Playing Crocodile Club Catch Up

 meant to get all caught up with Crocodile Club last week, but I didn't. So here are the tidbits left out in the telling:

Host Ray Dunaway did a good job. He wasn't prepared to say the blessing before the meal, but the expected preacher didn't show, so Ray had to man up and do it. He figured his credentials as club president gave him "the authority" so he plunged right in. I don't think he'll be running off to theology school anytime soon, but I'd say he passed. On a side note, he told me his accordian was in rough shape, so he didn't bring it. Hope he gets it fixed in time for next year.

Ray had a bell that he said he'd ring if anyone didn't abide by the five-minute time limit on the speeches. The only time he had to use it was on the first speaker -- Bristol Mayor Art Ward -- who was just getting warmed up and hadn't even tried to be funny by the time the bell rang. The bell didn't stop the mayor from moving ahead with his remarks, though.

The picture here is one of me and Wally Barnes, and the mayor, before he got the bell.

Carolyn Norton was the only Norton at this year's dinner. She was the toast of the town and the belle of the ball. She had fun, too.

Lots of old timers were happy to see the club back, thanks to the permission of the Norton family, who owned the rights to it, the hospitality of Lake Compounce, the great food provided by Nuchies catering and the hard work of the New England Carousel Museum, which brought the event back as a fundraiser.

Tons of newcomers were excited to get to attend the club for the first time. Many of them were seated up front at the head table and they had to give speeches. There could have been some better briefing by staff, since a couple people didn't understand how the humor was supposed to be playful and remarks weren't supposed to be mean. Hopefully next time, they'll know what it is and get with the program.

The worst offender was Mark Boughton, who is running for lieutenant governor on the Republican side. He took a serious shot at Dan Malloy and the crowd definitely didn't like it. As he made his way back to his seat, I heard Malloy tell him his "joke" didn't go over "any better than when Ned Lamont told it."

Malloy and Tom Foley were both there for the first time. I'm not sure they were excited or enjoying themselves, though. When they weren't working the crowd, they sat next to each other at the head table and didn't look all that comfortable. When they spoke, they both tried to be funny. They were, but only a little bit.

Worst joke of all? Tom Marsh, the independent candidate for governor. "What's brown and sounds like a bell?" Marsh asked. "Dung."

No, I'm not kidding.

Linda McMahon surprised me with her wit. She had a few off the cuff remarks that were pretty good, including a swipe at Dunaway for noting her age when he introduced her and no one else's. Her opponent, Richard Blumenthal, joked about how un-funny he is and sure enough, wasn't especially amusing, except when he talked about being camera shy.

George Jepsen recited a short limerick, which in my book gets a few props for creativity:

"It is the year 2010

The crocodiles have assembled again

At long tables they eat

Some really odd meat.

For me, I will stick with the gin."

Classiest speaker, in my humble opinion, was Nancy Wyman, who raised a glass to the memory of Stretch Norton, recognized Carolyn Norton and just stayed in the spirit of the Crocodile. It's not hard to see why she's popular.

Not sure why the carousel museum decided to take a "break" in the middle of the program to draw a raffle number. It could have been done quickly but instead, a break was announced and a whole bunch of people, including many of the candidates on stage, beat a path to the door.

John Larson and Ann Brickley had to wait until after the break to speak, which didn't seem right to me, since much of the room had emptied by then. It is the U.S. Congress, after all.

The award for best patient goes to Betty Boukus, who is healing from total knee replacement surgery. She's getting around pretty well, she said, and is definitely following doctor's/physical therapist's orders.

Most conspicuous absence that day? Stretch Norton. Everybody missed him.

Biggest delight for me? Wally Barnes was there. My favorite moment of the whole thing was taking a spin on the park's antique carousel with him.

I discovered that, like me, he also prefers a jumper to a stander. He didn't get the brass ring, he said, but I felt like I did.

Wally hadn't expected to be in town, but when he found himself there, he "didn't want to miss it," he told me. I'm glad.

Who Was That Robo Caller?

I was standing in the ShopRite plaza parking lot Wednesday afternoon, waiting for Democrat Dan Malloy to show up for his stop in Bristol when some local pols started talking about robo calls.

    State Rep. Chris Wright, a Bristol Democrat, said he got three robo calls asking him to vote for Malloy for governor in the primary Tuesday -- one from Congressman John Larson, one from Mayor Art Ward and one from himself.

