Tuesday, July 31, 2012

St. Sebastion's Church Collects for Youth

The Social Outreach Committee of St. Sebastion Church is collecting back to school supplies for a program that helps families in need. Containers are in the entrances to the St. Sebastion Church for drop off of any items you collect. Some of the supplies needed are: #2 pencils, pens (blue/black ink), flash drives, notebooks, crayons, pencils boxes/bags, dry-line correction fill (no white-out), 3x5 index cards, set of colored pencils, filler paper for 3-ring binders, highlighters, post-it note pads & individual tissue packets.. In addition to school supplies, backpacks are also need.

Monday, July 30, 2012

The Pattis-Westbrook Connection: An Interesting Connection


(Middlesex Superior Court)  Dr. Tory Westbrook & Attorney Pattis
 The following is a letter defense attorney Norm Pattis wrote in defense of Dawn Westbrook, a trial lawyer who became a superior court judge.  Currently Judge Westbrook's husband, Dr. Tory Westbrook has been charged with approximately 30 counts of sexual battery and assault and has been released on a 1.55 million dollar bond. 

Will the doctor get a fair trail due to his wife's court connections?  

  The letter below  was written in February 2009, by Pattis (above) and shows the closeness between plaintiff and defendant years earlier. 

Let me get all the confessions out of the way first: Many years ago, I was an editorial writer for The Hartford Courant. After that, I hired and supervised a young trial lawyer named Dawne Westbrook in a law firm in which I was a partner. She is now a friend. And I have publicly supported her nomination as a judge. Enough disclosures. Let me now come to the point:

Westbrook should be confirmed to sit as a judge of the Superior Court of the State of Connecticut. Period.

The Hartford Courant called this into question this morning in a piece of journalism that looks, frankly, like muckraking for mere purpose of, well, raking muck.

Westbrook submitted her name as a candidate for a judge more than a year ago. She was vetted and approved for consideration. Then her name lingered, as do so many, in a netherworld. She needed political backing from someone to get her name before the governor. While she waited, she kept at the practice of law and engaged in public service.

In the fall of 2008, she was asked to serve on an entity known as the Citizen's Ethics Advisory Board, an unpaid position that polices the conduct of public officials. She turned up for her first meeting on September 25. She voted a couple of times to table matters, and she sat through an executive session of the group. Then a staff member on the board handed her state statutes governing the body. She noticed that it had a revolving door provision that prohibited employment by the state for one year after leaving the board.

After consultation with ethics gurus, she submitted a letter removing herself from the board a couple days after her first and only meeting. Her career on the committee lasted for about one meeting. She did not vote on any matters of substance.

A columnist at The Courant is now raising questions. Is this an illegal appointment? Why didn't Westbrook tell lawmakers she served for an afternoon on the ethics board? The suggestion is that either she or the governor's office has been careless in putting her name too soon before lawmakers as a potential judge.

This is sound and fury signifying little more than the need to fill a weekly column in a daily newspaper with something that looks like public service. In fact, it is a disservice to common sense.

A revolving door ethics policy is designed to assure that there are no conflicts of interest arising from joint loyalties and cross-cutting commitments. Westbrook's tarry on the ethics board was barely long enough to warm a seat. There is no danger of conflict or compromise.

Fortunately for Westbrook, the state's Attorney General's Office has already weighed in on a virtually identical case involving another judicial candidate. According to the the Attorney General, notwithstanding a provision in the law requiring that a candidate who once served on a board with a revolving door policy wait for appointment, the law does not carry a sanction or remedy. Thus, lawmakers are free to appoint Westbrook or not to appoint her.

I've known Westbrook for a decade. She is honest. She is smart. She is a woman of good judgment and integrity. She is exactly the sort of person we should want on the bench. Hijacking her candidacy on the basis of a journalist's reading of the law would be a sad, sad mistake.

