premium at this time of year. Eventually we get to a point where we commute to work in the dark and come home in the dark which adds to mental depression.

This past Saturday we held a tag sale. For all of the effort and energy (and time loss to do more productive things) we made about $70. A couple trips to the dump or salvation army and I could have saved 10 hours of prep, sitting, selling, and watching people pick through my junk with disgust. I can't blame them for disgust - obviously its out there on the table because I don't want it (or its not been in use in months or years).

I also have to say that we sold a few nice things for far less than they are worth, but perhaps the buyer will turn that around in time and give someone else a break.

Also, its amazing how quickly things once up for sale (for nearly nothing) instantly vanish once you put them on the curb. But what do I care, its one less thing to put away in the basement. And one less thing I'll have to hall back up in the Spring.

I have to say that West Hartfordites are real penny pinchers. It's almost comical to watch some of our loaded (not immediate) neighbors haggle over a dollar or a quarter. On the positive side, tag sales do make an excuse for you to chat with your neighbors, so that aspect is always a positive.

Yep, just another typical weekend in West Hartford.

West Hartford: Automated Trash Collection Doomsday approaches!

Alas, this is the final week for West Hartfordites to be able to load up their front lawn with lots extra trash before we convert to the new Automated Trash Collection process set to begin on October 1st. If you have a dozen questions about the process - the link above answers many of them.

My take on the policy is very mixed, but I think I'm slightly leaning toward being disappointed by the change.

On one hand, if this new automated trash policy reduces cost to the town and on taxpayers than I can see the need to move to automation as a fiscal strategy to reduce expenses (and I have no information that we are going to see cost savings by the projected numbers, so if you have this information please comment below or provide a link).

But on the other hand, I'm disappointed that I won't be able to put a lot of the "extras" out on my lawn that don't normally fit into a regular 28 gallon trash barrel or the new 95 gallon trash barrel (to be provided) which the garbage men today have no qualms about picking up and throwing in the truck. And moreover, during holidays and when we have events, our garbage increases 10 fold - I hope that I can cram all of my trash into the barrell provided. I have no intention of pestering my neighbors to add to theirs as Dana Hallenbeck suggests you do if you have days where trash doesn't fit into your barrel.

One of the points that irks me is that some families are larger than others and therefore have more trash per week than others. People with infants and children will clearly have more trash then say two-adult families, and people with five family members will have more trash than those with only three persons in residence. The 95 gallon barrel is a one size fits all solution that is obviously impractical.

Further, West Hartford's solution for days that you have more trash than you can fit in your barrel is to purchase another barrel at $85 a year. Since we pay-mega taxes in West Hartford, you'd think the town would and should cover the cost of the additional barrel if you have the need. Obviously, the town shouldn't pay for everyone to have two 95 gallon barrels but there could be some type of program to address the discrepancy of volume.

I think the biggest disappointment with regard to the new trash policy is that we can no longer take our fallen tree limbs, or shrub clippings - cut them up, and bundle them along side our barrels for pick up. The town expects you to cut them up small enough to be placed in the 95 gallon barrel along with the rest of your trash.

So there we have it. Until we use our barrel for at least a month, we won't be able to fully evaluate the impact. So until then, the jury is out. In the meantime, West Hartfordites should be seen in a frenzy this weekend preparing for the Fall clean out, and their last opportunity to unload their junk for free.

West Hartford

Almost too tired to write anything meaningful, but...

It's been a busy weekend. There's not much I can add at this point to what was a full schedule of general activity. I failed to get the lawn mowed, but what a pity. Somethings just have to fall by the wayside, don't they? So, I'm sitting back at this late hour and enjoying a Spaten Beer, and lamenting the fact that it's past my bedtime and I have to get up to start the week cycle all over again.

The weekends' refereeing went exceedingly well, and the games were a pleasure to officiate. One thing West Hartford can be proud of is how well its youth presents itself out on the field of play. Parents of West Hartford can take note that whatever they are doing to instill decency and good behavior amongst the kids... well, they are doing it right, and aught to keep on doing it. This kids are making you proud.

Next week, we'll start heating it up on this blog once again. I have some great material going forward. We'll give it a whirl and see if we can keep in entertaining.

Cornell Lewis: Using the Petit Family Murders to stir up Hate. Shame!