    “It was a little strange,” Wright said, getting a call from himself urging him to vote.
     Hearing his own recorded voice was weird, Wright admitted.
    “That’s how I sound?” he said he asked himself. “No wonder everyone calls me ‘ma’am’ on the phone.”
     Wright blamed his high-pitched vocal chords on his dad, former state Rep. Gardner Wright, who’s been known to sound a bit squeaky.
     Ward said he gets the robo calls, too, but doesn't always listen to them.
     “I was supposed to get one from me,” Ward said. “I refused it.”

Mayor's Brother-in-law Escaped Carnage

Mayor Art Ward told me just now that his brother-in-law, who was a truck driver at Hartford Distributors, escaped with his life Tuesday.
When his co-worker Omar Thornton started shooting as Thornton was reportedly being escorted from the building early Tuesday, the mayor's brother-in-law was only about a telephone pole's length away, Ward said.
"He escaped yesterday by jumping out a window," said Ward, with four others. "He saw him coming and he got out of there."
Ward, who used to be a salesman for Alan S. Goodman -- a competitor of Hartford Distributors -- said he knew four of the men who died in the shooting.
He'd met them on the road, Ward said, while they were all working, and sometimes, they socialized together. A couple of them attended a stag party for Ward's son, he said, adding that the friendships "go back a long time."
Ward estimated that only about four or five people from Bristol work at the Manchester company.
The mayor said he hasn't had much of a chance to talk with his brother-in-law since the horror.
"We're just grateful that my brother-in-law is fine."
Unless I speak with the brother-in-law, I'm not using his name.

ESPN Baby Helps With Daycare Groundbreaking

Is this cute or what? Ani, Harper and Steve Levy all helped with the groundbreaking for ESPN's new childcare center on Thursday.

The massive new center, which will open in about a year, is under construction now on Enterprise Drive in 229 Industrial Park.

Steve Levy is an anchor on SportsCenter and Ani, his wife, is an attorney in the healthcare industry. Their sweet baby girl, Harper, is only two months old.

The groundbreaking drew all the big names -- Steve Levy and ESPN President George Bodenheimer being among them -- but little Harper, who never uttered a word, stole the whole show. She was more fun than the kiddie music or the fruit kabobs, that's for sure. She even upstaged Mayor Art Ward, and well, that's saying something.

So who put the baby in the hard hat? That was the brainstorm of ESPN public relations man Josh Krulewitz. It kind of looks to me like she's rapidly outgrowing it.
I wrote about this for Friday's edition of The Bristol Press so more details should be there, at www.bristolpress.com.

For Peace of Mind, ESPN Wants a Piece of Road

ESPN is asking the city for a portion of Ronzo Road. It's the part that starts after the Locknetics driveway and runs only to ESPN buildings and parking lots.

The company owns the land on both sides of the road and wants the piece of public road to improve employee safety and security on its sprawling campus.

ESPN first raised the issue with Mayor Art Ward in early June, Mike Soltys, an ESPN executive told me.

City councilors will consider the request at their meeting Tuesday night.

The diagram at the top of this post is part of the paperwork ESPN filed with the city in hopes of getting the piece of the road.

I wrote about this for Tuesday's edition of The Bristol Press, so if you want more info, check it out at http://www.bristolpress.com/.

A Lesson in Compassion

Today I went out to see the action the city was taking on blighted property on Marine Court. These are pictures from today, and a story should be in Friday's edition of The Bristol Press, http://www.bristolpress.com/.
If you want a little more perspective, read on.
These photos are of property on Marine Court owned by Francis Kerr. On Thursday morning, the city called in an emergency contractor -- D'Amato -- to clear a nearly vacant (except for the debris) plot of land owned by Kerr. The city is in court with Kerr over his house, which is shown in the top photo. The bottom photo is of the sort-of vacant land. It has a garage that is falling down (with a car of some sort inside) and what amounts to a bunch of junk all around -- rusty barrels, the frame of a big old wagon and a stack of tires.
I am not a fastidious person but I can say that Kerr's place is a mess.
The trouble is, he apparently likes it that way.
Some neighbors have complained bitterly to the city. They worry about declining home values, pests that might be attracted to the debris and also about some of the mess falling into their yards.
Mostly, the neighbors don't want to be quoted. They're leery of Kerr, who keeps to himself and has signs posted around the perimeter of his property warning people to stay away.
But those who know him say he's a very smart man, someone who isn't violent or dangerous. The Kozikowski family, Kerr's next door neighbors -- who might have the most reason to gripe -- say they like him and have learned to live with the way he keeps the property.
Kerr apparently doesn't have a phone and I've never spoken to him. My heart does go out to him, though. He's a Vietnam vet whose parents have died. He has no siblings, spouse or children. And the city he's lived in all his life is after him. He could face jail on violations of health laws if he doesn't clean up his house. Mayor Art Ward said Kerr has been found incompetent.
Certainly it's not fair to the neighborhood for the city to do nothing. This has been a blight problem in Bristol for almost 20 years. And when buildings are falling down, as the garage on Kerr's lot is, it is dangerous. The city has to act on that.
Those who know Kerr say he doesn't want any help and refuses medication. I don't know what the answer is, but it doesn't seem right to me to throw him in jail for what amounts to being a serious packrat. I truly hope it doesn't come to that.

