Hard to believe, sweets, but here we are in the last full week o’ May and the annual Memorial Day parade is (rain or shine) gonna happen on Monday. Of course, yew and I are old enuff to remember when Memorial Day was May 30 – and some o’ our relatives of a certain age still called it “Decoration Day.” Then came the 70s and the idea that all holidays had to make long weekends. Tennyrate, here we are and as usual, the Mystick Maidens of the Marsh are being kep’ outta the festivities.
Once again, we had the idea for a float in the parade, and once again, the looks we got from the powers that be told a tale. Here we are one o’ the oldest groups in the city, and the MMMs are not allowed to march – though, truth to tell, effen we had to march, most of us would faint from the strain.
So, we’ll just plan our annual get-together in the Morse Park salt flats and see how the rest of the day shapes up.
~~~
Here in the Asylum by the Sea, things seem to be ramping up in unexpected places. Whilst the fun and games continue over the new budget in Hartford, the rumor mill in our little corner of the world seems to be in overdrive. As yew know, Gov. Dannel Malloy’s minions have determined that revenues aren’t anywhere near where they were projected (some say that’s no surprise), and the state is on the verge of being awash in $5 billion in red ink.
All the stops are being pulled out to – as the local press likes to say –“close the gap,” but that would mean a lotta cutting is gonna be made, and a lotta hand-wringing follows. Nobody wants to admit that for the last two or three decades the state’s budget has had a nasty habit of increases by double digits, and that the gravy train that allowed the state to tax, tax and tax again, has finally hit a dead stop. Even Malloy had to admit the old bromide of “taxing the rich” is no longer an option cuz the rich are fleeing the state.
Tennyrate, the pernt of this story is that now it’s being said that state aid to cities might be cut “dramatically” and that cities and towns are gonna feel some pain. Yew might remember that hizzoner, when proposing his budget, thought he was being politick by cutting his expected aid by a third in the budget. Word is the city was told it was gonna git $12 million, but hizzoner only put in $8 million, thinking he’d give himself some wiggle room effen the state put the kibosh on spending.
Well, the rumors flying about the berg are that the city is gonna get more money on one day, and then can be cut dramatically on t’other. In other words, nobody really knows what’s gonna happen. In fack, some politicos are saying quite freely that we won’t know what the final total is until the state finalizes its budget. And that could be some weeks away.
I gotta feeling some city officials here and elsewhere are spending a few sleepless nights.
~~~
Effen yew ain’t seen it yet, Vic Hogfeldt has sent in a second installment of his brand of “Why We Fight.” Vic as yew know is embroiled in a suit against the school system that wants to get rid o’ him. Vic is taking every opportunity to put his oars in the water, and telling his side o’ the story. He must be doing it with the approval of his barristers, but it really is unusual. Then again, nothing about this case is what can be described as “usual.”
I can say this, neither Vic nor his nemesis Supt. of Schools Neil Cavallaro are gonna be on each other’s Christmas Card list any time soon. Tennyrate, Vic has put forth this case, and it’s making people wonder effen there ain’t some jockeying going on wherein a settlement might be announced.
I dunno, but I do know that himself wants a hearing before the Board of Ed, which Iyam told he has a right to have. Sooooo, we shall see where this goes. I will say this, also. One way or t’other there’s gonna be a lotta collateral damage, and what once were friendships might be long gone.
~~~
Iva Lootey was in the other afternoon and after reading last week’s papyrus thought hizzoner was a bit harsh on Mike Mercuriano and his distrust of politicos and pencil-pushers in Hartford. The mayor seems to think that assurances he gives Mercuriano are supposed to make him sleep better at night.
Just contemplating the whole budget battle in Hartford should indicate to hizzoner that the word of politicos is about as reliable as the weather. The bureaucrats up there have tried to pull fast ones in the past. Two years ago they tried to take away the jurisdiction of municipal P&Z’s over a 1000-foot swath of land on any side of a choo-choo station. It wasn’t until the reps from Fairfield County got hold of it and nixed it that the matter died – for a time.
