Voting at Macdonough

I'm going to go out on a limb here and make a prediction:

Big voter turnout today!!!

My spouse was #157 at 6:30 am at the polls at Macdonough School in the North End. It's a pretty small district and I don't think they'd ever seen a turnout like that.

My brother-in-law from Virginia got to the polls at 5:50 am. There were hundreds of people in line, and he waited more than an hour to cast his vote.

Wow.

Dispatches from the polls - Morning at Moody

Moody School, which hosts voting for Districts 4 and 5, was bustling as early as 5:00 AM this morning. At 5:45, when I arrived, there were already 30 people in line waiting to vote. Only one of them had come in past years to vote at the opening of the polls, and she told me that the most she has ever seen at 6:00AM in previous years was two people. Jennifer Mahr, staffing a PTA table groaning with delicious baked goods, said that there was somebody waiting to vote when she arrived at 5:00.

Today, by the time the polls opened, there were 60 people in line. Despite confusion ("which district am I in?"), the people were enthusiastic and cheerful while waiting in line. In the line were people who had followed news of voting lines in other states for early voting and were afraid that later lines would be far worse. There were also many people who had been waiting in desperation to cast a vote for president, some for the first time. One lady told all around her, "It is not success that counts, it is the process of working to overcome adversity that counts. We've got a lot of adversity to overcome in this election."

It took 15 minutes for me to cast my vote, which was the 32nd in my district. As I left, the Moody school parking lot was completely full, and the line was getting longer and longer.

Update
At 8:30 the long lines had dissipated, replaced by a steady stream of voters. The early voters included not only people who had to be at work early, but also those worried that later lines would be even worse. Those fears seem so far to be unfounded, and voting was proceeding very smoothly at Moody School.

Matt Lesser had 4 volunteers encouraging voters to vote for him, and Ralph Capenera also had a campaigner present. The campaign workers were stunned when I told them how many voters they had missed by arriving late at Moody.

Voting at District 14 - Senior Center William St

(The first Wesleyan students to vote at the polling place on Williams Street)

In my eight years of voting early in the morning at the Senior Center on William Street, I've never experienced a wait, much less a line.

A line of about 40 people greeted me when I arrived shortly after 6 a.m. I encountered the first Wesleyan students to vote (other than absentee ballot, of course), and witnessed the voter in front of me who wasn't on the voting list (she was instructed to check at Snow School to see if she was still registered at her old address, before she considered voting on a provisional ballot.)

Common Council - November 3

Monday evening’s Common Council meeting did not have a marquee bout or momentous decisions with which to draw the public downtown on the eve before election day. Nevertheless, two dozen high school students and a dozen other interested members of the public observed amicable council members conduct several important items of business.

Riverview Parking Garage replacement
Funds for design of a new 3-story parking garage and a deck behind the Police Station were approved. $480,000 were set aside from the general fund as a loan for the engineering design and development of plans. This loan is to be repaid upon receipt of Federal grant funds, part of $17M in the 2005 Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU, do the Feds have an acronym czar?). Virtually all of the council members supported this expenditure, noting that downtown needed more parking, and that the existing garage was old enough to begin to be a hazard. Councilman Pessina urged the city to look at transportation creatively, including alternative forms of transporation. Bill Warner, Director of Planning, said that after the garage, most of the Federal money would be available for transit improvements. He indicated that once the parking garage issue is settled, the city would look at light rail viability, at increasing the number of bicycle routes, and at forging connections between bicycles and buses. The sole dissenting vote on setting aside money for the parking garage design was from David Bauer, who expressed his concern that high gasoline prices and a changing economy will make parking a problem of the past.

The grant money from the Federal Government is contingent upon 20% matching funds from the city and state. Warner indicated that if the engineering and design went well, the city would be in a position to put a bond referendum before the voters in 2010, to fund part of the non-federal portion.

