Bear with me. I'm new at this fairly new but rapidly growing form of intercommunication, so this effort may seem choppy and erratic at times. But I thought it would be interesting to set up yet another way to talk to and hear from Meriden's citizens. Council members are an accessible lot, despite what some folks say. I usually bristle when I hear a vocal minority say that we're difficult to approach, and unresponsive. We're members of the Meriden community, just like everyone else. We shop at local markets, go to local movies, eat at local restaurants, sit at ballfields, buy gas at the corner station...and invariably someone will come up and start up a conversation about something they've read in the R-J, or saw on the Council meeting broadcast. I can't speak on behalf of my colleagues, but I would bet they're like me, and listen to the comments or questions, and take note of complaints or suggestions. That's how we got elected, and that's how we learn what's going on in the City, most times.
- "There will always be dissident voices heard in the land expressing opposition without alternatives, finding fault but never favor, perceiving gloom on every side, and seeking influence without responsibility."
However, maybe it's not that easy to start a conversation, or come to a Council or Committee meeting at City Hall, or just call a Councilor at home. I've seen an increase in email traffic, which is good. But it isn't an easy experience to observe, or share with others. So I thought I'd try this blog.
Time permitting, I will try to post issues the Council is facing, or considering. I'll also ask questions, and hope I get good answers. I'll also try to give a perspective on how resolutions are developed, debated and voted upon. Granted, these will be from my point of view, but this blog will allow comments to be posted that can carry the dialogue forth. And I hope I get suggestions on how to make this blog better. Maybe we'll all learn something, and make Meriden better. Which is what this is all about.
It's a pity that President Kennedy was unable to deliver the quote above on that fateful November day in Dallas. I would like to have heard his challenge on how to handle those voices. Perhaps this blog is one way. Let's begin.
If your City Council accomplished only one thing in 2006, what would you like it to be? (for those new to blogging, just hit the "comments" link below to post a response.).
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Let's talk about this...
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19 comments:
Delsol, thanks for your post. Yours is the "official" first response, as Councilor Salafia's will ultimately be a contributor. I hope you can make the public hearing on Thursday to make your feelings known.
Stephen Zerio
This improvement is way past due. The only problem with this is that it comes too late for the hundreds of kids who were denied an opportunity to play on a safe and fair surface.
You yourself, Mr Zerio voted against 2 proposals that were offered some years ago to build an artificial surface facility. And that facility was to be built with mostly private dollars.
I hope this time you'll be more supportive of the kids.
Also let me add thati hope you'll do a better job overseeing the construction than you did with the softball complex
Congratulations on your great idea realized! Any communication is good when the alternative is silence. I just hope that people can be civil and supportive and realize that we are all in this together. Even if the writer is angry or disappointed or feeling left out, the act of communication is good.
I want to see an all-day Kindergarten program for all children who are ready for it, in its own building. Children shouldn't be denied any educational municipal/state program on the basis of the town not wanting to pay for "all" it. The system of choosing has been called 'a lottery'. The lottery program for the Thomas Edison school was a very different matter. My son participated in it for two years, until his number came up and he was adnmitted to the TEMS. In that lottery there were alternatives, Lincoln Middle School or Washington Middle School - both fine programs. When the choosing of Kindergarten students starts, the alternative will be no program at all. A person is Kindergarten-ready when the parents and perhaps some professionals say so, and only for one year of the student's life. The number of kindergarten-ready students can easily be known with the same survey method as is used now by the BOE. The number of students should stay around the same number each year, planning for the all-day K program's will use the usual margin plus or minus for counting purposesas is used now. Ask parents now if they want this. Babies will be five in five years, right? Parents with young children can tell you when they will have an eligible child. Flexibility has to be built into the system now for children who mature at different rates, and who will need special education services, etc. Children from all over Meriden should be able to participate with each other. Children model for each other, they learn together. If only children from a certain socio-economic level are chosen, as is the case in limiting it to one school or two schools (as is done now), it looks an awful lot like economic segregation. Not on purpose, I know, but the unintended consequences do play out. Public schools are and should be used as the great equalizer. I have an idea- how about we build a new Thomas Hooker School for grades 1-5 and renovate the old one for the All-Day Kindergarten program? It will provide the more modern, brand-new building for the grades 1-5 and provide a nice newly-renovated school for the all-day K, all nice and finished. Everybody is happy. I hope people care about each child, every year. Thank you, Mr. Zerio, for this opportunity.