As if the murders of the Petit family didn't already have us saddened and upset; we are left locking our windows, securing entry-ways, and staring down would-be assailants in our local Stop-n-Shop. Every parent now operates on higher sense of alert; checking every nook and cranny for the potential for danger. The plain fact is that this is the horrific story of three innocent people, one wife and two children, attacked, raped, murdered and burned, and a loving husband left for dead - staggering out of his smoke-filled house, fleeing for his life. What kind of monsters would do such a thing? We all know.

Yes, we all know that two sick villains, both white ex-cons, planned and perpetrated the murders, and were caught red-handed fleeing the scene. Now we are left with the pictures, the story, and the fear that this could happen to any one of us in the darkness of night. The slight shimmer of hope is that the two rotten monsters who are responsible for committing such wretched acts are on track to most likely never see the light of day again. With any hope, they will feel the intermittent pulse of a 10,000 megawatt electro-charge, and seize to exist on this Earth.

Unfortunately, the story, as told in all its horror, isn't enough for some. And it only took only a few weeks, but the creeps have come out in full force.

First there are the idiot conspiracy theorists, having little class and too much time on their hands in between watching episodes of mindless crime scene shows that fill cable TV schedules, have decided to try and pin the murder on the only surviving victim - Dr. Wiliam Petit. The clue that drives them to conspiracy? It's only that poor Dr. Petit survived. "Why did Petit live, and why did the others die?" I'm sure Dr. Petit has asked himself that question a dozen times. Sometimes probably wishing he had departed this plane of existence with his family instead of having to face the ghosts of great memories, and memories that will never be.

Leave the man be. It's hell on Earth for him as it is. Just leave him alone.

This is the thinking of the mad in our midst. The same losers hanging around in West Hartford Center who rally against troops serving abroad who are protecting our way of life. The same that see rap music songs that call for shooting police officers as a mild form of expression misunderstood. You know, the counter-culturalists among us that see right as wrong, and wrong as right. Those who's heads were screwed on backwards at birth or got in with the wrong crowd at college and learned to reject Western Civilization and their parents for having successful lives on the backs of Native Americans, or the Slave trade, Capitalism, the poor, etc, etc. You know the type.

Not to be outdone by wanna-be detectives, along comes an even bigger creep. It's none other than black political activist Cornell Lewis, and his gang of cronies, who instead of showing support and compassion for the victims, and affected community (which by now is all of us), have instead come out in typical racist-fashion to try and turn the horrific Petit murderers into a racial issue or some type of self-serving publicity stunt.

Eager to turn this tragic story to his advantage, Reverned Lewis decided that because the victims lived in middle class Cheshire, and the victims were white, that he'd heard enough about this story and questioned, "[IF this had happened in a black community, would it had received the same attention?]. I guess the question to be asked is what does Lewis and his band of trouble-makers hope to gain by floating racial-charged hypotheticals completely unconnected with the Petit case? What is to be gained by such classless behavior? What does he want? Riots in the streets? To stir up anger in his followers seeking scapegoats for their ills? Attempt to energize his base? What?

It's a pretty lowdown tactic by a man who calls himself "Reverend". The fact is that Lewis doesn't even have a point to make. It's pure hatred and racism on his part. He even pretty much admitted on WFSB Channel 3 that some would call his charges - racism. Yes, Reverend. This story is all about the hate and racism in your heart. Let's hope that the good people of Hartford see through Lewis' shenanigans to "stir it up".

I'm sure Lewis was saddened to hear about the news of the Petit murders. But sad chiefly because the story was about two white guys committing a crime against a white family in a middle class neighborhood. This story doesn't fit nicely into Lewis' warped view of the world. There was no opportunity for him to advance his ongoing assault of racism charges against Hartford Police for alleged profiling of victims, or claim some injustice for would-be-minority suspects against a system that he believes punishes minorities without cause. Nor did this story feed his claims that his community is unprotected and ignored by city officials - yep, no candlelight vigil in Hartford this time around. No black on black crime. No opportunity to spout statistics and point the finger at George Bush, Carl Rove, and a million or so responsible Republicans. No legs for Mr. Reverend Lewis and his agenda.

What Lewis doesn't understand is the horror of the story is that someone, not just a regular working stiff (like this writer), who spent his entire life serving, catering, and healing others in his community, has had a loss. And Lewis, the fact is when its someone who cares and serves, and loves like Dr. Petit and his family, we tend to see things differently. It's not because they are white, or live in Cheshire.

