City Man Pens Tribute To UConn Women's Basketball Team

Today's Hartford Courant features an opinionated letter to the editor from city artist David Schulz. Schulz created the art in the Council Chambers, paying homage to the veterans of the last century's wars that claimed the lives of many city residents. 

His art, much of it political, has also frequently been featured in the pages of The Eye.

Russell Library celebrates National Library Week

Russell Library's Main Reading Room was originally part of
an Episcopal Church built in 1833. The church did not have
stained glass windows, they were added when Frances Russell
repurposed the building to become a library.

April 9-15,  2017 is National Library Week! Russell Library is offering a host of opportunities for the citizens of Middletown to learn about their library.

At 11:00am on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, guided tours of the unique building will be offered. Meeting in the lobby, we will explore what remains of the building in 1833 and the various changes that have made it what it is today.

At 2:00pm Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, "Library Lessons" will be given! This is a chance to learn about the spectrum of databases that Russell Library has available for card holders. Each lesson focuses on a select on-line resource. Other questions regarding our extensive collection will be answered.

Russell Library is a great place to be.
   

When Shippers Break Your Stuff They Break Your Heart -- The Colonel Carries On #78

By Doherty O'Towne

Epigraph: "Any tune called 'Gimme Back My Wig' is awesome in my book."

"As I began to lose consciousness, voices began to swirl in my head. It was as if everything I had ever read or heard was replaying itself at once.

"When I awoke in the field hospital, I demanded a notebook and began to scribble down everything I could remember of what the voices said. This is the result.

“Sorry it's such a collage, crazy quilt, farrago, gallimaufry, gumbo, hash, hodgepodge, jumble,  medley, mélange, menagerie, miscellany, mishmash, motley, olio, olla-podrida, omnium-gatherum, potpourri, ragbag, salmagundi, or, um, whaddyacallit -- I can't think of the word. But I had to write fast; I was afraid it would all fade like a dream before I could capture it.

Spring is Here...Order Plants to Spruce Up Your Yard and Support Local Conservation!

There's still time to order!! The Connecticut River Coastal Conservation District’s 26th annual plant sale fundraiser will take place April 28-30, 2017 at Tanger Outlets in Westbrook.

Now is the time to take advantage of the wide variety of CT native shrubs, ground covers, evergreen tree seedlings, flowering perennials, ferns, grasses, and culinary herbs offered in our 2017 sale. Whether you'd like to enhance your landscape with natives, grow your own berries, have an herb garden, provide food and cover for wildlife, attract butterflies, hummingbirds and songbirds, promote pollinator health and survival, improve drainage with a rain garden, or protect water quality…you won't be disappointed in our selection!

This year’s list features some new plants, such as the hard to find Pussy Willow, the fragrant Sweetfern, and the graceful tiered Pagoda Dogwood; and an expanded ground cover and perennial section. We are also offering two Garden in a Box grouped selections in rustic pine boxes, one to attract pollinators, and the other hummingbirds and songbirds. These are perfect for a special gift! We will also carry the popular Collins Organic Compost again.

For a copy of our 2017 brochure and order form, as well as photos and more information about our extensive selection go to the "Plant Info/Photos" tab on our website at www.conservect.org/ctrivercoastal. Quantities of certain plants are limited, so don’t miss out—reserve your plants by sending in an order, and order early for the best selection! Advance orders are due April 7, 2017. However, if you miss ordering in advance, there will also be extras available the days of the sale. If you have questions or would like to receive a hard copy of the brochure and order form, contact the District office at 860-346-3282.

The Connecticut River Coastal Conservation District Inc., a nonprofit organization based in Middletown, works to conserve the natural resources of towns in the lower Connecticut River watershed and coastal areas through technical assistance and education. All proceeds from the plant sale support our conservation work. For more information about District programs and services, visit our website at www.conservect.org/ctrivercoastal.

