Wesleyan Democrat President/ DTC Member Admits to Some False Allegations by Fellow Wes Dem

Mansoor Alam, Wesleyan student who was the sole protester in Hartford Tuesday at a demonstration to object to the appointment of Sebastian Giuliano to the SEEC, in a letter by Ben Florsheim says Alam accused Giuliano of various acts of voter suppression in statements he made to media at the event. In a letter to Gregory B. Hladky of the news website Ct.com Wesleyan Democrat President and new member of the local Middletown Democratic Town Committee student Ben Florsheim dismisses some of Alam's statement's but still maintains his original accusations of Giuliano of violations of CT statutes and suggests voter intimidation and suppression. Florsheim maintains others spoke about ramifications of the voter registration process that in his opinion constitute wrong doing and were solely responsible for below anticipated student voter turn out. Also in the complaint letter to the SEEC, Florsheim alludes to his subsequent accusation of Officer Tom Sebold and then candidate Molly Salafia of voter intimidation ( a felony) based on their statements of the possible enforcement of local car tax as a result of changing of student's permanent address thru the process of voter registration; a contradiction to Florsheim's original letter published in the Patch, Argus, and Eye where he states:"Additionally, car taxes only apply to that small minority of Connecticut-registered vehicles at Wesleyan that are in the name of the student (as opposed to their parents). " This tax could be enforced by following thru with the state statute's stipulation (C.G.S. 14-36(b)(2) that the car's registration is changed to be consistent with the domicile Middletown address as listed on the voter registration form. Registering to vote is one step in changing a person's permanent address. It appears that Florsheim originally agreed with Sebold and Salafia in his statement; but contradicts this statement and suggests their statements as fraudulent in his complaint regarding Giuliano's appointment to the SEEC. The Wesleying.org blog applauds Florsheim's and the Wesleyan Democrats efforts to delay Giuliano's appointment. Florsheim wrote the following letter to the web author:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Mr. Hladky,

As someone who has been involved in the filing of a complaint with the SEEC over Sebastian

Giuliano's appointment, I wanted to offer a clarification due to some things that Mansoor Alam apparently said at today's sparsely-attended protest at the offices of that organization. According to your article, Mr. Alam said or implied that Mr. Giuliano falsely claimed students would be subject to new taxes for registering to vote; that Wesleyan mailboxes were not acceptable for use on a voter registration form; and that voter registrations were thrown out. He misspoke on these counts.

First of all, Mr. Giuliano did not claim that students would be subject to new taxes, though this claim was made by other individuals. The implication that he did is not an accurate reflection of the complaint that was submitted today to the SEEC by Paulina Jones, nor of the position of Wesleyan University or the Wesleyan Democrats.

Second, Mr. Giuliano did indeed make the alleged claim about Wesleyan mailboxes-- and the claim was correct. The issue, as detailed in the complaint which will be subject to review and scrutiny shortly, had nothing to do with the state policy that these mailboxes are not sufficient for voting purposes and everything to do with how this matter was communicated to students who erroneously used them on their forms. Again, this is made entirely clear in the complaint itself, and Mr. Alam's statement does not accurately reflect its content.

Finally, voter registration forms were not thrown out, though it appeared briefly that they would be. The Office of the Registrars of Voters implied as such to the Middletown Press in late October, but later reversed its decision.

The complaint clearly alleges violations only of Connecticut General Statutes 9-363 and 9-364, which deal with misleading and influencing statements regarding voting. Any implication made today that it went beyond that, including by alleging threats of punitive taxes or rejection or registration forms, was an unfortunate misstatement, nothing more. I regret that it has become a complicating factor in our attempt to appropriately address this serious matter.

Please accept my apologies for any confusion that this may have caused, and my appreciation for your coverage of this important issue.

Sincerely,
Ben Florsheim, President
Wesleyan Democrats

Candidate Profile: Joyce Rossitter (D) Planning & Zoning

The below information is a part of the Eye's Elections 2011 series to provide information to voting citizens and does not represent any endorsement by the Middletown Eye or any of its authors.

Joyce Rossitter

Democratic Candidate for the Middletown Planning and Zoning Commission

Participating in the planning of a future Middletown as a member of the Planning and Zoning Commission is a responsibility that as a long time resident I feel qualified to do.

As a former newspaper correspondent, I reported on numerous meetings of planning and zoning commissions learning the concepts and vocabulary as well as the difficulties involved.

