NEWS ALERT: ELECTION DAY 2020. ABSENTEE BALLOTS.

 

NEWS ALERT:    ELECTION DAY 2020!  CHECK ON THE STATUS OF YOUR ABSENTEE BALLOTS.  CALL THE TOWN CLERK TODAY BEFORE NOVEMBER 3^RD TO SEE IF YOUR BALLOT WAS RECEIVED.

 

This is very important for those of you voting by Absentee Ballots for the November 3rd Election. After you drop off your absentee ballot in the ballot boxes or sent it through the U.S. Mail please call the Town Clerk Ashley Flynn-Natale to ensure that her office received your ballot & it was recorded. Her phone number is 860-344-3459 & email her at Ashley.Fynn-Natale@middletownct.gov.​ Please do not take for granted that your ballot was received and documented. If you value your vote, please call Town Clerk Ashley Flynn-Natale or email her to check on the status of your absentee ballot today. Please see The Middletown Press article written by Cassandra Day titled "Middletown clerk ‘overwhelmed’ by 6,000-plus absentee ballots." Here is the link to the articlehttps://www.middletownpress.com/middletown/article/Middletown-clerk-overwhelmed-by-6-000-plus-15679156.php

 

If you don't check on your absentee ballot your vote may not get counted and you will lose your right to vote in this year’s election.

 

Abrams Spending Heavily on Facebook Advertisements

Wesleyan students are tracking the spending by candidates for the State Senate on Facebook advertisements as part of a class. Overall, Republican and Democrat candidates are spending approximately the same amount, averaging nearly $3500 per candidate between September 6 and October 17. 

But spending by individual candidates varies significantly.

Incumbent State Senator Mary Abrams, who represents about half of our city, leads all candidates in her spending, with $9,424. Her opponent, Len Suzio, is one of the highest Republican spender, at $4,363 in the same period. Their race is considered a very competitive one. 

Our other State Senator, Matt Lesser, is being outspent on Facebook by his opponent, Richie Ruglio. Ruglio has spent $4,039, while Lesser has spent only half of that, $1,932.

This work has been done by Domenique Monserrat, Andrew Kushnir, and Natasha Wong, as part of a class taught by Logan Dancey and Erika Franklin Fowler

Election Day 2020! Vote November 3rd.

NEWS ALERT! ELECTION DAY 2020.  THE $55 MILLION DOLLARS INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT. VOTE YES OR NO BY NOVEMBER 3RD.  

City’s Voters will be asked to decide the fate of the $55 million infrastructure project for the November 3^rd election.  

 

Mayor Florsheim said earlier that this project is “specifically oriented towards economic development and growing the tax base beyond where it is today.” He clarified his response with “this project will allow more businesses and residents to come into town and do well, increasing the amount of revenue coming into the city and allowing us to hopefully lower the tax rate.”  

 

How will it be done?  Mayor Florsheim said that it would add “significant more parking to downtown, which has been a longstanding need both for businesses and for us to be able to add more housing; it will bring the city hall site and the arcade site onto the tax rolls, bringing in potentially millions in new revenue.” According to Mayor Florsheim this project will enable the city to start the process of “moving forward on the riverfront, which we also hope will bring more people and business into Middletown. It also continues our investment in roads and public spaces, both of which are key factors in attracting businesses and residents. “ 

 

Will people’s taxes increase as a result of this project? Mayor Florsheim responded with “One of the main goals of this is to lower taxes in the long run. The only tool we have in our local toolbox to reduce taxes is to grow the tax base, which this project does in a significant way. “ Mayor Florsheim went onto say “I firmly believe that the only way to meaningfully get our tax rate under control is to bring in the type of economic vibrancy that these projects provide.”  

 

Joseph Samolis, the Director of Planning, Conservation & Development stated “I will say, if the City is going to authorize and borrow money, this is a good time to consider it, with rate at 1% or even lower, the interest paid on the bond is minimal.”  Also, if this project wins on November 3^rd“there is no guarantee that the City will utilize the total amount of 55 Million dollars authorized” because of a state Urban Act Grant the city applied for “that would ultimate reduce the total need to be bonded by that amount. We are hoping to hear this month or next month if we receive this money” according to Samolis. 

 

Why Move City Hall?  Samolis said this about the City Hall lot “over the past 9 years, we have dealt with approximately 4 major developers that we have been working with to do a mixed use development at the old arcade site (parking garage behind Police Dept), and all of these developers really like the City Hall location and preferred it over the arcade location.”  According to Mayor Florsheim “The key factors about it that make it particularly attractive and valuable: large site, easy access to public parking and downtown amenities, views of the riverfront, and visibility from Route 9.”   

