Things are getting interesting here in the berg, honey bunch. As February is turning into March and we’re getting ready for those dreaded March winds, two big things are happening in the berg that will dominate our attention over the next several weeks.
By the time yew git this missive, herroner, the esteemed Mayor Nancy Rossi, is putting the finishing touches on a version of the budget that is gonna go in front o’ the Municipal Accountability Review Board, MARB. In fack, the panel is meeting in Hartford today according to the thoid floor of the Actors Colony, and herrroner has a self-imposed deadline for the budget so the panel can look at it.
Of course, now that the city is for the second time in recent memory under the guidance of the state, it has a bigger role on what the budget is gonna look like than anybody else, herroner, the council, even the voters. They will decide effen the numbers jibe, and whether the document can be presented to the council as proposed.
The council won’t git a look at the thing until March 15. So that gives the MARB a large window to look at the numbers and see what’s what. Herroner did give a big hint that come Hell or high water she intends not to raise taxes on the property owners and rate payers. That could mean cuts in the budget the likes o’ which we ain’t seen in these parts in a dog’s age.
And effen yew think this won’t have a ripple effeck, think again. Sammy Bluejay came in t’other afternoon and brought up a wrinkle in this discussion we ain’t see so far. With the MARB having the ability to approve any and all contracks betwixt the city and the unions, once it gives its “imprimatur” on the budget, any raises or proposed raises hafta go through it, and will hafta conform with the budget.
What d’yew think the chances are that nuthin’ but COLA raises will be allowed in the near future. In fack, there is already talk that most of the discussions now being held center around a one- or two-year freeze in any wages. The possibility of a wage increase in the thoid year of those contracks is around, but some are saying even that might be askin’ too much. One way or t’other, there is gonna be discontent amongst the ranks of the various city workers’ groups.
But there is second ripple in the mix that Sammy brought up. Even when the City Council gits its hands on the proposed budget come March 15, the chances of making any changes, significant or otherwise, are even less this time ‘round than usual. It takes nine votes of 13 to make any alterations on the mayor’s proposed budget.
That’s usually a large order to make even in the best of times. With the MARB having veto power over anything and everything, it would seem that the only thing the council could do is decrease the bottom line or rearrange line items whilst keeping the same total. That might be an even harder hurdle than usual. We shall see.
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Of course, the other big story is the Charter Revision Commission that the City Council voted to put together a couple weeks back. By the time this letter is received, Felicia, the applications will be in and the council will determine a couple of things: whether it will be a seven- or nine-member panel, and some of the criteria under which it will operate. According to the resolution it’s gonna take up to 18 months, with a July 2019 final report date.
The foist thing anyone is gonna look at is who is on the commish. This has been the death knell of a couple of past attempts at revision, cuz the “fix was in” so to speak. People saw that despite claims of getting the right people, what was actually meant was the numbers were already filled with the “right” people to make the “right” decisions.
Let’s hope this time is different and the commish actually represents a cross-section of the population and the interests of the taxpayers.
Chairman Ron Quagliani had his own ideas of what should happen, and we’re sure that the members, once their picked will have their own. Let’s just hope this thing doesn’t get bogged down like the others did, and we go back a few decades, you and I, when it comes to these things. Heck, it seems like only yesterday we were seeing the back-and-forth over whether there should be an elected or appointed school bored. The elected board was supposed to cut down on the politics. That really woiked, huh?
Tennyrate, many things have come up and many things have been shot down. Let’s hope this go-round is a bit different than ones that have gone before. Keep yore peepers on this one, it could be an interesting year and half.
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Nelly Nuthatch was flutterin’ by t’other afternoon and sees that the primary for control of the Demmie Party is in the woiks, yet again. Like I mentioned before, the city’s majority party – it’s been that since Ike was in power – has been like all Gaul: divided into three parts. In fack, there is a certain educator in town who uses that line concerning the city. Merlie Mae is famous for saying: West Haven est omnes in partes tres. Julius Caesar might agree, but I digress.
The Demmies are still segmented like a three-part orange and two of the divisions git along fine with each other to keep the thoid out. The only thing interesting is to see which two are aligned with each other this week, month or year. That’s the only thing that keeps politics watchable hereabouts.
The primary is coming up, and the chairmanship and the overall leadership of the party is betwixt those who support the new administration of Mayor Nancy Rossi, and those who are part of the not-so-loyal opposition that supported former hizzoner Ed O’Brien.
With the notice going around that O’Brien has made his intentions known that he’d like to darken the corridors of the Actors Colony again after the 2019 election, the chairmanship is gonna be important as will the leadership. No matter what happens, it ain’t gonna stop the problems that the party has, and it ain’t gonna change until we git a second party that can keep ‘em in check. Soooo, no matter what happens in the election, the in-fighting is gonna continue and, at least for the short term, be the only political game in town. Catch my drift, GOP?
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With the rumor mill going, I guess we hafta say something. Yew probably hoid that the Voice is going through some reorganization as far as the ownership and what not. Well, that’s true. It is. But, things aren’t gonna change much for the average reader, or for the average person working here. Things are gonna stay perty much the same. Much of the ownership is the same, and some of it has changed.
We hope that the new organizations will allow things that we ain’t been able to do over the last little while. Like we’ve always said, effen praise was money, we’d be millionaires several times over. But, we are journalists and not businessmen, and it takes a certain type of person to help that side o’ the enterprise. We hope that’s what’s gonna take place here.
So, let’s scotch those rumors. We’re OK, we’re reorganizing and we’re gonna stay put.
With that bit o’ chatter, I’ll close this time till next, mitt luff und kizzez,