Scarrozzo blasts The Press

Commentary below is a letter of opinion authored by Chairman of the Middletown Republican Town Committee Matt Scarrozzo. It is his opinion only, and does not represent the opinion of The Middletown Eye news blog, the poster of this letter, or any other contributors of the Middletown Eye blog.

As chairman of the Middletown Republican Town Committee (MTC) in response to the letter Ms. Sundqvist published as an editorial [in the Middletown Press] on September 22, 2011. It essentially accused our current Mayor Sebastian Giuliano of misconduct by supporting Christine Bourne’s primary bid and endorsing Dan Drew as Middletown Press’s candidate for Mayor. Now that the primary is over, I cannot let the rumors that the Press is presenting as truths about the Republican candidates go unchallenged. No reference in the editorial did it state, if in fact it was the opinion of the Press or just Editor Viktoria Sundvist’s personal opinion that alleges such wrong doing by Mayor Giuliano. I must point out to the public that the endorsement written by Sundvist stated no reasons for why the Press was endorsing Drew or state for the public’s knowledge what exactly is his platform, no where was there an outline of his platforms printed by Sundqvist.

Dan Drew states his platform if for job creation, tax reduction and improving education. No where have we read what business Mr. Drew claims he owns in Middletown. If the Middletown Press is whole-heartedly endorsing this candidate, why were these key points not outlined in the endorsement? We need to remember that the Democratic Party at this time has the majority on the Common Council that sets the budget; if the budget is too high; this is a direct result of the work of the democratically controlled Council. It was noted in the Press’s endorsement that Ms. Bourne and the city have lawsuits against the BOE but at the same time, it is not mentioned that the BOE is also suing the City of Middletown. Let’s not forget who initiated the very first lawsuit , the Board of Education filed it against the City of Middletown.

This endorsement lacks any journalistic motivation on the part of the Press and head editor Ms. Sundqvist to provide real facts to the public. Ms. Sundvist’s only accomplishment with this piece of fictitious writing is that she has proven herself adept at trolling Facebook and plucking comments out of context at whim. Sundqvist insinuates about scandalous friendships between opposing party professionals, private citizens, and city employees as well as their kin because of handshakes, smiles or tidbits of candor on Facebook and turn it into fodder to fire at those who disagree with her golden calf, Dan Drew. Where is it in the City charter that states once elected, these officials would have to remove themselves from friendships and kin that they have know prior to the election if they are not in the same party . I could insinuate a lot about Sundqvist from her blind devotion and biased writing and her relationship with the Democrats, but I will not. The sad part is that Ms. Sundqvist could have corroborated her story with simple phone calls to verify facts; however, adding to the surmounting evidence that the Press does sloppy and biased journalism that they are selling to the public as fair and balanced news, as many MRTC members have fund, it’s very difficult to get coverage from that Press that requires even minimal effort and writing ability. The Press has a decidedly biased view of politics in Middletown and the public should be aware when reading the Press that they are reading only one side of the story. The “Middletown reporter” for the “Middletown” Press is always on vacation. A rename of the “Occasionally Half of Middletown Press is in order.

It is noticeable to everyone that reporters from the Middletown Press only sporadically attend public meetings, stay for the first ten minutes and the misquote a few people of their choosing and head for the door. Where was the Press Reporter when Chairman Raczka called for a recess and then pulled the TV feed on Ed McKeon while he was speaking at the BOE meeting a week ago? Drew’s endorsement by Working Families stayed up for 5 days on the Press’s website, yet in that time I know for a fact that MRTC members sent letters to the Editor about issues concerning them and none were published or even acknowledge. Council 4 AFSCME endorsed Mayor Giuliano and this received no front page coverage. The MRTC has found that often in the comment section of the online version of the Press, although comments are supposedly “screened”, sexist and derogatory comments against citizen members particularly those opposing the Democratic view allowed to remain for hours. If there is a time gab between when comments are sent for “approval” and posted, why then should the Press allow these vicious comments even for a second?

Want to know some truths about our Mayor you will never read about in our local paper that carries our city’s name. Here are some of what has been accomplished under Giuliano’s administration because of HIS leadership.

• moving forward on joining the Mattabassett District which will open our riverfront. The possibilities will be endless.

• the finishing of the state of the art High School.

