Dear Felicia

By the time yew read this missive, hon, it’s gonna be summer! Yup! We crossed over inta summer a week ago, and now wait all the balmy – and barmy – weather our section of the universe has to offer. Around these parts one can say June has been one o’ the coolest we remember in quite some time. Heck, the nights have been down in the 50s, whilst the days are barely reaching 70-plus. Not that we’re complaining, not atoll. The hot, humid, sticky stuff will come soon enuff. Right now, let’s enjoy it.

I gotta tell yew, Felicia, we’ve been in this bizz a long time, and we were amazed by some of the reactions recorded concerning the editorial. Yikes! It makes one wonder effen people can read and understand, based on some o’ the commints.

The editorial mentioned a pledge Barry Lee Cohen wanted the t’other GOP candidates to sign, saying they would stick to the isshews and stay away from personal attacks. That was the gist of it. Neither Paige Weinstein nor Steven Mullins decided to sign it – for whatever reason, and the editorial didn’t take isshew with that decision. In fack, just the opposite. But the editorial did take the pledge as a takeoff pernt, and urge the candidates of both parties to mind their manners. Tissn’t like we ain’t said the same thing in a different way in other elections, this was jest a different way to lead into it.

Well, one reader accused us of supporting Cohen cuz we agreed with him. Another went on a diatribe about free speech, and Lawd knows what was said on that sewer called Facebook. We don’t let our eyes look at setch things.

The long and short of it is the boys and girls who’re gonna run for office this go-round hafta be careful not to fall into the same traps that state and national candidates seem to use as coin of the realm: nastiness. Though, I hafta admit, Cobina ain’t holding out too much hope. Supporters of various candidates – even on our own site – say things that should make grown-ups blush. Civility is something of a bygone era, it seems.

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Meanwhile, Paige Weinstein stopped in and visited with our esteemed editor recently. She was the foist candidate to take out papers on the GOP side, and, according to Sammy Bluejay, she seems to have the ear and support of a goodly portion of the Republican Town Committee. The chat was cordial, and Mrs. Weinstein gave a summation of why she was looking to win the office on the thoid floor of the Actors Colony.

She has a tough road to hoe with the name recognition part. Cohen, being the last candidate – and almost-winner, and Steve Mullins have more recognition with the public. Soooo, it’ll be interestin’ to see how the summer plays out. Sammy sez she’s got the support of some of the mucky-mucks in the party.

Come next month we’ll know for sure. The Republican Town Committee will meet to finalize the endorsed slate, and no matter who gits the nod, there will be a primary. That’s when the rubber is really gonna hit the road with each and every candidate on that side of the ledger, and we will see who comes out on top.

What happens after that is anyone’s guess. The GOP in this berg ain’t known for pulling for the winning candidate when primaries happen. That is one o’ the reasons it’s been outta power for more than three decades. Effen they can rally around the winner, who knows what’ll happen in the general election.

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Over on the other side – the Demmies – the question everyone seems to be asking is something like that ole Clairol commercial when Lucy and Desi were on top o’ the charts: does she or doesn’t she? In this case, the hairdresser might not know for sure whether Dorinda Keenan Borer does wanna run for mayor or doesn’t wanna run for mayor. The answer to that question might determine how this mayoral election goes.

Nelly Nuthatch was in here t’other afternoon and that was the topic of discussion. It was Cobina’s take that Dorinda has a nice gig up in Hartford, why would she wanna come back to this political morass?

Nelly, always the astute one, pernted out that no matter how much power she’s accrued under the golden dome in Hartford, the fack the new budget calls for more than $108k in salary has much to do with whomever decides to run. Cobina forgot the new budget’s jump of the mayoral salary might have a thing or other to do with who decides to run or not. And, that’s why it was raised, after all.

Sooooo, effen Dorinda does decide to run, a) she’s gotta make that desire known perty quick, and 2) the new salary might make the morass a bit more palatable to jump into, so to speak. We shall see. Effen she does look to run, that changes what the pundits like to call the “political calculus” big time. One candidate has let it be known, according to Nelly, that effen Dorinda runs, it’s outsville for the candidate.

Right now, we’re headed to a primary effen things stay static in the Demmies side of the aisle as well. Effen it stays that way, there ain’t no leader by our reckoning. It will be a wide-open affair and whomever gits the Democratic Town Committee not next month will have a leg up on the opponents. Still, there’s time to see how things transpire before the real fireworks begin.

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The graduation season is in full swing, and the newest class at WHHS bid its “adieu” to the place in ceremonies a couple weeks back. The class had 441 students in it, one of the largest in recent memory – not like the days of double sessions, but perty large. We hope the kids well in whatever they do next. Now is their Salad Days, let’s hope they enjoy ‘em.

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Iva Lootey came over to let Cobina know that things were started on the Beach Street rebuilding project. The area is closed and crews are beginning prep work to raise the roadway betwixt 7-11 feet to help protect the area from flooding. The funny thing was a couple weeks back people were wonderin’. Projecks don’t exactly start and finish around here on time. Soooo, people were amazed when the street was closed off, and detours to First Avenue set up.

We’re sure the new owners of the condo development on the old Chick’s lot are happy with the development. Whilst they are constructing four duplex buildings – with two heading toward completion, believe it or not – the restaurant that is planned for the other side of the lot really can’t be started until things are completed with the roadway.

Who knows, by the foist fall storm, maybe the Beach Street area will be a bit closer to the clouds. We shall see.

~~~

‘Twas nice to see the Historical Society hosting the Campbell family from Scotland, especially since the anniversary of the event is coming in a few days. The story is one of lore, and a special one to those who take the history of this berg to heart. The family seemed to enjoy its stay here, and they paid homage to Adj. William Campbell at his grave on the Allingtown Hill.

Kudos to Jon Purmont and the gang for making it happen. Amid all the nonsense that goes on in modern life, it’s nice to see something good and wholesome. Not many places have a main drag named after an enemy combatant, but Campbell was a special kind of fellow, it seems.

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Finally, it seems that graduation was the final event on the current carpet at Ken Strong Stadium. After 11 years – yeah, it’s been that long – the carpet is in the process of being replaced. Crews were out almost before the last graduate left the venue, and they were tearing up the old and getting prepared to replace it with new turf.

Remember when the old turf was put down, it was 2012, and a hurricane storm surge got under the new carpet, and it had to be replaced weeks after being put down. Hard to believe it was that long ago.

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With that bit o’ chatter, I’ll close this time till next, mitt luff und kizzez,