Suzio concedes race, final margin 214 votes

Republican Len Suzio, running for the 13th District state rep seat  which includes parts of Cheshire, Middletown, Middlefield, & Meriden conceded to Democrat incumbent Sen. Dante Bartolomeoon Friday Nov. 21, 2014. According to an article in the New Haven Register, Suzio will decline asking for a judge to re count votes.

Suzio lost the election to Bartolomeo by   614 votes, however, the town of Cheshire amended its official count several times and the final margin was 214 votes. WTF At the Insider, we scratch our heads at home a margin could be so misreported to begin with?!

Suzio in Middletown

Suzio told the Registrar :“During the 2000 presidential election, Democrats rallied under the mantra ‘every vote counts’ and an intensive audit process was conducted to confirm the vote count,” Suzio said in a statement released Friday.”I do not intend to put the voters through such a prolonged experience that could potentially leave the results in doubt for a considerable amount of time.”"

Suzio encourages reforms to Connecticut's election process. Suzio will remain at his post as the State's Victims Advocate. Suzio has been an advocate of repealing the state's absorbitant gas tax, for the ending of early release of violent criminals, as well as education and fiscal accountability. If he had been elected, he vowed to not support any tax increases.We wish Len Suzio the best and hope he stays involved in local politics; a true asset to Middletown and Connecticut.

And Justice for All: What the Elections Said by John Milardo

Download in the original format here

Below is a essay by John Milardo.

On November 4, 2014 mid-term elections were held in the United States. Results varied,
for both Democrats and Republicans across the nation. I, like many Americans follow
politics, but don’t study it so intensely that it becomes a career or job. In the end, we hope
those elected will do their best for us.

On election night and a couple of days after, the career politicians around the nation made
me laugh! First, I heard both Senator Mitch McConnell and President Barak Obama state
how “they heard the voters loud and clear!” and will change the way business is being
done in Washington. Why did it take a loss to prove that voters wanted change and were
not satisfied with elected officials!

First of all, business has not been getting done for the people in Washington or in many
States. Politicians who were re-elected believe their election was a vote of confidence
from the voters. They can say and read what they want into the election, but confidence in
our elected officials was not the outcome.

What mandate did the Party’s hear? While in office, elected officials do not listen or have
contact with their “constituents” to find out what the real issues are and what direction we
want them to head in. We get lip service while they concentrate on their own agendas and
political Party bullshit, taking care of lobbyists to ensure they have plenty of money for
their campaigns to buy another term. Neither Party is doing the peoples work - they are
tied down with insider politics.

What politicians should be concerned with most nationwide is why two-thirds of the
voting public didn’t show up to cast their vote? People feel it’s a giant waste of time - all
politicians are the same. Others may feel the candidates were not worth the bother?
People in economic distress can’t get out of the hole they’re in and have just plain given
up. The middle class, who literally pay the freight for everything in our country, are
squashed at both ends no matter what! Who are the winners? The winners are big
business and those taking lobbyist money to do their dirty work.
We had billions of dollars spent on elections this year. Our political system is for sale to
the highest bidder. It has become monetarily rewarding for politicians to keep on getting
elected to office. It isn’t about civic duty! They (politicians) collude with business and
the rich to take care of each other. The average citizen doesn’t matter; politicians have the
“what can YOU do for ME attitude”. The masses are get a feel good vote here and there
and thrown to the curbside.

One of the most disconcerting things is the checks and balances a “free press” once
ensured. The Press doesn’t report news any more it fabricates it. News companies tell you
what is important. They filter and twist the political activity of the Party their CEO is a
member of, and feed it to us spoonful by spoonful. When the Comedy Central channel is
where you can get the best news, we’re in deep trouble.
When our forefathers didn’t like how our country was being run by the British, we had a
revolution. In the 1960’s, we came very close to a national revolt because politicians were
out of touch - we got their attention for only a short period of time. Maybe revolt is all
they understand?

