The middle of the month, honeychile, and wasn’t it nice o’ Mother Nature to finally decide summer should be here and get rid o’ that April-like weather we’ve had fer sooooo long. Nope. I ain’t gonna succumb to the temptation to complain about having one’s heat on one week and then pulling out the fans the next. I ain’t gonna do it.
Here in the Asylum by the Sea, effen yore expecting things to calm down, don’t get too fond o’ that idea. Methinks it’s gonna be a very hot summer in more ways than one. Take, for example, the situation Madame Olga related last week.
Jest before deadline, Nancy Rossi decided to shoot a salvo across the Edward M. O’Brien bow by taking another shot at the financial condition o’ the city. She contends that the city is gonna bond for deficit reduction – the same deficit it’s had for the last dozen years – to the tune of about $17.515 million, including all the fees and set-up costs. Then there is another bond that is being considered wherein the city is looking to bond $133.250 million for the high school.
Evidently, some o’ the comments entered into by Nancy had the thoid floor somewhat upset. I know hizzoner was questioning the veracity of some o’ the contentions she made. But let’s not get beyond it. These two politicos are not only fighting for political office, they really don’t like each other. Witch is interesting, cuz at one time they were on the same side.
West Haven politics is sometimes a matter of the “enemy of my enemy is my friend,” but it’s also a matter of expediency. Over the years both hizzoner and ole Nancy have used each other when it’s convenient. But in the crazy factional woild that is the city’s Democratic Party, friends today can be mortal political enemies tomorrow.
~~~
Getting back to the $151 million the city wants to bond. The City Council is expected to pass both bonds this week, but there’s still the matter of the city’s bond rating and other financial liabilities. This deficit reduction bond was supposed to done a while ago, by my count almost three months ago.
Maybe it’s taken that long to figger out effen there are investors out there willing to take on our junk-bond status and put their greenbacks into the financial black hole we’ve become.
This is gonna put a big crimp on the budget when the debt service starts kickin’ in over the next few years. We could be back up there paying for things like we were a decade ago. It ain’t perty.
And getting back to the campaign. Dontcha think it’s gonna be a bit of an isshew? I don’t care how much Rossi will support it, her people will find some way to use it against the incumbent.
~~~
Speaking of the high school, the wag was in here t’other day and he’s convinced there ain’t a whole lotta support for the projeck given the city’s financial situation. With declining enrollment still the order of the day, and the fack that money seems to be leaving rather than arriving in the city, one wonders the prudence of it all.
Yet, the wag seems to think that this is all a big show and face-saver, and he ain’t the only one. Over the last couple o’ weeks, Cobina has hoid a story that she related to yew months ago. There is a growing sentiment out there that once the G-wing is rubble, there is gonna be some reason found to deep-six the projeck.
The G-wing is the face of this entire five-year debacle that the city’s gone through over the high school as I’ve said many times. The shop fracas, which prompted the scurrilous charges concerning Garry Grant, but higher-ups in the school system, and his resignation, has made the G-wing the place where both sides are using it as a rallying pernt.
Grant, as I’ve told yew, has been exonerated from any wrong-doing – a fack that seems to have eluded the very news outlets that seemed to have a field day on him.
The shops were the downfall of an administration, and have caused a lotta acid indigestion in the hallowed halls of the school system.
Many people seem to think this projeck will get the go-ahead to tear down the dastardly wing, and then a reason will be found to do something other than rebuild the entire high school complex. We shall see, but that is the ever-louder story going round the burg.
~~~
Speaking of things having to do with the Ed Dept.: It seems Vic Hogfeldt’s letter last week has struck a cord with more than a few members of the teaching profession. Y’see it’s not only a union thing about him getting a public hearing before the Bored of Ed, it is a state law. He cannot be denied that request and his barrister knows it.
The impetus to not have setch a hearing is the result of some other barrister not believing the elected officials on the board are able to understand the complexities of the case. What’s to understand? Vic will go in there and ask two simple questions: What were my evaluations before the union trouble two years ago? What were they afterwards? With the answer to those queries, the case will rest.
Maybe that’s why the case is so “complex.” Effen the written record is setch that he was a good teacher before the fracas with the union, and now he’s Ichabod Crane without his head afterwards, there might be some ‘splaining to do.
~~~
Then there is the rumor going about the town that things might actually be finalizing on the Haven as far as settling with property owners. There has been a report – yet unconfirmed but from perty good sources as they say – that things might be wrapping up on the purchase of the remaining properties.
Effen that happens there is gonna be a huge sigh of relief on the part of hizzoner and the other mavens of the Actors Colony that are in his administration.
I hear via Nelly Nuthatch that some permits have been filed for, and effen that’s happening something concrete might be underway. Last weekend part of Richards Place and Main Street were temporarily closed to traffic, and one thinks that it might have had something to do with the projeck. So, maybe things are starting to percolate down there, and after almost 20 years, something will happen.
I’ve been telling yew that the Haven projeck will determine who sits in City Hall for the next two years come November. Effen things don’t go according to Hoyle, hizzoner will be in big trouble, and Nancy Rossi has a chance. Effen the projeck gits underway, the election could end up to be an exercise in civics.
~~~
Add to that the tidbit that Iva Lootey came up with t’other afternoon that when the dust settles in the special session up in Hartford, the city might end up better than expected, and certainly better than most of the neighboring towns.
Iva hoid from somewhere that word is effen the House and Senate leaders git their way, our little corner of the state will git at least the money budgeted, and maybe a bit more. That saves us for this year. It don’t change the fack that the city depends too much on outside money and this might be drying up before our eyes.
Jest one other thing. Remember when they put in the income tax back in 1992 and told everyone the days of having special sessions and budget crises will be over cuz the state will know where its money is coming from? The last few years seem to put a lie to that little number. Until politicos decide to put together real budgets with real expectations, we’re gonna have the same problems. Oh, and remember there was a budget cap as a salve to those who didn’t want the income tax? Well, that’s been follied exactly never.
With that bit o’chatter, I’ll close this time till next, mitt luff und kizzez,