I would like one perosn in this entire debate on all day kindergarten to ask for the results of the state wide tests of those John Barry students who have had all day.
One argument I have heard is that our fellow ERG members have all day.. If we are to hold this argument then why not have one high school as do the majority of our ERG towns do? One high school would allow us to pay for all day and offer more AP courses which Meriden desparately needs if we are to keep pace wioth our more affluent neighbors who have one high school and not all day.
All day argument seem to me to be to make up for parent's who can not or will not do their jobs as parents e.g. social skills, reading books to their children, learning to win and lose properly. Havng kids means sacrifice but in today's world we weant everything and don't want to sacrifice anything. We want big houses, new cars, vacations etc resulting in everyone working full time and little or no time for our kids so govt has to step in to do what parent should be doing.
Too many times we have heard politcians talk about absolute need for parental involvement in their children's education but no one holds their feet to the fire
JohnD
Mr. Zerio,
I hope in reaching a decision on the new sports complex that yourself and other counsel members have attended athletic events at Ceppa Field and that you have visited it recently. I do not know how a Council member would want to endanger the many great youths that we have in Meriden by letting them continue to play at the field. The field has many problems that will not go away. These issues include the playing surface, the proximity of the fans to the athletes, fences that are too close to the field, lack of handicap accesibility for football and soccer games, as well as unsafe bleachers. I realize that the city has many other pressing issues at the same time and at the same time the state has not volunteered to kick in up to 2 MILLION DOLLARS on any of those projects. The field itself can generate revenue by hosting state playoff games, as well as rental fees. I think we need to let the kids in this town know that the City of Meriden values them and build this facility.
Mark Thornton
Mr. Zerio, I am writing on behalf of the new athletic field at falcon field. This is a strategic moment in bettering Meriden. The field can be used for football, soccer, and field hockey games. Maintenace fees would be also be lowered. A new field opens a bright future to our Meriden athletes. They will be able to play on a surface that will better enable them to highlight their skills. Ceppa field is by far inferior as a football and soccer field. Bleechers are unsafe, crowds are to close, the walk way between the home team and the concession stand is covered in tree roots and is only two feet wide. This is not very handicap accessible. The city of Meriden can also benefit by renting the facility for tournaments and state games. This is a great opportunity for Meriden, for the athletes, students, fans and the community. People talk about this city as if it has nothing to offer, this is an opportunity to change that.
As a homeowner whose property is on the border of Falcon Field I strongly oppose the idea of a sports complex. The additional noise, activity, traffic would be horrendous. I am sure it would also decrease the value of my property. And also the two million dollars would also increase our property taxes.
Falcon field is the last piece of the puzzle for our athletes in the city of meriden. It was to be the next project after the girls softball complex was completed and its time is here! Weather the cost is 2 million now it has got to be done or we wait and spend 4 million in 10 years. Lets put our youth on the same playing fields as many of the other towns are giving their children!
The fiscal arrogance of Mr Thorp is alarming.
He has taken the position that surplus' belong solely to the govt and attempts to add new programs must be debated only with the "new cost" involved. So by using the taxpayer's surplus' he has managed to convolute the fiscal impact of all day K and misstate the real cost of this program.
He has also stated that we would need only 5 paraprofessionals to have all day K. I am told by teachers tha tthis is wrong. At elast 10 new paras will be required.
Another cost that has not been calculated is one Rev Nadolny brought up on a recent radio show. He siad that the parochail schools in Meriden would lose a good number of students and eventually shut down if Mr Thorp's program went through. I hope the Council will attempt to add these costs in their fiscal analysis. And while I acknowledge tha tit is not govt's job to maintain a private scholl system, it is you job to analyze and claculate the impac to the taxpyaer so we will have all the facts at hand before making a decision.
I would also like to offer thanks to Councilor Gordon for his succinct op ed piece. I hope all our councilors read it.
