Howdy sweets. By the time yew git this missive, we’ve been through the helter-skelter of Hallow E’en and it’ll be All Hallows. That means November is here, and the gray, leaden sky that usually accompanies it is here. The rain has been constant and large, honey bunch. We had a massive storm over the weekend to let everyone know that summer is, in fact, a thing of the past, and more rain is expected. The lumbago was havin’ a field day with these old bones. But, there’s more to tell yew than that concerning the goings-on in these parts.
The biggest story o’ the week happened near week’s end with the passing of Pam Bellmore Gardner, the principal of West Haven High School. She’d been through a lot over the last couple o’ years, and has been a tower of strength for many around here. Unfortunately, her disease got the better of her, as it does, and she’s left a husband and children, not to mention her parents.
Pam and our editor occasionally bantered over the Internet, going back and forth exchanging quips and info. She was a good egg and will be missed by everyone, including the staff and kids at the school
Effen yew drove past the school over the weekend, the sign in front of the football stadium read “Pam Strong,” and one o’ the kiddies painted the monolith that sits in front of the main entrance – it used to be over near the courtyard, but was moved due to construction. The outgoing class emblazons its year on it.
Tennyrate, there’s a lotta sorrow and a lot to sort out for everyone. Cobina and this papyrus offer our prayers and condolences to her family, who’ve been friends of the papyrus for years, and to the staff and students at the high school.
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The turning of the calendar month also pernts out that Election Day is jest around the corner – in fack, Tuesday. Goodness only knows what’s gonna happen on a national level. Rosa DeLauro Greenberg will get another term, we’re sure. We jest hope the GOP keeps the house so that RDG doesn’t become a chairlady of anything important.
Needless to say we feel the same way about our junior senator, Chris Murphy, who really is a political animal of the foist order. The wag was in t’other afternoon and wondered out loud effen Murphy really believes the prattle he spouts or is just falling in line with the party base. It’s probably a perty good bet he’s just fallin’ in line jest like the rest of them.
Effen the Demmies take the House, the hysteria we’ve seen and the tantrums we’ve endured will be tripled. It’ll be a time to stop watchin’ the news, and begin watching Christmas movies on the Hallmark Channel. Cobina for one will start puttin’ her kopecks in her mattress so the Demmies can’t git any more.
Meanwhile on a state level, the hope in this office is that Bob Stefanowski can topple over Ned Lamont. Lamont said somethin’ that should scare everyone. He says in his ads that he wants an “economy that’s fair to everyone.” That is Demmyspeak for “new taxes and more spending.”
The state is bleeding people, but the ruling party thinks it’s 1966 all over again. Sometimes I wonder why I don’t take my gassamobuggy and move to warmer – and cheaper – climes.
Well, as Iyam prone to say on other occasions, “Here endeth the rant.”
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Sammy Bluejay was in t’other afternoon and reminded Cobina that it’s been a year since Nancy Rossi was elected the Lord Mayor – shouldn’t it be “Lady Mayor”? — of this hamlet. Certainly a lot o’ water has flowed under the bridge since that squeaker of an election. I don’t mean the general election. I mean the primary.
Everyone perty much knew that once she inched past Edward M. O’Brien, the mayoralty was likely in the bag, so to speak. Still, though she kinda, mighta, probably did know that things were bad before she entered the hallowed thoid floor office, odds are she wasn’t prepared for the true nature of the problem.
Still, as Sammy pernted out, in a way O’Brien gave her cover. It was probably cover he expected for himself, but that was all based on winning the primary. Y’see he DID know that passing a bond isshew to pay off the city’s then-$16 million-plus deficit was gonna bring the infamous MARB into town. MARB, or the Municipal Accountability Review Board, was put in place by the General Assembly when our little berg and Hartford needed help from the state to balance the books. The only thing that could be said positive about the move was that “at least we ain’t Hartford.”
Soooo, the cover that O’Brien was probably hoping for, went to whoever was gonna win the general election. But, nobody was quite sure the MARB was gonna be around until after the election. O’Brien couched his rhetoric in setch a way that what the state was gonna do really never entered into the equation.
Still, the review board took over, and as we head into Thanksgiving, the odds are mounting that the city will move from Tier III status, which allows it to have some autonomy, to Tier IV status (Roman numerals gives it more gravitas). Tier IV status means that the MARB will make any and all decisions on finances, can open contracts, and can up the mill rate at will amongst other things. It also means that the City Council gets to say, “yes,” or “yes,” to whatever the MARB dictates.
Herroner and the MARB have been dickering back and forth for months about a five-year plan to git the city outta the morass it’s in, it was passed Monday. It was an 11-1 vote with one absent. There is a confabulation in the next few days – after the election – with the city, and I wouldn’t bet the mortgage against the MARB deciding to let the shoe drop. We shall see.
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Meanwhile, we ain’t hoid much about the annual Community Thanksgiving Dinner that is held at the Congregational Church on Turkey Day, but we’re perty confident Bill Ewry, or whomever is his successor, will be sending something into these office PDQ. They’ve got a committee that sort of stays together, so there is no reason to re-invent the wheel each year.
Still, they need to organize a bit, and get volunteers and foodstuffs donated. Stay tuned. I don’t think we’ll be waiting too much longer before that item comes over the transom.
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As yew know, Cobina’s favorite stage play is actually an operetta, “The Mikado,” by Gilbert & Sullivan. Well, jest like one o’ the main characters, Cobina’s got a lit’le list of “society offenders who never would be missed, they’d none of ‘em be missed.”
She’s been keeping this list for a bit of time, jest as a way to keep things in humor. Still, she wonders sometimes effen these “society offenders” should be “awaiting that sensation, on a big, black block.” The list of politicos who could be listed as “society offenders,” seems to be getting longer each year.
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With that bit o’ chatter, I’ll close this time till next, mitt luff und kizzez,