• the army training center on industrial park road; best use of that parcel and managed to keep some park space.

• the expansion of the community health center and an anchor to the Northend

• the Mellili parking lot expansion and upgrading

• building a new senior & community center for our seniors.

Bottom line, the public needs to know that when they read the Middletown Press,

are reading one view point, one that which patronizes the local Democrats and rarely bothers to even shed light on views that differ from this. Print subscriptions should be discounted by 50% because the Press, led by Ms. Sundqvist is selling half-truths as news. An editorial is protected under freedom of speech; however an editorial written with lies and allegations is slanderous, and misleading to those who rely on journalists to be accurate. Ms. Sundqvist is allowed her opinion, as I am mine, however we as a community should expect a higher level of journalism from those in the profession. If the Press wants to be biased, fine, just call it a tabloid or novella, and stop misleading the community into thinking they are reading and purchasing a newspaper.

I encourage everyone who wants to hear the many view points of Middletown and get accurately quoted and researched news to read the Middletown Eye Blog, The Middletown Patch, or the Hartford Courant, and skip the Middletown Press and its so called professionalism.

If this letter to the same Editor I am criticizing even makes it to print, it is a step in admitting there is a problem with the Press and that’s at least a start. To find out more about viewpoints and accomplishments of all the MRTC endorsed candidates see our website or come by headquarters and meet us, we are here to serve.

Sincerely, Matt Scarrozzo

Chairman, Middletown Republican Town Committee

Commentary above is a letter of opinion authored by Chairman of the Middletown Republican Town Committee Matt Scarrozzo. It is his opinion only, and does not represent the opinion of The Middletown Eye news blog, the poster of this letter, or any other contributors of the Middletown Eye blog.

Republican Candidates Announced

About 60 people attended tonight's Republican Town Committee (RTC) meeting where the highlight was either the announcement of candidates for the upcoming fall election, or possibly the surprise ending in which Catherine Johnson stated “I didn't know I had to sign the letter” while expressing surprise that she was not being nominated to serve another term on the Planning and Zoning Commission. This came about when, after all the nominees were announced, Mayor Giuliano attempted to take a moment to thank Ms. Johnson for her years of service on Planning and Zoning. He was unable to finish his statement of appreciation when he was interrupted by Ms. Johnson herself, who stood up and claimed not to know that she was not going to be running again. Ms. Johnson also said, "If something changes you are welcome to put my name down. … I have done my very best to make a cross-connection between the sides, but the side that sits on this side wants to stay that way, and it's just a damn shame." After Ms. Johnson spoke for a moment, a few supporters called out solemn-sounding Thank You's to Ms. Johnson, the mood shifted from awkward back to celebratory, and the meeting ended shortly thereafter. Ms. Johnson declined to talk about what had happened saying she was “shell-shocked.” Ryan Kennedy, the Recruitment and Nomination Committee Chairperson, when asked for comment, said “It is the first I heard of it.”

As to those who are running, the candidates are:

Mayor Sebastian Giuliano will run for a fourth term as mayor.

Deputy Mayor Joseph E. Bibisi, incumbent council members David Bauer, Phil Pessina, Deborah Kleckowski and Earle Roberts are running for Common Council, as are new Common Council nominees Linda Salafia, Matthew Fraulino, and Edward Dypa.

Nominees for Board of Education are Callie Grippo, Cheryl McClellan, Kevin Kelly, Alexander Mac Levin and Tami Kapacziewski. For the Planning and Zoning Commisssion, nominees are William Gregorio, Kenneth McClellan, Molly Salafia, and Fred Terasi. Alternates for Planning and Zoning are Ronald Borrelli and Corrine Dorsey. The Board of Assessment and Appeals nominees are Laura Gionfriddo and William Wilson, and finally, Jonathan Pulino is the Republican candidate for city Treasurer.

Of the nominations and upcoming campaign, Councilperson Deborah Kleckowski said, “We have a solid ticket. We will work to move the city forward with the community as a focal point rather than politics as a focal point.”

Ryan Kennedy said, "It was my honor to ...lead the Recruitment Committee once again, and I'm very proud of the fact that we have excellent candidates. We have an entire slate ready to challenge our opponents. We're happy again to have Mayor Giuliano at the head of our ticket."