Michael
Dear Mr. Zerio,
Writer 'Michael' sounds very worried about two things; money left over in the BOE budget and the survival of the Catholic school system. Budgets are 'best guesses' that departments have to come up with to be able to plan for the year's expenditures. To have money left over is a good thing, it means that the outcome of the department's careful efforts to save the taxpayers' money were successful! Perhaps the money should be saved, perhaps used. Mr. Thorpe was, in my opinion, acting well within his capacity as a steward of public funds to suggest another use for the money. These ideas then get brought to committee and scrutinized. It seems to me that is exactly what we want from our elected officials, careful, creative use of our money. I've already given my money in taxes- do something better with it.
On his second point, I know of at least three non-Catholic families who are sending their children to Catholic schools. They do it because the Catholic schools have reputations for educational excellence, parents work all day and are in need of the easier scheduling with an all-day school-day program, and they have the tuition money in the family budget. The children benefit, the parents benefit and so does the Catholic school's bottom line. A good deal all around. The Church is being responsive to the religious and educational needs of their parishioners (and others). Catholic school kids are included in city spelling bees, and geography bees, scholarships, awards, parades, after-school activities and bussing services; no one is discriminated against. By the way, the City provides computers to the parochial schools- that's nice helpful public policy and it helps the parochial schools' bottom lines. That’s nice, in my opinion.
But there isn't any choice at all for the children and families who are not able to afford the Catholic schools or who choose not to send their children to Catholic School for religious reasons. Public school is mandated to provide comprehensive educational experience in the public school atmosphere. That's all. It is really unfair to link Catholic School attendance with public school attendance. I don't mind when Catholic parents decide to send their kids to public school. That may be something he wishes to speak to the Catholic parents about. The Catholic schools will do OK, because some parents will still want their children to attend them. Religious conviction or educational preference will still be available to parents even with the All-Day K. I'm sure there are enough people like him in Meriden concerned for the growth and vitality of the Parochial school system that the schools will survive.
Katrina has not obviously realized that the parochial school system is shrinking as there are now only 4 left. She also misses the main point of the parochial school issue and that is that any true analysis of all day K must take into account the fiscal impact it will have on the private schools and therefore the additional burden that impact will have on the public school system. To do less would be intelectually dishonest.
But onto Charter Revision: I was present when most every councilperson of note stated that they did not see a need for a referendum on municipal projects. I am not surprised that Mr Zerio has now stated he will support the Commission's report. Please do not insult our intelligence by doing so. The Commission's recommnedations are a paper tiger and your vote, Mr Zerio, is proof of that. You insult us and embarass yourself when you act in such a Machiavellian manner. The neighborhood groups labored too hard for you to insult them. Stand by your principles! I respect you for your beliefs but you disrepect me and others when you attmept to paint yourself as something you are not.
The test of the strength of the commission's report will be measured in the number of councilpersons such as yourself who support it after stating they opposed a public referendum.
Michael
PS Congrats to the Mayor for reversing himself on the Geary appt. Now we will get to see if the Mayor or Mr Zerio was the culprit of deception in this mess. If Zerio and his band vote for Geary then we'll know the mayor was misleading us when he tried to lay the blame it at Zerio's doorstep.
And poor Gulino. I guess loyalty counts for nothing at City Hall. Just a little heat from the environs and the Mayor folds like a cheap suit. Will the Zerio band
do the same?
Dear Mr. Zerio- I'm not sure what Michael's point is, but if he is saying that because St. Joseph's and Mt. Carmel have All-day K then the City should not have it, that argument makes no sense. What the City needs is to be able to offer All-day K to everyone regardless of religion or economic status. Temporary Aid to Needy Familes(TANF)mandates that mothers work all day, so, now the mothers(and fathers) are in the workplace, bettering their lives with job skills, etc., what are they to do with their children? The Parochial schools can accommodate a relatively small number of children.
The City should have an obligation to make room for hundreds of children in an all-day program.
Katrina's position on the use of a "surplus" to start new multi million dollar programs begs the question of whether the budget process has any integrity in this city.
The Manager,& City leaders assure us each year that the budget is a maintenance budget with no frills and was calculated and reviewed with precision and thought. It is reviewed on three different levels.
So when the final numbers are released we the taxpayers should have some comfort in their accuracy. And if a surplus does arise it should not be used for new programs but used to retire debt or invested in the rainy day fund. To do something else is to circumvent the budget process and the honesty of it.
Al
A 6% increase in taxes is totally beyond my means. Mr Zerio is right when he says we are all experiencing increases in our households. The difference is that every family I know is cutting back as their incomes are not growing as quickly as their costs. Maybe just maybe government could do the same.