My involvement in Middletown includes teaching English as a Second Language for many years in the Middletown Adult Education program; being active in Wesleyan Hills, a planned community of 575 homes (currently president of its association); participating in a study conducted by the Greater Middletown League of Women Voters on mass transit which resulted in my being named to the first Middletown Transit District; and a League study of nuclear waste which led to my serving on the Connecticut Yankee Community Decommissioning Advisory Committee.

A Response to 450 Wes Students Registered to Vote by Local Democrats

Information below is an opinion letter, not necessarily the view of the other Eye authors nor the view of the Eye. Responsibility is placed on the author of the opinion piece and is published as a courtesy.

Hello All,

This week the Patch is reporting that over 450 Wes students have been registered by the local Dem's to vote in the local election. YES- participation in government is good and encouraged. WE want students to participate locally. However, the alternative view on this is that these students are not choosing people who necessarily the popular vote of the permanent residents would be choosing. In the late 1980's, Paul Gionfriddo's mayoral campaign made a valiant effort to mass register Wes students. He won that election, ironically "some say" that he was not the 'hometown" favorite of those who own property, live, work, and raise children here. There is no way to measure other than word of mouth at the time and claims by both parties on voter feed back.

I was present when Mayor Giuliano gave a speech to the Wesleyan Republicans saying he encouraged students to participate in local government, if they truly showed concern for citizens here and made educated decisions. He encouraged them to get active in Middletown culture and activities. Alex Levin is running for BOE on the same ticket as me and he is a student at Wesleyan who plans to stay for the long haul and serve if elected.It is of my opinion, not that of my party or that of the Mayor, but my own, that when a particular candidate lines up shuttles to drive students to the polls, & works with only single party organizing the effort ( ie College Democrats & The Local Democratic Town Commitee) not a bipartisan group on campus (Democracy Matters), he is sending the message that he Dan Drew does not believe Middletown residents are educated & smart enough to make decisions about who they want elected for themselves.

These students have also not been educated, from my understanding, to the fact that by changing their permanent address to Middletown, they are now subject to local car tax and possibly state income tax.

A plea to Wesleyan students: Not long ago, I too was a college student in a small City. I have had Wesleyan students and professors as roommates since becoming a home owner right around the corner from campus. I love going to Wesleyan concerts especially Taiko Drumming. Please be careful when you vote; use your head, be kind & keep citizens at the front of your mind rather than party affiliation. Realize your vote may weigh more than you know. There are real families attached to every decision you make.

As many letters during election season are written by the party and signed randomly with a name, I decided to skip that and sign my own name.

Food for thought- Thank you!

Molly Salafia, Assoc, AIA, LEED GA - a really annoyed citizen, and yes (R) candidate for P&Z

and author of the really annoying cartoons people love to hate.

A Letter to the Eye by Jon Pulino (R) for Treasurer

Disclaimer: Commentary below is a letter written to the Eye and authored by Jon Pulino, who is a Republican candidate running for Treasurer. It is his opinion only, not necessarily the opinion of the poster of this letter, or any other members of the Middletown Eye Blog. Opinions, and claims discussed are the sole responsibility of Jon Pulino.
--------------------------
Dear People,
I am a member of the Middletown Republican Town Committee. Did that scare you? Unlike the members of the Democrat Town Committee, I say and do what I want when I want. I have never been told what to say on public access television by any member of the organization. I don't always follow the so-called national Republican agenda, but I have always said what I wanted on my political satire program, “The Edge,” which airs live the fourth Tuesday on Comcast channel 15. I also appear on Billy Wilson's “The Variety Show” another live show that airs the 1st Friday of every month on channel 15/Comcast. Our shows unlike the Dem programs, which don't even take phone calls, encourage the opposition to call or appear on the show and vocalize their opinions; sadly The Middletown Press, once a great paper under the Duetch Brothers doesn't abide by that. According to Victoria Sundqvisgt in a response to my e-mail about not carrying any coverage of the Drew/Santangelo moderator ordeal: “Yes, we are hoping to do something on it (Drew moderator ordeal) first thing Monday. I am currently on vacation and our Middletwon Reporter left last week, so we are scrambling to get everything covered that needs to get covered- or anything at all for that matter. Tomorrow there will be someone on staff from the New Haven Register in our office to help us out.”

