Howdy, honeybunch, hope all is goin’ well in your neck o’ the woods. Here in the Asylum by the Sea things are beginning to percolate on a number o’ issues, and it’s only February. And a warm one it’s been from what we usually git. I gotta feeling Ole Man Winter ain’t gonna leave our environs without a parting shot. There’s a part o’ Cobina that thinks things are gonna git cold and snowy when March comes in like a lion. Of course, I’ve been wrong before.
As I write this I see that former Mayor Ed O’Brien is gonna take another bite o’ the apple. Early last week we got an announcement of him “filing papers” to be put in as a candidate. So, it looks like there will be at least a primary in the Democratic Party – at this juncture – come the late summer. O’Brien, who was a three-term chief exec, has never got over the fack he lost to current Mayor Nancy Rossi, and has tried to get back on the thoid floor since. This is, methinks, the thoid time.
Tennyrate, with the GOP already having at least one candidate in Deb Weinstein, who took out papers about two weeks ago. This may set up a primary in the minority party as well. Whilst Sammy Bluejay was here the other day, he mentioned Weinstein, and sez the talk on the street is Barry Lee Cohen might determine to run as well, and set up a primary in that party. Cohen lost by about 30-plus votes in an election marred by what they call in the business “irregularities.”
He attempted to get the courts to overturn the election, but that is usually – and was in this case – a hill too steep for the judiciary. Whilst the judges in question, both in the case and appeal, saw major problems, they wouldn’t go so far as to say it was determinative as far as the results. Sammy is saying the betting money is figgerin’ Barry will take another shot. That will be interesting.
Meanwhile, Mayor Rossi has not said if she is or if she ain’t running in the fall, but there are people in the party apparatus who seem to think they know. Asking several higher-ups what they are hearing, many have said to Sammy that she ain’t running. That will allow for several possibilities, including the aforementioned O’Brien.
The name being bandied about is one Dorinda Borer, who is happily serving as the rep from the 115th District, and was jest recently made a deputy speaker. She’s got a perty good sinecure up in Hartford and one wonders effen she’s willing to get back into the morass that is our city’s political structure. And that, ladeez and gents, is why there’s a lotta consternation amongst the Demmies right now. The three factions of the party have been perty quiet, but that lull could be broken any time in the next few weeks or months.
Come late spring, Cobina’s got a feeling things are really gonna be perking up.
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Then the Wag comes in and lets Cobina know the latest as it pertains to MARB, the Municipal Accountability Review Board, that has control over the city’s finances. The members are a bit miffed it seems cuz things are being done as timely as they would like. This after Cobina was told the MARB was kind of running outta steam with members not showing up for meetings.
The way the Wag put it, the chairman of the group is looking for the state to see effen it could take over our city like it did Waterbury about 22 years ago. Ironically, it was the state’s takeover of West Haven 10 years earlier that let to the structure used, like a prototype.
Tennyrate, the members – at least some o’ them – are miffed cuz people are asking, “How high?” when they are told to “Jump!” The culture of the Actors Colony has always been its own, and the bigwigs on the MARB are people used to getting their way, pronto! At issue was a payment given to employees, amounting to about $80,000. It’s too complicated to git into here, just suffice it to say things didn’t go as they MARB wanted, and now they want a total take over of the city.
This will be a major determining factor in the number of candidates looking for office come the fall. Current members are already grousing they have no power and are only a rubber stamp of MARB activity One wonders effen the MARB gits what it wants in state takeover there will be any interest in warming a third floor seat, whilst doing nothing except cutting ribbons and attending receptions. Some might be interested in that. It gets very curious.
One politico was heard saying, referring to the defeated charter revision plan for a city manager, that the next mayor will be a city manager whether he or she likes it or not with all the power residing in the state board. How true!
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Nelly Nuthatch was over t’other day and mentioned that after more than a year of things happening in dribs and drabs, demolition is going full speed ahead over at lower Elm Street, where the erstwhile “Haven Project” was supposed to be located. Over the last couple o’ weeks things have really progressed over there with the clearing of buildings and debris in record time.
Nelly seems to think the Simon Group, which wants to unload the property to another developer, might have some nibbles in that regard. It’s a lot easier to sell a blank piece of property than one that has rotting buildings still standin’ upon it.
Maybe we will see something happening over there before the beach season begins. Meanwhile, Nelly mentioned that the new condos planned for the old sitting area at the former Chick’s property has begun. That must mean that work on the Beach Street reconstruction will happen as well. The two seem to be tied together.
Nelly passed by there and footings are being put in for where the new condos are supposed to go, and there is a big advert campaign going on with billboards along the highway, touting the new locale. A restaurant is planned as well, but methinks that is really not gonna happen until the roadway is raised up like the plan calls for. Remember, it’s supposed to be raised seven feet to help reduce flooding over there.
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With all the other stuff going on it’s difficult to remember that we’re only a few weeks out from the mayor presenting her budget for Fiscal Year 2024. That usually happens in early March, and darned effen we ain’t already in that neighborhood. Again, MARB seems to be in charge of things, nothing will be presented that don’t have the panel’s seal of approval.
January is usually the time the departmental wish list is put forward. Sometimes the Board of Finance is called it to look at things, sometimes not. Then the cobbling together of the new budget begins. It’s a tedious process, and results in a new budget ordinance being put into effect by the first Thursday in May. It’ll be here before yew know it.
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Talking with Iva Lootey last week, we wuz wondering what in blazes is happening with plans for the new Allingtown librar? We heard that the Village Improvement Association, which runs the library, had a building in mind, but we ain’t heard much else. It’s been three years since the Allingtown Library was closed, and one wonders effen it’ll take another three years before we git something over there.
The Allingtown Center area is really impressive with all the new constructions, and one wonders effen something can’t be done thereabouts. The area needs a library, and they were unceremoniously kicked out of their former location. Sooooo, what gives?
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With that bit o’ chatter, I’ll close this time till next, mitt luff und kizzez,