Prior to the nominees being announced by Ryan Kennedy, some quick business was conducted. Two new members were approved to join the RTC, an invitation to the Italian American Civic Order's 50^th anniversary on October 1^st was announced, and a proposal from Molly Salafia to have a community outreach bulletin board and local charity boxes at the Republican Headquarters was voted on and approved.

In video below: Mayor Giuliano, with the nominees at his side, accepts the nominations on behalf of all nominees.

In video below: a statement from Jonathan Pulino, candidate for City Treasurer.

Republican Town Committee Encourages Residents Interested In Elected Office

The Middletown Republican Town Committee is looking for potential candidates for the November, 2011 Municipal Election to fill possible vacancies for the Common Council, Board of Education, and the Planning & Zoning Commission.

Anyone who is a registered Republican in the City can run for office on the Republican ticket. Committee Chair Matthew Scarrozzo says interested individuals should contact him at 860-795-5055.

Roberts to Run as Independent for Common Council

Councilman Earle Roberts has qualified to run as an Independent for Common Council in November's municipal elections. He has turned in petitions to the City Clerk, and said that she had certified the signatures and forward them to the Secretary of State's Office, Connecticut Elections. He said that he would work hard to make sure that voters would know he was on the ballot, and why he was running, "I'm in it for doing what's the right thing for the city as a whole."

Roberts, an incumbent Republican, was not nominated for the ballot by the Republican Town Committee, which instead renominated three other incumbent Republicans and 5 relative newcomers for Common Council. In an Eye interview, Roberts said that two of his votes in particular had angered the Middletown Republican leadership and led to his ouster from the ticket. He cited the vote on the police contract which Mayor Giuliano had negotiated, when Roberts sided with the 8 Democrats in rejecting the contract. He said the other vote where he did not toe the party line was over the resolution which effectively reprimanded the mayor for allowing a political ally to remove brownstone from a city-owned house that is going to be demolished. In the affair of the brownstone, Roberts cast the deciding vote to allow the resolution to be on the agenda.

Roberts vigorously defended both votes. He pointed out that the police contract went into arbitration, ultimately saving the city considerable money. He said that the brownstone issue would have been raised at the next Council meeting anyway, and he did not want the Republicans to be seen as squelching a discussion of a possible mistake by the Republican mayor.

Roberts said his approach to government was based on "practical values", saying "I'm bringing a common sense approach." He decried the increases in spending by city, state, and federal governments, saying that more is not always better. "My type of politics is that [the answer] shouldn't always be growth, we shouldn't always spend more money and raise taxes."

NOTE: An earlier version of this said that the petitions would go to the Secretary of State. Thanks to an alert reader for catching the mistake. Hillary Clinton does not have anything to do with Roberts' election bid.

Discord at the Republican Town Convention

The Republican Town Committee (RTC) held their nominating convention for this year's municipal elections on Monday evening in City Hall. Ryan Kennedy, representing the candidate Recruitment Committee, read all of the names in nomination, and then the names of those recommended by the Committee. In all cases the recommended candidates were endorsed, but in a rarity, the votes were not all unanimous.

The Candidates

The nomination for Mayor was dispatched quickly, with Sebastian Giuliano receiving unanimous and enthusiastic support for a 3rd term. Giuliano accepted the nomination with brief remarks in which he spoke of the importance of winning over voters who are not Republican, "Fortunately, most of those, Democratic and unaffiliated [voters], share our values." He also spoke of the importance of taking the long view in decisions, "It's our job to look out for those that follow us."

For Planning and Zoning Commission, three seats are open, and the Republicans nominated two incumbents, Ron Borelli and Les Adams. The third nomination went to Nick Fazzino, who currently serves as a P&Z alternate.

Four seats are open on the Board of Education. Incumbents Sheila Daniels and Ryan Kennedy were nominated, together with Stacey Barka and Stephen Gaarder.

The Republicans saved the Common Council for last at their nominating convention. The Recruitment Committee considered 11 names for the 8 positions, recommending incumbents Joseph Bibisi, David Bauer, and Phil Pessina, but passing over incumbent Earle Roberts. They also recommended Deb Kleckowski, the P&Z Commissioner who recently switched her party affiliation to Republican, and nominated Tony Gaunichaux, Michael Marino, Matthew Scarrozzo, and Robert Stefurak.