That being said, I have constantly invited guests from the Democrats, the Green Party, The Republicans and the Realistic Balance (RB) on the program. Recently, I had on Fred Carroll, a candidate for Common Council (good for you Fred) from the RB party the same night I had on sitting Councilwoman Debbie Kleckowski- that is how television should be. In attempting to be fair -unlike The Middletown Press- I invited a few candidates from the Democrats to sit at the table and discuss the issues or anything that is happening in town, the usual response was: “Uh, Pulino, I would love to, but they might get mad at me.” I found this response quite strange from a party that supposedly prides itself on being liberal and standing up for the little people. The irony is written all over their faces, they are scared and refuse to do anything that will rock the boat within their own parties. A majority of the key MDTC members are scared of ending up like the aforementioned Ms. Kleckowski, a Planning and Zoning Commissioner that voted ala David Bauer:How she wanted on the issues despite the party line! Where did that get her? The Democrats tossed her off the ticket and felt that Debbie should spend more time with her children. Ms. Kleckowski thus became a Republican and was elected as to the common council a few months later. Bravo! Ms. Kleckowski isn't the only Dem that was removed for improper behavior over the year. Don't take it from me do you own homework on that one, but ask yourself who stands to gain if Drew and Dems take full power?

To Digress: Lay off Robin Goss unless your put your money where your mouth is and reveal to the public who you are. One of the posters stated: “Seems she just came on the scene within the last year and now is everywhere.” If one changes the pronoun she to he you end up with Dan Drew.

If anybody has an issue with what I wrote or what I have to say you have three options: A) Appear on my public access show in a few weeks. B) Go to my Facebook Page - Jon For Treasurer 2011 or C) Call me on my cell phone at 860-301-2307.

Jonathan Pulino
Republican Candidate for City Treasurer

Democratic Town Committee Nominates Dan Drew For Mayor

The Democratic Town Committee last night met for their biennial convention to nominate candidates for Municipal elected offices. The cool Council Chambers was full, as almost all candidates and much of the Town Committee attended. The assembled enthusiastically endorsed their standard bearer of two years ago, Dan Drew.

Drew had said he would remain engaged in Middletown politics after losing his first race for Mayor. Councilman James Streeto said of him then, "I'm sure we haven't heard the end of Dan Drew."

Drew has fulfilled that prophecy, serving as an appointed Council member, and announcing in April that he would again run for mayor.
Council member Tom Serra enthusiastically nominated Drew. Serra started by wistfully recalling when he and Gerry Daley first stood for election 36 years ago. He said Drew "has wisdom and intelligence beyond his years." Serra praised his ability to listen, "He asks opinions of his fellow council individuals. ... If he's a mayor with our council he's going to do good things for our city."

Drew's nomination was seconded by Council members Daley and Robert Santangelo, by State Representatives Joe Serra and Matt Lesser, and by new Council candidate Todd Berch. Joe Serra and Lesser expressed their desire to work with a mayor from their own political party, Serra said, "When the legislative delegation comes to Middletown to see what the city wants, we don't have to watch our backs."

Drew graciously accepted the nomination for Mayor. He devoted most of his 3-minute speech to the issue of communication, calling for an end to the name-calling, demagoguery and ultimatums that fills the air in Washington, and he said was increasingly part of Middletown's politics.

"We need a return to civility, a return to the negotiation table, and the willingness to show respect and restraint through our differences. I don't think it's constructive to demonize the Republican party or scapegoat our civil servants for this recession or go to court to solve every internal problem we face."

He also highlighted issues which are traditionally associated with Democratic candidates for state-wide office, but which have not typically been issues which define Democrat-Republican differences in Middletown. He called for more support for the arts, for public transportation, for commuting by bicycle or foot, and for enironmentally sound public policy.

Drew received a prolonged standing ovation from the assembled Democrats.

Two New Candidates Join Democratic Slate For Council

Mary Bartolotta and Todd Berch are the first new candidates running on the Democratic slate for Common Council in many years. They will join longtime council members Gerald Daley, Grady Faulkner, Hope Kasper, Ron Klattenberg, Robert Santangelo, and Tom Serra on the ballot.

Bartolotta was elected Fire Commissioner of the South Fire District last year. She said she has been attending municipal meetings such as the Public Safety Commission, and Planning and Zoning, and this had inspired her to become more involved. She expressed a desire to involve the public more in governance. Bartolotta declined to offer any specific differences between what she would do and what the council has been doing for the past two years, "I'm hoping that I can improve communication and move forward in a positive manner."

Berch has campaigned for other Middletown candidates, serving as treasurer for the campaign of Matt Lesser last year. He told me, "I've been wanting to serve the city for quite a while." When I asked him what his positions would be on the council, he said that he would first meet with the other Council candidates, "I don't wish to comment [at this time]."

There was unanimous endorsement of all but one of the Council candidates. Former Democratic Town Committee chair Dan Russo pointedly announced that he would abstain in the vote for the nomination of Klattenberg. Klattenberg was the only candidate not present at the convention, chair of the Town Committee Lisa Santangelo explained that he was sailing.

