Well…I promised not to write about this but I’m feeling like Al Pacino in Godfather VIII, “I try to get out, but they keep pulling me back in!” To get caught up…check out my tweets at http://twitter.com/CouncilorCotto.
So…we have a new Democratic Town Chair in Jean Holloway this evening after a drama filled evening at City Hall…or do we? The drama started with the voting of a temporary chair for the elections. This was between Ramon Arroyo and Hector Robles. Ramon won by a vote of 34 to 32 (out of 66 present)…pretty innocent right? Think again!
When the votes for Chair was taken between Sean Arena and Jean Holloway, the official count was 33-33 when Chair Ramon Arroyo announces “As chair I will cast a vote to break the tie. I cast my vote for Miss Holloway and declare her winner!” Pan – De (friggin) Monium!! Literally, half the crowd erupted into cheers and the other half screaming WTF!! Continue reading As the World Turns aka NASCAR night at City Hall
Just in case people were wondering what the suggestions were from the marathon One City One Plan meetings we were having, here are the top 20.
1. Reduce automobile reliance. (29 dots)
2. Improve connectivity & walkability Downtown. (27 dots)
3. Create “Complete” neighborhoods with centers. (26 dots)
4. Make Downtown streets vibrant, active & interesting. (23 dots)
5. Create a stewardship program to maintain parks. (20 Dots)
6. Improve the Downtown business climate/targeted tax incentives. (18 dots)
7. Create a Multi‐Modal Transportation Center at Union Station. (17 dots)
8. Strengthen civic education. (17 dots)
9. Improve Downtown retail – more mixed use buildings, stores of all sizes and expanded hours. (16 dots)
10. Create a public policy that puts pedestrians first. (16 dots)
11. Address public safety. (16 dots)
12. Establish a Green Renovation Blueprint or “Greenprint” for vacant and underused buildings and
surface parking lots Downtown. (15 dots)
13. Intensify Environmental Education. (13 dots)
14. Improve buses/trolley/shuttle Downtown. (13 dots)
15. Enhance neighborhood connectivity. (11 dots)
16. Strengthen Architectural Preservation Program. (11 dots)
17. Fill in the gaps in the streetscapes and surface parking lots city‐wide. (10 Dots)
18. Connect Downtown to area colleges. (10 dots)
19. Eliminate barriers to sustainability (zoning, tax code, etc). (9 dots)
20. Implement a bold symbolic project Downtown. (9 dots)
Helen Ubiñas’ damning commentary on the 2550 Main Street Academy raises more questions than answers. Mind you, not about the controversial columnist loathed, or feared, by those at 550 Main Street. (I once had a dept. head ask me to ask Helen to stay away from said person…shiiii…like I got that kinda pull? she called me sheepish in a column once…every man for himself!)
No, the questions surround more the school, or Academy, itself and the recent complaint by both the Center for Children’s Advocacy and Greater Hartford Legal Aid. The complaint charges that the Academy failed to provide educational services in the least-restrictive environment, excluded students from participating in school programs because of their disabilities, failed to comply with required disciplinary procedures and failed to provide a safe school environment. Continue reading If I had a hammer…
Here are some more links to the upcoming Democratic Town Committee elections.
First, Cityline highlights an interesting mailer sent out by the Census Bureau…or is it? (link here)
and the Northend Agent highlights one slate on their front cover. (link here)
enjoy this beautiful snowy day.
I finally got a chance to see Patricia Hickson’s first curatorial swing at the Wadsworth’s Matrix gallery and I have to say that I hope she’s with us for a long time. Matrix 158 features German sculptor Kitty Kraus and her haunting and exciting lightboxes. This exhibit opened on February 4th and is up til May 2.
It’s interesting that the exhibit catalog (which is always available free of charge) mentions a guillotine in its opening paragraph. In John Moore’s 2006 remake of The Omen, the foreshadowed deaths of some of the victims was manifested by a sharp streak of light on an image of the said victim. That being said, my initial take on the exhibit did not conjure any such violent imagery. Let’s delve in… Continue reading Contemporary Art is back in a big way at WAMA
As stated in a previous post, Jeff Cohen, formerly of the Hartford Courant, has found a new home as a Capital Region Reporter for NPR. He just started another web presence with his new blog that will speak to “the happenings of the state’s capitol, politics, and looming budget crisis have our attention. You’ll read about all of those here. But just as important will be stories about Hartford, the people who live and work here, and the issues that they — and their region — confront daily.”
Here’s the link…