Fireworks Update

Mayor Art Ward just told me that there's a chance the fireworks for Bristol's 225th anniversary party will go on after all. He said City Councilor Ken Cockayne is working hard to make it happen. And people have called his office to offer donations, Ward said.
Stay tuned.

FIREWORKS

I wrote a story for today's edition of The Bristol Press (www.bristolpress.com) about how the celebration for the city's 225th anniversary will not include fireworks as organizers had planned for months.
The root of the problem seems to be the city's insistence on a certain number of cops on duty, based on what the police say they need.
Chief John DiVenere said he can't compel officers to work on their day off in a non-emergency situation.
Mayor Art Ward is reluctant to pay all the overtime and isn't questioning how many cops are needed or if they are, whether out of town subs could be used for this special event.
According to the 225th committee, the city won't consider alternatives that organizers suggested, like using volunteers, police Explorers, firefighters or rent-a-cops.
It's too bad, especially on the heels of the new downtown deal.

ESPN's New Veterans Monument

Today I went out to ESPN, one of my favorite spots in Bristol, for a nice ceremony honoring the company's veterans.
In addition to ESPN employees, the company invited a color guard from the Bristol American Legion, Post 2, Mayor Art Ward and state Rep. Frank Nicastro, who showed up in uniform to play his trumpet as part of the ceremony. It was generous the way ESPN included people from the community and nice to see the enthusiastic response from Bristol.
I wrote about it for Thursday's edition of The Bristol Press, so check out the story and probably a photo or two, at www.bristolpress.com.

BARC Hopes to Raise $150,000

In the photo, provided by Ann Beardsley, are, from the left: BARC board of directors member Kevin DellaBianca; Mayor Art Ward; Executive Director Francine M. Pangaro and BARC clients Traci Castolene and Melissa Bailey.

BARC, which is 98 percent funded by the state, has a few items it wants to have that the state won't pay for and locally awarded community development block funds weren't granted for. They include siding, a new roof and a furnace, among other things. They're asking people for donations to cover it and today kicked off the campaign. I wrote about it for The Bristol Press (www.bristolpress.com).

"His Beat Was Clear and Concise"

What hidden talents doeth our honorable mayor have?
Well, here he is, waving a stick. Wait, my bad. That's not just any old stick. That's a conductor's baton!
Bristol Mayor Art Ward was one of the guest conductors of the Nutmeg Symphony Orchestra recent Celebrity Maestro's Gala fundraiser this month at the Country Club of Farmington.
Marshall Brown, the orchestra's dedicated music director and conductor, told me that the orchestra played music by the well known Connecticut composer Leroy Anderson.
"Art was wonderful and the orchestra loved him!" Brown told me in an email. "His beat was clear and concise and his demeanor encouraging and friendly."
Other guest conductors included Anderson's son Kurt Anderson. ESPN's Brian Kenny served as the master of ceremonies.
In the past, the event has raised about $6,000 for the talented regional symphony. This time, the event broke even, Brown said.
Next time, I hope there's a bigger crowd.

First Dispatch From the Busway Meeting -- No Decision Yet

Steve sent this two minutes ago. He wrote it for the Herald's earlier deadline. The Press story may have more and I'm sure he'll post more on the Bristol Blog (http://www.bristoltoday.com/) later tonight. I'm just trying to fill in the gaps for those of you on the edge of your seats.

