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DEMOCRATIC DISTRICT ~B~ COMMITTEE SOUTH NORWALK OFFICIAL SITE Robert Burgess, Chairman Sylvester Maultsby, Vice-Chair Al Ayme, Secretary Phaedrel (Faye) L. Bowman, Corresponding Secretary Yvonne Rodriguez, Treasurer We appreciate your contributions. Please send contributions payable to: DEMOCRATIC DISTRICT ~B~ COMMITTEE ~click here~ STATE OF THE CITY | '2005 - '2007 STATE OF THE CITY | '2007 - Present CT. STATE NEWS | ISSUES NATIONAL NEWS | ISSUES MAILING LIST EVENTS | PICTURES VIEW | POST - BLOG STREET MAP OF SOUTH NORWALK |
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PRESS RELEASES VOLUNTEER to join our team of members and government officials. You can make a difference. We are glad to hear from Norwalk residents with their ideas, suggestions and/or concerns, and those who recognize the importance of engaging dynamic participation in the political process. |
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REPUBLICANS >>> GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER!!! Three different positions over the last couple of days? DICK MOCCIA: (Republican) Mayor Richard Moccia stood by the choice to return fund balance money to the operating budgets. "We need to keep up the AAA bond rating and hopefully to cut the tax rate, he said. Even if the money were available for storm drain replacement and repair, engineering plans would have to be in place" Moccia said. DOUG HEMPSTEAD: Committee member Douglas Hempstead, a Republican, said "the city could dip into Finance Director Thomas Hamilton's recommended operating budget for the Board of Education to fund a new position in the Department of Public Works to attack the flooding." DOUG HEMPSTEAD: Republican Douglas E. Hempstead then said capital spending priorities now are often geared toward two-year council terms with elected officials taking a “year-to-year mindset” on capital spending. “Every year we’re ’stealing’ money,” said Hempstead, referring to shifting capital dollars. “We’re always pushing something further back and back, so you’re in a lot larger hole than you want to be. A lot more money this year is going into drainage issues than road issues.” “(Better planning) keeps you focused on have-to’s versus want-to’s,” Hempstead said. “We’ll get out of that year-to-year mindset and refocus on three, four and five years out. The council should understand the cause and effect of moving money around right at the beginning. Look at the capital budget approved 2008-09 and say, ‘Okay folks, what are the priorities?’” WALTER BRIGGS: (Democratic Candidate for MAYOR offers a logical approach) Walter Briggs, Democratic candidate for Mayor, announced that his first commitment to Norwalk homeowners if he should win the post in November is to fix the city's infrastructure and eliminate the flooding problems that have plagued property owners in recent years. "I believe that our city government is not doing all it can to fix the flooding problem, and it's primarily because the current mayor keeps moving the flooding issue down the list of his priorities," he said in a news release issued today. Briggs charged that the Republican incumbent, Richard Moccia, has consistently avoided taking action that would aggressively deal with this issue, thus continuing hardships for the homeowners around the city whose property values are endangered by seasonal rains and other conditions. "Last year, a quarter-million dollars was allocated for the emergency cleaning of storm drains, a quarter-million dollars that was never spent," Briggs charged. "Those unspent funds were rolled into this year's budget, in the hope that we'd finally get around to immediate and dramatic action, and Norwalk's homeowners are still waiting." Briggs pointed out that when the budget came in under the designated cap, a Board of Estimate and Taxation member proposed to direct most of the excess to fix the flooding infrastructure. Moccia opposed the allocation. "Three million dollars from our "rainy day fund" went to tax cuts, but the Mayor stood against $500,000 for protecting Norwalkers from really rainy days," he said. "What good is a tax cut when your house is under water?" Briggs demanded. Further, Mayor Moccia turned his back on city homeowners and taxpayers when he supported Republican Gov. Jodi Rell's opposition to the bonding package. The package included $3.2 million for flood control projects in Norwalk. "And this is the problem," Briggs said. "If Moccia reminds you of Mayor Esposito, who put off repairs on the roads and the schools until they were crumbling, it should. When there's a real and immediate need like this, the mayor must act." Briggs, a member and former Chair of the Planning Commission, noted that the first 100 days of his administration will include the release of his first capital budget, adding that "I will issue a capital plan that brings flood control down to a three-to-five year timeline." Briggs pledged further that he would consult with Public Works Director Hal Alvord about the employment needs in his department in order to plan and implement a flood abatement program. He noted Alvord's staff is half what it once was, leaving the director without the resources to get the job done and protect the city infrastructure and the property owners' investment. |