State Representative Matthew Lesser To Speak At Environmental Networking Event April 20

MIDDLETOWN, CT – State Representative Matthew Lesser will speak about

State Rep. Matthew Lesser

environmental issues under consideration in the current legislative session at the next Meet Your Greens environmental networking event on Thursday, April 20 at Cinder + Salt, 520 Main Street, Middletown. Presented by the Rockfall Foundation and Cinder + Salt, the free event begins at 5:30 pm and refreshments will be provided.

Representative Lesser is serving his fifth term in the Connecticut House of Representatives, representing the City of Middletown. In 2015, Speaker Sharkey appointed Rep. Lesser co-chair of the General Assembly’s Banking Committee. Lesser is also a member of the Government Administration and Elections Committee and a member of the Insurance and Real Estate Committee. He has been a principal author of a number of important laws, including Connecticut’s first in the nation Student Loan Bill of Rights, a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing waste and a major workplace safety law later adopted as a national standard. He has been a leader on consumer protections, the environment and paid family leave.

The Rockfall Foundation is pleased to collaborate with Cinder & Salt, a sustainable clothing store and more founded by Rachel DeCavage, for this event. Cinder + Salt is a lifestyle brand guided by two core values: that eco-friendly and sustainable design can also be fresh, modern and fun, and that everything we need on this Earth already exists. Rachel and her team strive to design and create innovative, stylish and fun products out of ‘landfill destined’ clean waste and reusable materials and think outside the box to find ways of creating original designs while working with sustainably sourced materials to guide the design process. Cinder + Salt is offering a 15% discount on purchases made during the Meet Your Greens event.

Meet Your Greens: Middletown Green Drinks, is a program of the Rockfall Foundation and an official location of Green Drinks International. Informal monthly gatherings offer networking for anyone interested in emerging environmental issues and keeping the Lower Connecticut River Valley communities green and growing. All are welcome with no advanced registration necessary.

The Rockfall Foundation supports environmental education, conservation programs and planning initiatives in Middlesex County. Established in 1935, it is one of Connecticut’s oldest environmental organizations and annually awards grants to non-profits, schools and municipalities.

For additional information, please contact the Rockfall Foundation at 860-347-0340 or visit www.rockfallfoundation.org.

April 5 - 11 at The Buttonwood Tree

605 Main Street / PO Box 71, Middletown, CT 06457

www.buttonwood.org / 860.347.4957

Story City Troupe

Friday, April 7 @ 8 pm $10

Story City is a troupe of storytellers based in the Hartford, CT area and trained by Matt Dicks, one of The Moth’s champion storytellers. Story City Troupe uses The Moth Formula: all are true, personal stories, often funny, sometimes amazing, poignant or ironic and based on a single theme for the evening. The troupe members range in age from their 20’s to their 70’s, proving you can come up with a good story at any age.  You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll identify!

Performers include: Sue Huggans, Mike Isko, Maire Greene, Kerri Noack, and Tom Ouimet

Tickets Here

Brian Friedland Duo

Saturday, April 8 @ $10

Since meeting as students at New England Conservatory in 2007, Brian and Catherine have collaborated on several projects in various styles of music. This concert is their first as a duo, and will feature imaginative arrangements of American songbook classics, Brazilian songs, and original music for piano and cello.

Tickets Here

NEAR and Far Storytellers

Sunday, April 9 @ 2 pm $5

This is a program of storytelling featuring an open mic opportunity for anyone in the audience during the first half with headliners for the second half. 

Weekly Events

Bob Gotta's Acoustic Open Mic

Thursday, April 6 @ 7-9 pm $5

Every First Thursday, Bob Gotta hosts acoustic Open Mic. This is the longest, continually running Open Mic in the state! Sign-up starts at 6:30. Bring your own instrument or play our piano or congas. Come play and be heard!

Aligned with Source - Hosted by Annaita Gandhy

Saturday, April 8 @ 10:30 am - noon $5

A Spiritual & Holistic Healer from India, Annaita seeks to empower, sharing her deep understanding of life, holism and spirituality, enabling you to rise above life’s challenges, live a healthy, fulfilled & confident life

Topic: Emerging Lotus

Anything Goes Open Mic and Moments of Gratitude

Monday, April 10 @ 7-10 pm $5

Come share your talents and gratitude with us.  Sign ups start at 6:30 pm

Intentional and Empowering Yoga

Tuesday, April 11 @ 1-2 pm Donations welcomed

Theresa Govert leads a fun, accessible and supportive Hatha Yoga class that brings awareness to breathe, intention to movement and an emphasis on inner wisdom and body positivity. 

