Realistic Balance Party Endorsed Candidates Removed From November Ballot

According to Middletown Town Clerk Linda Bettencourt, Realistic Balance Party endorsed candidates will be stricken from the ballot on the Realistic Balance line.  This applies to all endorsed candidates other than John Killian, who will still appear on the ballot as the party's candidate for mayor, and Fred Carroll, who will be the party's candidate for the Common Council.

Bettencourt explained that the reason the party's endorsed candidates will be removed is that Connecticut State Statute 9-452 requires signatures of all candidates nominated by a "minority" party. The Republican and Democratic party does not require signatures of candidates to have those candidates considered valid.

Killian and Carroll signed the endorsement as chair and co-chair of the Realistic Balance Party.

The only candidate who will be completely stricken from the ballot is Steven Smith, a Meriden teacher who sought the endorsement of the Working Families Party, and was denied, but was endorsed by the Realistic Balance Party.

"I think it errs on the wrong side of access to the ballot," Realistic Balance Party chair John Killian said today.  "If people want to get off of the ballot, I can understand it.  If people want to be on the ballot, and are removed because of a technicality, it's tough to take."

All other candidates endorsed by the Realistic Balance Party have been endorsed by other parties, and will be listed on the ballot with those parties, those candidates include Republican Board of Education candidates Sheila Daniels, Brian Kaskel and Bill Wilson, Republican Candidate for Planning and Zoning, Jeremy Clark and Democratic Candidate for Planning and Zoning Stephen Devoto.

Republican Candidate for Common Council David Bauer, who was endorsed by the Realistic Balance Party, officially declined the endorsement of the party in a letter to the Town Clerk dated September 12.

Bettencourt explained that while the statute requiring signatures was effective as of July 2011, there were minority candidates on town ballots throughout the state in the last election, and that many of these candidates had not provided the appropriate signature.

Bettencourt said she was this week by the Secretary of State that minority candidates signatures were required.  She has informed the party chair, and the affected candidates.

"As soon as I learned that the endorsements are invalid because the lack the appropriate signatures, I am bound by law to remove them from the ballot," Bettancourt said.

Bettencourt also explained that Middletown is not the only town being examined.  The challenges to the minority slates began in Bethel and Westport.   She predicted that the controversy will affect many ballots in the state, and may have reverberations in previous elections.

The origins of these challenges across the state has not been revealed, but in East Hampton, the entire Tea Party slate has been removed from the ballot.

In Middletown, Killian believes the challenge originated with the Republican Party.

"They had a meeting, and next thing you know the ballot was challenged," Killian said.

"We endorsed a slate in 2011, without signatures and this did not happen," Killian said.  "We endorsed Seb Giuliano and Ron Klattenburg and their names were on the ballot under our line."

According to an email sent to affected candidates, Killian plans to challenge the removal of candidate names.

In fact, in 2011, The Realistic Party endorsed slate contained ten candidates (Full Disclosure: my name appeared on that endorsed slate as a candidate for the Board of Education).

"Middletown was drawn into the controversy," Bettancourt said.  "But every town clerk in the state is now obliged to examine endorsed slates."

Free Citizenship Class At First Church

Every Tuesday and Thursday beginning
October 1st and ending November 21st

9:30AM - 11AM

First Church of Christ, Congregational
190 Court Street, Middletown, CT 06457

Pre-registration required by September 27th
Call Marjola Nelson at (860) 229-READ (7323) or email lvccmiddprog@gmail.com

Thursday: Coffee and Dessert: Zero Waste

From Kim O'Rourke, City Recycling Coordinator
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Come learn about the City’s Zero Waste Initiative at this ZERO WASTE event (no waste will be generated) and discuss recycling ideas with the City Recycling Coordinator on Thursday, Sept. 19 at 7:00 p.m. in the Hubbard Room of the Russell Library.

Coffee and dessert will be served! Bring your own mug.

RSVP to kim.orourke@middletownct.gov.

Of All the Things We've Lost, We Miss Our Mind the Most -- Popcorn by The Colonel #62

"Constrained writing" is an umbrella term for odd things like writing without the letter "e," but  the phrase is useful to describe writing under any constraint. Tweets, sonnets, limericks, and term papers and journalistic assignments with page or word-number limits are all forms of constrained writing.