 

If the referendum passes how soon would the City move into the former Citizens’ Bank Building on Main Street? According to Mr. Samolis it would take the city approximately two to three years.  Samolis stated “The current owner has tenants in some of the 1980’s building and those leases continue to 2023. At the same time, the City would need to do some upgrades to the building….”  

 

How long would the project take to complete? Both Mayor Florsheim & Mr. Samolis both agreed it would take about ten years to complete. Samolis stated “it will take the better part of 10 years to probably spend the money associated with the grant. Specifically, the $15,000,000 for Road improvements takes time for the Public Works Dept. to design and engineer road improvements, build and then construct.” 

 

For information about this project please see

https://www.middletownct.gov/1220/21st-Century-Infrastructure-Development-

You may contact Mayor Florsheim at 860-344-3401 & email Mayor@MiddletownCT.Gov. Mr. Samolis phone 860-638-4840 & email is joseph.Samolis@MiddletownCT.Gov 

 

If you support this proposal or oppose it please vote on November 3^rd.  The most important issue that will be on the ballot will not be this question but rather the offices of President & Vice President of these United States of America.  When President Ronald Reagan campaigned for this office in 1980, he asked “Are you better off than you were four years ago?”  Is the nation better off now than it was four years ago?  Please consider these questions when you vote for President and Vice President either by absentee ballot or in person by November 3^rd.  Polls open from 6 a.m.-8 p.m. 

 

Enjoy the video. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rU6PWT1rV

The Buttonwood Tree Offers Personal Development Workshop on Saturdays and So Much More

 

 

Align With Source workshops to help you understand the bigger picture ...
Understand your Self and learn how to cope better ...
Have greater inner peace and more.

Tune in online, Saturdays 10:30 - noon ending with a guided meditation.
Email: TheButtonwoodTree@gmail.com for link and more info

This week's topic:

'Re-Membering Your Light Within'

 

Your Light is your ALL. Take this time to recall it, re-member, & reflect it in every sense, so you may use it in attaining your true potential. We must each one do our bit in aiding our world into a Higher Consciousness, but we must do this first for Self. You are one of our world's great Souls who chose to assist Earth & Humanity in the ascension to the 5th Dimension. This brings great growth, wisdom & rewards. You are to be commended for being here. Begin creating now!

 

Our weekly spiritual meetings offer a special place where you will find many answers that help unlock hidden truths & your direction. These meetings are open to all, by invitation, so do feel free to invite your friends, if you wish. Email me with their Email ID or Cell Number to request an invitation. 

 

“As our world moves into a higher frequency, the 5th Dimension, our series of ongoing workshops offer guidance in understanding events and making the required shifts within ourselves. These are wonderful times and opportunities to create a beautiful new world on a higher level, one of love, truth and integrity, serving ALL.”

 

About Annaita

Annaita Gandhy is an intuitive Spiritual Guide & Healer, who shares her experience and wisdom to bring awareness of the Light within each. Committed to the Light, she is here to lift humanity to a higher level of consciousness and serves through her many spiritual workshops, meditations, teaching and personal healing sessions, drawing on her extensive training and experience during her life in India. She lives in Middletown, CT and is accessible to all those who desire to heal and claim their Divinity.

Safely participate, listen, grow and learn ... online over the Zoom platform:

Mondays: Anything Goes Open Mic  (6:30-9:30pm)

Tuesdays: Laughter Yoga  (6-7pm)

Thursdays: Bob Gotta's Acoustic Open Mic   (6:30-9pm)

Thursdays: Tree Roots Drum Circle AT Harbor Park  (4:30-6:30pm)

Reiki classes by arrangement

See more at Buttonwood.org

Jonah Center Endorses 21st Century Infrastructure Development Bond Question On Nov. 3rd Ballot

 

On Nov. 3, Middletown voters will decide whether to authorize the city to borrow funds for a variety of long- term infrastructure projects. No final decisions on these projects have been made, but the referendum asks voters to authorize the borrowing that will be necessary for them.

The Jonah Center Board of Directors recommends a "yes" vote on the ballot question (see below).

Buy Local Food, Be Healthy, Make Our Community A Better Place

Forest City Farms in Middletown has boosted the inventory it is offering through Healthy PlanEat.  Here’s the link to order or get the newsletter. 

Place Your Order: Fridays 8 am through Tuesdays at 5 pm; Pick Up on Thursdays from 4 - 6:30 p.m. at 1100 River Road, Middletown. (Go east on Silver St. past the post office to River Road, and then go a bit further on River Road.) 

Time change for "Coming To Save Us"

Due to the rain, the Oddfellows Playhouse Teen Rep Company outdoor production of "Coming To Save Us" has been rescheduled. 

The free, outdoor performances of this ensemble-created piece about environmental justice will be held at Harborpark (by the north pavilion) at 5 pm on Saturday, October 17 and 4 pm on Sunday, October 18.