Reverend Lewis, like his followers, and the conspiracy theorists, has shown us all just how hollow he really is. And what's a shame is that the next time he might have a legitimate civil rights concern - he's hurt his credibility with those of us who may actually care. Because with someone like him standing up at a rally podium - the story will become lost in the memory of his self-serving ploy to downplay the memories of Dr. William Petit's family for his own self-serving need for public attention.

Get a grip Reverend Lewis. It's time for you to go back in your cave, and let the rest of us mourn for the Petit family in peace.

And shame on WFSB-TV Channel 3 for not knowing better than to fan the illegitimate flames of hate harbored by so called-Reverend Lewis and his band of cronies.

Cornell Lewis

A Reflection: Making Time

Is time our friend or enemy? Or is it merely a partner in our current reality?

Well, one thing is for sure - time is something we can't control. So given that we have a meager 24 hours in a day, you have to make the best of it. You end up slicing it and dicing it into basic components:

1) Work (13 hours) - usually demands the most of your day and includes physically being at work, commuting to and from work, and the gray areas on the ends that distract you either while running errands, while eating, or engaged in something other than work, including trying to get to sleep.
2) Sleep (6 hrs) - (or actual sleep) usually runs between 11 pm to 5 am. With subtle interruptions.
3) Eating - (1 hr) - usually consists of more time prepping and less time consuming food.
4) Family and Errands (3 hrs) - the family time component usually suffers the most, and errands are a necessity. Cleaning, mowing lawn, shopping, vacuuming, putting children to bed, changing diapers.
5) Wasting time (1 hr) - Television, computer time, having a beer and zoning out.

As most of you know, I have a very demanding job. Lately, I've been putting in about 10-11 hours a day (and that time still doesn't allot for everything that needs to be done properly). But that is the life of a project director/program manager, and no one can lay blame about the work they do since we live in a free market and there are a vast number of jobs out there. And besides, the job is a personality fit for me: Always busy, never finished, and racing against the clock to meet milestones and deadlines while fighting fires each step of the way. (I'll save my fire on project management for another entry).

But back to the focus on time. I believe the equation is simple, the more demanding your job is - the more you are conpensated (let's face it, they pay you for the level of stress and accountability), therefore - the more time is expected to get the work done right, and not just your work, but the work of others. Since most of us, who want nice things for ourselves and our families, need to take these kinds of jobs, then we knowingly sacrafice time with our families, free time, and our health.

Is it worth it? Sure. We want our kids to grow up having what they need to be happy, healthy, and given the tools to be competitive in a complex and ever-changing world. And for the free moments we get, we want the conveniences and niceities in life that make it worthwhile - this includes things like toys that make us happy, and family vacations and weekend trips where great memories are made.

So given everything that I've written about time, I'm afraid I can offer little in the way of how best to reclaim any of it. All I can offer is to snipit time off of errands, a tad from work, a tad more from sleep, and make eating time family focused to the best extent possible.

All of this is hard with leaving for work when family is in bed or just waking up, my return home around 6 pm, and the kids bound for bed at 8 pm. It's the cycle of the working dad. So you just have to make 6pm - 8pm quality time with the family.

Spaten Premium: The King's regular beer of choice (and how he came to find it!)

Staying on the beer theme for now, I had to follow up from my Franziskaner post to talk about the beer that I choose to consume on a regular basis - and that is Spaten Premium - also known in the USA as "Spaten Light".

For the uninitiated, Spaten is pronounced "shpahhh-ten" - the "a" is soft - similiar to the "a" sound in "car". It's often mispronounced with a long "a" as in "bacon" or the sound you hear in "apple". Spaten is a spade... just like on the logo to the right.

Like most, I believe in love at first sight. And when it comes to beer, I can honestly claim that love at first taste is even more real than love at first sight. Most people can recall when they drank their first Spaten.

It was the Summer of '89. And I had been driving around Watrous Park in Cromwell in search of my brother who was to have been playing volleyball on one of the park's fields. I parked my car, searched high and low, and couldn't find my brother on any of the fields. But I stopped and listened. And to my wonderment, I heard this incredibly beautiful "German Fest Music" being played.

I then saw three older German ladies (Frauen), and inquired about the music which I had recognized from my German language classes at UConn. I asked if I could go over and have a closer listen. And one of them smiled and replied, "It's a public park, you can go anywhere."

I wandered over. Inquired about the music and learned that I had stumbled across the Hartford Saengerbund's annual club picnic. I met a few of the members, shook hands, and before I knew it, one of them - an older gentleman, who had very thick glasses and a thick German accent poured me a beer from the keg. This man's name was Alois Hager, and the beer was a Spaten Premium.