Step Into the Vortex

Tuesday, April 11 @ 7:30-9 pm $5

NEW PROGRAM  - held on second Tuesdays

Anne-Marie & Mike McEwen offer leading edge information about the Law of Attraction, according to Abraham (Abraham-Hicks.com). Videos will be shown, Q & A, meditation and audience participation. Learn how to make the most of your life through deliberate intention and positive focus.

April Art Show

“Pieces of the Moment” 

Abstract collages by Bruce Blackman

Bruce Blackman is a visual artist from New Britain CT. He works with abstract collages made from dryer lint and other elements. Also recent work has been dry point etchings. Inspiration comes from: Nature, People, Music, and art history. 

100% of proceeds go to the performing art center. Come and support this great nonprofit culture center.  

Common Council Adjusts Planning Director Job Description and Appoints Samolis as Director

Joe Samolis being interviewed by the Common
Council.

UPDATE:  Monday, the Common Council appointed Joe Samolis as the new director of Planning Conservation and Development after first rewriting the job description for that position.

The Council approved the job description in a vote of eight in favor and four against (nays - Blanchard, Bartolotta, Kleckowski, Salafia).

The job description, which had already been altered by the mayor to allow for a director of planning and development to be selected without the educational and certification previously required by the job description.

That job description was further altered, after an amendment suggested by Republican council member Seb Giuliano. While the details of the amendment were not shared with the public at the meeting, Democratic council member Gerry Daley explained that the latest amendment broadened the roles and experience expected of a director, and narrows the number of years of planning experience required.

After the job description was altered, allowing Samolis to be considered for the position, the Council voted again to appoint Samolis to the director's role.  The vote was 8-4 in favor of hiring Samolis (nays - Blanchard, Bartolotta, Kleckowski, Salafia).

Many residents, several of them co-workers of Samolis in town hall talked about the high caliber of Samolis' character, and his ability to get a job done.  Several of those who spoke in favor of a rewrite of the job description, and the hiring of Samolis, concentrated primarily on Samolis, and their experience in dealings with him.

Cat Tales ~ Cat of the Week ~ DeeDee!!

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Cat Tales ~ Cat of the Week!!

DeeDee

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Gender:  Female

Breed:  DSH

Color:  Black & White

Age:  7 years old

I am a very friendly and affectionate girl!  I am extremely playful and would love a house to run around in.  I don't like to be held, but the volunteers here continue to work on me with this. I'd be happiest as the only cat, but would be okay with another non-dominant cat.  I am FIV+ but don't let this scare you!  Humans can't catch this and I am otherwise a very healthy cat.  If you are looking for a little sweetheart, adopt me! I have so much love to give!

No Dogs / No Children / FIV​

*To learn more about FIV, please visit http://www.CatTalesCT.org/fiv-felv/

Web:  http://www.CatTalesCT.org/cats/DeeDee/

Phone:  (860) 344-9043

Email:  ​​Info@CatTalesCT.org​

Watch our YouTube Commercial!!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1MECIS4mIc

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OPINION: Ten Reasons Why The Process To Hire a New Planning Director is All Wrong

COMMENTARY:  The following is an opinion by the author of this post and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Middletown Eye, or any other Middletown Eye authors.

The Common Council meets tonight (Monday April 2, 7PM, Council Chambers) to consider two important resolutions that will have a lasting impact on what Middletown looks like in the decades ahead.

Those resolutions are:

 - Approving the amendments to the Director of Planning, Conservation and Development with UPSEU Salary Grade 20 ($40.96 - $60.62 per hour), 40 hours.

 - Appointment of Planning, Conservation, and Development Director.  Including an interview with the candidate, Mayor Dan Drew's Chief of Staff Joe Samolis, and the vote on his appointment and salary.

