We are one week to Thanksgiving, honeybunch, this time next week, the Mystick Maidens of the Marsh will be convening under the direction of Tina Peckingham at the Cove River area to celebrate the day with everyone else in the berg. Mama had it right, get by May and the year just flies by. It seems like the weeks are just moving along at a speedy pace.
I hoid a great line t’other day. Remember the great Kitty Carlisle, a socialite who used to be on quiz shows? She lived to about 99. They asked her on her 90th what it was like. Sez she, “It feels like I’m having breakfast every 15 minutes.” Cobina knows the feeling.
Tennyrate, here in the Asylum by the Sea, we’re getting ready for the Turkey Day festivities as we always do. Next week, the WHHS and ND football teams will grace our front page as they have done for publications in this community for almost 50 years. It’s a tradition that we will keep up for as long as we are around.
Of course, with the coming of Thanksgiving in an odd-numbered year, we get ready for the inauguration ceremony of a new administration. As yew recall – and effen yew don’t, we have problems – the election resulted in herronner getting a second term, and bringing in all of her slate. The only Demmie who didn’t win was Louise Martone, whom the Rossi people are quick to pernt out was not one of theirs.
So, the foist Sunday of December by the current charter means they all convene – this time in the new WHHS auditorium probably – and get sworn in for the new administrative year. The council and other boards have been meeting, but not much gits done in these meetings, excep’ of course, effen it can stick it to the incoming people. So far nothing, but yew never know.
The plans for the inauguration ceremony are still being worked out, but in past years it’s been a big do with speakers from the state or fed’ral governmints coming in and giving a rousing oration. It’s the only time we git real pomp and circumstance around here, so it has a bit of pizzazz. As things git announced, we’ll let yew know what is happening.
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With the inauguration, of course, comes a new council. And like I tolt yew before, this is gonna be different for one very big reason: there will be two Republicans on the council for the foist time in many a decade – three to be exack – and that could be a good thing for debate on that body. For too long the GOP had only one person due to the very small consideration minorities are given under the current charter. So, with only one member, effen the Republican had a pertinent pernt about what was being discussed, or had a motion, thing usually died for a second to the motion.
Now, there will be a second to any GOP motion and the body will hafta discuss it. It’s a small thing, but over the years, it’s been a pernt of frustration. Republicans sometimes see the problems in the trifurcated Democratic Party and the in-squabbling they are known for. They can dissect the problem, but are ignored, cuz yew know as well as I do, effen yew have anything but a “D” after your moniker, you are just whistling in the wind. No longer.
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Sammy Bluejay fluttered by and sez that Bill Ewry and his group over at the First Congregational Church are moving apace to present the eighth version of this Community Thanksgiving Dinner. Whilst it is the eighth under this iteration, it goes back to the 1990s. This current group has it cuz the previous group, under WHEAT, had to get back to basics. Luckily, Bill and his entourage took it over in a seamless transition, and people in the berg are able to have a nice dinner at the Fellowship Hall. Sammy sez he will be perched outside come the big day.
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Whilst all the planning is going on for Thanksgiving, remember that another big event happens on the weekend – the Christmas tree lighting. No, it ain’t a holiday tree, it’s a Christmas tree, and those bleeding hearts who don’t like it can allow it to ruin their holiday – whatever it is they are celebrating.
Also Hanukkah starts just a few days before Christmas this year, on Dec. 22, so there is something to look forward to that week. It’s always a nice celebration for our community.
As I told yew last week, the boys and girls of the DPW have been workin’ on the Green for days trying to git things ready for the tree lighting. Cobina traversed by there a day or two ago, and noticed that things weren’t finished but they will be.
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Iva Lootey, meanwhile, came over for tea t’other day, and as we are wont to do, we began discussing politics. Iva had some interesting observations. He noted last week’s discussion of the GOP and the in-fighting that seemed to be happening therein during the last campaing – infighting that certainly did not help its candidates.
It’s Iva’s speculation that the 2020 Town Committee elections could be interesting in both parties. Foist the GOP: it seems that whom the party should endorse was a pernt of contention to the point that the losing side – those who really wanted Steven Mullins to run – kind of backed off a bit, according to members of the GOP, those who supported eventual candidate Michele Gregorio.
Well, with the tensions bubbling up, Iva seems to think that when the Republican Town Committee meets after the foist of the year to determine the new committee, there might be some fireworks and maybe even a primary. You’d hafta go back many, many moons to determine when the last primary for GOP seats on that panel was held – maybe in the time of Al Conte?
That could set the stage for something. There has been talk of overhaul of the town committee, but as Iva pernted out, that’s talk we’ve all heard before. Still, effen there are fireworks over who the next leaders are, there might be reason to believe fireworks are on the horizon. Gregorio for the time being IS this party leader by virtue of her candidacy. It’ll be very interestin’ to see what happens.
Iva had things to say about the Demmies, too. Back in 2017, the Rossi faction – that’s what it should be called, not the Picard faction anymore – perty much swept into the majority o’ seats on the Democratic Town Committee. It was a primary effen yew remember, and it didn’t go anywhere near what people – including Rossi’s own people – thought it would. She parlayed her election win into a big majority on the 60-member committee.
Here we are two years later, and she not only beat a primary challenge by two candidates in September by goodly margins, she got 60 percent of the vote three weeks ago. That puts her faction in the cat bird seat for this go-round. One wonders effen there will be a primary for the DTC this time. Effen the two other factions, Morrissey and Borer, don’t primary, it will be the foist time in almost 25 years that setch a thing hasn’t been attempted. It seems like every other March we’re having a primary for primacy on the DTC.
We shall see.
With that bit o’ chatter, I’ll close mitt luff und kizzez,