Well honeybunch, by the time yew git this week’s missive, it’ll be October, and that means the leaves that have started to turn color already – due to the dry summer we had – are gonna be finding their way to the street. Some have. Effen you go along Campbell Avenue, the trees are already yellow, and dropping leaves in clumps. Whilst it makes some people unhappy about the loss of summer, Cobina likes this time o’ year. It seems a bit more cozy. And, effen you thought it was not time to think about autumn, the Green was festooned with many a booth last weekend for the First Church Apple Festival, which is a sure sign things are on the downswing for the year. Before you know it, the Dept. of Public Works will be installing the angels and lights for the end of the year. Tempus does fugit.
Of course, the fall means an election year in these parts, and the boys and girls who make up the political classes hereabouts are in full swing cuz this is an odd-numbered year, meaning municipal elections. Sammy Bluejay told me t’other day that the thing I mentioned to you about a month ago is still on the minds of the people in the majority party.
As yew know, Herronner is running unopposed, and so are one or two of the Demmies in the City Council runoff. The only way they can get opposition at this junctures is by write-in ballot, and whilst it’s been successful in other places, you’d be more likely to find teeth on a hen than see a write-in candidate upend the power structure.
But what is really tensing the back muscles of the leadership is that the fack the top of the ticket is unopposed, the under-ticket might suffer, especially in two or three council districts. Unopposed candidates at the top mean that many people will eschew traversing to the polls on Election Day, keeping the turnout low. Low turnout usually hurts the incumbents, or so goes the conventional wisdom. People will come out to vote AGAINST someone than FOR someone.
That’s got some Demmies a bit prickly about the future construct of council. Then there is Steven R. Mullins. Ole Steve is running for council-at-large as an Independent. Yew remember, he and the local GOP came to a parting of the ways jest after the last municipal election, when his term as a justice of the peace expired and he was up for renewal. He got his renewal, but in the process told the minority party to pound sand.
‘Twas mentioned that it could present an interesting jumble on the council come the first Sunday in December when people are sworn in. Let’s jest say that effen one or two council candidates stay Republican – there are some familiar names – and Steve gets on cuz he does have name recognition. It could be the most minority represented council in many a decade.
Then there is the more common – and some think probable – outcome. The GOP runs a campaign in name only, gets rolled over in the general election, and Mullins wins the council seat. That would be one for the books.
But, Cobina has seen Steve walking the streets going door-to-door. People like that and are more likely to vote for an underdog effen they see he works hard. Soooo, whilst there’s no wagering going on, some political types are trying to play out the possibilities as it applies to the council.
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A couple weeks back I mentioned that fences were put up along Stevens Avenue from the turnpike overpass to jest about West Spring Street. That area was notorious for people dumping mattresses and all other kinds of refuse there. It was hoped the fences would inhibit the practice.
Well, it DID inhibit the practice, but last week there was a big mattress sprawled out along the fence. It was carted away PDQ, showing that some people are not to be denied. But, it has done its job, the fence has. The place looks better than it has in quite some time.
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Nelly Nuthatch was by t’other afternoon for some Earl Grey and mentioned that traversing about the berg is getting more and more time-consuming – and she ain’t kidding. Now we all know that roadwork is happening here, there, and everywhere except the Sound. Whilst only the on-ramp to I-95 has been closed from First Avenue, it seems that nightly traffic up and over Kimberly Avenue into town, and even traffic along the Post Road-Bull Hill Lane corridor is heavier.
And this ain’t jest an afternoon event. Effen you go along Elm Street at morning rush hour yew can find yourself crawling along for better than a half-mile. I know it’s been years, but when they got rid of the old cloverleaf exit on Kimberly over the West River, the result was supposed to be a better flow of traffic. One wonders who thought that, and why?
Getting into and outta our fair corner of the universe is difficult on any day jest because of the geography, but when you add rush hour, a motorist better pad in about another 20 minutes jest to figger he can git outta the city and onto the main drags to git wherever he has to go.
Cobina has taken to leaving the office here on the Post Road and going into New Haven via city streets. Whist one is likely to be backed up with lights, it’s a darn sight better than crawling to the highway, and yew don’t save any time.
Prep work is being done for the bridge rehabs that are planned for I-95, and what is difficult now is expected to get a big worse. The good news seems to be that most of the work will be targeted and mostly at night. Jest remember to take alternate routes when it starts.
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This coming weekend Captain Kangaroo Boulevard is gonna be busy with the West Haven Public Safety & Health Expo…say that five times fast. It’s this Saturday, and is one of the largest events along the shoreline during the year. It’s got bigger over the little while it’s been done, and it seems to include more and more information in a family-friendly event.
Robby Raven plans on fluttering around the Savin Rock area for the event. He likes to see the apparatus the FDs put out, as well as the drones. Robby likes to out-maneuver the buggers if he can. Tennyrate, the event has sparked interest in careers in police, fire and other first-responder professions over the years. It’s a good way for the departments to show off their wares, and show John and Jane Q that a lotta things are going on behind the scenes.
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About a month ago, Cobina got word from somebody or other that the demolition of the Debonair Motel was “imminent.” The word was the plans for the area were given the go-ahead and the place was gonna be a memory before you knew it.
Well, here we are four weeks later and the building is still there. So, one wonders what the hold up is. We know there has been some back-and-forth about what is gonna happen over there, but a body was led to believe things were progressing along.
Nope. Like a lotta things in these parts, “imminent” might mean anything from “right now” to “within the next few months.” One can think the latter is the way this thing is gonna go. It’ll come down eventually, it’s jest a question of how long “eventually” is.
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Meanwhile, Cobina traversed down Beach Street on her way to the Elm City last week, and the warm weather returning has kep’ Riva going full tilt. It seems every time the gassamobuggy motors by there, the place has a goodly number of individuals. That’s good. The place seems to be attracting a clientele and it’s a good location. We shall see what happens with the colder weather, but methinks the die has been cast for this place in a positive way.
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We see Morse Park is gonna have permanent tenant again. The National Pastime is changing around here with players more apt to go to baseball enclaves and schools, rather than jest local leagues. Leagues are on the downslide and more private schools and programs are getting the players.
The Grind, a local operation that is in Orange, is now gonna call Morse Park home with its fields that haven’t seen much youth action over the last few years. Once the West Haven Little League was teeming with kids and teams, but now, like many places, not so much.
Well, this new arrangement is gonna be good for the venue, and that means the place won’t go to seed. That’s a big plus.
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With that bit o’ chatter, I’ll close this time till next, mitt luff und kizzez,