Sale of the former Remington Rand property
The Mayor was authorized to execute the sale of the Remington Rand building and associated property to TWB properties, LLC (for $1.2M). Several council members expressed their admiration for the developer and his plans. John Hall, of the Jonah Center for Earth and Art, expressed his support for the sale, noting that the Jonah Center is interested in the highest possible use of that building, and the developer is committed to using the building well. Bill Warner tried to allay concerns over one of the financial aspects of selling the property. The city technically will be obligated to reimburse the state for money that it invested in the building, and with the current state budgetary shortfall, there is concern that the state may not waive this reimbursement requirement. Warner assured the council members that the State Department of Economic and Community Development would view this sale extremely favorably, and he anticipated that the waiver of the reimbursement requirement would be forthcoming. The Council crossed its collective fingers, knowing that this reimbursement has already been allocated in this year’s budget. The sole dissenting vote on authorizing the mayor to execute the sale was from David Bauer.

LEED certification tax credit.
The Council unanimously approved amending the Code of Ordinances to offer Tax Abatements for construction which achieves Leadership in Energy and Environment (LEED) certification. LEED is a voluntary program which evaluates the environmental impact of new construction for residential, commercial, and industrial uses. Jennifer Weymouth, who worked as a volunteer intern in the Planning Department, helped develop a tax abatement program for Middletown to promote sustainable building practices. This program will provide a 10% exemption from real estate tax to all buildings with an assessed value of over $5M that are certified as Gold or Platinum, and the same exemption to buildings certified as Silver but valued at less than $5M. Ms. Weymouth, who did this work while pursuing her masters from Antioch University of New England, was profusely thanked by Warner and by Council Members, for her effort on this initiative. Middletown is the first city in Connecticut to provide an incentive for LEEDS certification, and there is hope that companies seeking to construct sustainable buildings will use this incentive to come to Middletown.

In other business, Ryan Kennedy (Republican) was appointed to the Board of Education. He will be filling the seat of Barbara Weiss, who served as a distinguished member of the Board of Ed for many years, but who has now moved to Cromwell. The council also approved a change in the ordinance regarding the delivery of notice and agenda for regular meetings of the Council. Individual council members will now have the right to waive the delivery of Council information by the police. For special meetings, Council members will have the right to use electronic mail instead of telegram to waive the special police delivery.

Music of Nature and Beauty and Jazz for Voters

That's German and Klavdia Khatylaev. They hail from the Republic of Sakha in Russian Siberia. The music they perform and the clothes they wear hearken back many centuries. many of the instruments tbey employ in their program are as foreign to us as their music.

They are coming to Wesleyan's World Music Hall (Wyllys Avenue) this Wednesday November 5 for an 8 p.m. concert. The show, part of the year-long Feet to the Fire study of climate change through science and art, will illustrate one how this particular culture is connected to the land. The instruments are hand-made and they sing about the challenges of everyday life in a (mostly) agrarian society. Joining the duo for the show (part of their first tour of the United States and Mexico) is fellow tribesperson Maria Osipova.

For ticket information, go to www.wesleyan.edu/cfa or call 860-685-3355. To lear more about this fascinating music and culture, go to www.khatylaev.sakhaopenworld.org/.

Anthea Kreston is a violist/violinist with the Amelia Piano Trio (a force to be reckoned with in the chamber music world), an educator, and, lucky for us, a resident of Middletown. She and cellist Jason Duckles moved to the area because they both had teaching gigs nearby and it was easy to get to Boston, New York and Philadelphia. But, what sold Anthea on Middletown was the Russell Library and its prime position in the city.

This Saturday (11/8)), Anthea will perform a concert of French Sonatas at 2 p.m. in the Hubbard Room of The Russell Library. With accompanist Benjamin Harding (piano), she'll perform works by Leclair, Debussy, Franck and Messiaen. She's a fine musician with a tone that is rich and sonorous, with great technique that is rarely use for show. Thank to the Library, this concert is free and open to the public. For more information, call 347-2528, extension 135.


