Well hon, here we are the kiddies jest went back to school, and September starts on Sunday. Yikes, it’s really true what momma used to say: Once you get past May, the year just flies by…and do it is.
Here in the Asylum by the Sea, things are percolating toward that late summer frolic we have around here every two years: the mayoral primary. Now, usually this mayhem is restricted to the Democrats, who have always and forever been trifurcated. And over the last nearly 30 years, the Demmies have controlled everything in town. It was just a question of what flavor of Demmie was gonna be in the Actors Colony, and for how long – they usually take turns.
Well, this time around, the GOP has got into the act, and is having its own version of the mayhem. In the July caucus, a 24-20 vote had Michelle Gregorio defeating Steven Mullins for the endorsement. Much to the delight of some and the chagrin of others, Mullins opted to stay in the race, and see if his thoid time at the brass ring would be successful. Needless to say, politics being what it is, acrimony has taken over the GOP, and it hasn’t looked this feisty since the days when Al Conte was the chairman.
Nelly Nuthatch recently visited the Actor’s Colony to get a front-row seat to confirm or refute the rumors that have been circulating about the fractured Republican Town Committee.
Act 1: What a show! The drama and backstabbing were only exceeded by the outrageous behavior displayed by several members of said committee. The innuendos, accusations, and half-cocked conclusions would even make the Demmies blush! According to Nelly, there is a real outright dislike amongst the two factions –jest whot they don’t need, to become like the Demmies.
These shenanigans have tainted the West Haven Grand Ole Party to the point where certain members of the under-ticket are embarrassed to be associated with such public displays of foolishness. Others are considering exiting the RTC for good. Some are blaming the leadership — or what they see as the lack thereof—for allowing and arguably provoking this spectacle to occur. This party — or what some are calling a “pity party” — needs a long-overdue overhaul. I’ve been saying it for years, and maybe this will by the event that causes it.
So much for showcasing each mayoral candidate and presenting new ideas! The upcoming debate is looking more and more like a packaged event. One could hope that it becomes more than just a “Dems bad, we’re good” event, not so far. Which reminds me, gotta get ready for Act II on Sept. 5!
By the way, it’s official. Our editor was deep-sixed as the moderator because of a kerfuffle with Steve Mullins. He, the editor, ain’t exactly broken up about it, it’s a night he could actually stay home – witch is always more interesting than these canned-answer debates.
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The Demmies, meanwhile, are exhibiting the calm before the storm. Whilst there are three, count ‘em three, candidates in the Sept. 10 primary, there ain’t been much in the way of campaigning. A three-way debate or forum for these guys would have been ideal. Instead, it’s lookin’ more and more as if the party will try to make it a popularity contest with each candidate bringing out its own base.
How that helps unite the party nobody can figger out. We’ve been sayin’ all along effen there will be a clear winner in this exercise, he or she will hafta bring out more than the usual 6,000 voters. Somehow or t’other I don’t expeck that is gonna happen at this juncture. We shall see.
Sammy Bluejay was here t’other day and mentioned that each campaign is doing what campaigns do, but there ain’t the usual he-said, she-said, she-said back-and-forth that we were so used to in the last go-round.
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Whilst that is going on, which is to say the usual, the kiddies going back to school gave at least one o’ those candidates a photo-op. The new wing of the revamped high school, the foist of five, methinks, had a ribbon-cutting Tuesday. I’m puttin’ it in the past-tense as I am scribing this the day before.
Tennyrate, the ribbon-cutting will have all the usual suspecks and we can hear the hue and cry that will come from one or both campaigns because of it. There was some consternation a few weeks ago, when one o’ the candidates was pictured in our pages doing the work for which that official is paid. But, candidates and campaigns get a bit paranoid about this time, and see usual stuff as a leg-up for one side or t’other. They reallllllly get upset. It’s quite something to watch.
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Sammy, meanwhile, was interested to see that one or two candidates around the burg were making sure that their personal signs got play at the sites where one or t’other candidate is being spotlighted. Knowing the way things are around here, one suspecks these candidates are being accused of “single-shot-ing.” That is the practice of making sure that one is not associated with the udner-ticket of any one campaign.
The reason it is so universally disliked – except when those who poo-pooh it try it – is that it usually works. So, Sammy made mention to me about the two or three that are doing it. There’s probably some talk behind the back, but, so far, it hasn’t developed into open warfare. We’ve seen instances where it has.
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Proof positive that the fall is upon us is the Westfest comin’ up on Sept. 7. The event, scheduled for the Green is a combo betwixt the UNH Student Government and administration with the city. It’s supposed to improve town-gown relations – other than the Campbell Avenue Crawl.
The students run the events, and it brings out quite a few thousands over the course of the day. It’s been a real success and we hope the university and city have a good one this time ‘round.
Meanwhile, we see the Apple Festival, sponsored by the Congregational Church, is planned for later in the month. That jest means that it’s gonna start getting’ colder. We remember one or two years where it really started to dip, temperature-wise, for this event, which is rather depressin’. Already we see the shadows shifting, and the colder nights are gonna make the leaves start to turn.
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Iva Lootey made a prediction t’other day, which I thought I’d run by yew. It seems that with the primary coming up on Sept. 10, the matter of Charter Revision – and for that matter almost anything else in the city – goes on a hiatus. Politicos seldom can do more than one thing at a time, and usually prove it.
Well, Iva is of the opinion that once the primary is over and the voting tabulators are put in cold storage for another year, there is gonna be a real push back on Charter Revision. And by push-back we expeck that the push is gonna come from members of the Charter Revision Commish.
After months and months of work, the members are now being told that the entire matter should be put on hold and maybe taken up in the spring sometime – so John Q and Jane Q can digest what is being proposed. So much for deadlines! The commish worked on a deadline, and dirty little secret here is once they file their final report with the council, they fade into non-existence.
There is good reason to believe the political establishment – all sides – don’t want a lot of what is proposed to get to the voters. As we’ve said, the stonewalling before. It ain’t nothin’ new, and has deep-sixed charter revision in the past. We shall see how successful it is. Methinks not very – this time.
With that bit o’ chatter, I’ll close mitt luff und kizzez,