New Faces For Board Of Education And Planning & Zoning

The Democratic Town Committee endorsed five candidates for the Board of Education at their nominating convention tonight. There is likely to be substantial turnover in November, as none of the existing Board members whose terms were expiring decided to run again.

The Democratic nominees are Franca Acuri Biales, Ava Marie Hart, Edward M. McKeon, Eugene P. Nocera, and Mitchell G. Wynn. Chair of the Democratic Town Committee Lisa Santangelo said that two of these had been through the school's parent leadership training program, and that several currently have children in the school district.

For Planning and Zoning, the Democratic nominees are Carl Chisem, who served on P&Z in the 1990s, Michael Johnson and Richard Pelletier, currently on the Commission, Joyce Rossitter, chair of the Greater Middletown League of Women Voters, Elizabeth Emery, longtime participant in Planning and Zoning hearings, and Gary Faraci, a lifelong resident of Middletown.

A Bird's Eye View of the Inaugural Ball

If you've been waiting 23 years to elect a Democratic governor, you might as well throw a party.

The First Governor's Foot Guard hosted the show.

The event was funded through private ticket sales, which were available to any member of the public.

Mrs. Malloy insisted on fresh flowers on the tables.

Middletown Democrats were well-represented and looked great in their gowns and tuxes.

Legislative leaders were in abundance.

The gowns, glitz and smiles just sparkled.

It was a pretty cool party.

Democrats Nominate Joe Serra for State Representative

The Democratic Town Committee met on Thursday evening as a nominating convention for the offices of Democratic Registrar of Voters and State Rep. in the 33rd District. Sandra Faraci and Joseph Serra were nominated, each unanimously, to continue their service in those positions.

Registrar of Voters.

Sandra Faraci was nominated by Council Majority Leader Tom Serra. Serra lauded her 27 years on the Democratic Town Committee and praised her as a "long-time friend of the Serra family." Dan Drew, Dan Russo, and Joe Serra each seconded the nomination. Russo praised the running of the Middletown Registrar's office,

saying it "always comes through with glowing accolades."

Faraci graciously accepted the praise, and the flowers delivered by Ted Raczka. She said, "It's my honor to serve all the Democrats in Middletown."

State Representative for the 33rd District

Although Middletown is represented in 4 different State Legislative and 2 different State Senate districts, only the 33rd Legislative district is entirely within Middletown. Joe Serra has represented this district since 1992.

Serra was nominated for a 10th term by Councilman Gerry Daley. Daley said of Serra, "He's truly been a really good legislator." Daley gave three highlights of Serra's work as a legislator. He said that Serra was responsible for the $8M sewer extension, "that opened up development in the South end of town..." He said that in the most recent legislative session, Serra helped to resolve a tax issue for the A.M.E. Zion church, and helped Middletown postpone a property assessment.

Daley's nomination was seconded by Tom Serra, Dan Russo, Christine Bourne, Representative Matt Lesser, and former mayoral candidate Dan Drew. All spoke about Joe Serra's connection to the people of Middletown. Tom Serra, "My brother knows everybody in Middletown." Bourne recalled how her grandmother worked with Serra in City Hall. Lesser called Serra a mentor to him as he learned his way as a first year legislator. All spoke of Serra's quiet but effective work. Russo said, "He serves Middletown in ways that people don't know."

Serra rose to accept the nomination and thanked the Town Committee for their support. He said the next two years were critical for Middletown because of the budget problems facing the state. He went on to talk about his work in securing an appropriation for an Alzheimer's respite center, the ConnPace prescription drug benefit program for seniors, and legislation which requires a background check for all home health care workers.

Serra said he always enjoyed helping people, "I always try to put myself in their position." He credited people skills for his effectiveness in Hartford, saying that other legislators trusted him. He also credited voters for re-electing him, "Voters are a lot smarter than politicians think they are."

Contentious Leadership election at Democratic Town Committee Meeting Thursday

The Democratic Town Committee will elect their leaders for the coming two years at a meeting Thursday evening (7PM, Police Department Community Room). Two candidates are vying for the office of chair, Dan Russo and Elizabeth Santangelo.

Russo, the chair of the DTC for the past 6 years, has been challenged by Santangelo. All eight Democrats on the Common Council signed a letter sent to the members of the DTC, expressing their opposition to Russo as chair. They cited the failure to elect a Democratic Mayor and called for someone who would work effectively with the Democrats on the Common Council.

The Council Democrats expressed their support for Ann Tommasi to continue as Vice-Chair, Sandra Faraci to continue as Secretary, James Streeto as Parliamentarian, and proposed that Grady Faulkner become Treasurer.