Nobody trusts the state when it comes to things like this, and Mikey is always looking out for the best interests of the train station. He can be a bit single-minded on the issue, but methinks the people in the Actors Colony should be less trusting of the Hartford contingent than of people of good will here. Jest my thoughts, hon.
~~~
Hmmm. The wag came in t’other afternoon and had a very good query about Beach Street, whilst we were sipping Earl Grey. He want to know how the re-grading of Beach Street is gonna affeck the sale of the three business properties along that byway? I think it’s a good question.
The state and city have determined that the roadway of Beach Street has taken a beating over the last several storms, be they hurricanes or something else, and that raising the road to curb flooding might be a good move. It is, when you think about it.
What the wag brought up, though, was the fack that the former Debonair Motel, the former Chick’s Drive-In and the former Captain’s Galley are all up for sale, and all affected by what happens there. He’s wondering effen it could affeck the sales and/or development of those properties.
Effen yew wanna be snarky about it, one could say that it can’t make it any worse. The Debonair was bought four years ago, and nothing has been done since, same with Captain’s Galley, it closed quite a while ago, and nobody is breaking down the doors to buy it. Meanwhile, Chick’s closed about a year and a half ago, and that building is standing vacant.
We shall see, but one wonders how in blazes the rebuilding of the road could make the lack of action on that street any worse than it already is.
~~~
Finally, here it is the end of another month and nothing is happening at the Haven site. Nothing is happening as far as permits, so that means nothing is gonna happen until they are taken out. We’ve got lotsa boarded up buildings, and some businesses that are still operating over there. As we git closer to November, I expeck something is gonna happen so that hizzoner’s campaign doesn’t have an inconvenient isshew on its hands, but as far as real progress, not so much.
Hard to believe, sweets, but here we are in the last full week o’ May and the annual Memorial Day parade is (rain or shine) gonna happen on Monday. Of course, yew and I are old enuff to remember when Memorial Day was May 30 – and some o’ our relatives of a certain age still called it “Decoration Day.” Then came the 70s and the idea that all holidays had to make long weekends. Tennyrate, here we are and as usual, the Mystick Maidens of the Marsh are being kep’ outta the festivities.
Once again, we had the idea for a float in the parade, and once again, the looks we got from the powers that be told a tale. Here we are one o’ the oldest groups in the city, and the MMMs are not allowed to march – though, truth to tell, effen we had to march, most of us would faint from the strain.
So, we’ll just plan our annual get-together in the Morse Park salt flats and see how the rest of the day shapes up.
~~~
Here in the Asylum by the Sea, things seem to be ramping up in unexpected places. Whilst the fun and games continue over the new budget in Hartford, the rumor mill in our little corner of the world seems to be in overdrive. As yew know, Gov. Dannel Malloy’s minions have determined that revenues aren’t anywhere near where they were projected (some say that’s no surprise), and the state is on the verge of being awash in $5 billion in red ink.
All the stops are being pulled out to – as the local press likes to say –“close the gap,” but that would mean a lotta cutting is gonna be made, and a lotta hand-wringing follows. Nobody wants to admit that for the last two or three decades the state’s budget has had a nasty habit of increases by double digits, and that the gravy train that allowed the state to tax, tax and tax again, has finally hit a dead stop. Even Malloy had to admit the old bromide of “taxing the rich” is no longer an option cuz the rich are fleeing the state.
Tennyrate, the pernt of this story is that now it’s being said that state aid to cities might be cut “dramatically” and that cities and towns are gonna feel some pain. Yew might remember that hizzoner, when proposing his budget, thought he was being politick by cutting his expected aid by a third in the budget. Word is the city was told it was gonna git $12 million, but hizzoner only put in $8 million, thinking he’d give himself some wiggle room effen the state put the kibosh on spending.