In the case of The Hartford Courant and Dawne Westbrook, the paper's sound and fury signifies nothing. There is no conflict, and if there was a technical violation of the law, lawmakers are free to assess it for what it really is: a sign that the ethics board really ought to take better care to orient members about what they are, and are not, free to do.

This sideshow has no doubt been deeply embarrassing to Westbrook. It ought not to derail her judicial candidacy. An afternoon's service is hardly grounds for disqualification. Now, let me go change the kitty litter box. I've got just the newspaper to line it with.

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Downtown Business District Event Successful

On  Friday July 27 the inaugural Cash Mob hosted by the Downtown Business District, Ladybug Boutique, and Tuscany Grill, took place to show support & appreciate support of local businesses through out the city of Middletown. Pictured above at Lady Bug Boutique located at 122 College Street, Councilwoman and Candidate for the 100th District Deborah Kleckowski (R) was out shopping with her twin boys and so was Quentin Phipps, City Treasurer and Downtown Business District Chair. Part of Kleckowski's platform is to reform regulations that make it difficult for small businesses to survive or even start.

Friday, July 27, 2012

Your Daily Spin from the Middletown Mess!

http://www.middletownpress.com/articles/2012/07/13/news/doc50009aff73c07837963433.txt

Middletown Insider graphic inspired by Delauro own words
 as quoted in a NY Times article,  Oct. 11 2005
Your Daily Spin from the Middletown Mess is becoming a regular feature of the Insider! Take a moment to read the above article from the Middletown Mess. Since candidates vying for State Representative offices around CT declared their candidacy in May, Rep. Rosa Delauro has had 6 separate articles written in the Mess of her paling around our fair City with Mayor Dan Drew. These fluff pieces have been written under the guise of visiting local businesses, seeing plays, a Womens' Health Conference at a local congregation ( where she was the ONLY politician invited to speak mind you), and a visit to NEAT's Farmer's Market. All of these "outing" are written from the view point that this was a spontaneous encounter, not a crafted part of the campaign process. All politicians campaign- Candidate Linda McMahon visited Middletown less than two weeks ago and visited local businesses on Main Street, yet no fan fare from the Mess or other media outlets- outside of it being mentioned on her own website occurred. The Insider does pretend to be privy to the inner workings of the McMahon campaign on whether the lack of coverage was planned or not, but we at the Insider have repeatedly noticed the  predisposition of the Middletown Press to always cover when a Democratic Candidate goes to a public function, or more obvious releases a press release; and rarely if ever cover when an Independent, Green, or Republican does the same or even something more attention worthy.  While the most recent article touts NEAT's wonderful outreach program, which we too at the Insider applaud and think is wonderful, it is clear from the author's word that the focus of the article is mainly on getting quotes from the politicians. The article would have been much better if the visit from the politicians was not included and focused more on the NEAT's program.

CT Elections 2012: Deborah Klekowski candidate for the 100th District

As originally posted in the Middletown Patch today.
The Insider's take: Deborah Kleckowski  is a two term Councilwoman in Middletown on the Republican ticket. She is challenging incumbent Matthew Lesser in the 100th District. Kleckowski brings her experience as a mother, actual Wesleyan graduate (Lesser dropped out to run for politics), and life long social activist to the table. Kleckowski advocated vigorously this past fall for the firing of Superintendent Michael Frechette and was the ONLY City official to do so publicly. Kleckowski also helped draft an un-adopted city budget that would have saved tax payer money and not increased taxes. She has worked with several Middletown families of special needs children during the "scream room" debacle to get them into programs that better suited their needs when the BOE Administration ignored their documented requests for intervention and abuse investigations now substantiated by State reports.
Deborah Kleckowski (R) of Middletown  for Representative for the 100th District

General Information

Name : Ms. Deborah Kleckowski
Also known as : Deb
Date of birth : 14 February 1962
Place of residence : Coleman Road

Education

College

Attended college : Yes
College : Eastern CT State University
Degree : Bachelor of Arts
Year of graduation : 1984

