Howdy do, sweetie. Hope you survived Thanksgiving and Black Friday. Cobina came down with a bit of a cold with the brutal temperatures we had in these parts, and decided to stay close to home, especially on Black Friday. Effen yew tried to git on the roads, yew noticed that half the population was in its gassamobuggy. With people coming home from the holiday or going out to battle each other finding that Christmas sale, it was a day and weekend to keep to one’s self effen yew had the inclination. Personally, I never understood the attraction of Black Friday, but that’s what makes the world interesting, no?
Here in the Asylum by the Sea the Holiday Season was got underway in the usual manner. The Green has been decked out in is Christmas finery. For the last couple o’ weeks city workers have been placing, wiring and stringing all kinds of decorations for the big tree-lighting ceremony that took place over the weekend.
Cobina was waxing a bit nostalgic as she saw the angels being placed on their poles. It’s hard to believe that Mary Tracy and Dodie Ireland were the ones who decided to get those images, and it has to be close to 30 years since that decision was made. Those were heady days when the city seemed to have solvency knocked and people were actually moving into our burg. A lot has changed since then. A lotta what we do now are because of those two ladeez, and we should remember them often.
A big crowd came out for the tree-lighting, according to Iva Lootey. He perched himself near the Congregational Church as he does every year, and took in the sights. Despite all the problems the city has it seems a great swath of the community come out for the beginning of the Christmas season.
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Speaking of community, kudos have to be sent to Bill Ewry and his group of helpers for another successful Community Thanksgiving Dinner that was done at the Fellowship Hall of the Congregational Church on Thursday. Ewry and his group stuffed, diced, peeled and sliced, cooked and baked and got a great dinner out for those who happened by. It was another success and another reason the community around these parts is still strong.
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Of course, the biggest news of the week is something that has been rumored about for months. Edward M. O’Brien former burgomeister of our community – that’s German for head honcho – is looking to rectify what he no doubt thinks is an error by the voters when the party faithful favored current Mayor Nancy Rossi by about 124 votes.
O’Brien was surprised by the results back in 2017 – much the same way his predecessor was surprised when he lost to O’Brien. Like I said, it’s been rumored for months that he was looking into a possible run. He sent a missive to this papyrus letting people know he’s “exploring” the possibility.
Sammy Bluejay sez that the “exploration” seems to be a bit more concrete. A fundraiser is being planned we are told, and that means that whilst he might be exploring, we certainly know which way he is leaning.
As Sammy was saying, this is only gonna touch off another skirmish in the Democratic Party the only thing that needs to be seen is how the factions align. As yew know there are three factions, have been for decades. The names are changed, but the game remains the same.
Tennyrate, it’ll be interesting to see what happens, cuz the Morrissey faction, which backs O’Brien not only got zonked in the primary, and then the general elections when a write-in candidacy failed, but they lost control of the Democratic Town Committee three months later when that primary took place. In fack, they got swept out in that primary.
Of course, things around here have an ebb and flow, and losers this year are usually winners in a couple o’ years. So, nothing is set in stone. But we will be interested to see how this all pans out.
The campaign of 2017 was nothing effen it wasn’t brutal. The invective that was tossed back and forth betwixt Rossi and O’Brien was quite something, even by West Haven standards. It seems like each week this periodical had a letter or response from one or t’other about something that was alleged or said, and it ranged from amusing to downright nasty. We shall see what happens this time around. As Bette Davis was once heard to say, “Fasten your seatbelts, it’s going to be a bumpy ride.”
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The watch is still on. Nelly Nuthatch came by t’other afternoon and mentioned that pundits and politicos are still placing wagers on whether the Municipal Accountability Review Board (MARB) is gonna put the city into a Tier IV status. As we’ve said before, effen that happens, what little control the city has in its financial dealings will be gone, and what happened 25 years ago will make a reappearance.
Whilst the board is publicly averring that it is not interested in having complete control, there are many in the Actors Colony and without that seem to think the matter is not “if” but “when.” The reasons are many, but the major one is the political process itself. There are some who think this group of bureaucrats ain’t comfortable with how politics works. They are used to making decisions and making them happen.
We shall see effen these pundits are right. The MARB now has herroner, City Council chairman Ron Quagliani and Mike Last, city treasurer, as sitting members. Last doesn’t have a vote, whilst the mayor and council chairman do. This might be enuff to stall the decision permanently, but the more gaming classes seem to think that Tier IV will happen sooner rather than later. Remember, the city budget process begins after the foist of the year.
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Madame Olga had her crystal ball out recently, and told Cobina that a group that is watching closely at what MARB is doing is the Charter Revision Commish. Ed Granfield’s band of reviser are working very hard and taking apart the city’s charter to see where and if changes should be made. They are supposed to have their recommendations readied by July of next year. That’s about eight months away.
Olga sez that a lotta the committee’s work is done. They’ve made some perty interesting proposals, and there could be some game-changers in there. This is the most independent group of charter revisers the city has ever seen. Usually, the politicos get their minions in and whatever chance we have of changing things is gone quickly.
The group has come up with lots of ideas, and they could be nixed by the City Council, which has to vote to put the recommendations to the voters. Still, with all the work the group has done, it’s gonna be quite interesting to see how the political classes handle the proposals. People aren’t as ready to keel over as they did in the past. This group has a lotta fighters on it.
Olga sez that whilst the group is dotting and crossing, to make sure things are just right, they’d still like to meet with a member or two of the MARB to see effen they have any ideas to help the city. That may or may not happen, Felicia.
The panel don’t like to get involved in the local political scene and speaking with the charter group may put it right in the middle of that scene. We shall see what happens. Methinks they don’t hafta speak to the MARB members, just listen to what they are saying, and the ideas will flow.
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With that bit o’ chatter, I’ll close this time till next, mitt luff und kizzez,