Dreams Of The River

Michael Ennis, writing in The Middletown Press, asks readers to think big:

Imagine, for a moment, ten years from now, what might exist along Middletown’s riverfront: acres of public recreational space at the river’s edge, walking and bike paths that extend more than a mile south, a cultural/environmental/community center at the site of the old water treatment plant, a marina and boardwalk, and even a potential “eco-tourism” rail link to the south. Adjacent private development would complement the overall plan, and include a mix of commercial and residential uses.

The full article is HERE.

Fall Theater Class Registration is Open

Oddfellows Playhouse is pleased to announce its Fall 2013 Programming.  The youth theater, which provides afterschool and weekend theatrical programming, is excited to unveil its programmatic offerings under the guidance and direction of Artistic Director Kristen Palmer.  Oddfellows’ programs use theatre as a vehicle to build essential life skills, while exploring highly educational and creative themes and plays.

Wesleyan To Host Middletown Day Saturday

New Minister Brings Excitement and Energy to First Church

Love's Passion Ignites at First Church

Rev. Julia Burkey brought flames into our sanctuary on Sunday! Not the fire and brimstone kind of flames -- that's not our jam at First Church. During her sermon Rev. Julia led a fire ritual, using gun cotton with help from student and faculty of the Wesleyan Chemistry Department, and asked, "What makes your chest burn and your heart ignite with passion for love and justice?" 

During Second Hour at 11:15 after service, we then had a powerful and sacred conversation about the School-to Prison Pipeline, with NCAAP President and members, and ACLU Executive Director. 

Community Conversation on Tuesday, 9/17

Join First Church and the Middlesex NAACP for a follow up community wide conversation and call to action, on September 17th at 6:30 it the First Church Sanctuary at 190 Court Street.

Sunday service starts at 10 am. All are welcome. Refreshments and childcare provided.

visit us online:

First Church of Christ, Congregational, Middletown, CT

190 Court Street

Middletown, CT 06457

(860) 346-6657

Bear Sighting Near Spencer School

The Middletown Board of Education has informed parents that a bear was sighted near Spencer School. Police and the DEEP have been notified, and students have been informed not to cut through forested areas on their way from school.

Students from the High School and from Keigwin have also been warned to avoid wooded areas.

The Elusive Avian

I've been trying to get a picture of this bird for a few years and I finally did. He/She occasionally appears at Pike's Ravine, at the corner of High Street and Beach Street, seeming to take a quick  rest before flying away towards Pameacha Pond.  He flew away too quick for me to capture an action shot, which would have shown quite an impressive wing span.

I'm no expert, but I call it the blue heron. Has anyone else seen a bird like this around town. Can anyone tell what type of bird this is?

Naya Samuel '14 on Doug Varone and Dancers (Sept. 12 & 13)

Doug Varone and Dancers. Photo by Cylla von Tiedemann.

Wesleyan Dancelink Fellow Naya Samuel '14 discusses her experience with Doug Varone and Dancers, who will present "Stripped/Dressed," featuring "Rise" and the Connecticut premiere of "Carrugi," on Thursday, September 12 and Friday, September 13, 2013 at 8pm in the CFA Theater, in this entry from the Center for the Arts blog.

Through the Center for the Arts Dancelink Fellowship program, I got the opportunity to intern with Doug Varone and Dancers in New York this past summer, and I’ve become a huge fan of their work. The company was founded in 1986, and is the resident company at the 92 Street Y Harkness Dance Center, which has been home to some of the biggest names in modern dance, from Martha Graham to Merce Cunningham to Alvin Ailey. Since its founding, Doug Varone and Dancers has toured extensively across the United State and in Europe, Asia, Canada, and South America. They’ve won 11 New York Dance and Performance Awards, also known as Bessies, and just celebrated their 25th anniversary. The New Yorker noted that “few choreographers can move people around the stage like Varone can. He is able to see overlapping and intertwining groups clearly, and to create movement for them that turns them into breathing organisms.” After spending a summer with the company I agree that Doug’s work is an astonishing blend of touching humanity and complex detail.

