Friday, August 23, 2019

Opinion: Thazhampallath Brings Competence And An End To The Status Quo

Submitted by Welles Guilmartin.
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I endorse and ask you join me in voting for Geen Thazhampallath for Mayor, Line 1D, on September 10. I am a retired accountant with a unique, nearly 20-year involvement and intimate knowledge of Middletown’s downtown needs, as a one-time downtown property and business principal and as a citizen member of various parking advisory and study committees. Over the years, I’ve been a part of many official studies, seen ideas come and go, and had many parking quandaries and questions left unconfronted or unanswered by City government.

I believe all that changed in November 2011, with Geen’s return home, from managing town services in Stratford, Connecticut, where he was an administrator for a variety of town services including the town’s rail station parking.  Getting Geen back to Middletown, to his hometown, where he is a product of our public schools and is now raising his own family, to lead this small, but critical operational department, essential to downtown commerce, beautification and functionality, has been a turning point. 

I know that parking is a prickly topic but to be honest we couldn’t have asked for a more professional, open, competent, caring and relatable person to return home to take on this thorny matter. Just look at the following small sample of what he has done to make seemingly lemonade out of lemons:

  1. Implemented a mobile parking app, a point of sale credit card payments approach and the ability to make payments, obtain permits and enter appeals online that provide Middletown parkers modern and digital ways to do business with the City. This type of modern movement isn’t exactly common place for our City government where it seems progression and innovation are the exception not the modern rule;
  2. Implemented an integrated security camera infrastructure that provides for the public safety backbone and utility for many City departments not just parking. Again, integration and cooperation hasn’t always been our City government’s hallmark where silo departments are the norm; 
  3. Moved forward, from concept to actuality, physical improvements, that many of us have long wondered, what was taking so long? For example, in the lots near Kidcity and Russell Library we’ve seen improvements and now have 110 spaces open along Dingwall Drive, one block off Main Street. 

I admit, not all is perfect, but at very least, with Geen’s leadership we are constantly moving forward and always have an eye on tomorrow. Today, I can say, without a shadow of a doubt, that our parking lots are better lit, safer, have better traffic patterns, more green plantings, stroller accessibility and pedestrian connections to Main Street like never before. Quality of life issues and small details matter to Geen. I know these considerations sound basic, but unfortunately, that has not always been the case of many our City government’s projects or solutions.

I have worked closely with Geen for 8 years now and I find he listens, researches points, but most important, Geen thinks Middletown! By that I mean he has a way of openly, transparently, caringly, competently seeking best practices but implementing locally viable solutions.

Now, we need this type of leadership in our Mayor’s Office. Join me on September 10th in voting Line 1D for Geen Thazhampallath for Mayor, ending the status quo, and moving Middletown forward.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

So will geen resign from his city job and the future fat pension and life time health benefits if he becomes mayor. I know my employer wouldnt hold my job for 4 years...oh yeah thats right he will be his own boss...so city will have parking director position vacant for 4 years

Anonymous said...

I disagree with the writer's opinion that Glen Thazhampallath will bring an end to the status quo. Towards the end of former Mayor Guiliano's term the former mayor eliminated the two hour free parking in the downtown area. Whenever Geen T. assumed office he did not do anything to return the free parking to the downtown areas. Parking Director Geen T & candidate for Mayor kept the status quo of paid parking in the downtown area. How can the paid downtown parking lots be competitive with the shopping plazas in Middletown, Cromwell and other towns with shopping plazas where the customers do not have to worry about paying to park their vehicles? The downtown areas cannot because of the paid parking the city has compared to the shopping plazas. Parking Director & Candidate For Mayor Geen T. kept the status quo and he should not earn your vote to be the Democratic Candidate For Mayor.

Anonymous said...

I don't see that the parking department is particularly well run. The parking lots are full of litter (Parking dept issue? Public works dept issue? Both? Neither?) which detracts from downtown. Additionally, I was more likely to support local businesses when I could park in the lot with 20-30 minutes of free parking, now I think twice or feel rushed in order to avoid ticketing. I see more empty storefronts on Main Street and the vicinity and have heard from business owners that lack of parking, parking fees have hurt their businesses.

Anonymous said...

It is pretty clear that none of these commenters have a clue about parking downtown or what happens with the Parking Directors job if he wins the election. So here, let me do this. If you are planning a trip to the downtown, how hard is it for you to put a few quarters in your pocket? Do you realize how much 4 or even 8 quarters will get you? Rushed? Why? Put some extra in, it’s not going to break your slight piggy bank! You do realize that as far as the status quo that you speak of Geen maintaining actually comes from the Council and Mayor’s office, can you imagine how long you’d have your job if you went against what your bosses told you to do! Collecting a fat pension? You mean the pension he might earn while being employed with the City? The one he paid his own money into, the one where the pension board of the city has done such a great job, the contribution from the City is so small that no one even notices it? Holding his job open for 4 years? City ordinances do not allow the job to remain open, and it must be filled under contractual rules agreed to by the City and the Union that covers that job. Lifetime health benefits? You mean the one’s that Geen will pay for if he’s so lucky to have put in the amount of years he needs to to become eligible? Upon his election, he will have to resign his position immediately thus putting into motion the search and filling of that Director’s job right away. You’d be dangerous if you actually knew what you were speaking of.