Jest when yew think Ole Man Winter decided to take a powder early this year, there are three, count ‘em, three storms on schedule this month with varying amounts of the white stuff coming down. By the time yew git this missive, one o’ those storms will have arrived, but the second will be coming by Friday night, then I hear-tell there might be one “later in the weekend” whatever that means.
Just an update, sweetie pie. Cobina got a visit from Sammy Bluejay over the weekend, and hiz nibs informed me that the little battle betwixt the Demmies for the Town Committee ain’t jest a small battle as I was foist led to believe.
Nope. Sammy told me that although there was only one districk that was challenged on the night of the Demmy caucus earlier this month – that being the fourth – in reality petitions were taken out for all the districks excep’ the fifth. That means a citywide battle royale is gonna happen in March between the various rivals in the city’s majority party.
Cobina thought the year 2018 was gonna start with a whimper. It looks like it’s gonna be a knock ‘em down, drag ‘em out that we’re used to in these parts. I knew the Demmies wouldn’t let the city down. Effen there was one more thing we needed here it was another reason to git a fraction of the voting public out to the polls.
How this is gonna turn out? Who knows? Sammy sez some o’ the petitions got out rather late, and that might affeck whether they get the requisite votes or not. We shall see.
As far as we’re concerned, we hope both sides have plenty o’ fire power and plenty o’ kopecks to thrown our way.
When Sammy told me a couple weeks back that the fourth was gonna be the balance of power in who gits the run the party, I thought it was a bit odd that more petitions weren’t gonna be taken out. After all, would you want to have one districk do all the heavy lifting?
Now that we know the factions are gonna be opening up the primary process, one side or t’other will probably win a workable majority. And, no, they still don’t like each other, which probably has something to do with why we have a primary in the foist place.
Keep you posted.
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To say that the story last week about the city under a review board hit much of the populace like a ton of bricks would not be understating it, honey bunch. Iva Lootey came in and said that there were some incredulous looks from people when the story was read, but most seemed to think it was shocking but not surprising. It’s a shock when something happens, even if in the end, yore not surprised.
But Iva brought up whot a lotta people are thinking – at least those who make it their business to be involved in the dark world of city politics.
It’s very well figgered out that herroner is gonna have some big and unpopular decisions when it comes to the next budget, due in March. Right now, the groundwork is being laid for putting that budget together. This is supposed to be herroner’s strong suit.
With the missive from the Office of Policy and Management that announced the review board, Mrs. Rossi gits something that hasn’t been seen in these parts in quite some time: political cover. Big decisions and big cuts will be made in the budget, we figger. These will bring a hue and cry from workers in the Actors Colony as well as taxpayers.
Those decisions might include staff cuts and tax hikes. That’s something that will make the pain felt all the way around.
With the review board in place, herroner can have a bit of shield. The review board is gonna have say as to what is done and whether the budget document that comes out is in balance. No matter how painful the cut or the tax hike, she’s got the panel to point her finger at and say, “It wasn’t me, it was them.”
Still there will be political flak, but the retort is that she’s been asked to make the decisions that those who sat in the thoid floor before her were unwilling to make.
It’ll be interesting to see how this all plays out.
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Meanwhile, we ain’t hoid anything from the GOP as to how the biennial reorganization went over there. As I’ve been telling yew over the last little while, with the problems in the Democratic Party and the horrible way the state’s been run, now is the time to try to rebuild the Republican brand.
Get with it local GOP, put new faces on the Town Committee and then start making those faces known. It worked in the 1980s and it can work again.
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So Freddie Messore is ensconced as the new Director of City Planning and Development. As I told yew last week, Freddie’s roots are in the Actors Colony, so it’ll be fascinating to see how things play out up there. His predecessor was liked by some, not liked by others. Freddie seems to be liked by everyone. Let’s hope some of that charisma can translate into helping the city get back on its feet.
We’re interested in what’s gonna happen on Water Street, especially. One of the problems that helped herroner win and Ed O’Brien lose was the delays concerning the Haven. Heck one o’ those deficit budgets the former administration put together was hoping for permit fees and other fees that come with getting a project started. Those things never came about. That put the administration right behind the eight-ball.
Things seem to be percolating over there cuz there seems to be legal notices put out and some other stuff being done that point to work getting started.
We shall see, but until they are as far gone on Water Street as they are in that Norwalk development right off the highway, there are gonna be people who won’t believe it until they see something…Cobina is one o’ them.
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Nelly Nuthatch tells me that the infamous (in some school administrator’s eyes) G-wing at the high school is nearly down to the cement slab and steel girders. She sez that the wing was wrapped up like a loaf of bread for weeks cuz they had to take down the building brick by painstaking brick. The reason: asbestos. It was either in the bricks or in the walls behind the bricks. Either way, they had to folly protocol.
Tennyrate, the thing is almost down, and whot happens next is anyone’s guess. I know they wanted that part down, but Nelly brought up a query that was a good one: effen there was asbestos in the building and it had to be wrapped in plastic, how are they gonna do that cut-and-replace technique for the entire building.
Effen there was asbestos in the G-wing, we gotta figger it’s gonna be all over. Can yew imagine putting three stories of plastic up and then building a retaining wall on either side of the section of building that’s gonna hafta be torn down? I don’t even wanna think about it.
I’m sure those in charge know what they’re doing. Ole gals like me jest don’t git it.
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Too bad about Our Lady of Victory closing down. It was rumored hereabouts for some time, but now that it has happened, the onset of regret seems to be taking over for a lotta people in town. Another institution bites the dust.
With that bit o’ chatter, I’ll close mitt luff und kizzez,