While Joe Samolis might be the strongest candidate for the job, the process by which he arrived as the only candidate leaves major questions, and sows doubt as to whether he actually is the best candidate.

The job of planning director has been open for six months, since October when the last director, Michiel Wackers left for another position. A search committee interviewed fifteen candidates, and did not find a single qualified interviewee, so the mayor (in what he has called a bid to be "transparent") proposed a plan which would allow the hiring of his chief of staff - a political appointee.  That plan includes altering the job description, eliminating a further search, and submitting Samolis as the lone candidate.

Here are ten good reasons why the process for hiring the new director looks bad, and is bad.

1.  Joe Samolis was on the committee that interviewed the initial candidates.  That committee gave advice to the mayor before the mayor decided against hiring any of the qualified applicants.  This raises questions as to whether Samolis' involvement in hiring discussions provided him with an unfair advantage as a candidate.

2. The mayor has paved the way for his Chief of Staff to get the job by altering the original job description (Director of Planning, Conservation and Development) by simply crossing out a set of essential requirements: "Bachelor's Degree in City, Urban or Regional Planning, Public Administration, Economics or a related field with Master's -level coursework in the field - Master's degree preferred - with five years of urban planning/conservation/development experience or any combination of education and experience that provides equivalent knowledge, skills and abilities. Position requires certification as Planner by the American Institute of Certified Planners..." Samolis does not possess the required educational degree or certification to meet the standards of the original job description.

3. The new job description requires the new Director to acquire his certification within five years, but there is no mechanism built into the description to guarantee the director will achieve accreditation. Tying salary to credentials would solve that problem.  Start the new director at the lowest salary level for an employee at this job position level.

4. The mayor has promised that because the new director will not have the degree, certification or experience to act as a town planner, that a new job description for town planner will be created, and funds set aside in the new budget to hire this director.  However, while the evening's agenda includes the altering of the Director's job description, and the potential hiring of Samolis, the current agenda does not include a resolution to approve a job description for a town planner, or the funds needed to hire the manager.

5. When a job description is altered to lower requirements for an opening, the description is normally re-posted to allow for additional candidates to apply.  This was not the case for the re-written description.  The job, as described in the new description, has not been openly posted for applicants either within or outside of the city.

6. The candidate for the job is the vice chair of the Democratic town committee, and has his current job as a political appointee by the Democratic mayor.  If he is hired in a vote dominated by Democratic council members, and colleagues in the Democratic Town Committee, then there is a concern that the job was filled for political reasons, and not reasons of qualifications.

7. Joe Samolis has not declared in a public meeting that his career aspirations are to become a Town Planner.  Perhaps Samolis will declare his career goals in his interview with the Common Council this evening.

8. The process has been strongly and publicly opposed by the chairman of the town's Planning and Zoning Commission.

9. No member of the Planning and Zoning commission was part of the original hiring committee.  In fact, a request was made to include a Planning and Zoning member, but that request was denied.  However, once the decision was made to change the job description, and hire Samolis, the chairman of the Planning and Zoning was heavily lobbied to support the decision.

10. A precedent will be set.  Done correctly, the hiring process can be cited in the future as the way any mayor  and council should approach filling important city positions.  Done incorrectly and any future hiring will be able to be accomplished by dumbing-down a job description to match the qualifications of favored candidate.

More Trees, Nicer Streets

The Jonah Center for Earth and Art and The Rockfall Foundation invite the public to learn about plans to increase the number of trees in Middletown and to make streets safer and more inviting for walking and bicycling. The program will take place on Tuesday, April 11, 7- 8:30 p.m. at the deKoven House, 27 Washington Street, in Middletown. The main presenters will be Jane Harris, Chairperson of Middletown’s Urban Forestry Commission, and John Hall, Co-chair of Middletown’s Complete Streets Committee.

What makes a place nice to live in? Trees and safe places to walk are key to a city’s attractiveness. We like the softening effect of shade trees and the birds that sing in those overhead branches. Neighborhoods become more desirable and businesses thrive when there is plenty of foot traffic, with clean air and low noise levels. Planning departments, educators, and health advocates increasingly recognize the many benefits that follow when shops, schools, and restaurants can be reached on foot.