Stay strong.  Stay involved.  Stay together.  Seek the truth.    
John Milardo

DISCLAIMER:  The opinions and views expressed in this newsletter reflect the opinion and view of the author, and should not be construed as fact or advice.  The author is a life long Middletown resident and taxpayer, and is sharing his opinions as such.  The opinions and commentary do not reflect the views of any political party, organization, or citizen group.  This newsletter reflects opinions and commentary which the author wishes to share with his friends.

Middletown Election Results: M-town is Blue, Red Rosa still Creepy

Middletown Ct Election 2014 Results: 10:00 pm UPDATE: Some districts in Middletown still have not reported numbers. Middletown High district 3 & 6 included. Witnesses confirm democrats rounded up folks at the soup kitchen & homeless in the north end today promising a hot meal & took them to the polls in a last effort push. Reports that over 500 Wesleyan students, most registering as democrats, were added as new voters in the final days before the election. Local Democrats & the Malloy campaign bused students to the polls from campus today. No word if meals were purchased for students by Democrats, as was done in the last cycle. Currently, the change to a 4 year term for mayor & common council as part of Middletown's Charter is looking likely based on reporting districts. Foley & Malloy are too close to call in Middletown at this time. The unofficial turnout hovers at 59% we are hearing from early estimates.

11:35 pm UPDATE: Szynkowicz conceded to Serra at 8:57 pm and offered her congratulations on his victory in person at City Hall. Fernandez conceded to Lesser at 10 pm & also congratulated him in the Council Chambers where Lesser watched votes being tabulated. Earlier Roberts conceded to incumbent Doyle. At this time final votes have not been tabulated from all districts. Bartolomeo remains in a slight lead over Suzio at this hour, however neither has conceded. Absentee ballots are also still being counted. No numbers yet on previously unreported districts.

12:00 am: UPDATE: At Council Chambers the tabulation scene was still chaotic well after 11:00 pm. The numbers from the registrars are being projected on the smallest screen available seemed all the more confusing with the excel spread sheet having missing cell formulas delaying the effort. The process seems antiquated. Vote counting is done publicly to be transparent; but the room filled with politicos & reporters gabbing makes it a long event. Finally all the numbers are in; we defer to the spread offered by the Courant below. 

2:00 am: UPDATE: No official results, available at the link embedded, have been filed with the Secretary of State for Middletown. Below are unofficial results published by the Hartford Courant. At 1:39 am Gov. Malloy declared himself the victor based on his campaign leaders' projections. 

Conclusions: 

1. Middletown might be D 3 to 1 but after Red Rosa visited in person last week at the Westfield forum, it was James Brown who stole our hearts proving M-town finds Delauro's antics creepy.  So far (based on early results), the only conservative to go the distance locally, & that he did! We'll done Mr. Brown.  

2.  In all other races the D's trumped the R's. Rumors of shenanigans are rampant. Candidates leaning over the screens of vote counters seems wrong.It was reported by a few that there was a party affiliated wearing a Malloy tee shirt assisting same day registrants in the lobby of City Hall earlier in the day causing moderators to repeatedly ask the person to remove such or vacate the area, which he refuses. Republican sign holders being unfairly questioned well outside the 75 ft radius from the polls, while the D's appeared to have carte blanche. D's Illegally posted signs on the grounds of the senior center, a public housing authority property. One would have hoped that with such a majority, the D's would take their victory with dignity,but hey, this is Middletown!
In reality, the locally running R's should be extremely proud- they have come closer than any others in recent past to the career politicians they challenged & exposed many truths about the incumbents in the process.

3.  D's will use free goodies for votes. Not quite legal, but it works.

4. How does Roberts get no votes? Did he not vote for himself!!? Something is up here. Seriously, this can't be true. And no write-ins reported? Call Councilman Bauer now!

5. The mayor's AIDE will drop Mayor Drew off places so he can campaign on the public dime all day, but keep the mayor mobile parked at City Hall like he's doing work.

6. No one has found any bags of uncounted absentee ballots yet giving a Malloy victory in Middletown, but $5 says it could still happen in Hartford ...

