Well hon, by the time yew git this missive, the calendar will say spring, but Ole Man Winter is supposed to make sure that we all remember him. As Iyam scribing these words to yew, the weather forecasters are saying – and it looks like – were in the path for yet another snowstorm. Yup, and whilst it’ll be gone when yew git this, the forecasters are playing this one close to the vest – probably cuz they really didn’t have it all together last week. Whilst some parts of the state got a foot of the white stuff, around here, there was barely a good coating in some spots.
Tennyrate, Cobina always gits a bit nervous when the guys with the forecasts get cagey. They hedge their bets and then say it could go one way or t’other. One projection sez one thing and another sez something else. It jest won’t end.
And, of course, the continued snow has forced the city to – yet again – remind people that a parking ban ain’t jest a suggestion, it’s mandatory. People have kind o’ been lax over the last storm or two, I guess, cuz the city spend its time bothering to send out a press release regarding snow parking in the middle o’ March!
Let’s hope that don’t mean that weather forecasters are tellin’ city officials around the state to keep the salt and sand ready for more. Granny used to say effen we have a warm October we have a late winter. We had a very warm October, and winter jest seems to be hanging around. I don’t think it’s gonna git warm until Memorial Day.
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Sammy Bluejay was perched outside the Haddie North Room (that was Harriet’s nickname, remember) last week when herroner gave her budget address. Sammy made mention of the fack that most of the people in the room looked as if they had been sucking lemons – not to mention the faces of the council members. It was quite a sight.
Effen I had to put the message in one word I’d hafta use “dour.” It was not an upbeat kind o’ message, and effen yew’ve been paying attention for more than two minutes you’d see that Mayor Rossi was prepping the public and the politicos in the Actors Colony for some perty bad news.
The long and short of it is, whilst the budget went up, it only went up about $12,000 from last year. A dozen positions are to be eliminated or hours cut back, and some programs are gonna be history. What most are gonna be lookin’ at is who is being cut or cut back. It’ll be interesting to see effen this was an objective kind of culling of herd or an “abject” one, where political decisions came into play on who gits cut and cut back. Already the moaning is being hoid, that herroner made sure that “her” people were OK, whilst “other” people were not. Cobina ain’t had a chance to look at the document, so she’ll not opine on that yet. I jest say I’ll not be surprised either way.
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Nelly Nuthatch came in t’other afternoon and we talked about the public hearing next week. The hearing is set fer Bailey Middle School’s auditorium this Toosdee at 6:30. To say this might be a meeting that’ll sound like cats on a fence is to understate it. There’s gonna be a lotta angst methinks.
Over the past few years, these public hearings have been rather staid affairs, nuthin’ like the barn-burners that happened in the 80s and 90s. This one might break that record and be a blast from the past. You know darn well that unions and advocates are gonna pitch their best to save whatever they can.
Meanwhile, effen yew read our editorial, yew hafta wonder jest what the council is gonna talk about over its six-week review of the budget. The package has already been given the go-ahead by the Municipal Accountability Review Board (MARB). The only thing the council will be able to do – if that seeing as how it’ll need nine votes to do it – is make some cosmetic changes without altering the bottom line. Whatever it does it will be under the scrutiny of Hartford. Remember, herroner presented the budget to the MARB before she presented it to the council. That tells yew everything you wanna know.
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Iva Lootey reminded Cobina that the other big news of the week was that the Charter Revision Commission has been seated. This group is gonna make an 18-month review of the charter and make changes wherein it thinks it’s needed.
A couple things hafta happen foist, of course, I guess according to state law some recommendations hafta be on the books before the commish can meet. Soooooo, we know both herrroner and Ron Quagliani, the chairman of the City Council, have their own ideas as to what should happen. We’re sure the council members might have some ideas.
Look fer a coalition of those ideas to be put in a formal document and things can begin. The commish don’t hafta take the recommendations. It can determine that it should go another way on things, or it can reject ‘em outright. It can also come up with its own ideas.
Tell me effen yew can believe it, but there are people who aren’t happy with some o’ the decisions made as to who is on the commish. Mirabile dictu!! In a city like this somebody is unsatisfied? I say this with tongue firmly embedded in cheek
Tennyrate, the way I git the story is the Demmies conferred with the Demmies on the council to determine who the Demmie members are on the nine-member commish, whilst the GOP member conferred with other members of the GOP – but not the town chairman – to determine what Republicans are on. Quagliani made it a 5-4 split Demmies to Republicans.
I am hearing that a certain former council member and a GOP-er is being tapped for chairman, and it’s got more than a couple people with their nose outta joint. It ain’t a matter that he might be competent, it’s the R after his name. Let’s hope what Iyam hearin’ is true. He’d be a bang-up chairman and with some o’ the other names Cobina has hoid, it could be a commish that can actually make a difference.
The last two charter commission attempts were not good experiences. The politicos shut down the good ideas that came outta the panel, and what resulted was more of the same old nonsense that has plagued this berg since celluloid collars.
Also, methinks effen the politicos try to sabotage the committee’s work, people will decide to spend their time doing something else and making sure that the public knows that they’re gonna spend their time doing something else.
Keep yore eyes on this one, it should be very interesting.
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The wag was in and saw that the state DOT is looking into having a food concession at the train station. The foist thing that came into Cobina’s head was a smiling Mikey Mercuriano. He was in a couple weeks ago and that very item was on his agenda. He is still concerned the state is giving the city’s station short shrift.
He’s been bugging the DOT almost non-stop trying to git it to have a food concession. Either the department leadership thought it was a good idea, or they just wanted to git Mercuriano off their backs. Maybe it was a combination of the two.
I know one thing, the first hot dog or coffee to be sold at the stand when and if it opens will be sold to his nibs.
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With that bit o’ chatter, I’ll close this time till next, mitt luff und kizzez,