I had a couple of glasses and engaged the members in quite a bit of dialogue about German language, history, and culture. The members were eager to share their stories, and I was an open listener to the wonders of Oktoberfests, World War II, and the land of good beer and Ompa-pa bands. I later became a member of the club - and enjoyed many a Spaten from the kegs, and heard many amazing stories about soldiering in harsh conditions in the Wehrmacht.

Well, Alois has long passed away. He was a good man and lived a great life in amazing times. I'm sure he's in Heaven drinking a Spaten now (with a Jaegermeister shot on the side), and smiling down on me as I write this entry.

So back to Spaten.

Spaten also makes a variety of other beers, including Oktoberfest, Optimator, Boch Beer, and a few other simple varieties. As a general rule, I prefer the light version for its simplicity, and the fact that its not heavy, and doesn't leave you with a hangover in the morning. I think the lack of hangover is more an expectation of drinking German Beer. German Beer follows the German Purity Law of 1516 referred to as the Reinheitsgebot.

When the kids are in bed on a Saturday night and I have a free moment after 9 pm. I put a few bottles of Spaten light into my 1 liter glass stein, and sit back, turn on Volksmusikaten.de and envision myself in a Munich Beer Hall. Hey, we all have our escapes.

And thanks to Alois Hager, The Hartford Saengerbund, and Spaten Brewing Company - I have mine.

Spaten

Franziskaner Weissbier: The beer of choice!

People have asked, "King, what is your beer of choice?"

This is a tough question because The King finds that there are plenty of excellent choices amongst the world's beers. In fact, I often will make my decisions for which I beer I choose based on my mood, the season, the weather, and general purpose (i.e. what do I want out of my adult beverage?).

To the right is probably my favorite beer - if given the choice of one beer upon notice that it would be my last: it is Franziskaner Weissbier (Hefe-Weisse style) brewed by Spaten-Franziskaner-Bräu GmbH out of Munich, Germany. The beer is incredibly refreshing and tasty. It cannot be consumed directly out of the bottle, but rather poured properly into a Weissbier glass (see Ron Kwas' site for specific directions on how to do this properly). The beer is full and slightly heavy. I break the normal tradition of drinking this beer without tampering with its perfection by sometimes adding a slice of lemon to it. I learned this from actual Germans so in some respect, I think it's not a taboo.

I've been drinking this beer for close to 18 years now. For whatever reason, I always come back to it as a staple of perfection for days when I need a boast, or I'm home relaxing on the back porch. My Frau (wife) enjoys the darker version of the Franziskaner Weissbier, which is also quite delicious. But once you start with it, its hard to move to another beer since the taste is so strong.

Weissbier comes in a lot of varieties and brands. People argue on end about which one is best and it is really just a matter of personal taste and preference. There are some American versions of Weissbier that are simply terrible (UFO for example). These beers are a poor imitation of the real thing. If you purchase beer on price, than you might as well drink water because that's what you tend to get when you pick as substitute like UFO.

Franziskaner is fruity, full, and yet light at the same time. It also helps with allergy season due to the "hefe" which is said to dampen the effects of pollen and other airborne and respitory aggravants.

And 50 cents isn't worth the savings to be satisfied, and enjoy a proper beer.

Life is too short to drink cheap, unsophisticated beer. Try a Franziskaner and let me know what you think.

Zydeco under the Stars in West Hartford

One of the best local activities of the summer has got to be the Elizabeth Park Wednesday Night concert series (schedule here) which starts on June 27th and runs through August 29th. It's a great time for friends and family to bring lawn chairs, blankets, and dinner of choice and hang out, socialize, and even dance under the stars to the music of various bands from different genres. It is the best run, best attended music series in the region!

For the annual attendees, it's really a fun reunion of sorts, as each year, the same familiar faces tend to meet up with each other, and catch up on the latest news and gossip while listening to the sounds of some darn good amateur bands.

Most amazing is that the event is very typically "West Hartford" to the point where you just look around and giggle to yourself. The diversity on the green matches West Hartford's - often disregarded diversity of population. On one side of us, a group of well-dressed ladies were drinking $150 bottles of wine and enjoying select cheese carvings, to our right - another group of younger guys were sitting around drinking bud light and munching on ham sandwiches. And then a bus pulled up and out popped about twelve members of the senior community (we helped set up their chairs), and then you have the "who's who" in town - back at the edge of the rose garden hanging out at the tent sipping IPA and gabbing about the latest town scandals.