Grad school

University : Wesleyan University
Degree : MALS
Year of graduation : 1998

Political Information

Party affiliation : Republican
Running for a: State office
Running for position: State Representative
Chamber/district: 100th District
Incumbent: No
Previous elective offices : Common Council Planning and Zoning
Unsuccessful bids for elective offices : None

Party HQ

Address 197 Coleman Rd
Middletown
CT
6457

URLs

Facebook : Deborah Kleckowski

Other facts 

Other facts
I have dedicated my professional career to enhancing the lives of others through education, counseling and advocacy. I continue my passion for public service in the realm of government. I believe we, the people, can in fact change City Hall, the State and even the Federal Government. I believe in the basic foundation of the Constitution, ""we the people"". Today, many challenges lay ahead, the most significant, the economy. Providing an environment that is rich for the creation of small businesses (jobs, jobs, jobs!) is of the utmost importance. The cost of doing business in Connecticut has become prohibitive. Lower taxes, lower fees and capping the gas tax must be implemented in the next General Assembly session. We have a spending problem not an income problem. A feasibility audit of state agencies, commissions, programs, and hiring practices of contractors or consultants is a priority to determine the efficaciousness of these areas and the total cost to the citizens. Additionally, the cities must be paid in full for hosting private and state entities such as colleges which do not pay taxes. Full funding PILOT monies-Payment is Lieu of Taxes, to cities is essential to the economic growth and health of communities, especially Middletown. Public Safety is an area in which we need to ensure the level of staffing is sufficient, equipment is up to date and emergency procedures developed and practiced. Middletown's public safety, Police, Fire and Emergency Management did a phenomenal job in keeping the residents safe and secure in the city, especially those residents who utilized the shelter. It is incumbent upon the state to work with local officials to implement the most safe and efficient plan in the event of emergencies. As an educator, education is always a priority. Recently, Middletown experienced many difficulties in financial accountability and the administration of policies, especially Special Education. I propose the Board of Education become its own tax district thereby taking out the political wrangling and blaming. The Board of Education would be directly responsible to the voters and present their budget to the voters. Hundreds of thousands of dollars was wasted on needless court battles and administrative perks. In the end, adults were not good role models and students and teachers did not receive resources. It is a less than optimal situation when parents receive a two page list of needed materials (glue sticks, yarn, etc.) for students when so much money was given in perks such as mileage stipends on July 1-paid in full without any documentation. Of course, there were serious issues such as the ""scream rooms"" which left parents scared and frustrated that their child was not receiving required and necessary services or that their child was unsafe. In these rare situations the state must respond swiftly in their investigation and act boldly in the resolution. Though I believe education is local, I do contend that when the state is called action must be more timely. Government must be transparent. It is not acceptable that votes are taken in the middle of the night and changes to legislation are made "up to the minute" prior to a vote. Legislators should have completed Bills 48 hours prior to the vote, and more importantly, the public should have ample time for review. No vote should be taken past midnight and public hearings on proposed legislation should be in the evening to allow for citizens to speak, not just special interest groups. I look forward to representing the residents of Middletown. I am eager to tackle the problems which lay ahead to work cooperatively to ensure the problem is being addressed by strategies that are best for the community, not the promotion of a political point of view. Problems must be solved in a manner that is best of the City and the State of Connecticut. I have demonstrated my ability to listen to constiuents to bring problems to the forefront, and to follow-through until resolution. I will be honored and humbled to represent the citizens of Middletown.


Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Middletown Loses a Legend

 Note: Post originally was published in The Middletown Press.