By STEVE COLLINS
STAFF WRITER
BRISTOL – Regional planners listened intently late Thursday to pitches for both the proposed busway and the potential for commuter rail.
Rail backers spoke first and then the proponents of the 9.4-mile busway between New Britain and Hartford got their turn.
Members of the Central Connecticut Regional Planning Agency questioned the plans in preparation for a possible vote on whether to give their blessing to shifting $116 million in state transportation funds to the busway.
As of deadline, no decision had been made. Some urged postponement of the decision until March to give planners time to review the material.
Others pushed for quick approval.
“The busway has been studied. The busway is now. The busway creates jobs,” said Joseph Marie, the state’s transportation commissioner.
With the federal government “behind us on this project,” Marie said, it makes sense to proceed as planned.
New Britain Mayor Tim Stewart said it is important to note how close the project is to construction, which could begin next year.
That stands in sharp contrast to the commuter rail option pushed by many Bristol officials.
Commuter rail “is an idea, not a project,” Stewart said, and would take eight to 10 years to come to pass at best.
If the agency backs the busway funding, it’s not clear that the $573 million project will face no further troubles.
“This thing has miles to go,” said Mike Nicastro, president of the Central Connecticut Chambers of Commerce.
Nicastro said rail backers will carry their fight to the General Assembly and elsewhere to keep the heat on the project.
But Bristol Mayor Art Ward, another rail backer, sounded resigned Thursday.
“The eggs are all pretty much in a basket for the bus route and we need to move on,” Ward said. “It’s very, very unlikely there’d be any roadblocks.”
He said the state and federal officials who have looked into the issue have essentially made the decision “to move forward with the busway.”
Adding some weight to the opposition to the busway was a letter written tis week by West Hartford’s mayor and four legislators stating that if the town had to choose, it would prefer rail.
“If building the busway will eliminate the opportunity for a commuter rail stop” in Elmwood, the letter to U.S. Rep. Johnson Larson said, “we must come out even stronger against the busway.”
Marie said that a station in Elmwood could handle both buses and trains.
Michael Sanders, the DOT transit manager, said the assumption has been the joint station would be at Flatbush Avenue, but it could be moved to Elmwood if that’s what West Hartford wants.
Rail advocates said that trains would tie the region into a network that offers more long-term potential for growth.
But Sanders said the busway benefits are immediate, including faster travel time for commuters who continue to use I-84. There would also be more buses and routes to service the region, including buses every 12 minutes between Hartford and Bristol during commuting periods.Sanders said the design is 90 percent finished and all but two of the property purchases needed have been completed.He said the project will create more than 1,000 jobs annually during the construction period through 2013.State officials said the bureaucratic process allows regional officials to approve any federal funding within their regions. The state can’t spend the money without the agency’s green light.

9:55 p.m.
I just revised the story to reflect an updated version. Only the last few paragraphs have changed -- Jackie
10:30 p.m.
Nothing new.
11 p.m.
No word.
Watch the Bristol Blog... www.bristoltoday.com. He'll probably leave something there later tonight and if not then, certainly in the morning.

Need Increasing, But Cuts in Funding Expected

The Bristol Cares committee met today, exchanging information on what is still a tough time for social service agencies and the people they serve. Here's what I wrote for Friday's edition of The Bristol Press (www.bristolpress.com):

BRISTOL – Human service agencies in Bristol are bracing for more cuts in state funding, even as the number of people in need of help continues to climb.
“There’s going to be cuts. We all know that,” said Thomas Morrow, chairman of the Bristol Cares committee. But the cuts are coming at a time when the demand for services is great, he said.
“The shelter’s full,” said Phil Lysiak, executive director of the St. Vincent DePaul Mission of Bristol, which operates three homeless shelters in town.
Last year, Lysiak said, they were hit with a $7,000 cut in aid from the state Department of Social Services and he expects another this year.
To cope, Lysiak said, his board is planning a new fundraiser every month that they hope will grow. They’ve had a family night event at a health club and next will have a wine tasting at St. Gregory’s CCD Center on Saturday, Feb. 20.
“We’re going to have a classical guitarist,” said Lysiak.
Mayor Art Ward said that while he keeps hearing “little glimmers of hope,” he knows that the reality is that citizens continue to struggle with lost jobs and reduced hours.
Ward said “the need is as great, if not greater” than when he started the committee more than a year ago, then called Winter ’09.
“People are being affected by the economy,” said Morrow. “We’re all feeling it.”
Morrow, who is the executive director of the Bristol Community Organization, said unprecedented numbers of people are coming for help with home heating costs.
BCO energy assistance caseworkers are seeing three or four people every 15 minutes, said Morrow.
“It doesn’t stop,” he said. “People are looking for every opportunity to stretch what dollars they have.”