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REPUBLICANS PAY MORE ATTENTION TO A POLITICAL AGENDA AS OPPOSED TO THE NEEDS OF OUR CITY Republican Mayor Moccia turned his back on city homeowners and taxpayers when he supported Republican Gov. Jodi Rell's opposition to the bonding package. The package included $3.2 million for flood control projects in Norwalk. Republican Gov. Jodi Rell Short on Commitment for Needed School Projects Democratic legislators defied Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell by refusing her demand that they reduce a $3.2 billion bond package to a few hundred million dollars for school construction projects. It took the Senate several hours to pass a Democrat-backed $3.2 billion bond package on a 21-12 vote that fell along party lines. The House passed the bill on a mostly party-line 84-38 vote shortly before midnight. (Source: Hartford, Courant www.courant.com/news/) Gov. M. Jodi Rell VETOED THE BILL. Democratic Councilman CARVIN HILLIARD couldn't have said it better when he said "These people are suffering". COMMENT: Mayor Moccia, >>> When people are suffering you take immediate action and make it your priority or could it be that your administration and other Republicans have already forgotten the Republican fiasco of KATRINA? Dick Moccia, "Politics More Important Than Public Service?" Your Words Fit Your Actions. Norwalk Republican Mayor Dick Moccia on Mayoral Endorsement before the Fairfield County Building Trades. "Two years ago it was a surprise, Moccia said. This time, I really am overwhelmed by you coming here and advocating my candidacy. The office of the mayor is important to me, but your support and your friendship … is more important, and I appreciate that," Moccia added. Republican Councilman Nicholas Kydes Facing Ethics Committee on Breach of Public Interest. Kydes allegedly failed to disclose his brother owned property relevant to the Wall Street Development Plan when he discussed the item at meetings. The Globe Theatre property; which lies within the 6.3acre redevelopment area, is co-owned by Mary Kyriakides, wife of Kydes' brother Andy Kyriakides. Both Kydes and his brother have publicly opposed the development in principle, based on its density and level of affordable housing. Mr. Kydesis not recusing himself from discussions in which a family member has significant financial interest. Democratic Councilman Kevin Poruban's complaint hinged on two of Kydes' votes in March and April. One changed the Wall Street redevelopment plan's eminent domain procedures, and gave the Common Council the ability to vote on property seizures on a case-by-case basis. Before the change, the city's redevelopment agency could seize property without the council's approval. The theater has not been purchased by Poko Partners, one of the Wall Street redevelopment area's developers. The other vote related to soil testing in the Poko Partners portion of the redevelopment plan. Michael Coffey and Richard McQuaid voted last night to reject the complaint, saying that if Kydes' brother didn't own the theater at the time of his brother's votes, there was no conflict of interest. Carvin Hilliard, a Planning Committee member and a Democrat, abstained. He asked to postpone the vote because he was still "concerned" about theater-related discussions during Planning Committee meetings."There are ways of influencing events other than voting," he said. "I remember specific discussions on the Globe Theater." (The Advocate, Oct 10, 2007) COMMENT:The outcome was predictable. Attorney Rubin (for Kydes) dismissed the complaint as politically motivated, in fact, if the complaint filed by Poruban was politically motivated, the conclusions of the Ethics panel were also politically motivated. After "nickpicking" dates as to the ownership of the property in question, which apparently changed owners' names back and forth during the period, Michael Coffey appeared to have shown extreme bias due to repeated criticism by the Democratic Town Committee (DTC) on his Council performance to a point where his District refused to nominate Coffey for re-election and the decision was endorsed by the DTC. Political and official bodies should not have overseeing powers over themselves. An independent Ethics Committee should be appointed by the city as it has been suggested repeatedly. |