Arline K. Rich, of Middletown, died on July 20. She lived a long and fulfilling life. Arline grew up in Hartford, the daughter of the late George Kaiser and Anne Kaiser Sabonis, and was predeceased by a younger sister and her late husband, Arthur Rich. She lived in Middletown since the early 1970s.
Arline was an adventurous and courageous person who cared deeply about many philanthropic and community causes including the Forest & Park Association, Audubon Society, the Humane Society, Animal Rescue, the Connecticut Botanic Society and Earth Matters. On a local level she was a "regular" at most inland wetlands and planning and zoning commission meetings. Arline was also an active member of both the Third Congregational Church of Middletown and South Congregational Church of Hartford. She was vice president of the Third Congregational Church Ladies' Aide Society and she was active in the Partnership for Sharing, which puts on dinners for the community.
Arline began her diverse career as a window dresser; she became a radio engineer and served as copy chief for two NBC affiliates, channel 30 and 22. She went on to pursue her interest in art design and photography and became vice chair of the Photographic Society of America and served as vice president of the New England Camera Club Council. She served on the Thomas G. Smith Memorial Park building committee and as president of the Southern New England Woman's Golf Association. Arline was a founder of the Annual Woman's Golf Tournament Championship.
Arline was a mighty public servant who took stands on behalf of the citizens of Middletown on many issues. While not a political person, Arline cared deeply about good government and the democratic process and she was well-known for being a watchdog. For over 17 years, she served as a civic-minded member of the Westfield Residents Association, Middletown's largest and Connecticut's longest standing neighborhood association, and served as its chairperson for 10 years.
Arline will be sorely missed by loving friends Lois, Ann, Carolann, Cathy and her church families. A celebration of her life will be held at the Third Congregational Church on 94 Miner Street, Middletown on Saturday, July 28 at 11 a.m. with a reception immediately following. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Connecticut Humane Society, 701 Russell Road, Newington, CT 06111 or to the American Cancer Society .
Please sign the Guest Book at RememberingCT.us/middletownpress.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Letter to the Editor: A Call for Action to Middletown Citizens!

Hi,

Can you please post on your blog, e-mail,. etc to have Middletown taxpayers call or e-mail the mayors office to protest the 3.5% property tax increase?
Please Email the mayor ask why he raised taxes when he said he would not
http://www.cityofmiddletown.com/content/81/809.aspx
Mayor@MiddletownCT.gov
He needs to lower the mill rate below what is was last year!


Thanks,
T. M.

Monday, July 16, 2012

Your Daily Spin from the Middletown Mess!

Isn't it ironic that when the Middletown Mess posts a letter from a Democrat supporting a Democratic candidate for office that there is no Editor's note at the bottom of the letter indicating the author's party position? We already know that the Press bias against local conservatives; this proof can be seen in the shear number of articles posted about Democratic candidates vs. Republicans and others. Take into consideration, Congresswoman & candidate Red Rosa DeLauro visits Middletown  and has paraded around with Mayor Dan Drew & Rep. Joe Serra greasing palms, 3 separate articles alone this summer have been written. Republican Candidate Linda McMahon has hit the street in town as well, and no articles were written. Republican Candidate Wayne Winsley, a veteran,  has attended veteran ceremonies in town with no hullabaloo. Incumbent Candidate Len Suzio holds monthly coffee hours at Rise and Shine Cafe in Middletown and has done so through out his career in office and gets no write up, yet Rep. Matt Lesser decides to meet a select few for at a Dunkin Donuts, and the Mess practically holds a Press conference.

Should Republicans be offended? Well, there is the old adage that true good Samaritans need no praise, and that perhaps calling attention to one's self so frequently is a sign the Democrats are in trouble and are running on shaky platforms that need constant bolstering in the media. Or that the Democrats are just the trendy new phrase "attention whores." This November, voters will decide whose message is best, but the Insider is concerned that the Republicans aren't being given a equal billing especially from media sources such as the Press and the Courant and alike that claim to be "unbiased." At least at the Insider, we where our hearts on our sleeves and tell it like it is.