Dear Mr. Zerio,writer "AL" just proved my point, the use of 'surplus' money goes up for debate. If his priorities are to retire debt, great, but to call someone to the carpet for voicing a creative use of money isn't fair, Al's doing it after-all, isn't he? That is part of the budgeting process. It still has all of the integrity it ever had. I like the idea of putting it towards a rainy day fund, I'm happy with that, too. I just want it to go to something good for the City and my priority is always education for young children, and the project is right here, right now. I really want the benefit that education brings to the entire community, and nothing benefits a community like education.
The most important issue to me is the condition of the sidewalks around the downtown area. We live on Grove St. and have an electric wheelchair. It is impossible to attend church on 'good weather' days by use of the city sidewalks.
We would like to attend the downtown festivities during the bicentennial celebration, but we can't even do that. Some of the curbs are not cut away either. One side of Washington St/Colony St. is cut, the other is NOT.
Anonymous 3/11 5:28, thanks for your post. I've sent a message about your concern to the City Manager, asking him to look into it and recommend action. You can also contact him directly at 630-4123 to register any similar issues. Handicap access to the bicentennial activities, as well as downtown access, is important to the City.
Mr Salafia;
I was looking for the standardized mastery scores of those who had attended full day K and are now in the 5th grade. I don't know if we've had full day for that long at Barry.
I have asked for these scores because it would be interesting to see if all day K are scoring better than 1/2 day in the long run which is the only real test.
John D
Gotta love this blog, very impressive and a great communication tool. Now as for one item I would like to see the City Council address for this upcoming fiscal year: NO TAX INCREASE. This probably means nixing the idea of an all day kdg, Falcon Field, and other projects that this city simply cannot afford without raising taxes. I also believe the BOE budget is totally overinflated. They seem to always find some "extra money" for new positions, extra programs, plus end up with a surplus. Rather than thinking they are being fiscally conservative, maybe they are requesting too much in their "bare bones" request in the first place.
Dear Mr. Zerio- I hope this finds you well. I read with great interest and happiness about our band teachers and our school bands in the R-J today! Every teacher and professional administrator knows that music adds so much to the education of our young people and is an asset we must have. Students and parents know it too, and it is just so wonderful to read about it in the mewspaper. Bravo! You do us all proud!
Along with the wonderful bands we have in town, may I introduce to you the Central Connecticut Civic Youth Orchestra (CCCYO). Under the Musical Direction of Mr. John McDonald, who now teaches in the Milford Public School system and has a musical resume has long as your arm, students in grades six through twelve are invited to come and play orchestral music in an educational atmosphere and a fun group! There will be no audition. We are inviting our young conductors, composers, arrangers and musicians to Come Help Make Connecticut Sound Better! With every ounce of love and respect for the student and adult bands, their directors, boosters and friends, some people want to play in an orchestra, rather than a band. If you ever have seen Woody Allen's "Take the Money and Run", you'll remember just how difficult it would be to march in a marching band with a cello. So, to satisfy the needs of some wind players and all string players, we are now recuiting these young instrumentalists, starting in late April with weekly 2-hour rehearsals, here in town. If we hear from other instrument groups, We'll be only too happy to expand our horizons! Would anyone like to start a classical guitar ensemble? The CCCYO will serve the cities and towns of Berlin, Cheshire, Durham, Madison, Meriden, Middlefield, Middletown, Southington and Wallingford. I am announcng this on your blog first, Mr. Zerio, because I know how thoughtful your readers and contributors are and I know that the non-profit funding discussion has come up. Yes, we wil be asking for support in the way of money, in-kind support and people's volunteer time, all noon-profits do. We are called the Central Connecticut Civic Orchestra because we want pople to know that this is a private-sector initiative, and not a tax-payer-funded project. We estimate that $5,000-$6,000 will get us through our first year. IF anyone would like to help young musicians realize their dream of playing in a youth orchestra, won't you please contact Mr. Zerio and he can contact me? If all goes well, our first concert wil be at the end of June on a Sunday afternoon, here in Meriden. We hope that our young musicians will have a warm reception in Meriden and in all of our towns.Thank you for letting me post this. Have a great day Mr. Z.,(and everyone!) and once again, thanks for the blog.
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