Trevor Davis, drummer, activist, and involved real estate person, is starting a Tuesday Night Jazz series at Public, 337 Main Street. This week (tomorrow night, in fact), there's a special Election Night show from 5 - 9 p.m., sponsored by the Middlesex Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals and Creative Juice. Wear your "I Voted Today" sticker and you get a free beer or glass of wine. Providing the music will be Trevor Davis & Friends. So, before you go home to sweat out the results, relax with friends, artists and other voters. For more information, go to www.publicct.com.

Election Question: Changes in the City Charter

One of the questions you'll be faced with in the voting booth tomorrow is whether to approve changes in the city charter.

Here, in full, are those changes. Changes in boldface type.

Thanks to Norman Danner for making them available to the Eye.

CHAPTER III THE COMMON COUNCIL

SECTION 4 AUTHORITY OF THE COMMON COUNCIL

The Common Council shall have the powers and duties which, on the effective date of this Charter, were conferred by law upon boards, officers and commissions of the City existing immediately prior to said date, excepting, as otherwise provided in, or inconsistent with this Charter and amendments thereto, or established by General or Special Acts of the General Assembly. The Common Council shall be the legislative body of the City. Said Council shall have the power, authority and duty by a majority vote of those members present and voting to make such bylaws and ordinances and to adopt such resolutions as are deemed necessary for the conduct of the City’s business, subject to the provision for hearings as provided herein, and not inconsistent with the laws of the State of Connecticut and/or of the United States; to levy taxes as provided herein; to regulate the borrowing of money by the City; to adopt a budget for ach fiscal year subject to the provisions herein; to authorize the issue of such bonds or notes as are required for the conduct of the City’s business and other purposes as provided herein; to appropriate such funds as may be required for the proper conduct of the City’s business; to determine and appropriate such salaries, expenses, compensation or other sums to be paid to all elected officials, including the stipend to be received by members of the Common Council, provided such salaries, expenses, compensation or other sums shall not take effect before 12:00 Noon the Tuesday following the next biennial municipal election; to review and approve all contracts, including agreements to settle litigation against the City, or those memoranda of agreement with collective bargaining units that meet the following criteria, which create a financial responsibility, on the current or any future City budget, which have not previously been approved by the Council through the budgetary process and authorize the Mayor to sign the same on behalf of the City; and it shall have such other powers appropriate to the exercise of its authority as the legislative body of the City and such powers and duties which, on the effective date of this Charter, were conferred by law. In addition to all other powers, the Common Council shall have the power to make appropriations for all things necessary or desirable to protect the City from fire, including but not limited to, appropriations for the Middletown Fire District, the South Fire District of the City of Middletown and the Westfield Fire District of the City of Middletown.

CHAPTER III

THE COMMON COUNCIL

SECTION 7 REFERENDA AND INITIATIVE

B. INITIATIVE. [Beginning on June 1 of each year, a] Any elector of the City may prepare a Petition regarding any matter of public interest, except for the approval of a bond or the appropriation of revenue, to be submitted for determination by the electors of the City and/or adoption as a resolution or ordinance by the electors of the City in accordance with the provisions of this Charter to be placed on that year’s November ballot. The Petition shall be filed with the City/Town Clerk in typewritten form, provided the wording of the Petition shall first be reviewed by the City/Town Clerk, in consultation with the City Attorney who, within seven (7) working days of its submission, shall determine whether or not such petition presents a matter within the public interest and has been correctly worded in such a manner as to clearly express its meaning and intent. If the wording and subject matter of a Petition fairly and accurately presents such a public issue, it shall be returned to the individual who filed the petition for the obtaining of signatures commencing on July 1 in accordance with the laws of the State of Connecticut regarding the same. The petition issue shall only be voted upon at the next regular November election if copies of the Petition containing the names of at least ten (10%) percent of the electors of the City are filed with the City/Town Clerk on or before [ninety (90)] sixty (60) days prior to said November election date. The results of the balloting on said Petition shall not be binding unless approved by a simple majority of those voting on the Petition. [at least fifty (50%)of those electors casting ballots in the election shall have cast a ballot on the question posed by the Petition. If the Petition is approved by a simple majority of those voting on the Petition, the Common Council shall adopt the provisions of the Petition by resolution or ordinance, as the case may be, at its next regular meeting following the November election.] No enactment passed pursuant to initiative shall be subject to referendum.

