By the time yew git this missive, hon, spring will have sprung, and we’re headed toward warmer weather – excep’ in this burg it’ll stay cold and damp for the next few weeks, at least. Yup, “cooler by the shore” will be the phrase of the day for most days over the next six or seven weeks, whilst the rest of the state gits warmer.
While the crocuses are coming up, and the number o’ birdies in the air increase, the usual mirth and merriment that makes our lit’le corner of the universe so unique continues. Sammy Bluejay stopped by and mentioned that the number of candidates for mayoralty jest increased by at least one – and maybe by the time yew git this it’ll be more.
Victor Borras, who is a member o’ the City Council has thrown his political hat into the ring for mayor in November. By my count that makes two Republicans and at least two Demmies. Sammy sez that the number in both parties will probably increase as people are more and more interested in what can become a very open field this time ‘round.
Still to be determined is whether Herronner is gonna attempt a fourth term. Most of the street talk is that she ain’t gonna do it, and that will mean that the primaries and political nudging will go on for most of the summer. Talk is that she’ll let people know sooner rather than later, but it’s anyone’s guess. Meanwhile, over on the GOP side, there is wonder whether Barry Lee Cohen will make a second try at the apple, putting him up against two other candidates.
Barry lost less than three dozen votes the last time under very questionable conditions. Whether he has the fire in his belly to do a second time is, like we said elsewhere, yet to be determined. He’ll make his announcement soon enuff, and we’ll probably know before he makes it official.
Borras’ announcement was certainly no surprise. He’s been quietly telling people he would like to run over the last year or so. While a secret might be something you tell one person at a time, eventually it’s no secret anymore.
The elephant in the room is whether Dorinda Borer will decide to run, though why she should is a puzzlement. Why leave a nice little niche like she’s got up in Hartford? She’s got a lotta power and prestige, why should she wanna come back here and be a toady for the Municipal Accountability Review Board (MARB)? That lit’le group is gonna be around for at least two or three more years, and the power of the mayor will be to attend meetings and get yelled at, whilst the power of the purse and other things will be held by them.
So, as we roll on toward November, it’s gonna be interesting to see 1) how many candidates come outta hiding over the next several weeks; and 2) how many stay in the race as things move onward. That in itself will offer some lessons in political give-and-take as we observe in these parts.
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Sammy also told me that word is the MARB is backing away from a total state takeover at least for the time being. In fack, there have been some published reports about that we notice. Well, there are a couple o’ reasons and they might hafta do somewhat with that which we mentioned above. Effen herroner decides to call it a career, that might give the MARB a bit more leverage as the new mayor is put into office.
The other way of looking at it is that it approves of the new Finance Director, whom we are told is pert good with the accounts and is a no-nonsense kind of guy. Nonsense is our stock in trade, and effen it were a cash crop we’d corner the market. Sooo, effen the MARB is calling off the dogs right now, it could be there gonna keep things cool until setch as we the voters determine what comes next.
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Of course, this issue has the annual fiction called the Budget for Fiscal Year 2024, beginning July 1. Yew know why I call it fiction. I ain’t gonna repeat. But, the annual spring rites of budget proposing, budget deliberating and, eventually, budget passage are underway now that the mayor gave her proposal to the City Council last week.
The council will meet in special session under the Finance Chairman and see effen it can cobble together enuff votes to make any alterations effen they see any to be made. Nine votes passes a change of 13 members. That has been a high bar in the past, and has been one of our problems – that, and the fack that things go in by default effen they can’t agree on changes. The two are conjoined. The inability to make changes has led to the default process three times.
There is now talk of more charter revision after we jest had a two-year process back betwixt 2018-2020. It failed by a few hundred votes in a closer election than many thought possible. Whilst the powers that be in town like to say they want charter revision – and the threshold for making changes in the budget has always been one of them – there is really no desire to make big changes.
The local papyrus called the changes over the years “cosmetic.” If that were only the case. Most of the time they were less than that.
Soooo, now there is talk of having new charter revision processes. D’ya think after the last debacle, where the committee and its co-chairmen were treated rather poorly there will be anybody who’d wanna take that on? One is allowed to doubt it.
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Nelly Nuthatch stopped by and sez that the demolition of the former Haven site is at full speed. It’s amazing what can happen when you have a mind to it. Evidently, there is a buyer for the land stretching from Elm Street to Main and beyond a bit. Soooo, guess what has happened over the last month? The place has been demolished and the rubble cleaned up at record rates. It makes one understand jest how much of a stonewalling the city took during the last nine years from the Simon Group.
Nelly wasn’t sure who or what was proposing to buy the land, but the haste with which crews are moving is a master class in efficiency. It’s also damned maddening. It shows the lack of good faith the city put up with for far too long.
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We see the politicos are saying that “more education” has to take place in the “Food Scraps to Energy” program cuz things, obviously, are moving as well as the happy talk and columns sent to this papyrus seem to indicate. In a word, people are not buying what the city is selling.
That is not to say no one is takin’ part in the program. There are lotsa orange and green bags – but there are more of other types of bags.
The city and the providers and the regional squires who like to tell us how we should live our lives are frustrated by the lack of cooperation. Cobina ain’t. Effen the state decides to make this type of program the law, that will end it. But, until then, people will do what they have always done cuz they don’t see a reason to change.
All the talk about the city saving money in tipping fees don’t mean much when we know that money ain’t going back to the taxpayer. It’ll jest be pushed over into something else – when was the last time yew ever saw money go back to the people who provided it?
Nope. Effen it’s made law, people will comply. Cuz it ain’t we are not surprised by the lack of participation. It’s jest another thing for hard-working people are asked to do, and they have answered. No answer, as momma used to say, is an answer.
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With that bit o’ chatter I’ll close this time till next mitt luff und kizzes,