| FLOODING CONTINUES: NO END IN SIGHT. CITY ADMINISTRATION HAS TAKEN THE POSITION OF DECIDING WHAT'S BEST FOR THE REST. (update) The city has a $2.4 million surplus from its operating budget for the fiscal year 2006-2007, which ended June 30. The surplus equals about 11.1 percent of revenues in the general fund. Most of the surplus comes from extra revenue collected in taxes on real estate transactions, city Finance Director Thomas Hamilton said. Norwalk collected $6.17 million in conveyance tax last year. Hamilton said about $1.4 million of last year's surplus will go into a restricted fund balance, which can be used only for specific purposes, such as the 2008 revaluation. Another portion of last year's surplus - $1 million - will flow into the city's fund balance. Commonly known as a rainy day fund, it is an accumulation of budget surpluses from previous years. The money is supposed to be used for emergencies, such as natural disasters, said Fred Wilms, chairman of the city Board of Estimate and Taxation. Keeping a fund balance of about 7 percent of each year's total operating budget also helps maintain the city's AAA bond rating, Wilms said. The fund balance is at its highest level in years, totaling $27.9 million. It was about $13 million in fiscal year 2002-2003. Hamilton said the city will draw $3 million from the fund balance into this year's operating budget to keep taxes down. Another $3.5 million will be drawn from the fund balance into the revenues column of the budget for fiscal year 2008-2009, Hamilton said. "We don't believe it's necessary to have beyond a certain amount in that fund balance," Hamilton said. "If we have more than a certain amount in the fund balance, we believe it's appropriate to make good use of that money." No action is required by the Common Council to allow these transfers, Wilms said. "We've decided we want to see the fund balance at around 7 percent of general fund revenue," Wilms said. "It has been as high as 11.8 percent. We decided to do a phased-in plan to return some of those surpluses back to the taxpayers." Democratic mayoral candidate Walter Briggs disagrees. He issued a statement last week suggesting extra money in the fund balance could be put to better use fixing the city's flooding problems caused by an aging storm drainage system. (The Advocate) COMMON COUNCIL: ETHICS COMMITTEE. 1. Any city official who could possibly be remotely connected to an issue should recuse himself or herself. 2. Are we this naive to think that someone who voted on an issue and later on is connected to that same issue by his own self or by way of relatives didn’t have any prior knowledge of a possible near future connection? 3. You can’t expect Kyde’s attorney to ask the right questions in this regard or to provide leads against his client, and unfortunately the members of the Ethics panel did not utilize their inquisitive minds, but a barrage of the right questioning would have splashed a beacon of light into the matter. 4. This Ethics panel was not eagerly seeking much of anything, like the truth. Poruban didn’t get a fair shake and didn’t receive the help he deserved. 5. When Poruban filed that complaint however weak, whether he realized it or not, he did it on behalf of the public as well and the Ethics panel should have afforded Poruban more leeway. The Ethics panel had the opportunity and the choice to get to the bottom of this matter. No attorney could have objected to anything because this was not a trial, it was a hearing. What’s even more sad is that the residents of Norwalk didn’t get a fair shake either. The right questions should’ve been raised by the Ethics panel. It is obvious that the members of this panel do not possess the mind frame needed to preside over ethical conflicts, they could have been driven by party politics, etc. This is why we need an independent group. At any rate, in terms of this conflict; in this instance, the Ethics panel allowed the attorney for Kydes to run the proceedings. The Ethics panel is entrusted to maintain a balance and given the fact that Poruban had no legal representation, the panel was then burdened with this task, unfortunately, they didn’t fulfill their capacity, or lack thereof. (continued page 3)  «««PREVIOUS NEXT»»» |