CHAPTER IV

DUTIES AND POWERS OF ELECTED OFFICERS

AND OTHER CITY OFFICERS

SECTION 2 DUTIES AND POWERS OF THE MAYOR The Mayor shall be the chief executive officer of the City and shall devote full time to the duties of the office. Full time shall mean primary occupation. Except as otherwise provided by law, the Mayor shall be a voting member of all Boards, Agencies and Commissions appointed by the Mayor. As such, the Mayor shall be entitled to cast one vote. Except as otherwise provided by law, the Mayor shall be directly responsible for the administration of all Departments, Agencies and Offices, in charge of persons or Boards appointed by the Mayor and shall supervise and direct the same. The Mayor shall see that all laws and ordinances governing the City are faithfully executed; shall make periodic reports to the Common Council and shall attend and participate in its meetings as provided by this Charter; shall prepare and cause to be [printed] made available to the public, as soon as possible after the close of the fiscal year, an annual City report which shall include a summary of the activities of each City department during the preceding year and a statement of the departments’ goals for the next year; shall recommend to the Council such measures as the Mayor may deem necessary or expedient including, but not limited to, measures to organize or reorganize the Departments and Agencies of the City; shall keep the Council fully advised as to the financial condition of the City; shall prepare and submit to the Council an annual budget and such additions, deletions or amendments to the separate budgets provided for in Chapter VI, Section 2; shall negotiate for the purchase of real estate and take options on such real estate in behalf of the City, provided that the Mayor shall expend no more than the amount set by Council ordinance for any one option; and shall exercise such other powers and duties as may be required of the Mayor by ordinance or resolution of the Council not inconsistent with this Charter.

The Council shall not diminish by ordinance, vote or otherwise, the powers and duties of the Mayor, except those powers and duties imposed on the Mayor by the Council under provisions of this Section. The Mayor shall have the power to sign contracts approved by the Common Council, deeds and other instruments or documents and the Mayor shall have the power to administer oaths. The Mayor shall be the presiding officer of the Common Council and, as such, shall have the power to resolve a tie vote of the Common Council and, in addition, may veto any ordinance or appropriation passed by the Common Council and, in the event the Mayor shall veto any such ordinance or appropriation, the Mayor shall return the same to the Common Council within five (5) days, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and Municipal holidays, following the adoption of such vote with a statement in writing of the Mayor’s objections thereto. If the Common Council, by a vote of two-thirds of the members present and voting at a special meeting called for that purpose within 10 days, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and Municipal holidays, following receipt of the Mayor’s veto, shall readopt said ordinance or appropriation, it shall thereupon be effective as so readopted.

CHAPTER VI

FINANCE AND TAXATION

SECTION 1 BUDGET

Except as otherwise provided herein, not later than [December 1^st] January 1st of each year, the Mayor, or the Mayor’s designate, shall provide all Departments, Agencies, Offices and Commissions with forms for budgetary requests for the ensuing fiscal year.