Reservations are required. Contact info@oddfellows.org or call (860) 347-6143. Socially-distanced seating with masks. Bring your own blanket or lawn chair. The piece is about 30 minutes long and has been created by the cast members over 6 weeks of outdoor rehearsal this fall.

Dress rehearsal photos by Bill De Kine.

Get Immunized Against the Flu

6 Seasonal Flu Clinics will be offered between now and November 10th, two in our city:

• Oct 14     Noon - 6:00 PM Town Hall Gymnasium, 41 West Street, Cromwell  
• Oct 16     11:00 AM - 4:00 PM MARC, 25 Industrial Park Road, Middletown                           
• Oct 21      9:00 AM - Noon Community Center, 405 Main Street, Middlefield                  
• Oct 28      Noon - 6:00 PM Town Hall Gymnasium, 41 West Street, Cromwell                           
• Nov 3       Noon - 6:00 PM Activity Center, (2nd floor), 350 Main Street, Durham
• Nov 7       9:00 AM -3:00 PM Town Hall Gymnasium, 41 West Street, Cromwell
• Nov 10    10:00 AM - 4::00 PM Cross Street AME Zion Church, 440 West Street, Middletown

Important Information

• Must be at least 18 years of age and in good health
• Bring your insurance card - with most insurance, the vaccine is free-of-charge and does not require a co-pay
• Vaccines are issued on a first-come, first-served basis with no appointment needed
• Residency is not required
• Face masks required / social distancing enforced

Skip the Line!  

Click here to download the Vaccine Consent Form

Print it out

Bring it with you on the day of the flu clinic

Spend less time waiting on line!

Additional Info... 

Meet Your Greens

 Backyard Bugs: A Photographic Tour

with Brian Stewart

This Thursday, October 15 at 5:30 pm

Meet Your Greens is back from hiatus! For one very special session, The Rockfall Foundation will be hosting Meet Your Greens outdoors at Wadsworth Mansion. Our guest speaker is Brian Stewart. He will be introducing us to the tremendous diversity of insects you can find in your own backyard. With beautiful photographs taken on his own quarter acre in Middletown, come explore the intriguing world of insects. He has catalogued 430+ insect species so far, with over a hundred more that have not yet been identified. Walk away with an understanding of your role as a steward for these creatures whose “right” it is to be there.

We will meet on the back patio at the mansion under an open-sided tent. Appropriately spaced chairs will be provided for the presentation. Plan to arrive around 5:30, with the speaker beginning at 5:45. Free to participate. Safety protocol for COVID-19 will be adhered to, so pre-registration is required. To learn more about the speaker, and to register visit our website.

Pictured top to bottom: Locust Borer; Twice-Stabbed Lady Beetle

For those of you not familiar with Meet Your Greens: Middletown Green Drinks, this monthly event (on temporary hiatus due to the pandemic) provides networking opportunities for anyone who is interested in making connections and exchanging news about emerging environmental issues to help keep Lower Connecticut River Valley communities green. An official location of Green Drinks International, this informal monthly gathering of people drawn from the community, nonprofit groups and the business world offers time to brainstorm ideas and plant seeds for collaboration. All are welcome and there is no admission fee, unless otherwise noted. For more information, please visit our website.

Live Theater Returns to Middletown!

 Live theater returns to Middletown this week with the Oddfellows Playhouse Teen Repertory Company production of Coming To Save Us, an ensemble-generated play about environmental justice. Coming To Save Us will be performed at 5:30 pm on October 16 & 17 outdoors at the North Pavilion in Harborpark, on the bank of the Connecticut River in Middletown.

The play has been created by the cast members during a series of outdoor workshops with Playhouse Artistic Director Dic Wheeler and Program Manager Jacqueline Brown. Coming To Save Us is a collection of character monologues, movement pieces and stories exploring the physical and social impacts of climate change. The piece lasts about 30 minutes, and audience members are encouraged to bring their own blankets or lawn chairs. No chairs will be provided. Audience will be socially-distanced on the grass beside the river, and masks will be required of everyone.

Admission is free, but reservations are required and donations are encouraged. Seating is limited to comply with COVID-19 precautions. Audience members may arrive from the direction of the Canoe Club parking lot, or through the tunnel from the Municipal Parking Lot on DeKoven Drive. Upon arrival each group will be escorted to a designated seating area.

Poster Art for "Coming to Save Us" by Artemis Omani.

To reserve a place, or for more information, email info@oddfellows.org, call (860) 347-6143, or go to www.oddfellows.org.

The Teen Rep 2020 Riverside Performance Project was made possible by generous support from the Community Foundation of Middlesex County; Connecticut Office of the Arts/DECD; City of Middletown; The Fund for Greater Hartford; Middletown Commission on the Arts; State of Connecticut Judicial Branch/Youth Violence Prevention; American Savings Foundation; Thomas J. Atkins Memorial Trust Fund; Maximilian E. & Marion O. Hoffman Foundation; Stare Family Fund; and many generous individual donors.

