Top Walllingford stories of 2008

Internet guru John Sullivan and I discussed the top Wallingford stories of 2008 on our weekly internet radio show. My top three were:

1 The failed attempt to build a mosque at Route 68 and Leigus Road.
2 Town Council, mayor and school board spar over the 2007-08 municipal budget
3 The flap over the veterans service office, including Barbara Thompson’s temporary appointment.

John felt the effort to reform the town charter was the top story. I ranked it number four. If you want to hear a month by month discussion of the top stories of 2008 go to sullivanoneonone.com and click on the “On-Demand Audio” icon. When the player appears click on "Wallingford Top Stories 2008"
Let me know what you think the top Wallingford stories of 2008 were and offer a prediction on the top stories of 2009.

Merry Christmas

Our page one story today about John and Melissa Pijar put Christmas in perspective. Lately, a lot of people have talking about not having as much to spend, not having as much for retirement and possibly not having a job. Everyone thinks they have problems. Not really.

Up until late November the Pijars were enjoying the bliss that comes with a first child. Their daughter, Logan Mae, was 14 months and seemingly healthy. One night she started having seizures and was hospitalized. Less than a week later, she was gone. They still don’t know exactly why. In the midst of all their grief, they decided to donate Logan’s organs so that others could have life.

You can read the full story by staff writer Jeffery Kurz in Wednesday’s paper or on MyRecordJournal. When I did this morning all my problems seemed small. There may not be as many presents under the tree this year and the business outlook for 2009 might seem bleak. You may be worried about losing your job or the size of your next raise or whether you will be able to afford your medicine. But each time you look into the smiling face of a young child this Christmas, consider yourself blessed. And remember that there is at least one couple that would trade all their wordly possessions for just one more Christmas with a little girl they lost far too soon.

Christmas Shopping

Christmas shopping was on my To Do list every day last week, but I never seemed to find time. Thursday night I vowed to start as soon as I got off work Friday. The snowstorm ruined that plan. By Saturday morning I was panicking and feeling sheepish about starting so late. (I usually try to finish no later than two weeks before Christmas because I hate crowds.) A few minutes later a radio report made me feel better. Apparently some poll determined that as of Saturday morning nearly 30 million other U.S. males had yet to start their Christmas shopping. When I arrived at my first destination, a very popular and trendy shop that specializes in women’s jewelry, clothes and accessories, I didn’t need any poll to tell me what was going on. The counter was stacked three deep. When I finally got my turn, I mentioned to the saleswoman what I had heard on the radio and mentioned that I thought I might have heard it wrong. “There can’t be 40 million males who haven’t started their shopping yet,” I told her. She looked around at the store filled with men and boys and told me that I had heard the figure correct. I finished most of my shopping Saturday. Tonight and Tuesday I’ll pick up a couple of stocking stuffers. No pressure because the main items are out of the way. I’d like to hear from men who still haven’t started their shopping yet. Why do you wait so long?

What is wrong in Southington?

The only thing worse than Southington department heads hiring their wives to work in their offices is that the department heads involved, William Masci and Richard Egidio, don’t believe they did anything wrong. That should make every taxpayer in Southington worry about the kind of leadership being provided by the Town Manager, Town Council and other town boards. This kind of nepotism doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It exists where it is tolerated by administrators, elected and appointed officials charged with overseeing town government. In the same front page article, we also learned that the town is paying town employees $90 an hour to chaperone middle school dances. As with the secretarial work, these approximately $40-an-hour jobs aren’t being offered to the general public, but being given to town employees, some already earning lucrative salaries. The town should be paying about half that much for the work and should be opening it up to others. A pretty active forum on the story has emerged on the MyRecordJournal forum section. One writer believe the practice of hiring wives and paying them nearly $24 an hour for secretarial work went on for longer than has been reported. Just click on “Forums” and then “Story of the Day.” Let me know what you think.

Cheshire Noise Complaint

Our story on noise complaints by neighbors of Napoli Foods in Cheshire has prompted an interesting discussion on the forum section of MyRecordJournal.com. It seems the neighbors were there before Napoli and have some right to the peace and quiet they enjoyed before the food distributor opened less than a year ago. That has to be balanced against the rights of Napoli to operate a business and the benefits that businesses bring to the town.
The one thing in the story that jumped out was this sentence:

"Town Manager Michael Milone said the town has no noise ordinance and cannot take any action against Napoli."