And of course, mixed in, there are the West Hartford families - with lots of children (including my own) running around, singing, dancing, and laughing! This is the blend that makes West Hartford a great community!

And no matter what music is playing (the bands range from Country to Symphonic), its always a great time. And it makes "hump day" a little easier for us working folks!

Last night was the always anticipated, always loved - "Zydeco Night" staring River City Slim & the Zydeco Hogs! The fast beat, and cheerful Louisiana style music made everyone get up and dance their hearts out in front of the stage! Even I got up to the stage with my laughing two year old daughter and did a little Zydeco shuffle. There's something about Zydeco that tends to bring out the positive vibes, and smiles everywhere - and last night was no different.

Thanks to the Elizabeth Park Committee and organizers for making this series possible! All of us appreciate all of the hard work and organization that it takes to make this wonderful element of West Hartford Life possible.

And if you live locally, and haven't been to a concert - you are missing out. Stop by next Wednesday around 6:30 pm, set up shop, and enjoy the atmosphere! Oh, in did I mention that its also - FREE.

West Hartford

Tests that West Hartford Police may use to find the cartoon drawing maniac!

I wrote in one of my most recent posts that whoever drew up and mailed the cartoon that depicted (and I haven't seen it, so I'm going on the Courant's description) a student or teaching at a chalkboard with the Diary of Anne Frank stuffed in their mouth or something to that effect - to the opponents of the recent referendum (or in other words - folks who were on the side of raising taxes to support their agenda) who spoke at a recent West Hartford open session - was just plain dumb.

On the West Hartford Blog, a comment was made that the writers/contributors to the blog may need to be subpoenaed by police. First, I don't believe that anyone on the blog is guilty of sending the cartoon out. Most of the folks on the blog care about the town, and would rather argue the issues to death, and take cheap shots at each other through electronic medium instead of doing something as lowdown and childish as mailing a cartoon out to the speakers supporting taxes.

Second, there is no indication that anyone, by their words, is guilty of any crime whatsoever. And if Whdad is doing his job as "Blog Moderator", he's verifying who is who, since real emails are required before anyone can post. I can happily say that I reached out to Whdad months ago with my real name and information, just as sort of - courtesy. I also offered on three occasions to chat on the phone and provided him my name and number, etc. But he's probably too busy to take me up on the offer. I know he's seen the emails because on at least one occasion he responded with a promise to reach out. Sadly, I haven't heard from him. I can understand his hesitation, I'm sure he doesn't want wackjobs calling his home, or stopping by, so he keeps a low profile.

Third, let's use a little logic here. It would no further make sense to have a writer on West Hartford Blog investigated by police than it would to have:

1. The West Hartford Taxpayers Association crew
2. All members of the West Hartford Teacher's Union (perhaps they sent it to deflect from the debate)
3. Anyone who went to the Public Forum
4. Anyone in town with access to Channel 5 local television (which repeats the broadcast over and over).
5. Anyone who has friends or relatives with access to Channel 5. After all, they might have watched the broadcast on their friend's/relatives' television and scribbled down everyone's name and address.

Ok, so you get my point. Eventually, the guilty party will be located by WHPD and fined or arrested, or both. And that's the way it should be. And you know, that person will brag to the wrong person or group and they will be ratted out to the police. It never fails that someone "that clever" usually gets found.

Personally, I hope that this doesn't undermine public debate in this town. I honestly like to hear and see proponents of increasing taxes talk at the podium on Channel 5 - because their very presence galvanizes the fiscal responsibility folks and gets them to participate and vote where it counts.

In the meantime, if West Hartford Police decides to go the route of investigating all those above they may want to use one of the following tests to find the guilty party:

Four second drawing test
Clock drawing test
Pig drawing test
Personality Test
Crime Test

General thoughts on Blogs, Upcoming Posts & Stuff

It's a beautiful Saturday here in West Hartford. Moderate temperatures of about 83 degrees and sunny which is just the way we like it. So I'm sitting here on the sun porch while one daughter naps in her pack n play to the sound of Mozart, and the other plays in front of me with her "kitchen". I think she makes better coffee with her play set than I do.

Last night, after putting the youngsters down, I opted to have a few Weissbiers and thought about some of the posts I'd like to put together on a variety of topics. As you've seen, I either post on something current, or some news items that warrants opinion, or just some random thoughts that come to mind. After surveying a number of blogs, I find that its pretty much the same story everywhere - although I think the blogs that do best do so because they are narrowly focused on a single topic - like fishing reports, raising a young child, or cooking. Chances are that these sites are going to attract all kinds of traffic based on a Google search on a certain topic or comfortable and consistent constituency.