Voting for the leadership positions will be by open ballot. In response to a request from Streeto to the Legal Counsel for the Democratic State Central Committee, Kevin Reynolds wrote, "Pursuant to Connecticut Democratic Party Rules, secret ballots are prohibited when those voting are acting in a representative capacity, such as a town committee member. The logic behind this rule is that a member's constituents have an absolute right to know how their members voted."

All meetings of the DTC are open to any registered Democrat.

The DTC will also be electing delegates to a variety of state and regional conventions. These delegates will nominate Democratic candidates for U.S. Senator, Governor and other statewide offices, and for State Legislators whose district includes more than one municipality.

Council Democrats Call for a New Town Committee Chair

In a letter sent to the members of the Democratic Town Committee, all eight Democrats on the Common Council called for Dan Russo to be replaced as chair of the Democratic Town Committee by Lisa Santangelo. The Council Democrats said that Santangelo was responsible for the largest fundraiser in their most recent campaign, and is known throughout the city for her role in the Harbor Park restoration and in the Community Conversations.

The Democrats expressed their concern about the future of Middletown if Mayor Giuliano continues as mayor beyond this term, "If the Mayor wins a fourth term, he will surely have the opportunity to rule - and ruin - our City that will be unprecedented. In fact, he will become the longest serving Republican Mayor in Middletown history."

They pointed to Giuliano's three electoral victories and Governor Rell's victory in Middletown in 2006, and said that Russo must be held accountable for these failures. They also assailed Russo's approach to leadership and his support for Joe Lieberman, "We believe we need a Town Chair who will be more involved in the entire Town Committee and not take controversial positions on issues, such as supporting an independent candidate for U.S. Senate and nominating himself as Chair of Planning & Zoning, without Town Committee support."

The Council members called for a Town Chair who could "work effectively with the Democratic Common Council majority."

The letter (full text here) was signed by all eight Democrats: Thomas Serra, Ronald Klattenberg, Gerald Daley, Grady Faulkner, Hope Kasper, Vincent Loffredo, Robert Santangelo (husband of Lisa), and James Streeto.

Election of the leadership of the Town Committee for the coming two years will occur at their March meeting.

Democratic Campaign Contributors

Candidates for election are required to disclose to the public the source of their campaign contributions. The information on candidates for State positions is readily available on the Secretary of State's Campaign Reporting Information System, and the information on candidates for Federal positions can be found on many different websites (Federal Election Commission, for example).

The municipal campaign finance statements are technically just as open, but since they are only available on paper at the Town Clerk's office, very few people read them. In a previous post I listed the names of major contributors to the successful reelection of Mayor Giuliano. This post covers the campaign finance statements of the "Middletown Democrats 2009", which supported the campaigns of Democratic candidates for Common Council, Planning and Zoning, and the Board of Education.

The Democrats raised and spent a total of $13,698 for their highly successful reelection campaigns for the non-mayoral candidates.

Here is a brief description of the top donors:

• Gerald Daley, Ronald Klattenberg, Vincent Loffredo, and Tom Serra are members of the Common Council. Elizabeth Santangelo is married to Robert Santangelo, also a council member.
• William Grady and Judith Russo were candidates for the Board of Education.
• Dan Russo is the chair of the Democratic Town Committee and was a candidate for P&Z.
• The Central Connecticut Carpenters local is a union.

Listed below are all the donors who gave more than $200. I have compiled a fuller list, which includes all donors who gave $100 or more, along with the listed occupation for each donor, available here.

Name City Company Amount Gerald Daley Middletown HR Admin, State of CT 750 Donna Galluzzo Durham Home Health Strategies 750 William Grady Middletown Self, Attorney 750 Ronald Klattenberg Middletown Retired, North East Utilities 750 Vincent Loffredo Middletown CT Education Association 750 Dan Russo Middletown Attorney 750 Maria Sanchez Middletown American Savings Fouundation 750 Elizabeth Santangelo Middletown Consultant 750 Thomas Serra Middletown Retired 750 Central CT Carpenters Local 24 Yalesville 500 Judith Russo Middletown Homemaker 500 Kathryn Antonucci Middletown Middletown Schools 300 Grady Faulkner Middletown Accountant, Adecco 250 Jennette Faulkner Middletown Instructor, self employed 250 Friend for Gregory Meeks Jamaica, NY 250 Theodore Raczka Middletown Attorney 250 Michael J. Walsh Bloomfield Moukawsler & Walsh, LLC 250 Stephen Glinn Simsbury Pratt & Whitney 200

Jane Reif Middletown Retired 200