Election Day 2020: Vote!

 submitted by Frank LoGiudice

NEWS ALERT! ELECTION DAY 2020! VOTE ON NOVEMBER 3rd EITHER IN PERSON OR BY ABSENTEE BALLOT DUE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC!  

 

During President Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address on November 19, 1863 he stated, “We here highly resolve that…government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”  Each one of us has a responsibility to ensure this never happens today and tomorrow.  You can do this by voting on November 3^rd and every Election Day.   

 

On November 3^rd you will be asked to vote for the offices of President & Vice President, Congress, State Representative, State Senator, and the $55 million-dollar infrastructure   

referendum question. Voters will be asked to vote yes or no on this question.  To view a sample ballot go to https://portal.ct.gov/SOTS/Election-Services/Town-Ballots/2020-Town-Ballots & click on Middletown.  

 

Please take the time to vote either in person or by absentee ballot if you choose due to the COVID-19 pandemic. If you choose to vote by absentee ballot please fill out your ballot as soon as you receive it and either mail it by U.S. Mail or drop it off in the ballot boxes outside of City Hall.  For this election unlike the August Primary “The absentee ballots will be sent out by the Town Clerk’s Office,” according to Middletown Town Clerk Ashley Flynn-Natale.  She also stated the absentee ballot drop off boxes outside of City Hall will be checked “At least twice a day sometimes more.”  

 

According to the United States Postal Service “We recommend that domestic, non-military voters mail their completed ballots before Election Day and at least one week prior to your state’s deadline. We also recommend that voters request ballots at the earliest point allowable but no later than 15 days prior to the election date.”  

 

There is still time to request an absentee ballot.  All voters were sent an absentee ballot application for the November 3^rd election from the Secretary of State’s office in mid-September due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.  If you would like to vote by absentee, you still have time to send it in and get a ballot.  If you did not receive one or misplaced your ballot application you could get one from the Town Clerk’s office or downloading an application from https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/SOTS/ElectionServices/Absentee-Ballot-Application-ED-3/ED-3-Rev-20-Final.pdf.  The Town Clerk’s office is open from 8:30 a.m.-12 p.m. during the week.  

 

The deadline to file an application for an absentee ballot is November 2^nd.  “All ballots must be received by the close of polls, 8:00 p.m. on Election Day,” according to the Secretary of State’s website.  “Someone could request an application up until the day before the election. We need to have the ballot back no later than 8pm either in the absentee ballot drop box or in the mail” according to Town Clerk Ashley Flynn-Natale. Please don’t delay much longer.  

 

If you vote in person on November 3^rd please wear a mask and follow the social distancing guidelines by remaining six feet apart. To find out where your polling place is please call either the Town Clerk Ashley Flynn-Natale’s Office at (860) 344-3459 or the Democratic & Republican Registrar of Voters Elizabeth Santangelo & David Bauer.  Their email addresses are Elizabeth.Santangelo@middletownct.gov and David.Bauer@middletownct.gov and the phone number is 860-638-4950.  The Town Clerk’s email is Ashley.Fynn-Natale@middletownct.gov.  

   

Reminder:  The Last Day to Register To Vote both in person and online is Tuesday, October 27, 2020.  All towns in Connecticut will be holding in person voter registration at their respective town halls from 9 a.m. -8 p.m. on October 27^th according to Middletown Democratic Registrar Elizabeth Santangelo.  All voter registration applications must be received or postmarked by October 27^th to be accepted stated Santangelo.  To register to vote online please go tohttps://voterregistration.ct.gov/OLVR/welcome.do & follow the prompts.  You can also register to vote at the Department of Motor Vehicles, but it must be done by the October 27^th deadline.  If you turned 18, moved into a new town, became a U.S. Citizen after October 27, 2020 you have until November 2^nd to register in person at your Town Hall during regular hours.  

 

In Connecticut, there is Election Day Voter Registration on November 3^rdwhere people could register and vote if they meet certain eligibility requirements.  In Middletown, Election Day Voter Registration will be held at the City Hall Lobby and 161 Cross Street behind the Fire Department according to Democratic Registrar Elizabeth Santangelo.  

 

If you have any questions about voting on November 3^rd please call the Town Clerk & Registrar of Voters at 860-(860) 344-3459 and 860-638-4950.  

 

Please vote on November 3, 2020.  The polling hours are from 6 a.m.-8 p.m.  

 

Enjoy the videos.   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMR6d_9GsCQ  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-x8zBzxCwsM  

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZ9drv78dCQ  

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQPUTMU4Lho