Submitted by Stephen LaRosa, Democrats for Sandra 2015
Democrats for
Sandra 2015 spokesman, Steven LaRosa today announced that Democratic
Councilwoman Hope Kasper has added her support and endorsement to Republican Mayoral
Candidate Sandra Russo-Driska. Kasper
was purged from the Democratic ticket in July and forced an unsuccessful
primary bid to remain on the Common Council.
Kasper indicated that she felt her positions taken against current Mayor
Dan Drew led to her getting dumped from the ticket.
“I
am very much supportive of Sandra Russo-Driska becoming the next Mayor of
Middletown.” said Kasper. “I have known
Sandra for years and unlike the current incumbent of the Mayor’s Office, Sandra
doesn’t require a loyalty oath from fellow elected officials as the price for
continued participation. She is
inclusive versus abusive; she embraces new ideas and concepts regardless of
party affiliation; she is collaborative rather than confrontational, and she is
seeking a return of fiscal accountability to the day to day governance of our
municipality.” Kasper
noted that the disrespect shown by Drew has not only targeted her, but also long
time Council Majority Leader and former Democratic Mayor, Thomas J. Serra, Kasper went
on to observe that the current Administration is not watching out for the best
interest of the taxpayers. Specifically
she cited:
·
Drew has
promoted the elimination of retirement Ordinances that have worked well for
City taxpayers and City retirees for the past 60 years that have had no cost to
the taxpayer for at least the last 25 years for general government
workers. Drew acted against the advice
of the City’s Actuary and used general government pension funds to offset the
general operating budget while underfunding the police pension fund.
·
Drew
acted irresponsibly in regards to the safety of police officers and city
employees who utilize the municipal parking garage. Recommendations made by the engineering
report have been ignored. A female employee was injured by
falling concrete, and thousands of dollars have been paid to employees and
others for damage to their cars parked in the lower level of the arcade.
·
Drew
failed to follow through on seeking quotes from the State’s insurance program
now being offered to municipalities; he has failed to provide any information
to the Insurance & Claims Commission regarding the 13 town coalition that
includes Middletown, and no audit information been provided. No questionnaires have gone to employees in an
attempt to cut costs by soliciting their input regarding issues with the
current mail order drug prescription program.
·
Drew has
done nothing to address citizens’ noise complaints, brought forward to the
Public Safety Commission, living in the vicinity of the Higby Police Firing
Range.
·
Drew
permitted the hiring of an employee without approved funding in place an action
brought forward to the Common Council, and also
laid off an employee, a practice that has successfully been avoided for many
years. Meanwhile it was recently
reported that he wants to create a new municipal position of “Waterfront Czar”
at an undisclosed cost to taxpayers.
Kasper concluded, “Middletown cannot afford another
four (4) years of a typical politician in the Mayor’s Office who regularly
displays his arrogance and disdain for the opinions of others, is fiscally
irresponsible and beholden to Dan Malloy and the Hartford political”good old
boys” fraternity. I have worked with
Sandra and know her to be a person of good will and open-mindedness who
understands the need to put people first, not politics. I am confident that
Sandra will devote her considerable energy to making Middletown great rather than be preoccupied with shameless
self-promotion I ask all of those voters
who have graciously supported me through the years to cast their votes for
Sandra. Just this afternoon, a female
supporter of mine showed up at my house with a bouquet of flowers. She said how sorry she was for me and for the
City and questioned what she could do. I
told her to support Sandra in November.”
Republican Mayoral Candidate, Sandra Russo-Driska, was
honored and excited to have the endorsement of Councilwoman Kasper. “I have known Hope throughout my career with
the City. We have always worked together
in the best interests of Middletown, regardless of political affiliation, as
City employees, labor representative, and now as members of the Common
Council. I am both humbled and gratified
to receive Hope’s endorsement, as no one works harder or cares more deeply for
this City than Hope. Her knowledge of
the municipal budget; insurance and claims and the City’s pension system is
considerable, and I expect to call upon her as Mayor to continue to share her
expertise. This endorsement embodies what my campaign is all about - embracing
good ideas, regardless of party and bringing people together to work for the
common good of our community.”
Matthew Lesser left today on a month-long intensive transatlantic fellowship sponsored by the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF).
The Finance and Government Operations Commission has a big job at its meeting tonight (7PM, Room 208, City Hall). Its agenda includes nearly $500k of appropriation, grant and transfer requests, and discussion of several plans that could have significant effects on our city.
The Connecticut League of Conservation Voters has released its annual "environmental scorecard" that rates all of the state elected officials. The results this year were subtly different from previous years, when Representative Matt Lesser consistently received 100% environmental friendly ratings, and Senator Paul Doyle and Representative Joe Serra scored slightly lower.
In the Government Administration and Elections committee Lesser voted in favor of a bill that the CTLCV wrote, "contained inappropriate provisions that would have conveyed 100 acres of Silver Sands State Park in Milford for parking, and provided access to private mining interests to build roads through the ecologically sensitive Quinebaug Wildlife Management area." The bill was later stripped of this controversial provision and was passed in a legislative special session.