Come to learn how you can help make improvements in your own neighborhood by increasing the number of trees, slowing traffic, and making streets more usable for walkers, bicycle riders, and wheelchairs. Progress is already happening around Middletown. Join others in these efforts.

For more information, contact John Hall at 860-398-3771 or via email from www.thejonahcenter.org

Middlesex Land Trust Celebrates 30 Years and 1000 Acres

From The Middlesex Land Trust
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The Middlesex Land Trust is pleased to announce its 2017 Annual Meeting in celebration of its 30th year and 1000th acre preserved featuring Rand Wentworth, Land Trust Alliance President Emeritus, as the special guest speaker. The meeting will take place at 9:30 a.m. on April 29, 2017 at the deKoven House located at 27 Washington Street.
A short business meeting will begin at 9:30 a.m. followed by a presentation by Rand Wentworth at 10:00 a.m. Wentworth will discuss the challenges, changing roles, and importance of land trusts.

Rand Wentworth, visionary and effective leader for permanence of land conservation in America, was named President Emeritus of the Land Trust Alliance after a 14-year tenure as President. The mission of the Alliance is to strengthen land conservation by supporting land trusts through increased professionalism, training and education, political support, insurance and legal resources, and by building public support for land conservation across America.The Alliance is a national conservation organization that represents and supports more than 1,000 member land trusts across the country.

Before joining the Alliance, Wentworth served as Vice President and founding director of the Atlanta office of the Trust for Public Land. Before working in land conservation, he was president of a commercial real estate development company. Currently, Wentworth teaches at Harvard University’s Kennedy School as the Louis Bacon Senior Fellow in Environmental Leadership at the Center for Public Leadership. Wentworth is a graduate of Yale University and holds an MBA in finance from Cornell University.

“Last year, the World Wildlife Foundation reported that the world’s populations of wild mammals, fish, birds, reptiles, and amphibians had declined by more than 50% since 1970 due to human activity. Thirty years from now, our remaining natural areas will predominately exist in areas that we, as a community, have chosen to preserve.  The importance of accelerating the pace of the open space preservation cannot be overstated,” said Middlesex Land Trust Board of Directors Chairman Stuart Winquist.

“The Middlesex Land Trust invites you to celebrate our last 30 years & 1000 acres of open space conservation and hear guest speaker Rand Wentworth, president-emeritus of the Land Trust Alliance, talk about the challenges, changing roles, and importance of land trusts.”

A reception and light lunch will follow with two guided hikes on land trust preserves scheduled for the afternoon. If interested in attending, please RSVP for planning purposes to (860) 343-7537; info@middlesexlandtrust.org; or via www.middlesexlandtrust.org by April 15th. Space is limited.

Since 1987, the Middlesex Land Trust has been dedicated to the preservation of land for all to enjoy. Working in Cromwell, Durham, Middlefield, Middletown, East Hampton, Portland and Haddam Neck, the Middlesex Land Trust has preserved, owns and manages over 1000 acres in 52 preserves. For additional information about the Middlesex Land Trust, visit www.middlesexlandtrust.org.

April Fool “Prank” Accidentally Releases Satan from Hell--The Colonel Carries On #77

by T.T.T. Pipersson

Epigraph: “Even a fool can be as a wise man if he but persist in his folly.” --Paddy Thai (“If you are a fool and cannot find the Way, let Folly be your Way and your Teacher. You may yet attain Enlightenment.”)

A local prankster digging a tiger cage for a kidnap victim found he was on a “thin spot” between the upper and lower worlds and accidentally made a hole that let Satan and innumerable demons and damned souls out of their place of imprisonment.

So expect bad weather, acne, crop failures, accelerated income inequality, misconceptions, Coyote sightings, dry, itchy skin, stagflation, health insurance cancellation, doctors’ strikes with illegible hand-written protest signs, static cling, entitlement reform, rudeness from cashiers, and bad roads.