Middletown

GOVERNOR

CANDIDATE	VOTES	TOTAL VOTE PERCENT
Dan Malloy AND Nancy Wyman	8,052		59.0%
Joseph Visconti AND Chester Frank Harris	155		1.1%
Tom Foley AND Heather Somers	5,443		39.9%

COMPTROLLER

CANDIDATE	VOTES	TOTAL VOTE PERCENT
Sharon McLaughlin	4,398		36.0%
Rolf Maurer	205		1.7%
Kevin Lembo	7,603		62.3%

UPPER HOUSE, DISTRICT 13

CANDIDATE	VOTES	TOTAL VOTE PERCENT
Len Suzio	2,146		42.6%
Danté Bartolomeo	2,893		57.4%

UPPER HOUSE, DISTRICT 9

CANDIDATE	VOTES	TOTAL VOTE PERCENT
Earle Roberts	0		0%
Paul R. Doyle	4,146		100.0%

ATTORNEY GENERAL

CANDIDATE	VOTES	TOTAL VOTE PERCENT
Stephen Fournier	264		2.1%
George C. Jepsen	8,101		65.8%
Kie Westby	3,952		32.1%

BALLOT MEASURE

CANDIDATE	VOTES	TOTAL VOTE PERCENT
No	6,416		50.5%
Yes	6,287		49.5%

HOUSE (US), DISTRICT 1

CANDIDATE	VOTES	TOTAL VOTE PERCENT
Matthew Corey	610		37.3%
Jeffery Russell	21		1.3%
John B. Larson	1,003		61.4%

HOUSE (US), DISTRICT 3

CANDIDATE	VOTES	TOTAL VOTE PERCENT
James Brown	2,899		85.2%
Rosa L. DeLauro	505		14.8%

LOWER HOUSE, DISTRICT 100

CANDIDATE	VOTES	TOTAL VOTE PERCENT
Angel Fernandez	2,138		29.9%
Matthew L. Lesser	5,005		70.1%

LOWER HOUSE, DISTRICT 33

CANDIDATE	VOTES	TOTAL VOTE PERCENT
Joseph C. Serra	3,347		63.4%
Linda Szynkowicz	1,931		36.6%

SECRETARY OF STATE

CANDIDATE	VOTES	TOTAL VOTE PERCENT
Denise Merrill	7,858		60.1%
Mike DeRosa	369		2.8%
Peter Lumaj	4,839		37.0%

TREASURER

CANDIDATE	VOTES	TOTAL VOTE PERCENT
Tim Herbst	4,842		40.8%
Denise L. Nappier	7,029		59.2%

Precincts reporting: 14 out of 14 (100.0%)

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Letter to the Editor: Vote NO NO NO for Charter Revisions Middletown

Below is a letter to the Editor from Attorney Joseph Milardo an appointed member of Middletown's Charter Revision Committee. Milardo gives a break down of thoughts on the process. Earlier we published a Letter to the Editor outlining the questions on the November 2014 ballot. http://www.middletowninsider.com/2014/10/middletown-charter-revision-ballot.html

Tony Petras, Mike Gaudino and I suggested a four year term for the Mayor, only if, 1) there was a 2 term limit, and 2) there would be no participation/vesting in the City pension fund.  First, the question of term limits was referred to the City Attorney and he confirmed what Tony, Mike and I already knew, that there is no prohibition on terms limits in CT, in fact, Stamford has provided limits for some offices.

Then all of the Dems and the other two republicans on the charter panel decided 4 years terms should be provided for all office holders and there should be no term limits. 

At that point, Tony, Mike and I pulled our support for the 4 year terms.  Although we would have  supported 4 years for the Registrars since any contests for that office are usually resolved in the nomination process and the two party nominees don't compete for that office in the general election. 

For any other contested elective office, a four year term makes no sense, delays voter correction opportunities for too long, and, would not really save election costs since the staggered terms we have now require two year voting for P&Z and Bd/Ed offices. 

The charter changes advanced by the dems and the other two republicans were so flawed they didn't even discuss whether election for 4 year terms would be staggered as Bd/Ed and P&Z elections are.

As for the bonding increase we only supported this if it provided for a super majority vote requirement for passage.

The rest of the Charter changes are nothing substantive and do not require passage at this time.