Roberts was unhappy at being denied a nomination, and rose to make two points. He first asked whether there was any conflict in having another candidate for Common Council nomination (David Bauer) serve on the Recruitment Committee. Kennedy answered that all decisions were by consensus and thus there was no vote in which Bauer cast the deciding ballot. Roberts secondly asked why he was not told of the decision until many days after others had heard from the Committee. Kennedy said that he had phoned Roberts and left a message, so he could tell him the news "man to man" instead of electronically.

The vote for the Common Council slate drew two "Naye" votes, but still passed overwhelmingly.

Afterwards, I asked Roberts if he would be petitioning for a primary. He responded by pointing to the State statutes, which allow him to run as an independent if he gets 70 signatures by August 5th, or to force a Republican primary if he gets a required number of signatures by August 12th. Roberts told me that he was quite upset at being treated this way after all his years of service.

The "Republican Fullfillment Commitment"

The last 10 minutes of the convention were spent discussing two documents that were distributed to all RTC members. Like the work of the great philosophers, the documents discuss the tension between the individual and the party. One delineates in detail the expectations the party has of each candidate, in such areas as fundraising and the number of hours of door to door campaigning. The other discusses what a party member should do when they find themselves in disagreement with the majority of the party:

Disagreements and discord must be reconciled either in the party caucus or at town committee meetings; not on street corners or in the local pubs, and not at public town meetings or in the press.

Should a member, in all good conscience, find that they frequently favor the policy positions of the opposing party, he or she should resign their position recognizing they no longer represent the sentiments of the party that nominated them.

Each of the documents has space for the candidate's signature, the date, and a "Witness". Several of the candidates objected to the rigid expectations of candidates, and questioned whether the documents would be legally enforceable.

After some discussion, most in the room agreed that the documents were really just guidelines, and should serve as internal reminders.

An earlier version of this post mistakenly used Gaarder's middle name as his first. My apologies, this has been corrected above; his first name is a nice one.

Simmons Rallies Republicans

Rob Simmons, former Congressman, and current candidate for the 2010 election of the U.S. Senate seat held by Christopher Dodd, gave a fiery speech to about 35 members of the Republican Town Committee on Monday evening. The Republicans were gathered to nominate candidates for the November municipal elections.

Simmons' speech covered a local issue, the Mayor's request for stimulus package money to fund 8 "shovel-ready" projects. He pointed out that only one project in all of Connecticut had received funding, and most of that funding went to a Massachusetts company. He implied that this problem and others were due to Senator Dodd, "We'll solve that problem by getting rid of our senior Senator, Mr. Dodd."

Simmons spoke of America being ready for Republican values, which he identified as varying kinds of "freedom", but in particular "free enterprise."

Simmons closed with an emphasis on party unity, and a pledge to do all he could to help elect Republicans in the municipal elections. He received a prolonged standing ovation for his remarks.

Republican Convention Tonight

The Republican Town Committee will be holding their nominating convention tonight, at 7PM in Council Chambers.  Candidates for Mayor, City Treasurer, Common Council, Board of Education, Planning and Zoning Commission and Board of Assessment Appeals will be nominated to run on the Republican ticket in the November municipal elections.

The executive committee of the Republican Town Committee has evaluated the qualifications of people who expressed an interest in running. Tonight they will recommend a slate to the committee as a whole, who will then vote to nominate a slate for office.  

Candidates to be chosen this month for November election

Every odd-numbered year in Connecticut brings elections to fill the elected positions in local government. We will vote to elect a Mayor, 12 members of Common Council, and a Treasurer for two-year terms, 3 members of Planning and Zoning, and 4 members of the Board of Education to serve 4 year terms. In addition, there will be elections for 1 Planning and Zoning Alternate and 3 members of the Board of Assessment Appeals.

The two major political parties, Republicans and Democrats, will choose their preferred candidates for the November ballot later this month at nominating conventions. Candidates for office will also be chosen by a newly formed political party in Middletown called the Real Balance Party. Finally, candidates will have an opportunity to get on the ballot through petitioning as an independent candidate.

The Town Committee System

By state law, every town in Connecticut has two "Town Committees", a Democratic and a Republican. Members on the Town Committee are elected, and serve in turn as the nominating convention, choosing the slate of candidates that their party will run in elections for municipal offices. As elected bodies constituted by state law, all meetings of the Town Committees are open to the public.