One of my favorite nuances of this company is their Stripped/Dressed performance format. This unique method is a beneficial and inventive way to make a specific art vocabulary less foreign to someone who is not immersed in that field. The first half of the program, Stripped, offers a bare version of a performance that focuses on the choreography and the creation of a piece as explained by Doug. This section is performed with the dancers in rehearsal clothes and with minimal lighting. At Wesleyan, the company will start by performing Rise, which premiered in October 1993 and represented a huge choreographic shift for Doug. It’s a high-energy, demanding piece requiring great physicality from its dancers, and it always leaves me excited about the work.  The costumes in the piece have become well known, so it’ll be an interesting reflection on the theatrics of putting a piece on stage to see it without them, and how this change affects the way it is perceived.

The second half of the program, Dressed, has the company performing Carrugi fully produced, with costumes, lighting and sound. Doug will have walked us through its conception and creation before intermission. It’s pretty exciting for me to watch or rewatch a piece once Doug has walked us through it. He gives us a context that we otherwise lack while watching most dance companies perform. Carrugi premiered in March 2012, and was inspired by the winding pathways in between small towns on the hillside of Italy’s Liguria region. Set to music by Mozart, the piece is intricate and attentive to detail, and ultimately satisfying both in its dynamic musicality and the relationships between dancers.
The focus of my Dancelink Fellowship was marketing and promotion, especially via social media, but during my time with the company I became familiar with almost all of the necessary components of running a non-profit. The internship was completely immersive. The company had been preparing for their summer intensive in Brockport, New York, and when I started interning the workshop was about two weeks away. Along with another intern, Ellyn, and my supervisor  and company member Eddie Taketa, I headed up to Brockport, six hours away, to stay for about a month with 70 dancers and the company.

In addition to running the company's social media campaign, I also got to participate in classes, which was thrilling. It’s a small company, eight dancers, which made for an intimate class setting. It felt like we really got to know all of the dancers as crucial components of the company as well as as individual artists. Everyone was so open and eager to share their knowledge of the field, which was helpful to the handful of us there who were getting ready to graduate and trying to figure out what we wanted to do in the dance field. It was an incredible experience to switch back and forth between watching rehearsals and performances, which gave me a much deeper insight into what I was watching, as well as the different ways in which choreographers work.

I was able to learn about Doug’s method, and his use of choreographic games and dancer participation. The company members were so passionate about everything they were doing that it was impossible to not feel energized. I can’t think of a better finale to my Dancelink Fellowship than to be in the CFA Theater to welcome Doug Varone and Dancers to Wesleyan.

Click here to watch an interview with Doug Varone and company members Xan Burley and Alex Springer, conducted by Wesleyan DanceLink Fellow Naya Samuel '14.

Doug Varone and Dancers: "Stripped/Dressed" featuring "Rise" and "Carrugi"
Thursday, September 12 & Friday, September 13, 2013 at 8pm
CFA Theater
$25 general public; $21 senior citizens, Wesleyan faculty/staff, non-Wesleyan students; $6 Wesleyan students
Pre-performance talk by Wesleyan DanceLink Fellow Naya Samuel '14 on Thursday, September 12 at 7:30pm in the CFA Hall.
Free master class with Doug Varone and Dancers Company Member Eddie Taketa on Friday, September 13 at 2:45pm in Bessie Schönberg Dance Studio, 247 Pine Street, Middletown. Please call 860-685-3355 to register in advance.
Only one spot left for Dine/Dance/Discover on Friday, September 13 at 5:30pm—add $15 to your regular ticket price above. Please call 860-685-3355 to purchase.

Bass Tourney Opens

As NBC 30 is reporting, the Northeast Regional Bass Fishing Tournament opened today in town.
As the Eye reported last December, Middletown was in competition with other cities, and secured the tourney for a $5000 host fee.  The expected return is a cash infusion into the area to the tune of six figures.

If that seemed a bargain at the time, it appears to be holding up.  A hundred fishermen are visiting the city from all over the northeast, and the VP of the Bass Federation is quoted as saying many of them made scouting trips weeks beforehand as well.  

The tourney runs through Friday.  Weigh-ins are at Harbor Park.  You can follow the results on the The Bass Federation's webpage.  Right now, a man from Bethel is in the lead.  Home turf--er, home river advantage, apparently.