I will be urging anyone I speak with to vote NO on all questions.  Also, a reminder that we should vote NO on the State constitutional amendments.  I believe these to be dangerous to our political process since voting will be easier to influence/rig, and, they are designed to accomdate lazy, uninformed voters.  No ballot box should be open to votes weeks before election day.  The amendments scream "banana republic" with every word!

In summary, these charter reviision panel members were not up to the task of meaningful review at all.  I frankly don't know how or why the panel was formed.  There was no agenda, no clear purpose, and aside from Mike, Tony and I filing a memorandum of suggested changes which we reviewed with the TC Executive committee and the Council republicans, no one else raised any revisions which would make Middltown's government operations more accessible to the voters.

Joe Milardo

Who is Linda Szynkowicz? Middletown Get out the Vote 2014!

http://www.szynkowicz2014.com/

My name is Linda Szynkowicz and I am running for State Rep in the 33rd here in Middletown, CT. I know I am the best candidate for our district and would best represent all my constituents. I have “Fresh Ideas and Common Sense” and have no problem standing up for issues that are important. I also have a very strong work ethic, having grown up on a farm here in the Nutmeg State.

I know what’s important to me, but I really need to know what is important to you. Knowledge is power. I am open minded and will listen to opposing points of view. I will also stick to my convictions, if having all the facts, I believe in what I am voting for or against.

I truly believe, after speaking with numerous Democrats and Independents that there is a lot of common ground. We just need to find it.

·         ECONOMICS: I am a Conservative Republican, who believes in “Economics 101” – in order to increase revenue, you lower taxes. When you lower taxes, people spend more freely. When they spend more freely, it creates the need for more jobs and manufacturing. Hence, more revenue.

·         TAXES: Our taxes here in CT are driving many people out of our state. Hardworking citizens cannot retire here because of the cost of living and outrageous gas taxes. The spending within our government has gotten way out of hand. I propose auditing all the government agencies for redundancy and waste. We need to consolidate and run the state like a small business owner would run their successful business. We have the talents of the people here in CT to turn around the economy – we just need to think outside of the box and make some difficult decisions.

·         WELFARE: We cannot continue on the course we have been on for the last decades. We need to cut the Welfare role, by giving opportunities to those that want to work and better themselves and remove those that just use and abuse the system. The Welfare program was put in place years ago as a temporary way to help those until they got back on their feet. It was not meant to be a life time occupation. I do have a plan to make this happen.

·         COLLECTIVE BARGAINING: I support collective bargaining and am against being a “Right to Work State”. The integrity of the licensing and educational backgrounds needed would be undermined, as well as the safety to the public.

·         SENIORS: Assisting seniors in their golden years by working with the cable companies to give them drastic discounts in their service while simultaneously setting up a program within the state to donate a dollar to a special fund to help seniors pay for their cable would be a way to give them added comfort after working most of their lives.

·         MEDICAL: I would prose the “What’s up Doc Bill?” which would allow the patient’s cost for the office visit to be cut in half after waiting an hour and free with no co-pay after waiting an hour and a half. This would mean the patient would actually have to see the doctor before the hour and not just be stuck in a small exam room. Too many medical offices are double and triple booking appointments. If you are late for an appointment, you are still forced to pay for the visit even if they don’t see you. Circumstances do arise where the doctor is called out for emergencies or surgeries run later than expected. They can notify us if the doctor is running later and give us the option of rescheduling, instead of having us wait for hours, sometimes. A number of people work and have to rearrange their schedules or going during lunch breaks or have others that need to drive them. Visiting a doctor is stressful enough, let alone not knowing how long you’ll be sitting and waiting. Let’s start treating patients as human beings and not just a number.

·         FLAT TAX: I also support the flat tax. Everyone should pay an equal percentage. Let’s make it fair.

·         GUN RIGHTS: I would work to repeal the newest gun law here in CT. It is a knee jerk reaction and violates our second amendment rights.

I do have a number of ideas to help make Connecticut a better State for all of our residents. I just need your vote in November to show that I can make things happen. I am not a career politician. I do believe in term limits. I want to help Connecticut become a great state again.