The Democratic Town Committee consists of 70 people, and includes almost all of those Democrats elected to city offices; an "Advisory Board" is composed of another 35 people. The DTC executive committee is composed of Dan Russo (chair), Ann Tomasso (vice-chair), Sandra Faraci (Secretary), John Kasper (Treasurer), and James Streeto (Parliamentarian). The Democratic Town Committee meets on the third Thursday of every month at 7PM in Council Chambers.

The Republican Town Committee consists of about 50 people, and also includes many elected officials. The RTC executive committee is composed of David Bauer (chair), Les Adams (Vice Chair), Helen Landry (Secretary), and Laura Gionfriddo (Treasurer). The Republican Town Committee meets on the last Monday of every month at 7PM in Council Chambers.

Democratic Party not seeking new candidates
The Democratic Town Committee will hold a convention on July 21st to choose their slate of candidates. These candidates will be selected from those who have submitted a letter to the Committee, stating an interest in running. Faraci told me that candidates could send the letter either to Russo, or to her (votefaraci@aol.com). She said that the executive committee of the DTC would be interviewing potential candidates until about July 17th, and then recommend a slate to the full Town Committee.

Faraci and Russo both told me that the DTC routinely has given full support to the slate recommended by the leadership. According to state law, if a candidate gets 15% or more of the votes in the Town Committee convention, then there must be a party primary to choose the candidates for the ballot in November. Candidates can also force a primary by submitting petitions to the Secretary of State's office. But according to Faraci, there has not been a primary for municipal elections on the Democratic side for 30-40 years. Russo told me, "Primaries can be harmful to the process."

Russo said that the executive committee evaluates candidates based on how much involvement they have shown in Democratic campaigns in the past. He encouraged people to step forward and become involved, "Serving on [appointed] boards or commissions, helping with campaigns, those will bring people to the attention of the rest of the Democratic Town Committee."

Russo indicated that the party was not looking for people to run for office. He noted that young Democrats like Matt Lesser and Dan Drew have stepped forward to become involved, and that there were many more people interested in running than there were possible seats for them to run for. In addition, as the Democrats have held the maximum allowed number of seats on Middletown boards and commissions in recent years, there are many incumbents. DTC chair Dan Russo said, "We have a depth of experience and interest that I am very pleased with."

Republican Party looking for interested residents
The Republican Town Committee will choose its candidates at a nominating convention on July 27th. The executive committee will interview people who have expressed an interest in running, and then recommend a slate to the Town committee for approval.

Bauer said that the Republicans are very interested in getting new people involved in municipal governance. In a press release, the Town Committee wrote, "The Middletown Republican Town Committee is actively seeking Middletown Folks who are interested in creating change for Middletown by running and becoming elected officials, .... please contact Ryan Kennedy at voteryan06@yahoo.com."

Bauer told me that there are currently more people who have expressed an interest in running than there are positions available. He said that all possible candidates will be treated equally and without any pre-judging of who should be on the ticket. After all the interviews, the executive committee will evaluate the entire list of potential candidates and recommend the best possible slate.

He said the criteria would include the background of individuals, their experience in the community and with government, their interest and energy, and if it was for a prominent post, their leadership capabilities. He said that if the potential candidate is an incumbent, they would be asked what they have accomplished, and if a challenger, what they hoped to accomplish. Bauer listed their "ability to play as a team" as the last criteria which the executive committee would use to evaluate candidates.

Other routes to the ballot
A new political party in Middletown has formed this year, and hopes to field candidates for most municipal offices. Rae Johnson, who announced in February that she is running for Mayor, and John Kilian have formally created the Realistic Balance party. Pearl Williams, elections officer in the Secretary of State's Office, told me that The Realistic Balance Party has qualified as a minority party and will appear on the ballot this November. In addition to Johnson for mayor, Kilian said he will be on the ballot for the Board of Education. They told me that people interested in running on the Realistic Balance ticket for other offices should contact Kilian (john@kilian.com).

The final route to appearing on the November ballot is to be a "petition candidate", running without party affiliation. This requires filing petitions with the Secretary of State's office by August 5th. The number of signatures required is 1% of the number of people who cast ballots for a given position in the last election. For most positions on the ballot, about 7,000 votes were cast in 2007, thus it takes 70 valid signatures to be on the ballot this year.