For my part, I've toyed with creating a few other blogs on specific areas of interest, but I really think that these blogs would require far greater attention, more maintenance, and the call for regular content is more demanding by readers. Given the amount of time and energy that I lack by the time I get around to this blog, I think I will stick with the blog style I currently have.

I appreciate the loyal readership by close friends, and the occasional repeat visitors. I'm surprised at how often I get requests for counter-discussion and posts. Sadly, many are poorly written and often serve as an attempt to publish their own agenda - these posts are often rejected. This blog is about my views on things, and is not a public forum to exchange thoughts and debate. West Hartford Blog, where I often post, is loosely moderated and the forum often turns into a bloody mess. But it would be a full time job to try and moderate that much traffic, particularly when the topics tend to be political hot-button issues. So for my sanity, I am better off not getting involved in setting up that type of site - too much work, and what is done is under-appreciated.

While, I plan to continue my posting here on public issues here and there. I will be dedicating some time in between ramblings on things - blog filler - such as UFOs, monsters in the sea, ghosts, etc that have people scratching their heads, to more sutle discussions on Beer, Family Life, Culture, Fishing, and other matters of interest.

For now, this serves its purpose. I practice my writing skills (which have diminished since the advent of email which requires short, half-baked, poorly spelled thoughts), a retreat and hobby, and a chance to tell the world what I think.

One other thing that is worth mentioning.... is to respond to the question of why I don't include my real name on the posts. I can tell you that I would if I could. And I think that "I" as a person deserve credit for my thoughts and writings, original or not. But, unfortunately, we live in a world where people do not respect the opinion of others. And some take their dissension too far - as in the case recently where brave citizens (who I disagree with) exercising their public right and duty, took to the podium at a West Hartford Town forum on the budget, and for their efforts, received nasty cartoons in their home mailboxes.

So this is what its come to. I don't know who created these cartoons. It very well could have been someone on the pro-tax increase side trying to make some hay by taking the spotlight off the Council's inability to manage the budget and stirring things up by making it look like it was someone on the tax reduction side.

But notwithstanding, its these kinds of sick people, who make us all use screennames, and pseudonyms to vet our opinions. Some call us cowards. But I call us bright folks protecting our families and homes. It's the sickos you have to be worried about, not the average tax paying, normal working folk.

Birthday Party a success!

First things first -- where's the ibuprofin?

Yes, we had a grand time with my daughter's second birthday, and everything went off as planned with plenty of fun in the sun. As usual she was spoiled (as she should be) and received so many nice gifts from all of our friends and family.

It's a lot of work, but these are the events that bring folks together to celebrate and enjoy the good times in a child's life. So we are all grateful to be able to take time out from our busy lives to just soak in the happiness and blessings that you receive from spending time with those who you seem to never get a chance to see enough of.

And of course, being able to see your daughter break out into a huge smile and laugh while being surrounded to a chorus of "Happy Birthday" is simply -- priceless!

With another birthday come and gone (well, sort of - today she opens up presents from us - these never made it to the present pile, I guess), we are happy to enjoy the rest of the weekend recovering and getting things back in order.

Getting ready for my Daughter's B-Day party!

Ah. It's time to get things in order for tomorrow's birthday party for my two year old. Best I can hope for is - decent weather. Where else do you put that many people when it rains? Especially, the kids. We live in small quarters not conducive for entertainment of children. Oh boy.

Well, no matter what - rain or shine, we will have fun. I think its going to be near 90 degrees tomorrow, so it will be a scorcher.

So, half day of work today, and then the real work begins. Plenty to do - lawn work, shopping, mulching, setting up a heavy canopy, cleaning everything up to look nice, and all of the inside prep work and cleaning. Ugggh! My wife and I will be jumping around at full speed while trying to keep the kids at bay. But this year one rule - we don't aim to make the darn place look like a museum. The goal is "Optimal" not "Perfect". The days of focusing on minuscule perfectionist details that no one else notices are over!

And at least this year we opted to skip the grill work, so we ordered food. Besides, people are all hamburged and hotdogged out from July 4th. So we'll opt for grinder sandwiches delivered, while at the same time - removing the fear of kids burning themselves by bumping into a hot grill out of the equation too.

How come Elmo and Barney never show up to help?