That sounds lame coming from the town’s chief executive. Cheshire may not have a specific noise ordinance but certainly the state has laws that cover these kinds of situations and they may apply. I’m sure that the Cheshire police or other town departments have enforced this kind of quality of life issue in Cheshire’s long history and they must have had some legal basis. If Mr. Milone is correct and there is nothing he can do, the Town Council needs to pass an ordinance quickly. I’m not taking sides. If the neighbors were creating a problem for Napoli’s and Milone said there was nothing he could do about it, I’d suggest the same thing. Whether you agree with the neighbors or not, they seem to have legitimate complaint and deserve a fair hearing based on the local or state laws that apply. Check out the "Truck noise disturbs neighborhood" forum on MyRecordJournal for other opinions. Let me know what you think of the situation.

Update on Christmas lights and trees

Last week I blogged about the fact that I wasn’t seeing as many outdoor Christmas displays as last year. Since then I’ve noticed an increase. Perhaps people just got a late start this year. I’m doing my part. We put up our outdoor display last night. It’s not as big as last year, but it adds to the holiday landscape. Maybe smaller displays are the way to go.
On another holiday note, we put up a real tree this year after several years of putting up an artificial one. I prefer the artificial because you can put it up real early and don’t have to vacuum up pine needles. My sons and wife were in favor of a real tree. Guess who won? I’m wondering if others have switched back to real trees and why? Let me know.

Dovan interview, Comerford discussion

The inauguration of a new president in Washington D.C. could jump start a lot of local projects struggling to move off the drawing board. President-elect Obama is promising billions for local public works projects. State and municipal officials will be involved in selecting those projects. Meriden state Representative Chris Donovan, about to become Speaker of the House, will be an influential player in the selection process. On our weekly internet radio show, John Sullivan and I interview Donovan about the economic crisis and possible solutions. We also discussed Bill Comerford’s mysterious last-minute decision not to seek a position on the Wallingford Housing Authority. To listen to the Donvan interview and Comerford discussion go to sullivanoneonone.com and click on the Audio On Demand Icon. If you want to listen live, the show airs every Sunday starting at 8 p.m.

Fewer Christmas Lights?

I’m noticing fewer outdoor Christmas lights this season. On my cul-de-sac in Wallingford all six families usually put up outdoor displays. This year three of the six don’t have them, including my house. I don’t miss the lights much. Many were done in moderation and with taste. For others, Christmas became a tacky competition to put up the most lights and decorations. The recession and a renewed interest in saving energy is probably responsible for fewer Christmas lights this year. Let me know if you’re noticing fewer lights. If so, is it a good thing?

Bill Comerford's second thought

I’m sure there are a lot of disappointed supporters of Bill Comerford. From the sidelines, Comerford has been leading the charge against the administration of longtime Wallingford Mayor Bill Dickinson. He’s developed somewhat of a following because of his regular criticism of the mayor at Town Council meetings. It appeared Comerford would be moving from the sidelines to a position on the Wallingford Housing Authority after the Democratic Town Committee nominated him for the post. Then suddenly on Wednesday he dropped out and offered few specifics, saying that he had a personal issue that he would “rather not talk about.” The only problem is that Comerford has put himself in the public eye for more than a year and naturally there is going to be a lot of speculation about exactly what happened. I’m afraid it also may hurt his credibility if he continues to show up at Town Council meetings and publicly question and criticize the mayor. As one person put it on the forum section of MyRecordJournal: “…he sounds like one of those loud mouths who have all the answers until it becomes their responsibility and they have to answer for it. Wallingford is probably better off.”
I’m not sure I agree that Wallingford is better off. Regardless of how this ended, Comerford made some good points, especially on the self-insurance issue. I didn’t always agree with his presentation, but he did raise important questions and important facts that led the town to move to self insurance. I hope Comerford continues in his role as a watchdog although it may be fore difficult in light of his withdrawal.