On July 6, 2012  local Middletown town Democratic Chairman Dan Pickett "wrote" a letter to the Editor published by the Middletown Press praising his choice of Democratic candidate for the 13th District and slamming incumbent Republican Len Suzio- shocking!. Those of us who follow politics know this was most likely a canned letter written by an adviser to the party and published with Mr. Pickett's name, at least we hope for his sake, it came from an intern advisor and not from the pen of Pickett judging from the poorly
 constructed analogies and reasoning behind  arguments against the reelection of Suzio. It should be noted in the article available here, that this article does NOT have an Editor's note displaying Pickett's political affiliation. The reader is supposed to believe this is an Average Joe citizen who wrote this on his own accord. There have also been 3 articles since May "informing" the public that this Democrat is challenging Suzio in the 13th district, all patronizing to the challenger and not the incumbent Suzio, and all a poorly disguised rewording of the same facts.

So what you say? Fast forward to the subsequent letter published in the Press today from Cromwell Republican Town Committee chair and selectman Enzo Faienzo. How do we know who the author is? There is a note form the Editor at the end of the article announcing the a fore mentioned affiliation because the Press wants the public to assume the opinion is biased because it is written by a fellow active Republican.

Bottom line: If voters want the true picture of what candidates are doing around Middletown, do your own research. Know the mainstream media is biased. Republican & Independent candidates are out there doing great things. It's not what you read in the local paper, its what you don't read! People, do your own homework before the November elections.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

The Black Conservative Says Great Job at NAACP Mitt Romney



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBj3quf6t3I&feature=share&noredirect=1

George Romney: Civil Rights Activist

I know what you are saying, just because George Romney marched for Civil Rights doesn't mean that Republicans still aren't racists.  Hell, that Lincoln guy just freed the slaves right before the election in order to get a second term.. No passion at all!  Remember how the left disregarded Herman Cain and threw him to the wind because of sexual harassment charges?  It was okay when Bill Clinton and JFK had many different woman and allegations against them (Democrat), but when an African American non-Democrat candidate for President of the United States has unsubstantiated allegations him he is quickly labeled and eventually forced off the ticket.  Gee, what's racist now?

Monday, July 09, 2012

Stolen From Face Book Files: Part 1

Unlike other local blogs that have hidden agendas and refuse to acknowledge what their local friends are doing in office, this blog is not afraid to have a different view at times.
Although the message in the jpeg does not represent all of the reporters and editors of the Insider, we thought it would fun to post something we saw on Facebook and take a really good look at it.  We look forward to fair discussion points with regard to the matter.

Sunday, July 08, 2012

Paul Newman Film Fest Hits Middletown

Originally Published in the Hartford Courant on July 2, 2012
By SUSAN DUNNE, sdunne@courant.com,
The Center for Film Studies at Wesleyan University, 301 Washington Terrace in Middletown, is holding a Paul Newman Film Festival on Tuesdays in July, in conjunction with a gallery exhibit, "Newman in Connecticut," in the Rick Nicita Gallery adjacent to the Goldsmith Cinema.
Admission to all the films is free. Showtime is at 7:30 each night. The gallery will be open for an hour before the screening each night.

Got Taxes? You Will!

Check it out for yourself. Let's keep Connecticut a blue state if you can afford it.

Friday, July 06, 2012

Make less than $120,000 a year? You might pay for 75% of Obama's news health care law.

Originally published in the 7/3/2012 edition of the Desert News

Americans making less than $120,000 a year will cover 75 percent of Obama's new health care law's costs, according to Stephen Moore, a senior economics writer for the Wall Street Journal, via theblaze.com.
How much of a tax can families expect to pay if they don't have health insurance? In 2014, families would have to pay $285 and single individuals would have to pay $95, according to the article. But those numbers are scheduled to rise a considerable amount. By 2016, the tax for a single adult who doesn't purchase health insurance will be $695. A family would have to pay $2,085.
"I'll tell you this, for Americans who are going to have to pay these fines, penalties, taxes, whatever you want to call them … what we found is it's going to be pretty darn expensive," Moore told Fox News' Alisyn Camerota, according to the article. "The taxes phase in over time so next year they might be pretty modest, by about 2015 or '16, for families that choose not to buy health insurance, you're talking about a fine, Alisyn, that could be over $2,000 a year."