On or before [March 8^th ] April 1st the Mayor shall transmit a proposed fiscal budget to the Common Council. The proposed budget shall consist of an operating budget and a capital budget. The capital budget shall consist of all funds necessary for any debt service payment needed during the fiscal year, including all payments for debt service incurred for the construction, renovation or improvement of any Board of Education buildings or property. The operating budget shall consist of all proposed expenditures for the fiscal year which are not part of the capital budget. All provisions for veto and referenda of the budget shall apply only to the entire budget and neither the operating budget nor the capital budget shall be subject to veto or referenda separately. The Common Council shall, prior to [April 1^st] April 30th, hold public hearings on the proposed budget. The Common Council shall cause such proposed budget to be published at least once in a daily newspaper having a general circulation in the City and shall accompany such publication with a notice of the date of hearing, which date shall be at least two days after said publication. Upon such date, the Common Council shall meet to hear any parties interested in relation thereto, which meeting shall be held on or before April 1st. At such hearings, all electors and persons paying taxes or charges to said City shall have the right to be heard concerning any proposed budget item. The Council shall have the power to add, delete, increase or decrease any item in said proposed budget and, not later than the 15th day of May of each year, shall adopt a budget and make appropriations therefor.

The Mayor shall have the power to veto, in writing, any addition, deletion, increase or decrease in said budget as voted by the Common Council, provided that the Mayor then shall transmit said veto to the Common Council within five calendar days following the adoption of said budget by the Common Council. If the Common Council, by vote of two-thirds of its entire membership at a Special Meeting held for that purpose, shall readopt the item or items vetoed within ten days of receipt of said veto, the Budget shall be effective as adopted. In the event the Common Council shall not readopt the item or items disapproved, then the budget shall be effective as modified by the veto. Within 15 calendar days following the passage of a budget, the electorate of the City shall have the power to challenge the budget by means of a referendum as provided in this Charter. The Common Council shall within 10 days following any referendum adopt a budget in accordance with such determination. In the event of any additional Mayoral veto, or referenda, said Common Council shall proceed in like manner until a tax shall be levied and accepted to cover such budgets.

Such appropriations, when finally decided upon, shall be entered into the official records of the City and shall be subject to the inspection of any taxpayer during City Hall business hours. Any portion of an annual budget appropriation remaining unexpended and unencumbered at the close of the fiscal year shall lapse and said portion of any appropriation shall revert to the respective Fund of said City.

CHAPTER VII

SANITARY DISPOSAL DISTRICT

SECTION 1 SANITARY DISPOSAL DISTRICT; BOUNDARIES

The Sanitary Disposal District shall continue to be that portion of the City of Middletown as is constituted the Sanitary Disposal District on the effective date of this Charter, together with any other territory contiguous thereto which may hereafter be added in accordance with the provisions of this Charter. The expense for the maintenance and operation of said district shall be a service charge upon all property located within the district. The provisions of Special Act No. 466 (1951) of the Connecticut General Assembly not inconsistent with the provisions herein shall continue in effect.

CHAPTER VIII

BOARD AND COMMISSIONS

SECTION 1 PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION

1. There shall be a Planning and Zoning Commission which shall exercise all powers and authority enumerated in Chapter 124, Section 8-2 of the General Statutes, as amended, and shall exercise said powers and authority in accordance with the provisions of Section 8-3 and Section 8-4a of Chapter 124 of the General Statutes, as amended. All existing regulations shall continue in full force and effect until modified, repealed or superseded by action of the Planning and Zoning Commission.

2. The Planning and Zoning Commission shall consist of seven regular voting members. The Mayor and Director of Public Works shall also be members without voting privileges. There shall be three alternate voting members. [ At the Biennial Election next following the adoption of this Charter, there shall be elected four members and two alternates to serve for a term of four years and there shall be elected three members and one alternate to serve for a term of two years; thereafter, upon the expiration of the terms herein provided, m]Members and alternates shall be elected for terms of four years. The Planning and Zoning Commission shall annually elect a Chairman, Vice Chairman, and Secretary from among its regular voting members.

3. A quorum shall consist of six commissioners and decisions shall be taken by affirmative vote of no less than five commissioners.