Well, the rumors flying about the berg are that the city is gonna get more money on one day, and then can be cut dramatically on t’other. In other words, nobody really knows what’s gonna happen. In fack, some politicos are saying quite freely that we won’t know what the final total is until the state finalizes its budget. And that could be some weeks away.
I gotta feeling some city officials here and elsewhere are spending a few sleepless nights.
~~~
Effen yew ain’t seen it yet, Vic Hogfeldt has sent in a second installment of his brand of “Why We Fight.” Vic as yew know is embroiled in a suit against the school system that wants to get rid o’ him. Vic is taking every opportunity to put his oars in the water, and telling his side o’ the story. He must be doing it with the approval of his barristers, but it really is unusual. Then again, nothing about this case is what can be described as “usual.”
I can say this, neither Vic nor his nemesis Supt. of Schools Neil Cavallaro are gonna be on each other’s Christmas Card list any time soon. Tennyrate, Vic has put forth this case, and it’s making people wonder effen there ain’t some jockeying going on wherein a settlement might be announced.
I dunno, but I do know that himself wants a hearing before the Board of Ed, which Iyam told he has a right to have. Sooooo, we shall see where this goes. I will say this, also. One way or t’other there’s gonna be a lotta collateral damage, and what once were friendships might be long gone.
~~~
Iva Lootey was in the other afternoon and after reading last week’s papyrus thought hizzoner was a bit harsh on Mike Mercuriano and his distrust of politicos and pencil-pushers in Hartford. The mayor seems to think that assurances he gives Mercuriano are supposed to make him sleep better at night.
Just contemplating the whole budget battle in Hartford should indicate to hizzoner that the word of politicos is about as reliable as the weather. The bureaucrats up there have tried to pull fast ones in the past. Two years ago they tried to take away the jurisdiction of municipal P&Z’s over a 1000-foot swath of land on any side of a choo-choo station. It wasn’t until the reps from Fairfield County got hold of it and nixed it that the matter died – for a time.
Nobody trusts the state when it comes to things like this, and Mikey is always looking out for the best interests of the train station. He can be a bit single-minded on the issue, but methinks the people in the Actors Colony should be less trusting of the Hartford contingent than of people of good will here. Jest my thoughts, hon.
~~~
Hmmm. The wag came in t’other afternoon and had a very good query about Beach Street, whilst we were sipping Earl Grey. He want to know how the re-grading of Beach Street is gonna affeck the sale of the three business properties along that byway? I think it’s a good question.
The state and city have determined that the roadway of Beach Street has taken a beating over the last several storms, be they hurricanes or something else, and that raising the road to curb flooding might be a good move. It is, when you think about it.
What the wag brought up, though, was the fack that the former Debonair Motel, the former Chick’s Drive-In and the former Captain’s Galley are all up for sale, and all affected by what happens there. He’s wondering effen it could affeck the sales and/or development of those properties.
Effen yew wanna be snarky about it, one could say that it can’t make it any worse. The Debonair was bought four years ago, and nothing has been done since, same with Captain’s Galley, it closed quite a while ago, and nobody is breaking down the doors to buy it. Meanwhile, Chick’s closed about a year and a half ago, and that building is standing vacant.
We shall see, but one wonders how in blazes the rebuilding of the road could make the lack of action on that street any worse than it already is.
~~~
Finally, here it is the end of another month and nothing is happening at the Haven site. Nothing is happening as far as permits, so that means nothing is gonna happen until they are taken out. We’ve got lotsa boarded up buildings, and some businesses that are still operating over there. As we git closer to November, I expeck something is gonna happen so that hizzoner’s campaign doesn’t have an inconvenient isshew on its hands, but as far as real progress, not so much.
With that bit o’ chatter, I’ll close this week till next, mitt luff und kizzez,
With that bit o’ chatter, I’ll close this week till next, mitt luff und kizzez,