Wednesday, July 04, 2012

Happy Birthday U.S.A.


Image from Middletown's July 3 fireworks display (click for full size image)

Guest Blog: MRTC Chair Reacts to Affordable Care Act Ruling


Middletown Republican Town Committee Chairman Ken McClellan reacts to  last week's Supreme Court decision in the case of National Federation of Independent Business et al v. Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services, et alHe writes a letter to media editors featured below.
I disagree with Justice Roberts and the majority of the Supreme Court that the government has the authority to compel me to buy a specific commercial product, i.e, health insurance.
I disagree that the government has the responsibility to provide a means for individuals to pay for health care. It would be a wonderful world, if we could all have free health care, free food, free entertainment, but, that is not reality. If someone would like to start a fund to pay for health care for someone who cannot afford it, I would contribute, voluntarily. But the government does not have the authority to compel me to purchase insurance. 
I believe that the general wording and intent, and specific provisions of the constitution would prohibit the government from coercing such purchase. The ramification is that this ruling can now be used by the state and federal government to compel behavior by individuals. That thought is truly frightening. 
The Constitution of the United States, as written, generally prohibits the federal government from requiring activity. It limits the power of government. As example, the 5th Amendment, familiarly known as due process, "No person shall….. be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law."  This amendment was specifically targeted at preventing the federal government from confiscating property or arbitrarily imprisoning individuals. 
If specific provisions, clauses, sections, amendments or articles within the Constitution do not prohibit the government from this type of action, the general tone and intent do.
In the preamble, the purpose of the Constitution and the government formed by it are specified: "To provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, to secure the blessings of liberty." Very specific wording is used here. 
The government will provide the common defense and promote the general welfare. To promote means to support or actively encourage; to further the progress or provide publicity. It does not mean enforce, ensure or provide.  The government has no authority to provide for my well-being, health or happiness.  Examine the Bill of Rights. 
The first 10 Amendments to the Constitution are a list of what the federal government is NOT allowed to do, and what the people ARE allowed to do.
In a convoluted decision, regarding whether the government has the authority to punish or tax individuals for not purchasing a commercial product (insurance), Justice Roberts ruled that the government cannot impose a penalty on individuals under the Commerce Clause, but it can impose a tax. Even though President Obama, and all of his publicity spokespersons have stated repeatedly that the money to be collected is not a tax. My head is still spinning trying to make sense of this.
In the decision, Justice Roberts wrote, “We do not consider whether the Act embodies sound policies. That judgment is entrusted to the Nation’s elected leaders.” Remember, this act was passed in 2010, but a House of Representatives and Senate controlled by Democrats, and signed by a Democratic President. 
At the presentation of this 4,000-page bill, larger than most L. Ron Hubbard novels, then Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi declared that the legislature should pass the measure (unread) and read it later. That exemplifies that attitude of the far-left liberal. 
The conceited, ego-centric group that believes that ordinary citizens are incapable or caring for themselves. That the government, and they in particular, must take care of the common folk. I happen to believe differently. I believe that each individual is responsible for his own behavior, welfare and well-being.  The government exists to give me the peace, freedom and opportunity to work, succeed and be rewarded for my success. 
The government does not exist to take the rewards of my success and hand them to someone less successful.
Remember this in November. If you don’t like the recent decision, remember the words or Justice Roberts about sound policy and the judgment entrusted to the Nation’s elected leaders. 
If you question their judgment, take a stand on Election Day. If you can’t vote for a given candidate, at least vote against the elected representatives who gave us the Universal Health Insurance Mandate. Every Democrat in Congress in 2010 voted for this legislation. And they still haven’t read the bill that they passed.
 Ken McClellan, Middletown Republican Town Committee Chairman

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