Michael Ondaatje at Wesleyan, Wednesday November 5

You may not recognize the author's name (but if you do, you're likely excited about his lecture and reading at Memorial Chapel on Wesleyan's campus), but you surely know Michael Ondaatje's, The English Patient, his Booker Prize winning novel that was turned into a popular and award-winning film. And while the English Patient might be his best-known novel, it's Anil's Ghost, which won worldwide recognition as a masterpiece. Ondaatje's most recent novel is Divisidero.




Michael Ondaatje
Wednesday November 5
8 pm
Memorial Chapel, Wesleyan University

For more information, contact:

Lucia Pier, Russell House Arts Fellow, 860-685-3448 or at russellhouse@wesleyan.edu.

Practicing Politics

Tonight I attended a political debate on the Democratic and Republican platforms on all the key issues: health care, gay marriage, the economy, energy policy and more. But instead of seasoned political pros, at this debate all the presenters were 14-year-olds in the Initiates group, a joint youth program of First Church and South Church.

The Initiates go through a two-year program modeled on traditional rites of passage from several world cultures. The program was designed in the "counter-culture years" by then-First Church minister, Bill Roberts, and eventually, South Church joined in. In early adolescence, the group goes through a number of rituals to lead them to official adulthood in the church community. Tonight's event was a "social witness" rite, which gave each teenager the chance to weigh in on political issues in the grown-up world.

During the debate, the teens took turns representing the Blue and Red positions. As one initiate said, it was the first time she'd ever logged on to the website of the "opposition", and it made her realize that although she wasn't changing her preference, there were some things to admire about the other candidate that she hadn't known before.



There were a lot of lively questions from the audience made up of church and community members. After the debate, everyone seemed to enjoy the donuts and pumpkin bread, regardless of how they'll be voting on Tuesday.

Sidewalk sermon by David Schulz

Editorial by artist, David Schulz.

My paint cans are almost empty. Elect Obama.

Desa Vintage

Exactly one week ago, Desa Vintage (a new vintage clothing store in the north end) had it's grand opening celebration. I have photos from the event and some of the storefront so I decided to share them with all of you.

Long Lane Farm Harvest Festival

The Wesleyan affiliated Long Lane Farm held their annual Harvest Fest on Saturday, with music, food, late-harvest vegetables, demonstrations of green and sustainable activities and activities for kids.

The farm, which aims to be a working, instructional farm, producing food and serving as an example of organic, sustainable farming techniques, is staffed largely by Wesleyan student volunteers.

The festival got off to a slow start, but as the lovely afternoon grew longer, the size of the crowd, a mix of students and community members, increased.

The feast of All Soul's

In the earth's locales where Mardi Gras or carnivale is still practiced, on the other side of the calendar is a Day of the Dead, during which living families inhabit cemeteries for the chance to interact with their dead relatives.

If you were in Lousiana yesterday, you might find yourself slapping a fresh coat of paint on a family crypty, and decorating it with fresh flowers. Or if you lived in Oaxaca, Mexico, you might partake in the night long dias los muertos celebration with symbolic, and often hilarious, skeletal carvings, and skull marzipan, which culminates in a party in the graveyard.

Here, Halloween has become a ridiculously commercial holiday, but it still has some of the earmarks of the original Celtic harvest festival samhain. Instead of carving turnips, we use new world pumpkins. And we still dress in costume to ward off the spirits, for whom Halloween is an open door to the other side.

In our little downtown neighborhood, a tradition began four years ago when kids began to appear in families, and, to be frank, we wanted them to collect enough candy for the entire family to eat.

It's grown so that almost twenty families walk up and down Pearl Street, until we end at the home of Rani Arbo and Scott Kessel, were we gather around a small bonfire, eat seasonal snacks like apples and Cheetos, and ward off the cold with a sip of bourbon. For the past few years, Wesleyan students in the neighborhood have joined us to seranade the group with old songs on old instruments.